“Thought you could use a change of clothes.” Toby arrived after breakfast with a backpack and a duffel bag. My backpack and duffel bag.

“How did you get these?” I demanded in a harsh whisper. If he had my things, he’d seen where I lived. No one knew where I lived.

“I lifted your keys, then your boss was kind enough to let me collect your things from your locker. I also moved your car somewhere safe and got you some clothes.”

“Why would Maree hand my things over to a complete stranger?”

He smiled. “Because I said please.”

She was always a sucker for a guy with good manners. A polite gesture was that woman’s kryptonite. And the fact she’d been perving on them all night would have helped him out too.

“So you know.”

He nodded once. “Based on your reaction, I take it you don’t want either of them to know?” He inclined his head towards Kristian and Abbot who were transferring gardening equipment from a shed to the tray of the Ute. Abbot was complaining about working when they were supposed to take the day off.

“No one knows, and I want to keep it that way,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

“Especially since this arrangement with my brother is more of a lifeline than a punishment to you, right?”

I lifted my chin. “It’s no lifeline. I can take care of myself.”

“You’re living in an old hatchback. How is that taking care of yourself?”

“Why do you even care?”

“I don’t. But if you want me to keep your secrets, I want a little information.” Toby kept his voice low. “Why are you living in your car?”

I tightened my arms across my chest and released my breath through my nose. “Remember that day on the beach when Kristian told us we couldn’t surf there anymore?”

“I recall something along those lines.”

Not long after the Cartwrights made Johno, Dazza, and me personas non grata to anyone we traded with, we’d run into them while surfing. Kristian and I had traded a few heated words while Dazza and Johno took off with their tails between their legs. I was so pissed that I laid into Johno the moment we got home. Fucking pussy. The end result was us breaking up, and me leaving with nowhere to go.

“Well, that’s when Johno and I broke up. I was pissed at him for not standing up to you lot, and he kicked me out. All I had was whatever I could pack and my shitbox car.”

“So you decided to live in it?”

“Not right away. Stayed in a couple of motels, an Airbnb or two while I tried to find a place. I even tried to get a room in a share house. But it didn’t work out, and the longer I went without a physical address, the harder things got. Then I ran out of money, and now you’re up to date on my shitty life.”

“You didn’t have any relatives to go to?”

I looked away, frowning. “Nowhere I’m welcome.”

“Surely your family wouldn’t turn you away if they knew you were living in your car.”

I scoffed in response. He’d obviously never encountered the maternally challenged woman who gave birth to me. And my father? Who the fuck knew where that guy was. He’d split not long after I was born. I wouldn’t know him if I passed him on the street.

“How do you even shower?”

“My God. Why are you so interested? The gym, the beach. Some guy’s house if I pick up.”

“You aren’t scared out there on your own?”

“Of what? It’s not like I’m sleeping out in the open.”

“It’s not exactly safe for a young girl like you.”

“I’m twenty-seven. I’m not a girl.”

He looked me up and down carefully. “You’re a girl.”

I reached out and snatched my bags from his hands. “And you’re a condescending arsehole.”

One side of his mouth quirked up as I turned and went inside to change, limping a little because of my sore knee.

The moment the screen door shut behind me, I heard Kristian yell to Toby that he wasn’t to let me out of his sight.

Controlling jerk. They were all treating me like a toddler. Or more accurately, a prisoner.

Although Toby was right. I hadn’t hit rock-bottom, but this was like a lifeline for me. He probably had no idea how hard it was to be living pay cheque to pay cheque, hoping that one day I’d get ahead. Kristian was a pigheaded jerk, but I had a place to stay, a bed to sleep in, running water, and a kitchen with food. A temporary lifeline, but a lifeline all the same. Who cared if I had to mow lawns and clean for a while to keep it? I was going to enjoy being here as best I could.

“I’m just gonna take a shower and get changed,” I said over my shoulder when I heard Toby enter the house. Kristian had called it a beach shack last night because it was literally on the beach. You walked out the front and within a few metres your feet were hitting sand. I couldn’t even imagine how much a place like this was worth. It wasn’t beautiful architecture or anything, just a basic two-bedroom, one-living-area fibro place with pale blue siding. But the location was amazing—the smell of the sea, the sounds of the waves. It was every surfer’s dream.

When I was done showering, I pulled on what I thought would be suitable to mow lawns in—a pair of leggings and a T-shirt, plus put a baseball cap on my head. I didn’t have any sort of work boots, so I just wore my runners. They were falling apart, but they did the trick.

“You going to be OK working with that knee?” Toby gestured to the way I was limping around the kitchen, looking for a bottle to fill with water for the day. It was already feeling warm.

“I’ll be fine,” I muttered, finding what I was after in a cupboard beneath the stove. “Best to get this over with as soon as possible. You guys want me gone as much as I don’t want to be here, I’m sure.” After filling the bottle from the tap, I took a sip before screwing the lid on.

When I looked up, Toby’s expression told me he didn’t believe me. But I wasn’t going to let him know he had me pegged, and that sleeping in my car every night scared the shit out of me. Last night was the first time I’d actually slept the whole night in months—even if the pervert had kept me close to him for security…

I cleared my throat. “Where is my car, anyway?”

“Safe,” he responded.

“Safe where?”

He just smiled.

“What if I need more of my stuff?”

“That won’t be a problem. I’ll bring all your stuff here.”

“What about my purse? My phone?”

“Got someone you need to call?”

“Maybe. Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean no one gives a shit about me.” Actually, that’s exactly what it meant. “Besides, I can’t just not show up for work. I’ll get the sack.”

Toby dug into his pocket and pulled out an old iPhone 5c with a blue case and a cracked screen. It was mine. “Let’s see.” He tapped at the screen and squinted a little through the cracks. Then he started to read. “‘Hey Maree. I hate to do this, but I need some time off’.”

My mouth fell open. “You messaged my boss?” I tried to grab my phone from his hand but he evaded me by holding it above my head and kept reading.

“‘Are you OK?’ she asked. ‘I heard you had a fall last night’. You replied, ‘I’m fine. But I need some time off. Family stuff.’ Then she said, ‘No probs. Let me know when you’re—spelt U R—ready to come back.’ She’s super understanding.”

“Give me my phone,” I said, teeth clenched.

“You should be thanking me for handling your shit for you.” He handed me my phone and I grabbed it before he fully let go.

Tears burned behind my eyes, and I didn’t know why. I guess I just hated that he was all up in my business where no one belonged. “Why would I thank any of you for anything?”

“Because your life just got a whole lot better.” He looked around the shack while he said it.

“Fuck you, Toby. You know nothing about me.”

A smug expression flitted across his face before he went for my jugular. “Veronica Sutton. You’ve floated from shitty relationship to shitty relationship since your tits grew in. You didn’t finish school because you decided partying was more fun and quit showing up. You’ve worked every crappy job there is, drawing the line at becoming a stripper or a hooker, but you have no problem stealing to make ends meet. You’re the product of a broken home. Your father was barely in the picture and your mother didn’t know what to do with you since she was basically a kid herself. You’re the kind of person who bounces through life, doing nothing constructive while looking for the next person who’ll let you sponge off them. All because being a productive member of society makes you want to claw your skin right off your face. This situation right here, is a dream come fucking true for you.”

“Fuck you.” My hand flew up and was caught mid-air, inches before it collided with his face. I snatched it back to my side and balled my fist, my nails digging into my palm.

“It’s my job to know who those knuckleheads are hanging out with. And I’m very good at what I do.” He smiled.

God, I wanted to slap that smile away. I felt…violated. I had no idea how, but somehow, this man had discovered everything I tried to keep secret—even the things I hid from myself. I wasn’t proud of how I’d lived my life. I’d messed up more than I did well, and I was trying to be better. I really was. But when you always seemed to be down on your luck, it was a little hard to pull yourself out of it.

“What are you planning to do with all that information?” I asked, my eyes cast down to the floor, my voice quiet. I had no bloody clue who these people were. I could see what they were presenting to the world, but the way they spoke and the power they seemed to exude told me that nothing was what it seemed from the outside looking in. They were hiding something huge. I knew it. And now I seemed to be smack in the middle of it.

He released a sigh. “Well, I was thinking about taking it to the papers, but they’d think it wasn’t newsworthy. I could write a book, but that would probably be boring as fuck and a waste of my time. A skywriter would be crazy expensive…”

When I looked up, I found a cheeky glint in his eyes. Despite myself, I laughed. Perhaps out of relief, perhaps because Toby had actually been kind of OK to me. He was a dick, but he was a nice one.

“So you can relax,” he continued. “I won’t cause you any trouble as long as you don’t cause us any trouble. And if you play your cards right, we might even help you get back on your feet. Do we have a deal?” He held out his hand.

A deal. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I had nothing to offer here, and no one who cared enough to figure out I was in trouble. They could quite easily get rid of me and never have to face questions. Yet somehow Toby made it sound like I had a choice, that being compliant was my bargaining chip. I didn’t think it was, but still, his words had piqued my interest. If you play your cards right, we might even help you get back on your feet. I didn’t know how he’d make that happen, but that dangling carrot called hope was something I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“Yeah. We have a deal,” I said, slipping my hand in his and shaking on it, because at the end of the day, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.