Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
A urora decreased her pace from running to walking. Out of shape barely covered it. Bending, she put her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths. Jogging as far as she had was ridiculous. The dirt roads weren’t exactly smoothed over. After drinking some water, she continued at a walk.
The car in the driveway looked expensive, but what did she know about cars? Shaking her head, she smiled. Absolutely nothing, that’s what she knew.
It looked too nice to be an FBI car. Maybe it was Ryan’s. No, that wasn’t his name. It was Reilly. Yes, Reilly was right. Repeating her story over and over had been exhausting. She was too young to have a story. Her stepfather was nothing but a lowdown— Her mother too.
She’d been beating herself up over her lack of knowledge for far too long. For being stupid. Stewart was the only one who had told her it wasn’t her fault. Gus seemed to believe her, but he hadn’t actually told her so, though he had said as much to Ruby Lou, she supposed.
Agent Moore’s attitude hadn’t surprised her as much as it should have. Everyone had made up their minds about her part in the scam. She had to be guilty. To most people, there was no other conclusion.
Would Reilly be the same? He’d probably been privy to all the reports. There were probably volumes written speculating on her involvement.
Out of breath, she made her way up the steps and entered the house.
A man bigger than Stewart stood with his back to her, blocking the doorway. He had such broad shoulders they filled the entire width.
Turning at her entrance, he nodded. “Aurora? I’m Reilly McKeegan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He’d kept his hands in his pockets. Did he not want to shake her hand?
“I’m just going to take a quick shower. I’ll be down in a few.”
Reilly stepped away from the doorway, and she shot by him, jogging up the stairs. She was fed up with being judged, and he was just another man doing it. If only she could hide.
Quickly, she showered and dressed. She wore clothes from her old life, expensive shoes and all. It was too hard for her to force a smile. She had nothing left to give.
It was nice to see Stewart’s smile directed at her while she descended the stairs. His smile gave her a boost. He waited until she got to the bottom and then took her hand. He ushered her into the great room, briefly squeezing her hand before leaving her to settle into a leather chair.
“I filled Reilly in on your situation.”
She nodded. So, her troubles were now a situation. It took everything she had to stay in the chair. Running away would be easier.
Glancing at Stewart, she could tell something was troubling him. Was she being unfair with her bitterness? It wasn’t Stewart’s fault. None of this was his fault.
“Good. I’ve had to reiterate my troubles so many times. Frankly, I have to warn you, I’m a bit worn out and I feel overly sensitive about the whole thing. You’re going to have to bear with me.”
Reilly smiled. He was a handsome man. Not as handsome as Stewart, but he probably had his share of women friends.
“It’s understandable. You’ve been hounded and put under a microscope. Not to mention your stalker, Glen. Most people aren’t as strong as you.”
Her body relaxed, and she leaned back in the chair.
“Contrary to what Agent Moore might have suggested, you are not a suspect in any of your stepfather’s dealings.” Reilly leveled a reassuring gaze on her before turning to Stewart. “It’s bad enough that McKenna had the drugs, but he also owes a large debt to some dangerous people.”
“What else was he into?” Stewart asked. A lump formed in his throat.
“His gambling was excessive.”
“I did receive a somewhat threatening call about money that was owed.”
“When was this?” Reilly asked, his gaze sharpening on Stewart.
“It wasn’t long after McKenna was arrested. I guess I should have notified the police, but it happened in the middle of…something else.”
Reilly glanced from Stewart to Aurora then back. “It’s a long story. I’ll give you the abbreviated version. McKenna couldn’t pay his debts. He somehow got mixed up with Paul Stingster and his schemes. McKenna set you up, Stewart. He was about to get a huge piece of that pie. But Stingster was arrested, and the money was gone. Desperate, McKenna ousted you from your job, thinking he could steal from the ranch. That didn’t work. They made him a key player in the drug distribution network to make him start paying back his debt. I don’t think there would have been an end to his debt, no matter how long he worked for them.”
Stewart stood and paced in front of the stone fireplace. “He betrayed his own family to save himself? He accused me and made sure everyone continued to see me as the victim of the scam. He stole my job, my house, and he ordered Aurora to leave. He acted too stupid to know the passwords to the financials. Good thing he was an idiot. He didn’t get the money he wanted though he did accuse me of overpaying myself.” He halted his pacing at the window, staring out at nothing in particular. McKenna had stripped away his confidence. So many nights of feeling like a failure. How many decisions did he doubt because of McKenna?
He heard Aurora asking Reilly. “Do the feds know everything you know?”
“Not everything. I wanted to talk to Stewart first and see what he wanted me to do.”
Stewart turned to face them. “I want the truth to be told. Not because he deserves it, but because it’s the right thing to do. Lies never helped anyone.”
Reilly nodded. “They might come to get your phone because of that call. I’m off to see Sheriff Washington. McKenna has a top-notch lawyer, but I’m not sure about spending so much money on a defense when he is guilty. I’ll talk to his lawyer today and let you know.” He stood.
“You’ll spend the night here, won’t you?” Stewart asked.
He grinned. “As long as Flora is cooking dinner, I’ll be here. I’ll talk to you in a few hours.”
Stewart watched his brother leave. Had McKenna always hated him?
“Stewart?” It took him a moment to realize Aurora had been talking to him.
“What? I’m sorry Aurora. Lost in thought, I guess,” he confessed.
“Do you want to be alone?”
“No, honey. I’d much rather go to the barn. Would you care to join me?”