Deserving Ryleigh (The Refuge #7)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ry paced back and forth as her brain spun with how she was going to explain everything. How she was going to tell these men, who’d worked their asses off to make The Refuge successful, that everything they’d worked for was probably going to be destroyed, little by little.

Admitting that her name wasn’t Ryan felt like nothing compared to what she was about to tell them. They’d accepted her, embraced her into their Refuge family. And now she had to tell them she’d brought an enemy right to their doorstep.

Stone was the last one to enter the room, and he closed the door behind him. The click of it latching seemed abnormally loud. Ry looked up and saw six pairs of eyes locked on her. She swallowed hard.

Stone walked toward the table and sat.

“Come sit down,” Brick told her.

But Ry shook her head. She couldn’t sit. She felt as if she was going to explode from the inside out as it was .

“Ry, come sit,” Brick ordered in a low command that it was obvious he expected her to obey.

“She’s fine where she is,” Tiny retorted. “Breathe, Ryleigh. You’re all right. You’re safe. No one’s gonna hurt you.”

“Of course we aren’t going to hurt her, Tiny. What the hell?” Owl asked with a growl.

“And she couldn’t be any safer than here at The Refuge,” Pipe added.

“The Refuge isn’t safer than anywhere else in the world,” Tonka disagreed quietly. “Evil has a way of finding its mark, no matter how safe someone might feel.”

Ry had read the reports on what happened to Tonka and his partner, as well as their K9s. She’d been appalled and horrified, and understood perfectly why Tonka was the way he was. She wasn’t surprised he understood that just because you were a badass special forces soldier, didn’t mean you weren’t vulnerable.

“Everyone chill,” Brick ordered. “Ry, whatever you’re going to say isn’t going to change how we feel about you. But if you know something more about what’s going on around here, we need that intel.”

Ry nodded. Brick was wrong in thinking that what she told them wasn’t going to change things. It would change everything . These men thought they knew what she could do, but they knew nothing. They only saw the tip of the iceberg.

She stopped pacing and faced the table. “I picked The Refuge because it was off the beaten path. I researched all of you, and you seemed like decent human beings. When I arrived, I immediately saw that I was right. You welcomed me, made me love it here, even though I’m not a huge fan of the outdoors. Even when I admitted that I’d lied about who I was and how I got this job, you didn’t kick me out…so you’ll never, ever know how sorry I am for bringing evil to your door.”

“What evil?” Stone asked, his voice even.

“My father.”

The two words seemed to echo in the space around them.

“I think you need to back up a bit, love,” Pipe said. “Start from the beginning.”

Taking a deep breath, Ry tried to organize her thoughts. She wouldn’t go back too far, they didn’t need to know about the hell that was her childhood, but she needed to give them some background so they’d understand the threat that hung over The Refuge now. To make sure they knew she wasn’t understating the issue.

“My father is Harold Lodge.”

When no one showed any recognition of the name, Ry mentally sighed. She’d hoped they would know who he was, just to speed this along.

“Is that name supposed to mean something to us?” Stone asked.

“He’s on the FBI’s most wanted list. He’s stolen millions of dollars. And he hates me even more than he loves money. Nothing would please him more than to see me dead.”

Saying the words out loud, for the first time ever, made Ry sway on her feet.

She’d spent much of her childhood trying to please him, trying to get even one speck of his love and affection. But he loved nothing but money. Couldn’t get enough. It was only after she’d escaped from under his thumb that she even realized he hated her. Had tolerated her only because she was useful. But admitting out loud that her own father couldn’t stand her…it hurt. She was thrown back to when she was eight, trying desperately to please him just so he’d smile at her instead of berating her.

“Breathe, honey.”

Ry didn’t even realize she’d slumped against the wall and was practically panting. She let Tiny lead her over to the table and get her seated. Minutes ago, she couldn’t think about sitting, but now she was grateful for the chair. She didn’t think she could stand on her own power.

“So your father is this Harold Lodge guy, and he doesn’t like you. What does that have to do with The Refuge?” Tiny asked. He’d swiveled her chair and crouched at her feet, like he’d done the other day in the cabin.

Looking down into Tiny’s turquoise eyes grounded her. They were something familiar in a world that had suddenly been thrown into chaos. She’d known this was coming, that she’d screwed up and her father had found her, but she hadn’t realized how devious his machinations would be.

“When I left home, we…we weren’t on the best of terms. I hated him for being such a jerk. For taking people’s money. He wasn’t happy that I left. Vowed to make me pay for leaving, actually.”

“How old were you when you left?” Owl asked.

Ry jerked, so focused on Tiny she’d almost forgotten the others were in the room. She glanced toward Owl, but Tiny put his finger on her chin and gently forced her gaze back to his.

“Look at me, hon. Only me. How old were you when you left?” he asked, repeating Owl’s question .

Ry had no problem looking solely at him. It made this less painful somehow. It was weird how this man who’d treated her like crap, who’d intimidated her, had mistrusted her so much that he took her computer away at night so she couldn’t sneak online and do something nefarious, was now her lifeline.

“Twenty-one.”

Tiny looked surprised. “You’re what, thirty-one now?”

She nodded.

“So he’s been looking for you for ten years? That’s a long time.”

Ry nodded again. “And now he’s found me.”

“How?”

“How what?”

“How’d he find you?”

“I messed up.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Tiny said gently.

“I did. I used an unsecured connection.”

“When?” That question came from Pipe.

“It was when we were looking for Owl, Stone, and Lara. Brick wanted me to do what I do. We were here, in this room. He gave me his laptop. I knew better. I knew once I opened the smallest window, he could find me…but everyone was so upset and angry…so I used his computer instead of going to get my own, with a connection I knew was secure.”

“Shit,” Brick swore, his voice low. “I didn’t give you my laptop. I shoved it at you. Yelled at you. Treated you like shit until you did what I wanted. Fuck! ”

Ry didn’t know what to say to soothe him. He wasn’t wrong. He had done those things. She still could’ve insisted she use her own laptop. But she’d caved under the force of his displeasure. He’d reminded her so much of her father, when he’d used intimidation to get what he wanted.

She swallowed, refusing to look over at Brick. Staring into Tiny’s eyes was safer.

“I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand how that could allow your dad to find you,” he said gently. His tone was so different than Brick’s. It gave her the courage to continue.

“I have layers upon layers of encryption set up on my computer. The IP can’t be traced, not without some serious effort and skill. I bounce the signals off IP addresses all over the country, and even some outside it.”

“And our connection here isn’t that secure,” Tiny said, finally understanding.

Ry nodded. “But it’s more than that. My dad taught me everything he knew—so he knows my patterns. Knows how I ‘look’ when I’m online. That’s harder to explain, but it’s like a signature. How I search, the words I misspell, the sites I use…he knows my digital footprint as well as he knows his own. He probably has alerts set up to ping him when one of my patterns shows up. So when I went online using Brick’s computer, he was alerted. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to trace the strings back to The Refuge.”

“That was months ago. Why is he messing with you now?” Tonka asked.

Ry did turn her head then, but she felt Tiny’s hand on her thigh, grounding her. Giving her the courage to answer Tonka directly. “He’s not messing with me. He’s messing with you ,” she said almost sadly.

“Why?” Brick asked.

“He’s waited months to make a move because he’s been studying The Refuge. Learning as much as he can. He’s probably looked into the backgrounds of each and every one of you. And your wives. And all of your families. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hacked into the cameras. By now, he knows how much I like it here—if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have stayed this long. Knows that I’ve made friends. So he’s going to do everything in his power to ruin the things I’ve come to love…just because he can.”

“Ryleigh.”

She turned to look at Tiny again.

“He’s not going to ruin anything.”

“You don’t know him. Tonka’s insurance snafu? The fuel? The food? That angry man out there? It’s all just the beginning. He’s going to continue to mess with The Refuge. Do little things that could be dismissed as people not doing their jobs correctly, or electronic glitches. But they aren’t. It’s all him.”

“Now that you know what he’s doing, can you stop him?”

Ry hesitated.

Tiny took her silence for uncertainty. “You’re a computer genius. Even Tex has admitted that what you can do is nothing short of brilliant. Better than him. If anyone can stop your father, it’s you.”

His belief in her felt amazing. But she slowly shook her head. “I can’t completely stop him. I mean, I can mitigate some things, but I can’t control everyone else. Computers are used by everyone, everywhere. I can lock down communications here at The Refuge, but I can’t lock down the grocery store, and the people who deliver gas, or individual cell phones. There will always be ways in that he can use to mess with us.”

“So what do we do?” The question came from Pipe .

Ry closed her eyes. “I should’ve left. As soon as I screwed up, I should’ve left. Led him away from here.”

Tiny’s hand tightened on her thigh. “No.”

That was all he said. One word.

Opening her eyes, Ry saw he was staring at her intently.

“If you took off, would he have left us alone?” he asked.

She wanted to lie. Tell him that, yes, if she wasn’t around, her father would’ve moved on to find her, but that wouldn’t be true. And even though she hadn’t actually promised not to lie to him, he’d begged her not to. “Probably not,” she whispered. “It’s the only lead he’s had in ten years for where I’ve been. He wouldn’t have left The Refuge alone.”

“Right. So we need to figure out what to do now,” Stone said firmly.

Everyone was silent as they thought.

“I’ll talk to him,” Ry said, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do.

“And tell him what? To stop? I’m thinking that’s not going to work,” Owl said dryly.

He wasn’t wrong.

“The thing I don’t get is why he wants to find you so badly,” Brick mused. “He’s found you…now what? He just torments you until you disappear again? That makes no sense.”

This was it. Ry had been trying to talk around this since she began opening up. Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at the other men. Amazingly, none of them were glaring at her. Instead, they all had various forms of concern in their expressions. For her.

“I have something he wants,” Ry admitted .

“What?” Pipe asked.

“Money. When I left…I emptied his accounts. Took all the money he’d stolen for years. Sent tons of data to the FBI and gave them all the information they’d need to prosecute him. Where he stole the money from, and when, and how much. Not only does he want revenge on me for that, he wants his money back.”

“How much?” Brick asked.

This was what she’d been dreading. Ry met Brick’s gaze and tried not to flinch as she said, “Ten million dollars.”

“Holy shit!”

“ Fuck .”

“Bloody Hell!”

The exclamations came fast and furious around her, but Ry didn’t break eye contact with Brick.

“And I’m guessing you can’t just give it back and he’ll go away.”

“I can’t give it back because I don’t have it anymore.”

“You spent it?”

Ry flinched at Tonka’s question. He didn’t sound angry, but she still felt judged. “The original ten million? Yeah. And then some. Well, I didn’t spend it, per se. I gave it away.”

“Wait, wait, wait. The original ten million? And you gave it away ?” Brick asked.

Ry nodded. “It’s been a decade since I split, and since then, that stolen money has accrued interest…and I might have made some wise investment decisions.”

“Okay, then how much with interest?”

Ry glanced at Pipe. “Thirty.”

“ Million ?” he clarified.

“Uh-huh.”

“And you’ve just given at least ten million away?” Tonka asked in bewilderment.

“Yes.” Ry’s chin lifted slightly. “Over twenty, actually.” She was ashamed of her past, of the things she’d done. The people she’d ripped off. But she’d worked damn hard to atone for her sins. To give back tenfold to those who’d been stolen from.

“To who?” Owl asked.

“Humane societies, no-kill animal shelters, K9 training centers, GLAAD, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, volunteer firehouses, prisons, veteran organizations like the Gary Sinise Foundation, women’s rights organizations, Make-A-Wish, orphanages, St. Jude and other hospitals, homeless centers, drug addiction centers, halfway houses, wild horse organizations, the Red Cross, food pantries, Doctors Without Borders, the NAACP legal fund, Helen Keller Intl, boys and girls clubs, breast cancer research, Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House, the ACLU, National Audubon Society, The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, RAINN, 4H programs…to name a few.”

Ry didn’t blink at the surprise on Owl’s face.

“Wow.”

She wasn’t sure who said it, but she didn’t break eye contact with Owl.

“Okay. All right then.”

“Wait…have you given The Refuge money?” Brick asked.

Ry looked at him, but she didn’t answer his query.

“You have. Shit, Ry, that’s not cool.”

“Why not? You guys are doing amazing things here. So many people have benefited from what you’ve built. ”

Brick looked flustered, and Ry had a feeling he wanted to insist she take back any money she’d donated, but that wasn’t going to happen. And she’d never admit to how much she’d donated. The program running on her computer that regularly sent money through the donation button Alaska had added to the website would continue to do its thing until the account the money was coming from ran dry. Which wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. And the money couldn’t be traced back to her. She’d made dead sure of that.

“How much is left?” Pipe asked.

“Around eight million or so,” Ry said. It was still a lot of money, and she’d worked her ass off to get rid of as much as she had. But it seemed as fast as she gave the money away, she made more.

“Right, so…this Harold guy wants his money, which he’s not going to get. He’s doing his best to wreak havoc on The Refuge until Ry does what?” Stone asked.

“It’s not about me. I mean, it is, but it’s not. Now, his goal is to destroy The Refuge. To get back at you for helping me. To make it impossible to work with vendors, or even to function,” Ry said sadly.

“Can you find him?” Tonka asked. “If he’s wanted by the FBI, can you track him down and turn him in, get him off our backs?”

“Maybe,” Ry said. “But I doubt it. He’s good. Not as good as me, but I’m guessing he’s monitoring the FBI tip lines and emails. If I tell them where he is, he’ll be gone before they get there.”

“Even if we could get you an in-person meeting with someone in the FBI?” Brick asked.

“You can do that? ”

“We know people with connections who can make it happen.”

“Well…I think we could use all the help we can get. But the FBI is aware of what my dad can do. His skills. Any way we do communicate with someone, even if it’s in person…it’s possible he might have a way of knowing we’re planning something.”

“There has to be something we can do,” Owl said. “I’m not ready to watch this place go under.”

“Set a trap?” Brick suggested.

“Like what?” Tiny asked. “If it involves Ryleigh putting herself in danger, the answer is no.”

“No, I’d never suggest anything like that,” Brick retorted. “But what if she tells him via electronic channels that she’s done hiding? Done running. That she wants to give him the money back and be done with him once and for all.”

“But there’s only around eight million left,” Ry pointed out.

“Does he know that?” Brick asked.

She shook her head. “No. I’ve hidden the money. Like, buried it. There’s no way he can access it or find it.”

“Okay, then tell him you want to give it back and call it even. We come up with some way to set a trap…maybe set it up so he has to go into a bank and sign for it in person before the transfer will go through. Get the FBI to move in when he shows up.”

Ry held her breath. She wasn’t sure that would work. Actually, she was almost positive it wouldn’t—her father was even more paranoid than her —but at this point, she was willing to try almost anything. Even talk to the man she’d never wanted to speak to again .

“What will keep him from screwing with us anyway?” Owl asked.

“Nothing,” Brick said with a shrug. “But perhaps just opening up an avenue of communication will turn his attention away from destroying what we’ve built at least for a little while. Ry, can you lock down The Refuge’s connection? Make it secure? Like you said, it won’t keep your father from doing what he did this morning again…granting reservations when there aren’t any available cabins, messing with our orders…but I’m going to contact Tex, have him see about getting us in touch with one of his FBI contacts. I’ll use a burner phone, try to make it harder for your dad to trace and figure out who I’m calling.”

“I can do that. It might take me a couple of days. And it might mean a few extra steps when connecting to the Internet…both for all of you and the guests,” Ry warned.

“Not a problem. We’ll just tell the guests it’s for their own protection. If anyone complains, their other option is to go off grid while they’re here,” Brick said without any concern in his tone whatsoever. “Ry, I need to make something clear to you,” he went on. “This is not your fault. This is the fault of your father. A man who stole millions of dollars that didn’t belong to him. And now he’s having a temper tantrum because he can’t spend it. Understand?”

Ry nodded, even though Brick was completely wrong. She’d made the decision to come here. She never should’ve stayed as long as she had. But the lure of the friendship they’d offered so willingly was too tempting to deny. Especially when she’d never experienced it before.

Her father wasn’t going to take the offer of returning the money in exchange with being done with her. He’d take the money, yes—but his anger toward her was too deep-seated for him to just disappear into the sunset. He’d do whatever it took to end her—because they both knew she was the better hacker. That she could turn around and steal everything back from him a second time.

No, the only way to make sure she couldn’t screw him over again was to get rid of her once and for all.

She wouldn’t mention that to these men, because she was pretty sure it would send them off the deep end. They’d lock down The Refuge faster than she could blink. Cancel all the reservations. Make the place a fortress. And that wasn’t acceptable. That would go against everything this place stood for. The serenity of the forest, the getaway from the evils of the world for those who desperately needed it. The safety of the place would be forever marred, The Refuge’s reputation tarnished, and she wouldn’t be the cause of that.

Ry didn’t want to die, not when she’d finally found a place where she felt as if she belonged. Not when she’d found friends who seemed to like her exactly for who she was, a nerdy computer hacker. Not when things between her and Tiny were finally starting to fall into place. She had no idea what might happen with them in the future, but she wanted to find out.

“All right. Ry will lock down our shit, but everyone needs to keep handwritten notes for the near future. Call the vendors and people you usually work with, tell them we’re the victims of hackers and they should verify deliveries by phone in the short term, just to be safe. Stay on your toes. As Ry said, things might get even crazier before they settle down. Understand?”

Brick was a very good leader. Ry could understand why he’d gotten so many accolades while he was a Navy SEAL .

“I’ll get in touch with Tex and see what he can do to help from the East Coast. In the meantime, as long as it won’t put you in danger, Ry, see if you can reach out to your father. Start up an avenue of communication. Keep him occupied until we can dangle the money carrot in front of him. We want to lure him into a trap, and we can’t do that if he refuses to talk to you.”

“Okay,” Ry agreed. The last thing she wanted to do was reach out to that man, but she’d do it if it meant keeping The Refuge and everyone on the property safe.

She stood as everyone else did, and Tiny took a step back, giving his friends room to approach her. To her surprise, everyone hugged her. Tightly. Told her they were on her side. Ordered her not to worry, promised they’d figure this out together.

She was overwhelmed.

It wasn’t as if she’d expected them to scream at her and kick her off the property, but she didn’t really think they’d be one hundred percent on her side either.

Brick was the last to approach. Tiny remained behind her, hovering protectively. Brick put his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes for a long moment. Then he shocked her by apologizing.

“I’m sorry for being a dick that day. I was worried about my friends and didn’t have any idea about what to do to find them. When I realized you might be able to track them, I got impatient. I should’ve realized that someone with your skills would want to use your own computer.”

But Ry shook her head. “No, I get it. I would’ve done the same thing.”

“No, you wouldn’t have,” Brick said with a small smile. “ You would’ve made sure your shit was locked down, then done your thing. It would’ve taken five minutes, tops, for you to get your laptop. And in the end, nothing we found out made a difference. Lara was already kicking ass and taking names by flying that chopper off that island all by herself. I just want you to know, you are not expendable. Not now, not ever. Your dad is an asshole, but that doesn’t make you one by association.”

Ry wanted to cry. He was being so nice. And she might not be an asshole by association, but she definitely wasn’t innocent either. The path to how they’d gotten to where they all were today was long and twisted, but for years, she’d blindly done what she was told, instead of what she knew was right.

He hugged her, holding on for long seconds, then said, “Alaska’s gonna want you to look at the reservation system. I know she’s aware the reservation was fake, but she’s gonna think she did something wrong with Mr. Henderson anyway. If you could reassure her, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Ry agreed immediately. “I’ll be right out.”

“Thanks.” Brick took her face in his hands and gently pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head before nodding at Tiny, then striding for the door.

The small growl of displeasure coming from Tiny surprised Ry, and when she turned to face him, the look of irritation on his face was easy to read. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Don’t like his lips on you,” he said.

Ry couldn’t help it. She laughed. It was more a tension-relieving chuckle than one of actual humor, but Tiny was being ridiculous. “He’s madly in love with Alaska.”

“And?” he asked a little belligerently .

She put a hand on his arm. “You know, I can’t remember my father ever kissing me.” She didn’t know where the words were coming from, just knew that she wanted to reassure Tiny. “He never hugged me. Never kissed my boo-boos better. Not that I ever had any, because I wasn’t allowed to play outside, and inside , he kept me in front of a computer, teaching me how to navigate the muddy waters of the dark web. Anyway…what Brick did? It felt nice. Like what a fatherly kiss might feel like. Not tingly-all-over nice, but heavy-warm-blanket nice.”

She immediately felt stupid after her lame explanation. And talking about how much she liked Brick’s platonic gesture probably wasn’t the best move to make when Tiny was all riled up for some reason.

But to her relief, his expression cleared. Then he reached out and pulled her close. Ry went without hesitation. He put a hand on the back of her head and encouraged her to rest against his shoulder. She did, inhaling deeply, loving how his scent seemed to settle into her bones. Her very psyche.

“Tingly-all-over nice?” he asked after a minute. “You felt that before?”

Ry nodded without thought.

She felt a tug on her hair, realizing Tiny had wrapped the strands in his fist and was pulling her head back so he could see her eyes.

“When?” he asked.

“When you kissed my head,” she admitted in a quiet whisper.

“Yeah?” he asked with a small smile. “Like this?” He leaned in and pressed his lips to her head, like he had before.

A full-body shiver shot through Ry. “Uh-huh.”

“Or maybe like this?” he asked, before moving his lips to her cheek. Then her nose.

Then he barely brushed her lips with his own.

Tingles? No. Flat-out electric bolts was more like it. She stared at Tiny in awe. Suddenly, she deeply regretted her lack of experience. She wasn’t ashamed of it, just wished she knew more than she did so she could make him feel even a fraction of what she felt.

“You ever been kissed, Ryleigh?”

She didn’t hear any surprise or mockery in his question, so she shook her head a little. When he didn’t move, she frowned. “Is that bad?”

“No, not at all. On one hand, I’m disappointed, because it means I can’t kiss you like I want to right now. This room isn’t nearly private enough and our friends are all nosey little busy-bodies.”

Ry’s brain felt fuzzy. “You want to kiss me?”

“Very much so. What about you? Do you want to kiss me ?”

“Oh, yes,” she breathed.

“On the other hand,” Tiny went on, “I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude and pleasure that I’ll be the first to show you how a proper kiss can curl your toes, make you desperate for more, and help you forget anything and everything but me.”

Ry smiled a little at that. “You’re pretty sure of yourself.”

He didn’t return the smile, just stared at her with an intense look. “And tingles? I don’t know anything about those. What I felt when I put my lips on yours was a nuclear bomb. I’ve never felt the kind of connection with another woman that I do right now, simply holding you in my arms.”

Ry’s smile died. “You hated me not too long ago,” she reminded him.

“I never hated you,” Tiny countered. “I was confused. The connection we have is intense, and when I found out you’d lied, I fell back into my past. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sonja and how badly she’d tricked me. I lost confidence in myself, in my observational skills and ability to see people for who they are. I painted you with a brush I had no business painting you with. But I came to my senses.”

“Why? How?”

“You really want to know?”

Ry nodded.

“The night of Henley’s baby shower, I finally heard you. When you told me you were terrified, I saw the fear in your eyes. I didn’t understand it, but I finally took the time to look at you again, really look at you, and I realized I’ve been wrong about you all along. After that, it was only a matter of using my brain to think about the things you’ve done since you’ve been here. Not once have you done anything that would remotely hurt anyone else. Everything you do, with your computer or not, you do it with the best of intentions. My past clouded my vision for a while, but now I see better than ever. I see you , Ryleigh. And I like what I see.”

Ry closed her eyes. She felt vulnerable right then. Had anyone ever bothered to take a second glance at her? Not that she could remember. She didn’t totally love that Tiny could read her emotions so easily, but it was also a somewhat comforting realization. She wouldn’t have to hide from him, he could look at her and know what she was thinking, feeling.

He proved her point by speaking again. “And while I appreciate you opening up to me and my friends, there’s more you aren’t saying. More than your dad simply wanting money. Isn’t there?”

Ry wanted to deny it. Wanted to avoid his question entirely. But she was feeling too raw. Too exposed. She opened her eyes and gave him a tiny nod.

“Right. We’ll talk later…if you’re up to it. But I have to say this, and I need you to hear me.” He waited for her to nod before he went on. “At no time are you to put yourself in danger to catch your father. Understand? My friends and I have each been through our own hells. Someone fucking with The Refuge isn’t going to take us down. No way. We’ll weather this latest storm one way or another, but not at your expense.”

A tear escaped her eye, and Tiny shocked her once more by leaning in and kissing it away. “Tell me you understand and agree,” he ordered.

“Okay.”

“Say it, Ryleigh. I want to hear the words. I asked you not to lie to me, and if I let you be ambiguous with this, you’ll claim that it wasn’t a lie when you do something dangerous…like put yourself out there as bait.”

She couldn’t help but smile a little at that. It seemed Tiny’s observational skills hadn’t failed him, after all. “I understand and agree.”

“Thank you. ”

Still…she couldn’t help but think about what he’d said. About bait…

It wasn’t a bad idea.

Yes, her dad wanted his money back, but he also wanted her .

She already knew Brick’s vague plan would never work. Using her laptop, it would literally take minutes to transfer the money to a secure account for her father, something the man knew. He wouldn’t need to go to a bank, wouldn’t have to sign for anything. But more than that, her dad was far too paranoid to just waltz into a bank and assume there wouldn’t be a building full of law enforcement waiting for him.

But he was desperate to get his hands on her. To make her pay for leaving him. For daring to steal from him. She’d seen comments he’d left on the dark web, where he knew she’d see them. He wanted her dead. It was the only way to truly end the threat to his way of life.

If she could lure him somewhere using not money, but herself as bait, and get the authorities to catch him, the world would be a safer place.

“Come on, I can see your mind spinning with who knows what. Alaska needs you to reassure her, you need to eat something, then we’ll go back to the cabin so you can start locking down what you can. All right?”

“Okay.” It sounded more than okay. Especially the part about going back to the cabin. Ry had been an introvert all her life. And while she enjoyed helping out around The Refuge and genuinely liked the people who lived and worked there, she was always grateful for her alone time.

As Tiny led her out of the conference room, Ry felt lighter than she had in a very long time. The threat of her father was as dangerous as ever, but she’d opened up to the guys and they hadn’t rejected her. They hadn’t looked at her with disgust. With disdain for bringing a threat to The Refuge. She would do what she had to in order to fix this.

There was so much to be happy about right now—the recent births, Lara and Maisy’s babies coming before too long, Cora and Pipe’s foster kid, the helicopter, the fact that everyone was healthy and in love…

Yeah. The Refuge was a place of happiness. It didn’t deserve a cloud of evil hovering over it. She’d fix everything. After lunch.