Page 57 of Deserving Ryleigh
“But…it could work. Not bringing him here, but having Ryleigh meet with her father in person. Harold Lodge is cocky as fuck. He thinks he’s got this situation—and his daughter—under control. If Ryleigh continues to steal his money, little by little, it’ll drive him insane. He won’t be able to figure out how she’s getting into his accounts because she’s way better than him.”
“You think she’ll be able to do it? Because by now, surely he’s locked them down,” Pipe said.
“She can do it,” Tiny said without a doubt in his mind.
“Will shewantto do it?” Spike asked.
He sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. She’ll do anything to make him stop. No matter how many times I tell her that this isn’t her fault, she still feels that it is. If using herself as bait will ultimately lead to his arrest, she won’t hesitate. But this is about more than the money. Yes, he wants his millions back, but at this point, it’s a matter of pride for him. He can’t let his daughter win. Not only that…I think he sees her as his only legitimate threat. I got the feeling from his messages last night that he wants hergone. That he’s cocky enough to think he can kill her, tying up the few loose ends of his life in the process.”
“If we set this up, we’re going to be there the entire time. She won’t ever be alone with him, no matter what,” Brick said.
Tiny glared at his friend. “Nothing is ever that easy.” He sighed. “And I’m scared.” It wasn’t something a SEAL would normally admit, but this wasn’t a normal situation.
“I know. I am too,” Brick responded. “But if we don’t do anything, this place is going to go under. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day, but eventually that asshole will find a way to destroy us just like Ry said—a little at a time. No matter how good she is, the blows to our reputation will eventually wither away the confidence our guests have in us. They come here to feel safe, and if this kind of shit keeps happening, their trust will go away and our business will dry up. I’m not willing to let that happen.
“The Refuge is my safe place. It’s where I found the love of my life, where I healed myself, and where my bestfriends have healed as well. We’re starting a new generation here with Tonka and Spike’s children, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect it.Them. Everyone here. Including Ry. She’s one of us now, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt her, Tiny.”
Some of Tiny’s trepidation eased. Brick was right. This was their home. And he wasn’t going to let anyone threaten that. Or the woman he loved.
He wasn’t even surprised at his thoughts about Ryleigh. He loved her. It had taken him months to realize it, but it was the truth.
“Okay. You’ll talk to Ry, let her know?” Brick said.
Tiny snorted. Just because he’d agreed to this plan didn’t mean he had to like it. “That she’s going to have to act as bait? Yeah, I’ll tell her.”
“Again, he won’t touch her. I give you my word,” Brick vowed.
Tiny nodded. He knew Brick had the best of intentions, but he also knew, just as all the men around this table did, that even the best-laid plans had a way of getting FUBAR’d in seconds.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Four days later, the plan to piss off Harold Lodge was working well.Extremelywell. Ryleigh had kept her promise to not engage with her father, and she let Tiny do all the communicating with him.
The man wasn’t happy.
Tiny winced every time Ryleigh passed her laptop over to him, but he didn’t hesitate to take it. Her father was beyond angry. His messages were mostly swear words and threats. Tiny would’ve been amused if the situation wasn’t so volatile.
The last thing he’d heard from the man was that Ryleigh would be sorry she’d messed with him. That they’dallbe sorry.
It had been a full day since he’d last messaged, and even Ryleigh stealing everything but six dollars and sixty-six cents from one of his accounts hadn’t made him message her again.
But he clearly wasn’t sitting on his thumbs. Brick had just called an emergency meeting up at the lodge, and hewanted everyone to attend. By everyone, he meant all the women as well, and every employee who was currently on site.
Something had happened. Something bad.
As he walked toward the lodge with Ryleigh, Tiny’s stomach churned. He looked at the woman at his side, and saw she was frowning as well. The stress of the last few days hadn’t been good to her. She hadn’t eaten much and wasn’t sleeping well. He should know. He’d held her in his arms for the last four nights.
She’d agreed to sleep in his bed, and he wasn’t ever going to let her go now, not if he could help it. Tiny had thought being in his bed with her might trigger some nightmares, but amazingly, it hadn’t. He’d spent more time concerned aboutherthan thinking about what had happened the last time he’d fallen asleep next to a woman.
Ryleigh tossed and turned, andshewas the one suffering nightmares…and it sucked that Tiny couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Her fucking father had a lot to answer for, and he prayed that everything would be over and done soon. That Brick’s plan would actually work and they’d be able to flush the man out of whatever hole he’d been hiding in, so everything could go back to normal.
They entered the lodge and went straight to the conference room. Most everyone was already there. The women were all sitting at the table, and the guys were either pacing or leaning against walls. Everyone looked tense and unsure.
Brick didn’t waste time telling them why they were there. “When Alaska logged in this morning, all the reservations for the next month had been canceled. Emails hadbeen sent informing the guests, telling them they wouldn’t get refunds, as per our cancelation policy.”
“What? That’s bullshit!”
“Oh my God.”
