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happen. His fingers shook as he closed his account and signed off the computer. The image of his overdrawn bank balance flashed neon red in his mind. How could I be broke? Broke. The word made no sense. The last time he looked, he’d been rich.
    He grabbed his stuff, jumped to his feet and started toward the main entrance. Maybe fresh air would help him think. His Trust had been the one constant in his life—even when Mom failed him and Flynn took off to do his own thing, Ryker had been able to count on his safety net. Now, apparently, for some reason, it was gone.
    “Ryker,” a voice called.
    He swung around, searching until his eyes spotted Louise walking toward him, his camera in hand.
    “Oh, wow. I forgot you had it.”
    She passed the camera to him but didn’t let go right away. “That’s not like you. It’s not like you to leave without saying goodbye, either. Something’s wrong.”
    “Maybe everything.”
    She glanced at her watch. “It’s time for my break. Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”
    He didn’t argue. His life was in the toilet—and he was being evicted from his own land. He’d take any help he could find. “Thanks. I’d like that.”
    “I’ll meet you outside in a minute.”
    “Good. I need to make a call.”
    He trotted down the steps and jogged to a nearby park bench. He opened his phone, grateful to see a small charge. Enough to call his stepfather. His fingers drummed impatiently on the curved metal armrest as he waited.
    “Ryker. I was expecting this call weeks ago. Still playing the dilettante arteest, I see. Where are you?”
    “Montana. Where I’ve been camping on land that apparently no longer belongs to me, if a woman named Mia Zabrinski is to be believed.”
    “I don’t recognize the name, but…she could be right.”
    “How is that possible, Howard? I didn’t sell my land. I’m pretty damn sure Flynn didn’t sell my land.”
    “Actually, he did.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “Watch your language, young man. Settle down or we won’t be discussing anything further.” Same autocratic, hardline Howard. A man Ryker had hated on sight the moment Mom introduced him to her two grieving sons.
    “Flynn would not sell our father’s property. We planned to subdivide the ten acres into two lots and both build cabins here for our retirement.”
    “Yes, well, plans change. The economy changes. As administrator of your trust, it’s incumbent upon me to make sure your investments are diverse and a mix of safe and aggressive. A couple…three years ago, a hiccup in the market made some of the riskier investments bottom out. In an attempt to recoup those losses, I needed capital. You were in Africa, I think. Your brother authorized the sale. It’s only dirt, Ryker. Once your portfolio is healthy again, you can buy another patch of dirt in any state you wish. There are fifty, you know. Montana is not Nirvana.”
    A blur of red clouded Ryker’s eyes. The color he associated with seeing Colette die. The pressure on his chest made his voice low and harsh. “You sold my land without my permission. Is that even legal?”
    “I told your mother you’d climb on your high horse and start spouting legalities when you found out. She promised me you’d understand. We have three kids in college, Ryker. Do you have any idea how much that costs?”
    “Yes. I do. Since you refused to pay for my college, I know exactly how much we’re talking about.”
    The last came out as a full-blown shout.
    Howard hung up. He had warned Ryker to watch his tone, and Howard Margolis never went back on a threat. He’d threatened to cut off Flynn and Ryker if they didn’t live at home and follow the career path he thought best. Since Flynn already had two years in Penn State and wasn’t about to change majors to become an accountant, he dropped out of college and got a job in the US Forest Service as a firefighter. Ryker spent his final months of high school feeling like an unwelcome stranger in his own