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VIPER:Haunting powerful

VIPER:Dangerous!?

VIPER:You sent him a message but he’s not listening because it’s not what he wants to hear

VIPER:He deserved it absolutely.

VIPER:But now I’m really worried. And you should be, too.

VIPER:And that’s our thing! I don’t want you sending musical messages to anyone but me

VIPER:Be careful. You poke a bear, they bite.

VIPER:I miss you like crazy

Lyric read the messages, knowing M wanted her to be prepared for the repercussions of what she’d done last night. Maybe it was stupid, and yes, she’d let her anger override good sense, but she’d earned a little retaliation after what that asshole had done to her place. Okay, stupid, yes. Her life wasn’t worth the damage to her place.

Reading between the lines of those text messages, she appreciated that M hadn’t gone ballistic on her fordoing it. Though, it was clear he didn’t like it or that she’d used a song to communicate with Rick.

That was their thing. And she hated that M thought she did that with everyone. She’d set him straight on that.

LYRIC:I miss you like crazy

LYRIC:I’m done with him and all about you!

LYRIC:You get all my good musical messages and my heart with them

LYRIC:Be safe

LYRIC:I can’t wait to kiss you again♥

She finished off her third cup of coffee and tried not to think about Rick. If he’d tried to send her any online messages or texts after she posted the song, they were blocked.

She was done with him. At least, she hoped so.

But hoping wasn’t reality, and she needed to remain on alert for whatever he had planned next.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Today was not Lyric’s day. Her parents were upset about the break-in and destruction of her property. They wanted her to skip work and move back in with them. At the same time, they wanted Rick out of the cabin. He’d apparently not returned last night or this morning. When she went into the cabin to check the place out, she found several odd things that belonged to her. Things she hadn’t noticed were missing. A hair tie. Her favorite pen. One of her notebooks filled with songs and ideas, along with some personal musings.

She hated that he had seen her private thoughts. Even worse, some of them were about M.

She didn’t like him knowing she had feelings for M. It could set him off. Again.

To send a clear message, she’d packed up his stuff and left his bag outside the cabin door.

When she got back to the bar and started the barbecuing and cooking for the big Friday-night crowd they always anticipated, she found that both barbecues and the smokers had been filled with trash from the dumpster. A raccoon had gotten into one of the barbecues and didn’t want to leave. It took her an hour to clean it all up and get the meat cooking.

It didn’t take a genius to wonder who’d vandalized her stuff.

She sent the pictures she took to Officer Bowers and told him she’d be by to file a report.

Then her mom texted that Rick had been by the cabin, taken his stuff, and left without anyone seeing him.

The band she’d hired to play tonight came down with a case of food poisoning from the place where they’d had breakfast, so she had to scramble to find a band available and near enough to get here on time. She did it, but it was a lot of calls and groveling on short notice. Plus, she had to pay the band extra for gas since they were coming in from Colorado.

She was so happy when the bar opened and she could focus on serving up orders. And since it was Friday, she had a few people in need who stopped by to pick up groceries for the weekend when their kids didn’t get school meals for free and they needed the extra help.