Chapter 77 Kiera
KIERA
Even a few days later, I was still thinking about my late night, hallway tryst with Spencer — the way I’d been so afraid of getting caught.
But what replayed in my mind just as much was the kiss I’d shared with Leo. It was reckless to play with both of them like this. It was probably just the adrenaline of our cop chase that had made me want to be that close to her.
Of course, if that was true, I wouldn’t want to do it again. The last couple days, all I’d been able to do was stare at her plush lips and think about how her tongue would feel in my mouth.
Shaking my head, I checked my phone. Five missed calls from Maura and one text from Spencer.
Ready when you are, Bunny
Spencer
I shoved the phone in my sweats pocket and pulled my door open. Everything about this was starting to become normal. My room was starting to feel like my own, the routine of my captors schedules felt comfortable.
It was only the incessant calls from my mother and the eerie feeling of Gabe lurking around every corner of Valemont that pulled me from the safety of Leo and Spencer’s presence.
Well, that, and the haunted ass mansion I’d been stuck in. At this point, I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination or if Dom’s presence was making it feel like I was being hunted by some eldritch demon.
In reality, every corner of this house was starting to feel familiar. And it was getting harder to tell exactly why. Old memories and new were blending into one deep in my mind.
I took the stairs down to the kitchen, a cacophony of smells wafting into my nose as Spencer’s giddy smile met my face.
“Hey, you.” She pressed dough into the counter, using her body weight to knead the flour into the whole.
“It smells amazing in here. What’s the occasion?” I leaned against the counter, watching as the tendons and muscles in Spencer’s forearms strained with the force of her making the dough.
Spencer gestured to small, white ramekins full of chopped up ingredients and two round, metal trays on the counter. “Well, Leo and Dom are out and we made plans to get you some accounts set up. This is my attempt to make financial independence sexy.”
Laughing, I leaned over the counter and grabbed a piece of green bell pepper from the dish. “I think you could make most things sexy. But food definitely helps.”
“I just figure there’s no reason we can’t have fun.” Spencer patted the empty counter space next to her. “But I’m going to need your help. Can’t make a personal pizza without you, personally.” A wink flourished her corny joke.
I took my place next to her, looking down at the well-floured countertops and surveying my topping options.
Wrapping her arms around my waist, Spencer delicately draped an apron of my own over my clothes. She tied the string around my waist, her eyes taking in the shape of my hips as she licked her lips.
She cleared her throat as she sidled up to the counter. “So, where did you used to work before all of this?”
Shrugging, I slapped a round of dough down in front of me and got to shaping it. “Mostly at gyms and restaurants. I had a paralegal gig that Gabe got for me but he really hated when I worked. Wanted a trophy.”
“I like when my trophies have freedom.” Spencer shook her head, clearly annoyed by Gabe’s barbaric behavior. “How much do you have in your accounts?”
Letting out a sigh, I tried to hide my embarrassment. “Not much. Anything over a thousand and Maura would suddenly have car troubles.”
“Right.” Spencer’s temples tensed. “Has she always done that?”
I nodded. “Yeah, as soon as I was old enough to work. She got used to a certain lifestyle when my dad was alive. After he passed…”
“Any means necessary.”
“Yeah.”
Looking into Spencer’s eyes, I knew she understood. Maybe not from personal experience but from some deep, intrinsic knowledge.
Sucking in air, Spence needed her dough harder. “My sister needed a lot of help when she was alive. And I never minded because she struggled, just like our mom did. They both saw some shit. Horrible shit. But once Jess passed, her husband liked to use my love for the kids against me.”
The thought made my chest hurt. How anyone could take advantage of someone as sweet as Spencer… someone as alone…
If I ever met the fucker, I’d have a hard time not punching him right in the face.
Spencer clapped her floury hands together. “Now, let’s put this dough on the pizza trays.”
Once our rounds were safely on the metal tins, we got to spreading out sauce and cheese. Spencer was heavy handed on the dairy, making sure the entire pie was covered in shredded mozzarella.
As we started selecting toppings, Spencer grabbed my gaze. “So, are you still avoiding Callahan?”
“No,” I started, stumbling for words, “I was never avoiding her. If anything, she’s ignoring me.”
Leaving room for silence, Spencer just leaned on the counter and watched my face.
“I’m just giving her space.” I swallowed hard as I sprinkled some red onion on my pizza — a little worried that my breath would stink and I’d kill any chance of feeling Spencer’s lips on mine.
But as I looked up into her dark eyes, I could see how hungry she was. And it wasn’t for the pizza. I could eat a tray of sardines and this gorgeous goddess would still stick her tongue down my throat.
Taking a look at our two trays of pizza, Spencer smirked. “Ready to go?”
With a nod, we grabbed the rounds and pushed them into the hot oven. Spencer’s was a gorgeous pizza, perfectly shaped prosciutto and sundried tomatoes on top with arugula on the counter to be added after it cooked.
Mine on the other hand was a mess of veggies, some crumbled sausage, and onions.
“They look nice together, don’t they?” Spencer beamed with pride at the two pies.
After we washed our hands in the dark stone, undermount sink, Spencer grabbed her laptop from the island and popped it open. We took two stools and positioned ourselves to face the oven — making sure to keep an eye on our dinner.
“So, we’ll start off with the basics. Just a simple checking account.” Spencer opened a new tab to a few bank options. “You’ve got the major banks, which are all essentially the same. Or you could go somewhere local which makes banking out of Valemont harder but does keep your money closer.”
To compare the options, Spencer had made a spreadsheet of the pros and cons of each account.
After a brief glance, I pointed out my favorite. “Lowest maintenance fee and the longest without a monthly fee.”
“Good call, that’s my bank.” Spencer winked as she started opening the account in a new tab. “Just put in your social security number, I promise I won’t look.”
Rolling my eyes, I did as I was told and typed in the nine digit number.
But as I did, Spencer leaned over the gap between us and put her lips on my neck.
The delicate kisses grew fevered, sending a pulse down to my pussy.
I wasn’t satisfied, not with Spencer and Leo looking the way they did, parading around me at all times.
“Done.” I swallowed hard, forcing myself to focus on the mission. “But now it wants proof of address.”
“Not a worry.” Spencer kept one arm wrapped around my waist as she searched the computer's files, pulling open a file called KIERA_LEASE_MANSION.pdf. “Took care of that.”
Laughing, I gawked at the file. “You wrote me a lease?”
“It can be real if you want. I’m pretty good at forging Dom’s siggy.” Spencer grinned, desperate to lock me into living here, to be by her side all the time. Even if I was their captive, it was clear that Spencer and Leo would have preferred to hold me hostage for eternity.
Once the account was made, Spencer nodded and started to open an additional account from a different bank.
“So this is what’s called a high yield savings account.
It’ll give you the highest return on investment.
This one averages around 5% interest, compounding monthly.
So I want you to store most of your money here.
Leave some in the checking in case any bills come through. ”
“But anything that’s not being used should go right into savings.” I added.
A little surprised, Spencer scoffed. “Took the words right out of my mouth. How did you know that?”
My chest tightened. “My dad was big on adding financial lessons into everything. He was savvy.”
Just from the look in her eyes, I knew she couldn’t help but feel sad for me.
In a low rumble, Spencer spoke. “I’m really sorry you lost him so young. He sounded like a real steady force.”
“Yeah, he was. Maura just couldn’t keep it together once he was gone. She was always hopping from guy to guy, trying to stay in with all those rich assholes.” I rolled my eyes, memories of her laying all over men over the years flooding back. All while I sat alone in the corner, waiting to go home.
Shaking the memories, feeling the roof of the kitchen closing in on me, I looked back at the screen as Spencer linked the checking account with the savings. “Where did you learn all of this? Doesn’t sound like anyone at home was looking out for your finances.”
Spencer looked up from the screen and met my eyes. “I taught myself most of the basics. Someone in that house had to know how to pay the electric bill.” Then she paused, debating whether or not to tell me the next part.
“What?” My brow furrowed as I watched her relent.
“Dom helped with the rest.” Spencer tapped the keys on the laptop. “On top of the free housing, she taught me about investing and retirement. How to build my credit and put money aside tax free for my niece and nephew.”
Bile rose to my throat, a part of me wanting to roll my eyes.
Like Dom is some saint.
But the truth was that it was incredibly kind, disturbingly so for someone so fucking rude and cruel to me. Maybe that’s why it stung so much, knowing that she was capable of kindness but choosing not to give it to me.
Spencer laughed, putting her strong hand on my thigh. “Try to picture it. I promise she can be sweet. She’s just a reactive dog, protecting her pack.”
“When does she accept someone new into the pack?”
“Hardly ever.” Letting her shoulders drop, Spencer squeezed my leg. “But you’re part of mine and Leo’s.”
Even if it was corny, my heart warmed at the thought. Whether Dom liked it or not, The Oracle was going to make me one of them. Whatever the fuck that meant.
Turning back toward the computer, Spencer sat up straight. “Okay, time for the moment of truth. Transferring your balance from the old account.”
“Now?” My brow raised, wrinkles forming across my forehead as I swallowed hard.
“Yep.” Spencer opened up the transfer button, selecting the old account I’d input and the new one to transfer it to. “Just don’t use any of this to try and run. I like you as my hostage.”
My heart dropped out of my ass. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this. Once the money was moved, Maura would know what I’d done and I wouldn’t be able to escape her calls. I’d have to explain it to her, something she was never going to like hearing.
She’d be cut off. For real. And then it would be entirely on me to hold the line, to stop her from taking more of my money.
It also meant I could get out of this mansion. Finally buy a bus ticket and get the fuck out of here. But as I looked into Spencer’s dark eyes, I knew that wasn’t really an option. If I fled, took off in the night, they’d find me. One way or another.
At this point, I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to leave. Despite Dom’s best attempts to make me feel isolated and alone, Spencer and Leo had given me a home. Even if it came with some blood-soaked strings.
And I’d be damned if I let some asshole like Dom keep me from them.
“Ready?” Spencer put her palm on my back, the heat from her hand radiating into my spine and relaxing my muscles.
Putting my hand on the trackpad, I hovered over the “transfer” button. I sucked in a deep breath, letting the air hiss out from my tight lips as I let my finger click on the metal.
It’s done.
I watched as the screen lit up with a new popup. “We’re processing your transfer. This may take a few minutes.”
But then, like a strike of lightning, a few hundred dollars appeared in the new savings account.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I closed Spencer’s laptop.
If the calls from my mother weren’t bad before, they were about to get a whole lot worse.