Chapter Nine
Saint
By Monday afternoon, I knew exactly where Bill McClure was.
I parked my truck across the street and sat there for a moment with my hands resting on the steering wheel. The engine ticked as it cooled. Snow drifted down slowly and lazily, like the world wasn’t aware that some lines were about to be drawn.
I thought of Belle.
Flour on her cheek. That stubborn set to her mouth when she was exhausted but refused to stop.
I also thought of my mother, standing in her kitchen with green marshmallow-covered hands, warning me not to get into trouble with Christmas right around the corner.
This didn’t have to be trouble.
It just had to be final.
I stepped out of the truck and crossed the street. The bell over the bar door jingled when I went inside, and a few heads turned automatically. I clocked everything without meaning to: the exits, the men at the bar, and the ones pretending not to watch him.
Bill sat in the corner booth with a drink in front of him, and his jacket draped over the back like he owned the place.
He didn’t look surprised to see me.
That told me everything I needed to know.
I didn’t ask permission. I slid into the booth across from him and rested my forearms on the table.
Bill smirked. “You again.”
“This is the part where you listen, and I talk,” I said calmly.
Bill laughed and took a slow sip of his drink. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. But this still isn’t your problem.”
My jaw tightened, just slightly. “It’s not Belle’s either.”
That got Bill’s attention.
“She’s the one whose daddy racked up the debt,” Bill said, his voice sharpening. “She’s the one running the bakery and has money. She’s the one I see.”
I leaned forward just enough to shift the balance of the space. Not threatening. Just present.
“She’s not your leverage,” I said. “She’s not your fallback. And she sure as hell isn’t your solution.”
Bill scoffed. “So what, then? Her old man disappears and I eat it?”
I didn’t answer right away. I let the silence stretch and let Bill feel the absence of easy intimidation.
“You keep coming after her,” I said finally, “and you won’t get anything. Not from her. Not from me. Not from anyone in this town.”
Bill’s smile slipped. “You think you scare me?”
“No,” I replied evenly. “I think you understand math.”
That earned him a sharp look.
Bill leaned back and crossed his arms. “She runs off clean. Debt gone. I get screwed. I don’t like that math.”
I straightened. “You already screwed yourself the minute you walked into her bakery.”
A muscle jumped in Bill’s jaw. “I don’t like losing.”
I nodded once. “Then you should take the deal I’m about to offer you.”
Bill’s eyes narrowed. “I’m listening.”
I reached into my jacket, slowly and deliberately, and set an envelope on the table. Not close enough for Bill to grab yet.
“Half,” I said. “Cash.”
Bill barked out a laugh. “Half?”
“Half,” I repeated. “That’s more than you’ll get if you keep pushing.”
Bill leaned forward now, and his eyes flicked to the envelope. “And Belle?”
“Off-limits,” I said flatly. “Forever.”
Bill drummed his fingers on the table. “You’re paying off another man’s debt.”
My voice stayed calm, but something cold settled underneath it. “No. I’m paying you to walk away.”
“And if I don’t?”
I met his gaze. “Then you keep wasting time you don’t have, and I make sure every door you try to open stays closed.”
Bill studied me longer this time. Really looked. Whatever he saw there finally shifted something.
“You’re serious,” Bill muttered.
I didn’t blink. “Deadly.”
Another stretch of silence.
Bill exhaled sharply. “Fine. Half.”
I slid the envelope across the table. “Take it. And disappear.”
Bill picked it up, weighed it, and nodded once. “She won’t hear from me again.”
I stood. “Make sure of it.”
As I walked out, I felt something settle in my chest. Not relief. Not pride.
Finality.
This was over for Belle, and she would never have to worry about Bill McClure or her dad ever again.
I drove straight to the clubhouse, the truck humming steady beneath me. X was already there, nursing a cup of coffee.
“It’s done,” I said.
X raised an eyebrow. “Clean?”
“Clean enough.”
X nodded. “Good. You gonna try to find the dad?”
I shook my head. “Belle doesn’t want anything to do with him.”
“You could try to get the money from him,” X suggested.
I tried not to laugh. “Never met the guy, but I know there ain’t no way I’ll get a penny out of him. He screwed over his own daughter, X.”
X clicked his tongue. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. So what now?”
A smile spread across my lips. “Now Belle is all mine.”