Page 88 of Deserving Lara
But she needed to talk to Brick, Tonka, Spike, Pipe, and Tiny—now. It couldn’t wait.
Ryan gave Alaska, who was sitting behind the registration desk inside the lodge, a distracted wave as she headed for the conference room. She vaguely heard her friend ask why she was so early for the meeting, but she didn’t stop to explain. It was likely this was the last time Alaska would ever talk to her in a friendly manner. The information she was about to reveal would change everything. And not for the better, as far as Ryan was concerned.
She pushed open the door, then made sure to close it behind her as she stared at the five men sitting at the long rectangular table. Ryan had gotten to know them all fairly well over the last year or so, and she’d shared both highs and lows with the staff.
For a second, she wavered. She could keep quiet and not lose the best thing that had ever happened to her.
But her conscience got the better of her. She needed to speak up. It was the right thing to do. She’d deal with the fallout like she always did—alone.
She’d find somewhere else to hide.
“What’s wrong?” Brick asked when Ryan didn’t immediately speak.
She figured she must look freaked out for the unflappable Brick to sound so concerned.
“Owl, Stone, and Lara are in trouble,” she blurted—then winced. That wasn’t exactly how she’d wanted to start this conversation.
To her surprise, the men didn’t immediately shout or demand answers. It was Tiny, of all people, who pushed his chair back and approached. He took her arm and gently led her to a chair at the table.
Ryan wanted to cry. He was being so nice…but she knew it wouldn’t last.
Out of all the men at this table, Tiny was the one Ryan had been drawn to the most. He reminded her of the hero in one of her favorite movies,Sixteen Candles. Everyone joked with him about that, and it was obvious he hated the comparison.
And while the movie had gotten some slack in recent years for being racist and sexist, and Ryan couldn’t deny there were parts of it that were definitely insensitive at the very least, she’d still always been drawn to the hero. Her very favorite part was the end. When the hero showed up for the heroine, and that kiss over her birthday cake…it was enough to make Ryan swoon every time.
Seeing Tiny day in and day out gave her those same tingly feelings. But Spencer Denny, otherwise known as Tiny, was nothing like the kid in the movie. He was twice as alpha and twice as broody, though always considerate of everyone at The Refuge. There were times she caught him looking at her in a way that seemed more than friendly, but otherwise, he never did or said anything else to give Ryan the impression he might want to be more than her employer.
She’d heard through The Refuge grapevine that he had some serious trust issues, and because she had enough issues of her own to deal with, she hadn’t ever tried to see where any mutual interest might go. Especially when they both went to great lengths to ignore said interest.
And now, Ryan knew as soon as she told these men why she was there and what she knew,anykind of trust Tiny may have eventually given her would be gone in a puff of smoke. And the kicker was, she couldn’t even blame him.
“Talk to us, Ryan,” Tiny ordered. “Why do you think our friends are in trouble? Did Lara call or text?”
Taking a deep breath, Ryan did her best to turn off her feelings. Keep to the facts. That would make this go faster. Then she could pack her things and disappear again.
“My name isn’t Ryan. It’s not Samantha, Julie, Riley, Rebecca, or Maryann either. Those are all names I’ve used in the last few years. I came here on false pretenses. I researched The Refuge and decided it would be the perfect place to lay low. Alexis…the housekeeper who left? The one who got that sudden inheritance? It wasn’t from a long-lost relative. It wasme. I did that. I arranged for her to get that money so she’d quit, and I could take the job.”
“What the hell?” Spike said under his breath.
Ryan didn’t stop. She’d come this far, she had to keep going.
“I’m good at computer stuff.” That was the understatement of the century, but explaining justhowgood she was right now would be a waste of time.
Instead, she met Tonka’s gaze. “When Jasna was kidnapped, I tracked Christian. I was in the car when Henley found out about her daughter missing, and who she suspected. The cops getting a search warrant would’ve taken too long, and it was a simple thing for me to track his phone. I went to the house where his phone pinged and saw Christian leaving. I peeked in the window and spotted Jas. I tracked Christian to a fast-food place, then I went and got Jas out. I called the police and gave them the tip about where to find Christian, and about the cabin. Then I left Jasna where I knew you’d find her.”
“You’reAnonymous? The mystery person who texted me?” Tonka asked incredulously.
Ryan nodded. Then she turned to Spike. “And it was me who tracked Reese’s tile.”
“Holy shit!” he swore.
“And you texted Stone in Arizona,” Pipe said. It wasn’t a question. “And unblocked those jammers Grant had at the house, allowing me to talk to him.”
Ryan nodded.
“How’d you know about the bunkers?” Brick asked.
Ryan shook her head. “It’s not important right now.”
