16. Ro
Chapter 16
Ro
I felt good. Better than I’d felt in a long time.
It must be the view.
I looked at Tessa walking beside me down the mountain trail. Nope, definitely not the view. It was all to do with the woman beside me.
Her taste lingered on my lips. She’d given herself to me, offering me her sweet cries. My fingers curled in my pocket. The image of her lying on that bed, coming on my mouth, was burned into my brain. I wanted to forget about all the calls and meetings waiting for me when we got back to the hotel. I wanted to drag her up to my penthouse, strip her, and spend the afternoon gorging on her pretty body.
I blew out a breath. This wasn’t like me. I kept my personal life and work separate. On occasion, I took a woman to dinner, and, more often than not, that ended with a pleasurable night in bed. But I never, ever thought of tossing my responsibilities aside for sex.
My jaw worked. I was not that man.
Everything would be fine. I’d get the upgrade plans for the Langston Windward underway, Tessa and I would enjoy each other, and then I’d move on. I didn’t have time for a relationship, and nor did I want one. I’d seen up close and in gory detail that they didn’t work.
We walked side by side down the path. Every now and then, through the trees, I’d get a glimpse of the valley below. I breathed in the scent of trees, grass, and fresh air.
She didn’t say anything, but the silence wasn’t awkward. I always had so many people clamoring for my attention. Usually they wanted things: my time, my money, answers to decisions. This was… nice.
Suddenly, a scent hit me. I slowed and grabbed Tessa’s arm.
She frowned. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure…” Then I realized what that coppery scent was and I stiffened. “I smell blood.”
Her dark eyes went wide.
“Careful.” I moved ahead cautiously, and we slowly navigated a curve in the path.
Every muscle in my body stiffened. I stepped in front of Tessa, blocking her view.
“Ro, what is it?” Her voice was sharp.
I sighed. I couldn’t hide it from her. I stepped forward and crouched beside the dead animal.
She gasped. “Oh, God, is that a deer?”
The gentle-looking deer lay right in the middle of the path. I pressed my lips together. Its throat had been slit, and blood matted in its fawn fur and pooled underneath it. It was fresh. Someone had done it very recently.
I scanned the trees, wondering if the sick bastard was close by.
“Why would someone leave this here?” Her voice was a mix of anger and shock. “No one should be hunting in this area.”
“I’m guessing that it was left for us.” Anger churned through me as I pushed to my feet.
Tessa’s eyes got even wider. “You think the person pulling these pranks did this?”
“I do. There’s no reason for someone to leave a dead deer here otherwise.” No, this was another fuck-you to me. Another warning.
She swallowed. “This person…killed an innocent animal, just to make some sick point.”
Worry nipped at me. The situation was escalating. Whoever this person was, now we knew they were capable of killing. “Contact the hotel. Who can get rid of this?”
“Everett.”
“Call him and tell him to bring Caden.”
She nodded and pulled the radio off her belt. “This is Tessa. Everett, are you there?”
A moment later, the man’s voice crackled across the radio. “What do you need, Tessa?”
“There’s a dead deer on the path to the cabin. Can you bring an ATV?” She paused. “And ask Caden to come too.”
There was a longer beat of silence. “Roger that, Tessa. On our way.”
“How could someone do this, Ro?” She pressed a hand to her face.
“Hey, we aren’t hurt.” I took her hand and led her a little away from the dead animal. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
She whirled and threw her arms in the air. “This is unbelievable .” Twin flags of color filled her cheeks. “They killed an innocent animal. What did they hope to achieve? The sale of the hotel is done. They can protest that you’re the new owner all they want, but it makes no difference. Unless you get fed up and want to sell the place.”
I touched her arm. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “We have to stop this person. They’re going to hurt someone.” There was worry all over her face.
This saboteur had almost hurt her, but of course she was always worried about everyone but herself. “Trust me, Caden will find this person.”
Her gaze narrowed. “He’d better do it before I do.”
I hid my smile. So fierce.
“God, you had calls to get back to.”
“It’s fine. I’ll reschedule.”
She gave me the side eye. “Who are you, and what have you done with Ambrose Langston?”
I smiled and tugged her against my chest.
She rested her face against my shirt. “You’re not letting this person run you off?”
“No one runs me off.”
“There’s your billionaire-boss tone.”
“My what?”
She looked up at me. “You get this crisp, forceful, bossy tone. It really irked me when I first met you. Although, the hand annoyed me more.” She held up her palm and got a haughty look on her face.
I grinned and ran my fingers down her cheek. “And now?”
Her lips parted, her gaze on my face. “It’s…less irksome.”
I felt it. That tug. That irresistible pull toward her. Tessa Ashford was a tempting, annoying, vibrant package, and I no longer had it in me to fight it.
The drone of an engine came from down the hillside. She stepped back. “It sounds like the cavalry is here.”
Two ATVs came into view, roaring up the path. I recognized Everett on one and Caden on the other.
They pulled to a stop on the other side of the deer.
“Everyone okay?” Everett asked, his gaze moving to Tessa.
“Yes, although poor Bambi isn’t.” She looked down at the animal, sorrow on her face.
Caden took in the deer with a swift glance, then met my gaze.
“It was fresh,” I said. “Whoever did it, did it fast and left it for Tessa and me to find.”
Everett was frowning. “You think it’s all related? The basement, the railing, this?”
I nodded. “I do.”
“I’m looking into it,” my head of security said. “I’m running searches on all Ro’s rivals and anyone who has a beef with Langston Hotels. Plus going through the hate mail that started when the sale of the Windward was finalized.”
Everett scraped a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”
“No one is getting hurt.” My gaze flicked to Tessa and back. “I will ensure this person is stopped before things get out of hand. Everett, keep an eye out. Your team sees all areas of the hotel. Tell them to watch out for anything or anyone that looks off.”
The man nodded.
“I want to get Tessa back to the hotel.” I didn’t want her out here in the trees with a person who’d happily slit the throat of a living animal.
“Take my ATV,” Caden said. “I’ll help Murray dispose of the deer.”
And no doubt poke around the area for any signs of our deer-killing saboteur.
“Caden, I want this asshole found,” I murmured. “Before he kills someone.”
My head of security gave me a swift nod.
I swung my leg over the four-wheeled vehicle, and settled on the seat. I patted the space behind me.
“Do you know how to drive this?” she asked, looking dubious.
“I won’t crash.”
“Famous last words.” She climbed on behind me, her body pushing up against mine. I took a second to absorb the feel of her.
Damn. I liked it.
“Hold on.” I pulled her arms securely around my middle.
Her breath hitched. I flicked a finger to the men, then gunned the engine and we set off down the hillside. I didn’t go very fast. I wouldn’t risk an accident with Tessa on the back.
Soon, she snuggled into me, holding tight. I suspected she was enjoying the ride. I was. I liked the feel of being outdoors as much as I enjoyed having Tessa close.
When we pulled up at the resort, one of Everett’s team raced over to take the keys.
“Thanks, Carlos,” Tessa said.
The young man nodded. “Chef is rampaging around the kitchen.”
She winced. “So I heard.” She turned to me. “I need to go.”
I had the sudden irrational urge of not wanting her out of my sight. Dragging in a deep breath, I nodded. “And I need to get to my calls.” I was the likely target here. She’d be safer if she wasn’t with me.
Her gaze met mine. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“You will.” Fighting the urge to touch her, I slid my hands into my pockets.
* * *
I was tired and had a pounding headache. My calls had been brutal and endless. Negotiations for my newest acquisition weren’t going well.
I sank back in my office chair.
It didn’t help that worry about this saboteur kept running around my head. I swiveled to look out the window. The view helped a little, but it made me think of the deer.
Leaning forward, I could just catch a glimpse of the cabin on the hillside. My lips curled. I much preferred the memory of Tessa laid out half naked on the bed, my mouth on her sweet pussy, and her gasping out my name.
The rap of knuckles sounded on the door, and I knew without looking up that it was Caden. Spinning, I watched him prowl into my office. His face looked grim.
“Anything?”
“No.” He looked frustrated as he dropped into a chair in front of my desk. “I didn’t find anything at the scene. My team is running searches on all your rivals. Nothing’s coming up. No one’s even in Colorado, let alone in Windward, or has links to it.”
I drummed my fingers on the desk, feeling my own frustration.
“I did have better luck with some of the hate mail. I tracked down one sender. A female environmental activist who lives in Windward. She’s sent some letters, but she hasn’t been in the hotel. I’ve verified her alibis.” A groove formed on his brow. “There’s another sender, though. From the ranting in those letters, I’d guess that person is fully capable of killing deer. I’m thinking this has to be local. This person killed the deer and put it on the path, and did it quickly. They’d have to know their way around.”
“Tessa might be able to help. She knows everybody, and could help narrow the list down.”
“You trust her?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I’ve been watching her,” Caden said. “The woman has endless energy, and can solve pretty much any problem. It’s obvious that the guests love her. The staff loves her. I’d hire her for my team, if I could.”
I sat there trying not to be annoyed and jealous that Caden had been watching Tessa.
He cocked his head. “You really like her.”
“She’s an excellent employee. Smart. Intuitive.”
“Attractive.”
I really didn’t like Caden noting that she was attractive. I steepled my hands.
He grinned. He did it rarely, so it always took me by surprise.
He was messing with me. “Stop looking at her.”
“Hmm, territorial, too.”
I rubbed my temple. “We met at the masquerade.”
“Ah. I figured you’d met someone when you came up here. When you got back to Denver, you were… different.”
“I slept with her, and I didn’t even know who she was. Now, we’ve come to an agreement while I’m here. I intend to get her out of my system, and while I do that, it will be mutually enjoyable.”
Caden cocked a brow. “This should be interesting.”
I waved a hand at him. “Have you got anything else for me?” I looked down at the paperwork on my desk. “I got a message to meet Tessa in the great room and need to go soon.”
He glanced at the paperwork. It listed all the potential upgrades to the Windward. “You’re planning to renovate?”
“Piper is still running the knockdown scenario, and you know I assess all options, but let’s just say that Tessa has been showing me the charm of the Windward Resort.”
“You sure you weren’t just charmed by the manager?”
“Maybe. But this situation between us is temporary. I’m not staying. Once things are in hand, I’ll move to the next acquisition. Probably the Maldives, if the deal doesn’t go south.” I shook my head. “Tessa is an employee and…the kind of woman that doesn’t do casual long-term.” I had the sudden thought of her with a clean-cut husband and a picket fence. My gut tightened.
Caden didn’t comment on that. “I’ve got a couple of my team coming in. Deem and his guards are just not experienced enough to keep you safe.” He frowned. “The concierge…”
I wracked my brain for a name. “Rossi? Enzo Rossi?”
“He’s not a concierge.”
I frowned.
“He’s had training, not military, but something.”
“You think he’s our saboteur?”
“No. He cares about the hotel and staff. I suspect if I read him in on this, he’d be an asset.”
“You just hate not knowing his background.” Caden loved having his finger on the pulse of everything, and knowing more than everyone in the room.
“Yes.” Caden crossed his arms. “There’s nothing in his background check. He’s as clean as a whistle. Too clean.”
“And you think we can trust him?”
“Hell no, but with the saboteur, yes.”
I rose and checked my watch. “Shit, I’m late to meet Tessa.”
He gave me a faint smile. “Go.”
It was quiet in the lobby. It was that time in the afternoon where it was well past checkout time, a little too early for most new guests to be checking in, and current guests were either resting or out doing activities. I saw the bar was doing a brisk business already. The restaurant was between lunch and dinner.
I glanced over and saw Tessa on the other side of the lobby. She was helping a young bellman. She smiled at him, patiently answering whatever questions he was asking. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Mmm, competence was very sexy.
She reached into her small emergency kit, handed the young man something that made him grin, then she patted him on the shoulder.
She turned and spotted me. The smile she sent me was very different to the one she’d given the bellman, and hit me low in the gut.
Temporary, Langston. Don’t forget that.