The Lover’s Promise (No Exceptions #3)(19)
Author: J.C. Reed

I sure could use one. A dog would warn me of a possible intruder. He would know before a situation became threatening or someone’s bad intentions turned into imminent danger.

Somewhere a neighbor slammed a door, the noise carrying through the silence around me. Night turned into day but Sylvie remained gone. By 7.a.m.¸ worry set in. Where was she? I had tried to reach her countless times since I found the letter on our doorstep, but her phone had remained switched off.

So when the landline rang, I jumped up from my seat and dashed over, knocking my ankle against the table in the process. The caller ID showed an unknown number. Swallowing down the curse at the back of my throat, I rubbed my sore ankle and answered.

“Hello?”

“Is this Brooke Stewart?”

My heart sank in my chest. It wasn’t Sylvie.

“Yeah. This is she,” I said.

God, I hoped nothing bad happened.

The last thing I needed was that Sylvie turned up in a hospital or worse yet…

Oh God.

The mere thought stirred tears in my eyes.

How could I possibly live without my best friend and our usual Thursday nights?

“This is Judith Altenberg from BankTrusts,” the voice on the other end of the line said, cutting off my morbid trail of thought. “I’m calling to inquire if you’re interested in keeping your account with us.”

Tremendous relief streamed through me. It wasn’t the hospital. It was some woman talking about God only knew what.

“I’m sorry. What account?” My fingers curled around the phone cord as she confirmed with me the details and my account number.

Of course, Judith Altenberg. Debt collector. Bank adviser. The kind of person people like me avoided like the plague.

I faintly remembered her name. She was the lady who had sent the debt reminder. Instantly, my temples started to throb as my smile slowly vanished.

Crap.

“I know I’m behind payments, but I promise I’ll pay as soon as I have more money,” I said apologetically. “You see, I’ve just started a new job, and the hours are irregular. Can you give me two more weeks to sort out my little problem, maybe even a month?”

“Actually—” she paused for a moment and the sound of furious typing on a keyboard echoed in the background “—your account is settled. I’m calling to confirm that your debt has been repaid. Do you want to keep your account open or can I offer you one of your special deals?”

“Wait,” I said, catching my breath. “I don’t understand. Are you telling me that I don’t owe you any more money? Is that what you are saying right now?”

“Yes,” she replied, her voice monotone and patient. “Yesterday, you received a one off payment to cover the amount you owed in full. As of today, your account balance is zero.”

I stared at the phone in complete shock. “A one off payment made by whom?”

There was a short pause during which I heard yet more typing.

“Mayfield Realties,” she stated matter-of-factly. “The payment says ‘Advance.’ You’ll receive a form letter from us to confirm that the account has been settled and your debt paid in full.”

Oh, my God.

Jett.

“Is there a problem, Ma’am?” I could hear the sudden suspicion in Judith Alternberg’s voice.

“No. I just—” My temples throbbed harder as I tried to find my voice and the right words. “I just didn’t expect such a generous advance from my employer, that’s all.”

Ex-employer.

Ex-boyfriend.

“I see. Well, might I interest you in one of our special deals?” Her tone was back to its previous chirpy sales pitch self.

“Not at this time,” I mumbled.

“Sure. I’ll be happy to call again in a month. Since your loan’s paid off, can I advise you to keep your account open to improve your credit score? As per regulations the delinquency will still be reported on your credit report for seven years. So I advise—”

I stopped listening. Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind.

“Ma’am?” Her voice drew my attention back to her.

“I’m sorry.” I blew out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “I really appreciate the call, but do you mind if I contact you later this week?”

Without waiting for her reply, I ended the call. My mind was spinning, my blood was boiling.

No way.

No way!

Jett had paid off my loan—without even asking me. It was the exact thing I had never wanted. I didn’t want to owe him. To make him feel like he had some sort of power over me.

How did he find out about my loan with BankTrust anyway?

While I might have mentioned my student loan at one point or another, I never told him who held the loans, especially since I poured a great effort into making sure he wouldn’t find out that all my credit cards were maxed out. My stomach flipped at the thought.

Millionaires like Jett Mayfield had connections and as such the power to snoop around other people’s business. If he knew people with the kind of authority that allowed him access to my private details, all he had to do was look into the National Loan Data System. But surely it wasn’t that easy.

My stomach lurched as apprehension crept up my spine.

Opening the laptop again, I logged into all my bank accounts, and then called each bank one by one. By the time I had talked with them all, I was so angry I slammed the phone down, barely able to suppress the urge to scream.

Each one had confirmed the same: my debts had been settled; all of the payments stated “advance” and no, the money couldn’t be transferred back.

Damn Jett!

Not only had he paid each of my loans in full, he also made sure the credit report showed all accounts as settled. One advisor had even disclosed that Mayfield Realties requested a raise in my credit score and the bank was now looking into the possibility. But the worst part of it all was that Jett had transferred more money than I owed, totaling to ten thousand frigging dollars.

Ten thousand dollars.

I stared at the number, furious beyond belief.

What the fuck!

I didn’t want his money. If I had known his intentions, I would never have accepted it. How dare he pay off the money I owed without even asking me? The detective said Jett had immunity, implying that he had bought protection. Did that mean Jett paid for other services, too?

No one gifted anyone so much money, because nothing in life was ever free.

Maybe the real question you should ask is not why Jett paid off your debts, but rather what he wants in return?