Page 79 of Worth the Risk

I decide two can play at this game. “You’re absolutely right. Because I got some last night. All night long, actually. How was your night?”

“Touché, Hannah Ann Beauregard. Nicely played,” Arianna comments with a grin. “I’ll stand over here and I promise I won’t peek.”

I’m not taking any chances. I rip the sheet from the bed and make a run for the bathroom as soon as she turns around. Surveying the bathroom, I notice Luca has organized everything Ari purchased for me so it’s easier for me to access. He’s even removed all the tags from the clothing. I quickly put on underwear, pants, and a long sleeved shirt, foregoing the bra. I’m not asking Arianna to help me put on a bra, and frankly, I can go without. The high beams Ari spoke about are more like tiny lightbulbs on a moped. Not much to write home about on top, but I know I’ve got a banging ass.

As I walk out of the bathroom, I find Arianna staring at the bed with a wistful expression on her face. She looks almost lost. She lets out a big sigh, making me feel awful about teasing her.

“Thanks for coming to help, but I did okay. Y’all did a great job of buying me things that would be easy to put on. What do I owe you?” I ask as I take the coffee from her hand.

She snorts. “I didn’t pay. Luca did. Good luck getting him to accept payment from you. He loves to spend money on the people who are important to him.”

My heart flutters a bit thinking about Luca. I never knew a man, a partner, could be so caring and thoughtful. Even my own father never showed compassion, or love, toward my mother. Theirs was a business arrangement, plain and simple. In the short time I’ve been working at Everlasting, I’ve already seen that Luca’s parents modeled a different dynamic for their kids. Nick Santo might appear callous and borderline cold, but when looking at his wife, his entire demeanor shifts. He softens. His love and adoration for her is evident. If Luca looks at me like that, I know I’ll be the happiest woman in the world.

“Are you working today? My parents said you could take the day off,” Arianna says.

“I’m going to see how much work I can do. I want to stay busy. I think I’ll have to go speak to the police at some point, but other than that, I’ve got nothing to do. If I sit here, I’ll just think about everything that happened, and miss Luca.”

“Denial. Good choice.”

“It’s not denial. I know myself, Ari. If I have too much time to let the events marinate in my head, I’ll become really depressed. I have every intention of getting a therapist to help me work through what has happened. I just don’t want to spiral into a depressive episode, especially with Luca gone.”

Arianna nods. “Okay. As long as you’re sure. Let’s head down and see what we can scrounge up for breakfast.”

Heading downstairs, I get a wave from Sofia, Luca’s mom, and a hug from Isabella as she’s leaving to go back to her bakery. She supplies tons of desserts, breads, and other treats for the hotel while also holding her own as a business owner. As we’re about to step into the dining room, I hear someone call my name.

“Uncle Bennett? What are you doing here? Why aren’t you on the team plane?” I ask, obviously confused.

“I got fired on the tarmac this morning,” he tells me. My mouth drops open.

“What? Why? Who fired you?”

“Woodward. Han, he knows you’re working a case against him. He figured I was involved and fired me.”

My stomach drops. During all the chaos from the past two days, I hadn’t gotten an opportunity to respond to the lawyer yet about the case. He was ready to move forward with presenting everything to the police. I couldn’t process that while trying to process Jefferson showing up, and I chose not to answer the lawyer yet. Now I regret it.

“What should we do?” I ask.

“You need to go to the police right now,” Arianna interjects. “Where is the team headed on this away trip?”

“Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver,” Uncle Bennett answers.

“Luca is in danger. You know that, right?” Ari says, her voice getting slightly louder. “Coach Woodward has a friend who is an assistant coach on the Seattle team. Actually, I think all three assistant coaches are friends of his. My gut is telling me something is going to happen to Luca at that game.”

“I thought a team could only have two assistant coaches,” I reply, clearly choosing to ignore the doomsday prophecy Arianna just claimed.

“There aren’t set numbers. A team can have as many, or as few, as they want. But I agree with Arianna, Han. I think Luca’s in trouble,” Uncle Bennett says.

“What am I supposed to do about that? They’re in another state. Luca keeps his phone off the afternoon of a game. I can’t exactly text him and say, ‘hey, honey, your coach is trying to hurt you, be careful and good luck’ now can I?” My voice wobbles as I struggle to keep my emotions at bay.

“No, but if you show up there, and he sees you on the ice, he’ll know something is wrong,” Bennett stresses.

My phone pings with a text, jolting me with adrenaline.

Attorney: We need to move on this, Hannah. I have a report that your aunt is assisting the coach in setting everyone up, including your uncle. Woodward is becoming more unhinged, and the earlier we let the police take over the case, the better.

I close my eyes in pain. My aunt? Really? It hurts my heart to know she’s as cold-blooded and apathetic as my parents. I’m not that surprised she is in cahoots with Coach Woodward, but it makes me doubt everything that has happened so far. Her letting me stay at her apartment, and her unceremonious arrival back home that was timed so perfectly with the coach threatening to release a video from my time with Luca in Boston. Was any of it real?

Clearing my throat, I look at my uncle. “I need to meet with the attorney immediately, and then take all of the information to the police. After that, we can go to Seattle. Can you book us a flight?”

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