Page 33 of Ms. Fortune
“Why?” I barely squeaked the single word out. “What does she get if the lodge goes under?” I exhaled again and turned questioning eyes to the man next to me. “I thought we were friends.”
Risky reached out and dropped his hand on the top of my head. He gave me a pat that was surprisingly soothing. “She was counting on you thinking exactly that. Your walls are so high; you would never let anyone have access to the places Banner needed to get her hands on. But she’s an old friend, so you let her climb over them a long time ago. You were sympathetic because she told you she was going through a rough time. She’d also just had a baby. On paper, Banner’s about as nonthreatening as can be.”
He moved his hand to the side of my face so he could cup my cheek and rub his thumb lightly under my puffy, tired eyes. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think Banner is vindictive or bright enough to plan a precise and targeted attack like this. She really doesn’t benefit if the lodge shuts down.” He pulled me into his embrace and dropped a quick kiss on the center of my forehead. “We need to take a look at those around her. You said she’s married?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my weight against his sturdy body. “She’s getting divorced. But I don’t know if that’s true anymore. Her husband, Grant, lives in Denver. They’ve always been semi-long distance. No one in Blue River likes him.”
He cocooned me in a protective embrace as he rested his chin on the crown of my head. “I’ll look into him. Meanwhile, you need to be on guard with Banner.”
I nodded and felt the tears I’d kept at bay finally break free. I pressed my face into the crook of his neck and breathed in the comfort I felt in his arms. “Business is dead. I failed. There’snothing else to sabotage. There isn’t anything else she can take from me.”
He cradled the back of my head and pulled me even closer. “That’s not true. You’re still here, Lucky. If anyone can overcome a rough patch, it’s you.”
I cried harder, making the fabric of his shirt damp. I sniffed loudly and muttered, “My list made it clear; nobody wanted me dead until you showed up, Risky.I am still here, but someone wants to change that.” Using his own words felt appropriate because he was the root of this particular problem. “I’m smart enough to know that someone is using me to get to you.”
He shifted so he could see my face. He used the edge of his T-shirt to wipe away the tear tracks covering my cheeks. “You aren’t wrong. I never signed a noncompete clause, but it’s starting to look like the incoming boss didn’t appreciate my resignation. Dealing with the private information of the rich and powerful isn’t a job that’s easy to walk away from. Even more so when the new boss wants to make you heel and sit at her feet.”
He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on my parted lips. I knew I had to taste like salt and sorrow.
“I’m going to take care of everything. Trust me.”
Trust. It was so much easier said than done. And yet I had more faith in this man than the friend I’d known since I had been a kid.
“You said there was a difference between bad luck and bad people. I don’t think I would have one in my life without the other.” It was real shitty luck that the person I’d considered my bestie had sold me out for unknown reasons.
Risky heaved a heavy sigh and backed me into the counter. He put his hands under my ass and lifted me until my legs dangled on either side of him as he stepped between them. Then he slapped his hands down next to my hips and leaned so close that our noses nearly touched. I stared into his golden gaze andfelt a bit like a snake being charmed as I followed him wherever he decided to lead me.
“There are a lot more terrible humans running around, ruining things, than there are good ones. You’re bound to encounter people who want to bring you down more frequently than those who want to lift you up.” He gave me a toe-curling kiss and whispered, “You’re a good girl, Lucky. You’ve been through a lot, and the only person you ever hold accountable is yourself. I can’t imagine you ever deliberately trying to hurt another person. After the muck and grime I climbed my way out of when I retired, I can’t even explain how alluring your effortless decency is. I know I’m not the best thing that’s ever happened to you. I might actually be the worst. But you are, without question, the greatest thing I’ve ever gotten my hands on. I feel like I struck gold without even trying.”
I wanted to cry again.
I’d had others flatter me and spin sweet words to get what they wanted from me. Baker had often tried to appeal to my ego with boring compliments that did nothing to thaw the deep freeze within my chest.
Risky’s unvarnished claim was like an ice pick knocking away chunks and revealing the tender and vulnerable surface beneath the ice.
I’d never been the best at anything.
Maybe it was because I had been waiting to be the best thing that had ever happened to the man standing in front of me.
It was an accomplishment no one before me could achieve—and no one after me would either.
Part of me wanted to track Banner down immediately and demand answers. I wasn’t sure how to hold her accountable for dragging me and my unsuspecting guests into this disaster, but Risky assured me there was always a way to get retribution.
For the time being, I needed to focus on managing the guests who were still at the resort waiting for their ill companions. As for the others I’d basically kicked them out for their own good. Fortunately, Risky miraculously found a block of rooms in a hotel just outside of Blue River that was willing to take everyone in so their vacations weren’t completely ruined. When I asked him how he’d pulled that particular rabbit out of his hat, he just grinned at me and pointed out he hadn’t even begun to touch all the favors he was owed.
Apparently, the lawyer who had shown up when the sheriff was on the verge of arresting me was another favor he’d called in. And he was a BIG one. Since I’d left the hospital that night, all questions and inquiries were stopped at the door and punted to the lawyer. The guy was incredibly efficient and a tad ruthless. It was a relief to have a buffer between me and all the angry vacationers who rightfully wanted answers and compensation. It was a fight that was too complicated for me to battle on my own.
There was no way I was ever going to find a way to pay Risky back. I might bemoan my bad luck any chance I got, but somehigher force must’ve been at work the day I stumbled across the handsome drifter. Risky was the first person who had managed to counteract my innate misfortune. He was my very own lucky charm. I had more faith in him making things right than I had in pretty much anything else at the moment. He made magic happen. Which made me understand why his previous employer hadn’t wanted to let him walk away when she took over the family business. I also understood her personal reluctance to part with him because of their sexual entanglement.
In the short time I’d known him, he’d become invaluable and irreplaceable.
I finally had a vague understanding of how Baker had felt about me and why he was so inconsolable and desperate when he figured out I was incapable of returning his feelings. I only experienced a fraction of those feelings toward Risky, and I already felt like my life before him had been colorless and lifeless. He made everything around him more vivid and electric.
And he never faced a problem he couldn’t solve. Even if the answer wasn’t right in front of him and he had no knowledge of the issue, he fucked around until he figured out a solution. His view that any problem he came across as workable was one of his best qualities. Things that would bring another person to a standstill, he merely stepped over and kept moving.
I longed to have a similar fortitude. For now, I was happy to borrow some of his.
When the lodge was finally empty, I returned to feeling like I wasn’t worthy of staying in the space I was supposed to preserve. This place was meant to be filled with eager voices, people making lifelong memories, and the crackle of a fire chasing away the chill of winter. Now, it was still and silent. Nothing more than an empty shell with the heart and soul ripped out.
