Page 16 of Deserving Ryleigh
The only indication she’d had so far that her dad had found her was that small ten-cent withdrawal from The Refuge’s bank account. She’d been monitoring the account to make sure her dad didn’t drain it dry, simply because he could. She’d thought for sure that ten-cent deduction was a sign of things to come. Her dad’s way of fucking with her. But it had been weeks since then, and nothing else had seemed out of the ordinary.
Ry was paranoid, she’d be the first to admit that, but apparently this time…maybe she’d been wrong. It was both a relief and a blow, because it meant she probablycouldleave,shouldleave, as soon as possible. If her dad hadn’t yet found her, every day she spent at The Refuge was one more day that passed when hecouldfind her.
But the small niggling at the back of her neck that still insisted her dad was simply messing with her couldn’t be ignored.
There was a very real chance he was waiting for her to bolt, to leave The Refuge vulnerable, so he could strike without her there to mitigate the damage. Yes, she could defend The Refuge remotely, but she knew her dad. Knew how his mind worked. Being there, seeing firsthand what was going on, gave her an advantage. Her dad’s strikes could be so subtle, or seem so legitimate, her friends might not even know there was a problem until it was too late.
Ry sighed. She was sitting on the small front porch at Tiny’s cabin. He’d left earlier to go on a hike with some of the current guests. They were going out to Table Rock, then continuing on for a longer, more strenuous hike. He’d made them a delicious egg and vegetable dish thatmorning for breakfast, told her all about his schedule for the day, and afterward, said he’d see her later.
Then Ry had held her breath when he’d walked toward her, leaned in…
And kissed the side of her head as nonchalantly as if he’d done it every day that she’d been living in his cabin.
She’d stood there in the kitchen, frozen in confusion for several minutes after he’d gone.
Ever since asking her if they could start over, he’d started touching her all the time. Brushing against her when they passed each other in the hallway—her arm, her back—and now, that morning,kissingher.
It was a friendly kiss, nothing that would make her uncomfortable. But a kiss nonetheless. The scariest thing about it was how badly Ry had wanted to turn her head slightly so his lips could touch her skin and not just her hair.
She was falling for this Tiny. The one she’d met when she’d first arrived. Not the one who’d intimidated her with his anger and frustration and animosity.
But shecouldn’tfall for him. She was leaving. Period.
With that thought in her head, Ry got to her feet and headed toward the lodge. She’d already spent some time online this morning searching for signs her father had found her, and not finding any. She’d also distributed around two hundred thousand dollars to various charities, money her father would literally kill her for spending.
Now she needed a break. Visiting with Robert and Luna up at the lodge would provide one. The father and daughter had been making lunches and dinners for Tonka, Henley, and Jasna, so they could spend as much quality time as possible with their new family member, andbecause being a new parent was exhausting. Maybe she’d offer to bring the noon meal to their cabin…soshecould get some quality time with little Elizabeth herself.
She still couldn’t believe Henley and Tonka had named their daughter after her. No one had ever done anything like that for her before. Hell, she’d never even had friends before. Not really. Leaving New Mexico and not being able to see Elizabeth grow up would be the most painful thing she’d done to this point in her life, but the alternative wasn’t an option. She couldn’t stay. If she did, everyone here would be in constant danger. There was no telling what her father would do to anyone helping her.
Some people might think Ry was being overly dramatic. Would question what her father couldreallydo to anyone. But she knew. Harold Lodge wasn’t a man who let bygones be bygones. And it wasn’t as if she’d stolen just a couple bucks from him when she’d left.
A smile crossed her face, thinking about what his reaction must’ve been when he realized what happened. That the daughter he’d painstakingly trained in his craft, the girl he’d thought was firmly wrapped around his little finger, who would neverdarestep out of line because of the very idea of the punishment she’d receive if she did, had disappeared into thin air—taking his entire fortune with her. The money he’d illegally stolen from nonprofits, banks, millionaires, corporations, towns, and even the scariest drug cartels around the world.
He’d never give up trying to find her, trying to get his money back.
Ry had no doubt Harold Lodge would’ve stolen plenty more money by now. He wouldn’t be hurting, living on the streets and having to rely on the kindness of others. No,he would’ve immediately started recouping the loss of his fortune. But he wouldn’t forget what she’d done. No, he’d want revenge. Which was why Ry couldn’t stay at The Refuge.
She opened the door to the lodge and smiled at Alaska, who was standing behind the reception desk. There were a few guests sitting in the comfortable leather chairs in the lobby area, but they didn’t pay any attention to her after looking up curiously to see who’d entered the building.
“Hey,” Alaska said in a chirpy tone.
“Morning,” she replied.
“What’s up? Everything okay?” Alaska asked.
Ry smiled at her. “Everything’s good. I thought I’d come up and see if I could bug Robert and Luna for a while.”
Alaska leaned forward. “They’re making cookies this morning. I think that’s why they’re sitting inherereading, instead of at their cabins,” she said, gesturing to the guests in the expansive lobby.
Ry chuckled. “Don’t blame them.”
“So, if you sweet-talk Robert…will you grab me a couple? They’re so good straight from the oven.”
“You know if you went in there, Robert would give you whatever you wanted,” she said dryly.
Alaska wrinkled her nose. “Probably. But I’m trying to watch what I eat.”
“Why?”
