26. Dakota
I never thought I’d find myself locked in a basement with my closest friends, facing down a man who looked like he’d stepped out of one of those late-night crime shows where they always catch the bad guy five minutes before the credits roll. But there we were, our entire girls’ night party, huddled together and trying to outsmart a dangerous man who had a gun in one hand and a crazed look in his eye. Laney had tried to text Everett before our phones were snatched away, but none of us were sure if he’d gotten the message.
The basement was dimly lit, filled with old furniture and forgotten boxes, the air thick with the smell of dust and something metallic. One old safe seemed to be the focus of this situation. It sat against the far wall, heavy and imposing, as the bad guy—the real bad guy, Syd’s old partner—stalked toward us, waving his gun toward it like it was the key to his freedom.
“You didn’t think I’d just walk away simply because Syd did, did you?” His voice was sharp, laced with menace, and I could see the wildness in his eyes, the desperation that came from years of greed and paranoia.
I felt a chill run down my spine as his eyes locked on mine. Beside me, Hope edged closer, her arm brushing mine as if to remind me we were in this together. And we were. We had to be because no one else was here to get us out of this mess.
In fact, I had a feeling that Tucker never would’ve left if he’d known there would even be a mess, regardless of how he felt about me.
I glanced at Laney, who was already shifting her weight, trying to figure out the next move. We hadn’t exactly made a plan for what we would do, but the way he kept glancing at the big safe against the wall told me everything I needed to know. He thought the treasure was in there, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get it.
But I knew for a fact that it wasn’t since I’d seen Tucker open that safe with my own eyes, and it was empty.
“Listen,” I said, my voice steady even though my heart was racing, “you don’t have to do this. We don’t want the treasure. We’ll walk away, and you can have it.”
He narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying it. “Nice try, sweetheart. But You think I’m going to let you walk out of here and call the cops?”
Hope stepped forward. “We don’t want any trouble. We won’t tell anyone, and you’re free to keep whatever you find down here if it means you’ll let us go.”
The man’s eyes flicked to the safe again, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He was thinking about it. We just had to get him closer…
The girls knew Tucker and I had searched every safe in this basement. Maybe this guy knew it, too, but he thought we were still keeping it from him? Didn’t believe that we hadn’t found anything?
Whatever the case, I knew my friends believed there was no treasure down here, and I was so incredibly grateful we were all on the same page about the ruse.
“Look,” Paisley chimed in, her voice soothing in a way only she could manage, “why don’t you at least check the safe before you do anythin’ to us? We’re not armed. You’ve got the upper hand. Make sure it’s all there, and then once you have what you want, we can just let you leave with it instead of lettin’ us leave.”
Ooh. Brilliant.
He hesitated, his grip on the gun loosening slightly as he looked back at the safe. His greed was overriding his common sense, and I could see the moment he decided to take the bait.
He turned his back to us, moving toward the safe, his free hand reaching for the handle. Why he thought it was in that one, I’ll never know. Maybe because it was the biggest, and maybe it was the only one that could hold 1.2 million dollars worth of treasure?
But who cared? He was about to turn the handle to the unlocked safe and discover that it was empty, and I really didn’t want to know what he’d do with that gun if he did.
So, that was when I caught Laney’s eye. Now.
Before he could react to the empty safe, Laney rushed forward, shoving him hard, and I was right behind her, slamming the door shut with a loud clang. Aubree ran up and spun the round thingy on the safe—I’d already forgotten what Tucker had told me it was called—and Hope stepped forward to do something else that was surely an extra precaution she’d learned from her grandpa.
The man let out a furious shout as something clicked into place, sealing him inside. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of his fists pounding against the metal, muffled and desperate.
We all stood there, breathless, staring at the safe like we couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.
“Wow,” Hope whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. “We did it.”
I let out a shaky laugh, my whole body trembling with adrenaline. “Yeah. We did.”
But before we could even catch our breath, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the basement stairs, and I turned just in time to see Tucker and the Wilson brothers charging toward us, their faces filled with a mix of panic and determination.
Tucker’s eyes found mine immediately, and the relief that washed over me was palpable. The second he reached me, he didn’t say a word—just grabbed me and pulled me into the fiercest hug I’d ever experienced. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my heart racing as he lifted me off the ground, my feet leaving the floor as I buried my face in his neck.
His hands were strong, steady, as he held me, and when whispered in my ear, his voice was worn and broken. “I can’t— You’re safe. What?—”
“I’m safe, but—” I laughed, my hands still gripping the back of his jacket as I angled back so I could look at him, my mind spinning. “You’re here,” I whispered, like I still couldn’t believe it.
“I’m here,” he confirmed, his eyes softening as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. “And I’m not leaving.”
“What do you mean?”
Tucker’s expression grew more serious. “I mean, I’m staying. I’m opening up shop here, in Charlotte Oaks. Colt, Austin, and I—this is home now.”
Home .
Had he really just used that word? It hit me like a ton of bricks, causing a lump to rise in my throat. “You’re really stayin’? You’re callin’ this place home , now?”
He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. “I am. But just so you know, this place... it feels like home because you’re here, Wildcard.”
I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but I didn’t bother wiping it away. Instead, I grinned up at him, my heart so full I thought it might burst. “I was actually lookin’ into travel nursin’ jobs,” I admitted, my voice thick with emotion. “Just in case... you know...”
Tucker smiled, shaking his head. “I appreciate that, but I’m good here.”
I laughed softly, blinking back more tears. “You mean it?”
“I do.”
“Can you breathe?”
He frowned, deep creases forming between his brows. “What?”
“You know… on account of bein’ strangled by those roots?—”
He hardly let me get the word out before he crushed his mouth to mine just to shut me up. And I wouldn’t lie, I kinda liked it.
He pulled back and grinned, then leaned in to kiss me again, and everything felt right in my world again.
Behind us, one of the Wilson brothers cleared his throat, and Travis’s voice broke through the moment. “So... I don’t suppose anyone’s figured out where that treasure is?”
I glanced at the safe, then back at Tucker, a smile tugging at my lips as he finally lowered me to the ground. “For all I care, we’ll never find it,” I said, wrapping my arms around Tucker’s waist. “I’ve got somethin’ better.”
And as Tucker kissed me again—despite someone muttering that actual pirate treasure was pretty dang hard to beat—I knew that no amount of gold could ever compare to this.