Chapter 29 Samantha
SAMANTHA
The walk from the private lodge to the main resort is longer than it would be on a regular day.
Snow crunches under my boots. The cold bites at my exposed skin despite my heavy coat. Christmas lights twinkle across every building, cheerful and bright, mocking the dread that sits like lead in my stomach.
I told Grant I needed to check on something at the main resort. A work call I couldn’t take in the private wing. He believed me because he has no reason not to.
The lie came easily. Too easily.
That should bother me more than it does.
The main resort is busy despite the holiday. Guests fill the lobby, laughing, drinking, and celebrating. I weave through them toward the Lakeside Restaurant, keeping my head down.
Robert is already there when I arrive.
He’s sitting in a corner booth, partially hidden from the main dining area by a decorative partition.
He looks exactly like he always does. Mid-fifties, graying hair carefully styled, wearing an expensive suit that makes him look successful and respectable.
Warm brown eyes that crinkle when he smiles.
The kind of face that makes you trust him immediately.
That’s always been his gift. Looking trustworthy when he’s anything but.
When he sees me, his face lights up. He stands and opens his arms.
I walk into his hug, letting him pull me close. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“You too, sweetheart.” He squeezes me tight before pulling back to look at my face. “You look good. Happy, even.”
“I am happy.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
Something flickers in his expression. “That’s wonderful. Sit, sit. We have a lot to catch up on.”
I slide into the booth across from him, and a waiter appears immediately. Robert orders wine for both of us. I don’t correct him, even though I shouldn’t be drinking.
“So.” He leans back, studying me. “Tell me everything. How are things progressing with the Hales?”
“They’re going well. I’ve been working on legitimate projects for their business. Building trust.” I keep my voice steady. “It takes time to get close enough for real information.”
“It’s been over a month, Samantha.” His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes anymore. “Surely you’ve learned something useful by now.”
“I’ve learned about their business operations. The acquisitions they’re planning. Their investment strategies.”
“I can get that information from public filings.” His voice sharpens slightly. “I need details they’re not sharing publicly. Names of their criminal associates. Evidence of money laundering I can actually use.”
My stomach tightens. “That’s not easy information to access. They’re careful about who sees what.”
“Then get closer. You’re sleeping with all three of them, aren’t you?”
The question hits like a slap. “How did you—”
“I’m not an idiot. You’ve been living in their private wing for weeks. You quit your job to work for them. You think I don’t know what that means?” He leans forward. “Use it. Pillow talk is how most intelligence gets gathered.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is exactly that simple. You seduce them. You make them trust you. You get the information.” His eyes narrow. “Unless you’re forgetting why you’re there.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything.”
“Then why don’t you have anything to show for it?” His voice is rising now, drawing glances from nearby tables. He forces it back down to a harsh whisper. “What have you been doing all this time, Samantha?”
“I’ve been building relationships. Establishing credibility. You can’t just walk in and demand access to someone’s illegal operations.” The words come out defensive. Weak.
“You’ve been playing house.” He says it like an accusation. “You’re forgetting the mission.”
“I haven’t forgotten.” But my voice wavers.
“Haven’t you?” He watches me with those eyes that suddenly don’t look warm anymore. “Tell me about Grant’s offshore accounts. Which banks? What countries?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Tell me about his criminal associates. Who’s he working with?”
“I’m still figuring that out.”
“Tell me about their money laundering operations. How are they moving cash?”
“Robert, I need more time—”
“You’ve had time!” His hand slams on the table, making silverware jump. Several people turn to look. He plasters on a smile until they look away, then leans across the table. “I’ve been patient. I’ve given you space. But I need results, Samantha. Real results.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Are you? Or are you too busy falling in love with the people you’re supposed to be destroying?”
I can’t answer.
His expression shifts into something cold. Something I’ve never seen before. “I should have known this would happen. You’re too soft. Too emotional. Just like your mother.”
“Don’t talk about my mother.”
“Why not? She’s the reason you’re here. The reason you agreed to this in the first place.” He sits back, and his mask is completely gone now. The warm, caring stepfather has vanished, replaced by someone I don’t recognize. “Or have you forgotten what the Hales did to her?”
“I haven’t forgotten. They destroyed her business. Destroyed her.”
“Is that what you think happened?” He laughs, sharp and bitter. “God, you really believed everything I told you, didn’t you?”
My blood goes cold. “What?”
“Your mother’s business. Grant destroying it. All of it.” He’s watching me like I’m a lab experiment. “I made it up, sweetheart. Every word.”
The restaurant spins. “No. You showed me documents. Evidence—”
“I showed you carefully edited evidence designed to make you hate the Hales.” He signals the waiter for another drink.
“Your mother’s clothing company was failing long before Grant got involved.
She was hemorrhaging money. Making terrible decisions.
The business was dead, she just wouldn’t admit it. ”
“You’re lying.”
“I married your mother to access that business. Needed a front for some money laundering operations. A failing clothing company was perfect.” He says it so casually, like he’s discussing the weather.
“When it became too much of a liability, I used it to pay off some gambling debts. To Grant’s organization, actually. Full circle.”
I can’t breathe. Can’t process what he’s saying.
“Your mother died of cancer. That part is true. But the stress didn’t kill her. The cancer killed her. It had nothing to do with the Hales.” He takes a drink of his wine. “I just convinced you it did. Shaped your grief into rage and pointed you at them like a weapon.”
“Why?” The word comes out broken. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I needed someone on the inside. Someone they’d trust. Someone who could get close enough to gather real intelligence.
” He leans forward again. “I’ve been working with an organization trying to take down Grant Hale for years.
We needed an inside source. You were perfect.
Young. Grieving. Desperate for purpose. I orchestrated your entire relationship with Logan. Made sure you’d end up at that estate.”
The truth crashes over me in waves.
Everything I believed. Everything I thought I knew. All of it was lies.
“You used me.” My voice sounds distant. “You used my grief. Used my mother’s death.”
“I gave you purpose,” he corrects. “Before me, you were drowning in depression. I gave you a mission. A reason to keep going.”
“A reason built on lies!”
“Does it matter? The Hales are criminals, Samantha. Everything I told you about Grant might have been fabricated, but the core truth remains. He’s dangerous. He runs illegal operations. He’s hurt people.” Robert’s voice drops lower. “And now you’re in too deep with them. You’re compromised.”
“I’m not—”
“You are. I can see it in your face. You care about them. Maybe you even love them.” He shakes his head. “That’s a problem.”
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to remember who you are. Remember what you agreed to do.” His eyes are hard now. Cold. “You’re going to continue gathering information. You’re going to get me those account numbers and those names. And you’re going to do it quickly.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I tell them the truth.” He says it simply. “I tell Grant and his sons that you came to their estate specifically to destroy them. That you’ve been working for me the entire time. That every moment between you has been a lie.”
The threat lands like a physical blow.
“They’ll never trust you again. Never forgive you. They’ll throw you out.” He takes another sip of wine. “And they’d be right to. Because you did lie. You did come here to destroy them. The only thing that’s changed is that you’re too weak to follow through.”
Tears are streaming down my face, and I can’t seem to stop them. “I didn’t know,” I whisper. “I didn’t know you were lying about everything.”
“Now you do. And you have a choice to make.” He stands, dropping cash on the table. “Continue the mission and get me what I need. Or lose everything you’ve built with them when I expose you. Either way, I’m getting what I want. The only question is whether you come out of this with anything left.”
He walks away, leaving me sitting alone in the booth.
I don’t know how long I sit there. Minutes. Hours. Time doesn’t mean anything.
Everything I believed was a lie.
My mother’s company. The Hales’ involvement. The entire foundation of my revenge plan.
Robert manipulated me. Used my grief as a weapon. Orchestrated my entire relationship with Logan just to get me close to his family.
And now I’m trapped.