Page 88 of Reckless Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 7)

JODIE

“Thanks,” I say as Bri passes me a glass of rose prosecco.

Lifting it to my lips, I swallow down two big mouthfuls, desperate for the numbness it can give me.

“So… there’s no money? Like… none?” she says, summing up everything I explained after she let me in.

“Apparently not.”

“But—”

“I know. He worked all the time. Bought all the things,” I say, voicing exactly what she’s thinking.

“Jesus, Jojo. What are you going to do?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “I think it might be time for my backup plan.”

“That was never a serious plan,” she states. “And your mum, Toby,” she says, raising her brows to ensure her point hits home, “will never let you be a stripper.”

“Who gives a fuck if it puts a roof over our heads?”

“I can’t believe you’re getting final demands already. There’s no way they’d have acted that quickly after his death. It’s only been weeks.”

“This can’t be a new situation.”

“What are you suggesting? That he knew there was no money before he died?”

“Maybe. Probably. I have no idea, and I can hardly bloody ask him. Ugh,” I groan, falling back on the sofa and sloshing prosecco all over my jeans. “This is a fucking nightmare.”

“It’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Worst case, you can both crash here while you get shit sorted. Do any of you have anything worth selling?”

“Not that I know of. He had a couple of fancy watches, but I have no idea if they were actually anything valuable.”

We fall into a tense silence, both lost in our own heads.

“Bri,” I whisper, needing to get something off my chest but also not wanting to say the words out loud. “Do you think his death was an accident?”

She freezes mid-sip, her eyes locking on mine.

“Shit, Jojo.”

My heart thunders in my chest as I think of the possibility.

“But the crash was investigated, wasn’t it? The police report deemed it as an accident.”

“Yeah, I know. And it probably was. I’m just letting my mind run away with itself. I’ve been watching too many crime documentaries.”

“It does have the makings of a good TV show, I’ll give you that. But as much as you might have a point, does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? It’s happened, and the damage has been done. He’s not coming back. The money certainly isn’t coming back. You need to focus on the future.”

“You’re right. I know you are,” I say before draining the glass in my hand. “I really thought everything was going to be okay. Maybe not okay, but bearable, you know?”

“I know,” she agrees sadly. “But both you and your mum are resilient enough to get through this. You can both find jobs and start over. Everything happens for a reason, right?”

“I’m struggling with that right now, Bri. Gotta be honest.”

She reaches over and squeezes my hand in support.

“Tomorrow is another day. A fresh start. The future can be whatever you want it to be. Have you heard from Toby?” she asks, moving from one depressing topic to another.