Page 16 of Bryson's Treasure

Bryson and Taz didn’t need to know it was their mutual friend since college. That was when the dark cloud had come over her, and everything had felt like it was falling apart. “After Ms. Jackson died, I looked for something to fill the void in my life. Looking back on my relationship with Gabriel, I married him to help with the void and nothing else. We had no love in the relationship, lust maybe. Nothing more.”

She had longed for a family, and once Ms. Jackson died, she lost the little family she had, so when Gabriel had proposed, she thought they were going to build a family. Then she found out he didn’t want kids. She decided she was okay with just the two of them. Even after she caught him and her friend together, she considered staying with him, but on the flight back to Seattle, she heard a podcast by Keith Creighton and decided it was time for a change.

His promise was what she’d been looking for: working to become a better person while having a family to surround them—something she had wanted ever since her parents died. Ms. Jackson had helped to fill that void for a long time before she passed, but it hadn’t been the same.

“What did you do?” Bryson asked.

“I left New York and headed back to Seattle. That’s when I heard about Faith of the Glorious One. Gabriel kept calling, trying to tell me it was a mistake. I knew he didn’t slip and accidentally put his dick in her.”

Taz coughed to cover his laugh.

Lynn continued the story. “I went straight to the penthouse, cleaned out my things, and went to a hotel.”

Most people would think finding their husband sleeping with another woman would be the worst part of the story, but it wasn’t even close. “I need a drink to get through the rest.”

Hannah nodded, rising from Taz’s lap, and headed toward the kitchen. It was a little past noon, so at least she wasn’t morning drinking. Azadeh still had Lynn’s hand wrapped in hers. The little girl was amazing and such a bright light in the room for such an ordeal. Lynn had lost her family at a young age, but the girl had gone through so much more.

It wasn’t long before Hannah walked back into the room. She handed the two men beers and Lynn a glass with amber liquor. She was thankful for the hard liquor and not the beer. With a quick gulp, she downed the glass in one swallow.

“The next day I met with a lawyer and filed for divorce. I didn’t want anything from him, so the divorce was quick. I signed the document and sent it to him to send back to my lawyer. Once I signed the documents, I called and spoke with my lawyer. He said everything was final.”

Bryson tilted his head. “Did you get the signed documents back?”

Lynn shrugged her shoulders. “He had no reason not to sign. I didn’t ask for anything, and per our prenup, I could’ve had millions. The only thing I wanted was the money from my app sale.”

He took a sip of his beer. “But you don’t know if he signed them?”

Taz opened his phone. She watched as his fingers tapped away. His brows furrowed more each second. Lynn hadn’t turned on a computer since she’d escaped with the other women from Faith of the Glorious One. Every so often she would watch the local news but nothing more.

Taz cleared his throat. “I’m not sure the divorce went through. There are reports saying he’s looking for his long-lost wife and a couple of videos of him pleading for you to come back home. Holy shit, he has a ten-million-dollar reward out for you.”

That couldn’t be right. “No, he signed the documents. Why wouldn’t he?”

She didn’t expect anyone in the room to answer the question. Nobody would know the answer. She still couldn’t believe he hadn’t signed the papers. She couldn’t fathom why he would make a video looking for his lost wife. Nothing made sense.

“There’s something you aren’t telling us. It’s better if you get everything out, and we can figure out exactly what we need to do to help you.”

“After I sent the divorce papers, I went to live with Keith and his cult.”

“That’s it?” Bryson asked.

“No, my fee to live there was a million dollars. I was the reason he had the money to traffic all the girls, and I didn’t pay attention to what was going on around me. I sat there and did nothing to help those girls. The past three years, I was so wrapped up in my own sorrow and feeling bad for myself.”

“Not your fault.” Azadeh squeezed her hand. “We make mistakes.”

Lynn couldn’t help but smile down at the young girl. She was too embarrassed to look in Bryson’s direction. Matilda’s brother had ended up at the cult because she had given the funding to keep it open.

“It is my fault. None of those girls would have left their families if it weren’t for me and my money. I think the only reason Keith took me in was because I gave him so much money. They took men of all ages to help keep the women in line. Women were never older than twenty-one. Looking back, I feel like such a fool for what I did.”

Bryson reached over and squeezed her other hand. “Keith knew how to use people. If you hadn’t given him money, he would have gotten it another way. Now that we know what happened, we can get you out of this. First, we need to work on getting rid of that ten-million-dollar reward. If I had to guess, I bet someone recognized you and wants the money.”

“But she almost died. Why not send Gabriel information about her location?”

“We protect you.” Azadeh smiled up at her. “Come stay with us.”

Lynn didn’t know how she could be in the same house with Bryson. The man was sexy as hell, and she was still married. To a man she hated more than anything.

“I agree.” Bryson looked at Taz. “I think it would be better if she stayed with us because someone knows she’s here. Let’s not tell anyone she’s coming to Montana Gold Ranch. I’ll work on figuring out what Gabriel’s endgame is.”

“Do I get a say in any of this?” She didn’t like anyone making decisions for her.

“Yes, you can decide, but we can help you. Let us help.”

She couldn’t say no when she looked into his eyes. “Yes.”

Azadeh let out an excited squeal next to her. She couldn’t hold back a smile at the young girl’s excitement.

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