Page 91 of Deserving Cora
“They claim to have had no idea.”
“But what about that gas? I mean, didn’t anyone notice anything weird withthat?”
“Well, as I thought at the time, it was argon gas. Which is legal to purchase. It’s used in welding all the time. So it’s not as if having bottles of it in that closet next to the media room was anything to be concerned about.”
“Bryson Clark, if I came home and found that you hadtenbottles of argon gas in one of our closets, you bet your ass I’d wonder what the hell it was doing there, especially since you don’t weld,” Cora said a little heatedly.
He chuckled, and the sound made her smile, even though the subject they were discussing was heavy.
“Noted. But then again, I’m not a gazillionaire and don’t have weird quirks that the hired help is paid to overlook. And…I don’t have any hired help either.”
“Whatever,” Cora muttered.
But she smiled when Pipe kissed the side of her head. She loved this. Loved sitting here on the deck, in the dark, in the cold, cuddled up next to Pipe. Looking at him, no one would ever think he was the cuddling type, but she couldn’t help but love that with her, he definitely was.
“So what was the final word about Ridge spending her money? He had to know he’d be caught. I mean, seriously, no woman ever would spend that much at a gentlemen’s club.”
“Everything is speculation, because he’s dead, but the general consensus is that he was just arrogant enough and spoiled enough that he didn’t think anyone would question the charges on her cards. After all, she’s kind of rich too. If he didn’t know much about her spending habits, he might’ve assumed she liked to shop as much as the next rich girl. And apparently, his dad was sick of his lazy son not working and embarrassing the family name. He reduced his trust enough that Ridge didn’t have the money to pay for nightly lap dances and strippers shaking their tits in his face. We don’t know if Grant suggested he bring Lara to Arizona, or he did that on his own.”
“And he…what? Just thought Lara was crocheting all day or something? Did he really not know she was being drugged with valium and antidepressants and being held hostage in his own basement?”
“We’ll never know, but I’m guessing he was aware of everything going on. Grant had been working with him a while, and I heard that he actually did save Michaels’s life once. He’d gone to a shit part of town to buy some drugs, and when the dealer jumped him, Grant shot the guy.”
“Holy crap, really? And the cops didn’t find out who he wasthen? That’s awful.”
Pipe shrugged. “Grant’s good at what he does. And there was video surveillance proving that Michaels was attacked and Grant acted in self-defense.”
“So many lost opportunities to get that asshole off the streets,” Cora said with a sigh.
“Yeah. The FBI and local authorities are poring over the grounds and the house with a fine-toothed comb. They’ve found one body buried in the garden already, and expect to find more.”
“God. That’s awful. I feel horrible for any woman who was unfortunate enough to get mixed up with Creepy Guy. And he’s still out there,” she whispered. “What if he decides he wants revenge? I saw him when we were leaving in that chopper, Pipe. He wasn’t happy. He had this look on his face…it was so cold. So determined.”
“He’s not going to touch a hair on your head, or Lara’s,” Pipe growled.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do,” he insisted. “Everyone here at The Refuge is aware of what he’s done and what he’s capable of. Brick met with the police in Los Alamos, so they’re aware of him. We’ve got cameras everywhere, and after what happened with Alaska, we’re more prepared than we used to be for someone trying to sneak through our forest to get to the resort. And…if he does show his face here? Thinking he can outsmart us somehow? He’ll find out exactly what kind of training we all have. You and Lara will be safe. I give you my word.”
Cora sighed. “I’m just so mad, Pipe. So damn furious at him. Both of them. What gave Creepy Guy the right to hurt and kill so many people? What happened in his childhood that made him that way? By all rights,Ishould be like him. Bitter, angry, willing to hurt others because I wasn’t loved as a kid. But I decided to not let my past determine my future. Though, I admit that I pretty much gave up hope of ever finding someone who could love me. I decided there was something fundamentally wrong with me, making me unlovable.
“But I didn’t turn to a life of crime. I didn’t hunt down and hold people against their will, doing unspeakable things before killing them. And Ridge? He hadeverything. Lara would’ve done anything for him. And he took advantage of her. Changed her. I don’t know that she’ll ever be the same person she was before.”
“She won’t,” Pipe said.
Cora frowned up at him.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way, but life changes us. The good and the bad. She can’t go back and erase what happened, no matter how much she wants to. She has to live with the decisions she made and move on from there. We all do. No matter what we go through, we have no choice but to keep moving forward. Grant made the choice to act out his sick fantasies and Michaels made the choice to throw his morals aside in return for tits and ass from that strip club.”
“It sucks,” Cora mumbled.
Pipe kissed her temple again. “Yeah. But Lara will be okay. Want to know how I know?”
“How?”
“Because she has you. The only person who insisted that something was wrong. Who did everything in her power to get help for her. Who went into the lion’s den, so to speak, to rescue her. She’ll realize that eventually. Right now, she’s dealing with the effects of drug withdrawal and the memories of what that sicko did to her. It’ll take time, but she’ll get there, because she has her best friend at her back and all of us here at The Refuge who understand PTSD. Who understand what she’s going through.”
He took a deep breath, then continued, “We haven’t talked about it, and this might not be the best time, but I want you to stay, love. Here. With me. We’ll find you something to do that you enjoy. Or you can sit on your ass on my deck all day. I don’t care. I just know that with you at my side, I’m a better person.”
