Page 112 of Moonlit Colorado

In all the ways that mattered, Grace wasmine.

We both rinsed off in the shower, and then I ran a bath. It was big enough for the two of us, so I slid into the water first and pulled Grace between my legs and up against my chest when she got in.

We both relaxed, enjoying the heat and the closeness.

“I haven’t told you what else I learned from Warren,” I said.

I recounted the new info Warren had shared. Vincent and Lexi’s identities, along with Nina’s real last name. And the fact that they seemed to be involved in a high-class escort ring.

Grace turned to the side so she could meet my gaze. “Do you think that’s why Nina was meeting with Dirk Lancaster at the grand-opening party?”

“That’s my assumption. That she was his date for the night.”

“But if they hadn’t met yet, why did she decide to leave? Had she heard something bad about him?”

“That’s possible. It’s extremely concerning that this is going on at Knightly Global hotels. I think Kip is behind it. That’s why he recognized Nina’s name when I asked him about her. Jamison must be the alias she uses as an escort.”

“But you think Kip would be involved in an escort business on the side? I thought he was too uptight for that.”

“He’s too uptight for a lot of things, but not if it’s going to make money.”

Kip had been so concerned about making his VIPs happy. The grand-opening party at the ski resort had been his idea in the first place. And then, after Nina stood up Dirk Lancaster, Kip had probably been fuming. Which explained why he had been harassing me afterward about providing a “personal touch” to the VIPs.

Personal touch indeed.

The whole thing was messed up, yet I couldn’t put it past my brother. The only part that didn’t make sense was that he would risk doing this under our father’s nose. Dad would have an aneurysm if he found out that Kip was risking the Knightly name.

For whatever reason, Kip believed the risk was worth it.

“We have to find Nina,” Grace said. “If she’s in hiding from Vincent, then maybe she’s trying to get away from this whole escort situation. We could help her.”

“And she might have information to share that would expose the entire operation.” Which was probably the very reason that Vincent wanted so badly to track her down.

Unless Vincent was trying to find her for a more specific reason. Which just reminded me of the mystery around Nina’s red mask, and the fact that it had been stolen from Grace’s bedroom.

“Warren is going to keep investigating,” I said. “He’s trying to locate all three of them. It sounds like Lexi took off, maybe for the same reasons as Nina. If we can locate either woman, then maybe they can tell us what we need to know. I’m also going to send Warren the fake photos you received today. Hopefully he can figure out who was behind that move as well.”

“Do you think it’s connected? The escort service and the fake photos today?”

“Maybe. If Kip’s behind it, then I assume so. But whatever this is really about, sending that envelope to you today was like dropping a bomb. A declaration of war. They’re trying to use you against me because it’s obvious how much I care about you. And I amnotgoing to let that go.”

Thinking about it just made me furious again, and I kissed Grace’s temple, taking comfort in knowing she was mine. Whoever had been trying to hurt us had only strengthened our connection.

I wasn’t going to thank whoever was behind this, though. I wasn’t in a forgiving mood.

“Kip will be back in New York any day now from his honeymoon. I’m going to confront him. And then I’m going to our father.”

“Will he believe you?”

“I don’t know. Unless I have some kind of proof, probably not. But it’s what I have to do.”

Either way, I didn’t see how I could continue working for Knightly Global. After Mom had gotten sick and deteriorated so quickly, I had wanted to hold on to the only family I had left. Dad and Kip. As if reconciling with my brother, earning my father’s approval, could somehow fix our family and bring my mom back to us. But that wasn’t possible.

I loved my mom and would do my damnedest to take care of her, but I also had to do what was right for myself.

And that meant choosing Grace. Choosingus.

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