Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(60)

Meat sat back in his chair and blinked at her in surprise. “What? Who?”

“Her name is Renee Heller. She was my best friend when I disappeared. She sent me an email. Apparently, she still lives up in Denver.”

“Can I see the email?” Meat asked tentatively.

Zara nodded and pulled it up on the computer, then turned the screen to face him. She watched his face as he read it and couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

When he was done, Zara said, “She said she’s a hairdresser. She could probably fix my hair. I thought maybe I could invite her down here, and we could see if we clicked like we did when we were little.”

“And you think it’s really her?” Meat asked.

Zara frowned at him. “Of course. Who else would it be?”

Meat smiled sadly. “Someone else who wants to get close to you for a story. Or someone who wants to get ahold of your money.”

Zara let out a rush of breath. “Oh,” she said in disappointment.

“I’m sorry, Zar. I know this is hard. But you have to at least consider that this might not really be the person you knew when you were ten.”

“I’m sure it’s her,” Zara explained. “I vaguely remember that sleepover she talks about in the email. How would someone else know about that? I also remember playing together for hours on the playground with her. I just . . . She’s a part of my old life. The life I had when I was truly happy and carefree. If I can connect with even one person from that time, maybe it’ll make me feel more normal. Like I can have a piece of the old me back. Then I think I’d be more ready to make brand-new friends. I know that sounds weird, but I can’t help feeling that way.”

Meat didn’t agree or disagree with her right away. He simply studied her. Zara had no idea what he was thinking, but finally he asked, “Will you let me check her out before you meet with her?”

“What does that mean, check her out?” Zara asked carefully.

“Electronically. See what her bank account looks like, check out her work history, see if she’s married, and what I can find out about her on social media.”

Zara struggled with her conscience. On one hand, she liked that Meat was so protective of her, but on the other hand, it seemed invasive.

But what if Meat was right and this wasn’t Renee? What if it was someone like that boy so long ago in the barrio, who was just using her for some nefarious purpose? She didn’t want to be untrusting, but Meat had a point.

“Okay. But just because you might find something you don’t like doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t meet with her. I’ve become a pretty good judge of character over the years, especially after that kid I befriended when I was twelve. I hope I’d be able to tell if she wanted money from me.”

She knew Meat wasn’t so sure, but he nodded anyway. “Deal. I’ll share everything I can find out. I’d also like it if you would let me be there when you meet with her. And it’s probably best if we don’t meet here at the house. There’s no need for her to find out where you’re staying just yet. Okay?”

Zara nodded. She was all right with that. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she’d feel a lot better if Meat was there when she met with Renee. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Now, what other emails have you gotten that I should know about?”

Zara and Meat spent the rest of the afternoon going through the hundreds of emails she’d received.

“How the fuck did all these people get your personal email?” Meat asked under his breath after they’d read an email from a woman in California who’d sent a dozen pictures of the burnt-out shell of a house, claiming it had burned down in the recent wildfires in the area. She’d tried to connect with Zara by saying she was now homeless, just like Zara had been in Peru, and how five thousand dollars would go a long way toward helping her rebuild.

“I messed up,” Zara admitted regrettably.

“How?”

“I was reading this article about me, about what happened, and they’d gotten it all wrong. They didn’t even care about getting the facts right! Anyway, I commented . . . and in order to comment, I had to leave my email address. I accidentally used the personal one you set up for me, instead of the public one. I didn’t know the email would be published along with my comment,” she admitted. “I didn’t think anyone would even know it was me.”

“Zara, the private email I set up for you has your name in the actual address. Why wouldn’t they think that was you? At the very least, they would hope it was you and message you accordingly. This email has probably been shared far and wide by now, so there’s no way I can do damage control. Even if I deleted it off that one post, it’s too late.”

“I know, I screwed up,” Zara told him. “But . . . the good thing is that Renee was able to find and email me.”

Meat sighed deeply. “Promise me that you won’t send any of these people money,” he demanded.

Zara glanced toward the screen. “Some of the stories are so sad, Meat.”

“I know, but, honey, you have no idea if they’re telling you the truth or not. I’m all about you donating money to people in need, but only if it’s either to reputable organizations or if you’re able to confirm a person’s situation warrants it.”