Chapter 12

CHAPTERTWELVE

Pipe wasn’t happy.

Nothing about the upcoming situation was making him feel all warm and fuzzy. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t believed Cora when she’d insisted Ridge Michaels had kidnapped her friend, though without proof, he couldn’t make any hard and fast decisions.

But now that they were listening to the new information Tex had dug up, he knew without a doubt that going to Arizona and getting Lara back, if she was still alive, wouldn’t be easy.

Peter Ridge Michaels was the son of John Michaels, a man who’d made his money inventing a new painkiller and who now lived in California. Pipe didn’t understand all the ins and outs of the drug, but apparently it was very strong, and he’d done a lot of lobbying to get it into the mainstream doctor and drug networks.

But a decade after the drug was approved by the FDA, and subsequently prescribed to millions of people, questions were being raised about the ethical responsibility of doctors who prescribed the drug to their patients because of its highly addictive nature.

All of that was practically a moot point, because John Michaels had long-since ridden the wave of his drug’s popularity, making millions of dollars before selling the formula—which really made him some serious cash. Despite the price of the drug plummeting, and anyone who prescribed it now being raked over the coals, the Michaels family was enjoying the benefits of the painkiller’s early successful years.

“What does Ridge have to do with the drug?” Owl asked. They’d decided to use the name Lara and Cora knew the man as, because it was less confusing for everyone.

“Nothing, as far as I can tell,” Tex said through the phone in the middle of the table. “He benefited from his dad being the creator and has more money than most people know what to do with at his disposal.”

“So why would he risk all that by kidnapping Lara?” Cora asked.

“Don’t take this the wrong way…but we don’t know that he did,” Tex said.

Pipe felt Cora stiffen next to him.

“I hear what you guys are saying,” she said quietly. “I’m willing to concede that maybe Lara did move to Arizona with Ridge voluntarily. She is a romantic. She could’ve been so enamored with the idea of love and marriage that she went with him. Maybe she expected it to be a short leave of absence, as she told our workplace. Maybe she actually found her prince charming. But I still want to hear from her own lips that she’s there of her own free will.”

Pipe’s admiration for Cora rose. She’d been insisting over and over that her friend had been kidnapped, but she was still at least willing to consider that maybe she was wrong.

“The Michaels family has a twenty-four-room mansion in the Phoenix area. Michaels Senior employs a dozen people who are regularly in and out of the house, day and night. Ridge has two bodyguards, one of whom is with him at all times. He was seen at a charity fundraiser in the last week, by himself, and nothing seems amiss with his schedule,” Tex went on.

“Has anyone seen Lara?” Stone asked.

“Yes. Ridge took her out to eat a couple weeks ago…rented out the entire restaurant so they could have privacy.”

“That doesn’t prove she’s there of her own free will,” Cora said. “He could’ve rented out that restaurant so she couldn’t make a scene or ask anyone for help. He’s isolated her completely, both in his home and now seemingly even in public.”

“Which is a good point,” Tex conceded. “I’ve uncovered satellite images of her in the gardens on the estate, always with Michaels at her side. Granted, those pictures were from when they first arrived.”

“Has she made any phone calls? Talked to anyone outside Ridge’s bubble?” Brick asked.

“Not that I’ve been able to find.”

Pipe looked over at Cora and found her staring at her hands, which were clenched together in her lap. He hated this for her.

“Is she using any of her credit cards?” Tiny asked.

“Actually, yes. Quite regularly. The Osler family is also very well off. Lara has a trust fund that’s quite generous, and she’ll be the sole inheritor of their estate when her parents pass, currently estimated at around twenty million dollars.”

Cora’s head came up and her brows furrowed as she stared at the phone.

“What are you thinking, Cora?” Tonka asked.

She glanced at him. “I knew Lara’s parents had money, but she’s the last person you’d ever think was rich. She works hard, but doesn’t make a ton of money as the executive director of a preschool. She’s also very frugal. Doesn’t like to go out to eat a lot, doesn’t buy a lot of stuff. So it’s weird that she’s using her credit cards so much. Every now and then she’ll go to a function with her parents, but she’s always been more of a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of girl.”

“Where’s she been spending money? And how much?” Spike asked Tex.

They heard the other man clicking on a keyboard before he spoke once more. “Looks like in the last three weeks, she’s spent almost a hundred thousand. Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, a couple jewelry stores, lots of high-end restaurants, and…Oh. Well, shit.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Brick asked.

“A large chunk of the money went to the Blue Moon,” Tex answered.

“What’s that?” Owl asked.

“A high-end gentlemen’s club.”

Cora abruptly stood and began to pace the length of the conference room. Pipe kept his eye on her as the others erupted into conversation.

“So he’s either taking Lara with him, or he’s using her credit cards.”

“Why bring Lara to Arizona if he’s indulging in strippers?”

“More importantly, why would he be using her credit card when he’s loaded himself?”

“Is there a pattern to when he goes to the Blue Moon?” Stone asked.

Pipe turned his attention back to his friends.

“Sort of, but only due to frequency,” Tex said. “There are expenditures just about every night.”

“Which is good,” Stone said. “We can go to the Blue Moon, see what’s what. And we also know he’s out of the house every night.”

“Which also means we can head there while he’s gone and see if we can talk to Lara,” Owl agreed.

Pipe turned back to Cora and was surprised to see her crouched down with the wall at her back, hugging her legs. He pushed away from the table and went over to her. “Cora?” he asked, kneeling beside her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

She shook her head. “He’s using her for money,” she said in a tone that was so defeated, so full of bitterness, it made Pipe want to take Cora in his arms and simply rock her. “It’s the one thing she dreaded most. It’s part of the reason she didn’t date much. I figured she thought Ridge was ideal because he’s just as rich. Lara might assume having money means she can trust that he likes her for who she is, not because of her bank account.”

“Let’s go back to the important question. Why would Michaels need her money if his family is so rich?” Tiny asked.

“Tex?” Brick said. “Any ideas?”

More clicking came from the phone on the table, but Pipe’s attention was on Cora. He felt powerless to do anything for her. It was obvious she was devastated by this latest news, and he couldn’t do anything to help other than remain by her side.

“Not really,” Tex said. “His family is loaded, and like Ms. Osler, Michaels has a trust that doles out money every month.”

“Something’s fucked up here,” Brick mumbled.

“Agreed,” Stone said with a nod.

“Wait a second,” Tex said. “Hmmmm…for years, it looks like he was getting twenty thousand a month from his trust. But before he started dating Lara, it dropped to three thousand.”

“That’s a huge drop,” Brick said.

“It is,” Tex agreed.

“Daddy took away most of his money before he met Lara. That seems like a good motive to me,” Tiny said.

“Right. So we know he’s using Lara’s money, and he goes out a lot, which is good for us,” Owl said with a nod. “Maybe going right up to the door and knocking isn’t actually a bad plan.”

“Or we can talk to the ladies at the Blue Moon,” Stone said. “Do some recon and learn who his favorites are, see what kind of information they can give us.”

“Cora?” Pipe asked. “What do you think we should do?”

Her head came up, and she met Pipe’s gaze head on. “Find where he’s holding Lara and get her the hell out of there,” she said firmly.

“I’m thinking we shouldn’t start out with a B&E,” Spike said with a wry grin. “We’ve got good connections here, but the last thing I want is to have to bail all of you out of an Arizona prison.”

“Wait, isn’t Arizona where that one guy made the inmates wear pink underwear?” Brick asked.

Pipe tuned out his friends’ chatter, his focus fully on Cora. “We’re going to find out what’s going on,” he told her.

She shook her head. “All she wanted was to find someone who loved her for who she was, not for her money.”

“You knew about her trust fund?”

Cora rolled her eyes. “Of course. We’re best friends. I know everything about her. But she doesn’t care about the money. I mean, she’s grateful for it because it means she can have an apartment in a safe part of the city, and she can do what she loves rather than having to find something that pays better. But she’s not the kind of person who wants designer handbags and expensive jewelry. She’s generous to a fault, always giving money to the homeless, and she buys every one of the kids at the preschool a present during the holidays. She makes sure all the lower-income families have a turkey at Thanksgiving, and if any of her kids come to school with dirty clothes or looking rough, she personally reaches out to their families to check in. And she does it in a way that no one feels as if they’re accepting charity. She’s truly amazing. And to find out that Ridge only wanted her money?” She shook her head sadly.

“We’ll get her out of there,” Pipe reassured her.

“Which I’m grateful for…but you don’t understand. Finding out the truth about Ridge probably broke her,” Cora said, putting her forehead on her updrawn knees.

Pipe didn’t like seeing her so devastated. He stood, then leaned over and put his hand under her elbow. He gently helped Cora to her feet and led her back to the table, helping her sit. Then he pulled his chair right up against hers and put a hand on her thigh. He didn’t care if his friends saw his open affection toward her. He couldn’t not touch her right now.

“We’ll leave in the morning,” Pipe said. “Fly to Phoenix, go to Michaels’s house, see if we get lucky and he lets us in. If not, we do surveillance on the house, then go to the Blue Moon. Depending on the intel we get, we’ll go from there. Yeah?”

“I’ll email the satellite pics of the property and the addresses of the places where Lara’s credit cards have been used. Maybe you can go to the stores with pictures of both Lara and Michaels and see if anyone recognizes them,” Tex said.

“Yeah, that’s a good plan,” Stone agreed.

“Can you get us the addresses of the employees who work at the estate? Maybe we can approach some of them away from the house. See if they’ll talk to us about what’s going on inside,” Owl added.

“Of course,” Tex said. “I’ll send you a list of names and see what I can find out about each of them on my end.”

“Thanks for the intel,” Brick told him.

“Don’t thank me,” Tex said grumpily.

“Sorry, forgot you hate that shit,” Brick said with a small laugh.

“I’ll be in touch. Cora?”

Her head came up. “Yeah?”

“If your friend is being held against her will, the men around that table will figure out how to get her out of there,” Tex reassured her.

“She is,” Cora said firmly. “And I hope you’re right.”

“I am. I’m out.”

Silence descended around the room for a moment. Then Owl said quietly, “I don’t like this.”

“Agreed,” Stone said. “This situation stinks to high heaven. Would Michaels really kidnap Lara simply to use her money because his dad essentially cut him off?”

“There’s no telling. But I’m sure Tex will do some more digging and figure it out,” Spike said.

“You guys will need to get to the airport a little early, so you can check your sidearms,” Tiny told Owl, Stone, and Pipe.

Cora’s gaze flicked to Pipe upon hearing that. “You’re bringing weapons?” she asked.

Pipe nodded. “Of course we are. That bother you?”

“No,” she replied. “I mean, I’m glad. I just…I read that weapons weren’t allowed here on The Refuge, and with all the uncertainties, with you guys not really thinking that Lara was kidnapped, I wasn’t sure…” Her voice trailed off.

“Stalker,” Pipe accused tenderly.

He was rewarded with a small smile. He couldn’t wait for the day he could make her smile wholeheartedly. When her friend was safe, and she wasn’t so stressed out and could let herself completely relax.

“While we don’t allow guests to bring weapons onto the property, for obvious reasons, that doesn’t mean we aren’t prepared to protect ourselves. And there’s no way I’m going to Arizona to try to figure out what happened to Lara without some way to protect you in the process,” Pipe told her.

“Were you…did you have a weapon on you when we were in DC? I mean, I don’t remember you doing anything special when we flew here,” Cora said.

“I never go anywhere unarmed,” Pipe told her.

Her head tilted as she studied him.

“As if Pipe actually needs a knife or gun to protect himself. Or anyone else,” Tiny added.

Cora flinched slightly, as if she’d forgotten they weren’t alone. Pipe felt the same way. When he was with her, he wanted to give her his undivided attention. And here with his friends, he could do so. Could let down his guard and not be on alert so much.

She turned to Tiny. “Really?”

“Yup. I mean, we’re all fairly good at hand-to-hand combat. But Pipe? He’s the master.”

Cora studied him once again. “Huh.”

He grinned. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Yup. Oh, wait, no. Can you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“How to protect myself if I’m attacked? I mean, I’ve learned some stuff over the years, kind of had to, but I’d love to be trained by a professional.”

“Absolutely,” Pipe said without hesitation. “The main thing you need to remember is to go for the weak spots.”

“Like a guy’s dick?” Cora asked.

Pipe’s friends laughed, but he kept his gaze glued to Cora’s. “Yup. Although honestly, guys are used to people aiming there. I was talking about the soft-tissue spots. Eyes, especially.”

Cora wrinkled her nose.

“I know, it’s gross. But I guarantee someone will let go of you immediately if you stick your finger in their eye. That gives you time to get the hell away from him or her and get help. That should be your goal—not standing and fighting, but getting away.”

She nodded, not offended in the least. “Do you teach a class on this kind of thing here?”

“No, why?”

“You should. I mean, if people are here because of some traumatic experience, they might want to know more about how to defend themselves if they’re ever in that kind of situation again.”

“She’s right,” Brick said with a nod. “That’s a great idea, and I can’t believe we haven’t already thought of it. Thanks, Cora. I’ll talk to Alaska and see where we can fit it into the schedule. Maybe we can offer a class twice a week or something, to maximize the number of guests who can attend.”

“I’m not as good as Pipe with hand-to-hand, but I’m happy to help,” Spike volunteered.

“Same,” Tiny said.

“I’m in too,” Brick said.

“Don’t look at me,” Owl said with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I had some instruction in Basic Training, but the Army was more interested in teaching me to fly a helicopter than meeting the enemy head on.”

“Right?” Stone said with a shake of his head. “Maybe if they’d trained us more extensively in hand-to-hand combat, we might’ve fared better when our chopper went down.”

Pipe frowned. His friends were still dealing with the aftermath of their time in captivity, it was obvious, and it sucked that they hadn’t been given the tools they needed to maybe evade capture in the first place. They might be some of the best helicopter pilots in the world, but that wouldn’t help them if they fell into enemy hands…something they’d learned the hard way.

“I’ll let you guys know if I hear anything back from Tex that might affect what happens in Phoenix. In the meantime, make sure you have everything you need for the trip, and if not, let me know and we’ll scrounge it up,” Brick said.

Pipe nodded. “Appreciate it.”

His friend sighed. “I’m beginning to understand why Tex doesn’t like to be thanked. When I needed you guys the most, when that asshole came to The Refuge to get Alaska, you were all there for me, no questions asked. So if you get to Arizona and find the situation is more fucked up than you expected, you’d better call us. We’ll be there in a heartbeat. The women can keep things running here without us. And you don’t ever have to thank me for doing what needs to be done for you and yours,” Brick said, staring intently at Pipe.

He nodded, gratitude swelling inside him. His friends didn’t ask what was up between him and Cora. They simply accepted what they could see with their own eyes, that she meant more to him than some random person he was doing a favor for.

Brick addressed Cora next. “You okay?”

“No. I’m overwhelmed. Angry at that asshole, Ridge. Scared to death for Lara. But also wondering what I’ve ever done in my life to be lucky enough to have you all on my side. And Lara’s.”

“I have a question…how hard would it have been for you to access Lara’s account to borrow money to use for the auction?” Brick asked, leaning forward and studying Cora carefully. “I’m only asking because I assume after everything you’ve said about your friend, about how generous she is and how close you are, she might’ve given you access to her money.”

Cora’s cheeks pinkened. Suddenly, Pipe wanted to hear her answer just as much as Brick.

She shrugged, staring at the table, gaze only occasionally flicking up to Brick. “I’m listed on her bank account…for emergencies. She marched me down to her bank the last time I lost my apartment and had to move in with her. Said she didn’t want me to be homeless ever again, and made me promise to use her money if I needed it for rent or to pay my electric bill or something,” Cora said. After a beat, she raised her chin enough to look Brick in the eye. “I never have though. I think knowing she was so willing to give it made me more determined not to use her money.”

“Wait,” Pipe said in confusion. “You sold all your furniture, every last dish and mug in your cupboards, all of your belongings to raise six thousand dollars to use at the auction…when you could’ve simply gone to the bank and taken what you needed? Enough to outbid that cow, Eleanor?”

“It’s not my money,” Cora insisted. “And I know that sounds stupid because I needed it to help Lara, and it’s her money in the first place, but I just couldn’t.”

“It doesn’t sound stupid,” Tonka reassured her. “It sounds like you’re the kind of person anyone would want to have at their back.”

Pipe was astonished by this woman once more. If it had been anyone else—literally anyone—they would’ve used the money at their disposal without a second thought. Especially in a dire situation. But not Cora. She probably hadn’t even considered it. She simply did what she’d always done…relied on herself to solve a problem.

Well, never again. She had a complete tribe of people to support her now. Whether she knew it or not.

“Right. So…I heard Alaska asking Robert to make his famous taco bar tonight for dinner. Trust me when I say that you’ll roll yourself out of the lodge afterward. Whatever he uses to spice up the meat is so damn addictive. She also mentioned something about wanting to get to know you better. Just a heads-up,” Brick told Cora, giving her a wink.

That reminded Pipe of something. “Before we go…Cora said she emailed several times asking for help, before hearing about the auction and learning one of us would be there. But she never got a reply. She also left a phone message, again with no reply. Can you ask Alaska about that?”

Cora stiffened next to him. “It’s not a big deal,” she said quickly.

“You emailed?” Brick asked, his tone surprised.

“Yeah, but again, it’s fine. I’m sure you guys get a ton of emails asking for help,” Cora told him.

“I’ll talk to Alaska,” he told Pipe with a nod.

“No, please don’t! I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. I mean, it was a stupid thing to do on my part. It’s not like you guys would just read an email and believe me and jump on a plane or something. Don’t be mad at her, Brick. Please.”

“You think I’m mad?” he asked.

“Aren’t you?”

“No. Not at all. Alaska works her ass off for this place. I have no idea how we survived without her all those years. It’s a miracle we’re still in business, if I’m being honest. She’s in charge of all the admin stuff, and I’m thinking it’s time we hired someone else to help out. You’re right, we wouldn’t have immediately gotten on a plane and agreed to help a stranger, but things like that probably need a second pair of eyes to sort through.”

Cora didn’t look appeased.

“It’s fine, love,” Pipe said, wanting only to take away the worry he saw in her eyes.

“She’s gonna be upset that I got her in trouble,” Cora said softly.

Tonka laughed, and Pipe shot him a glare.

His friend ignored the warning look. “Alaska’s not going to be upset. Not at you, at least. She’ll probably beat herself up about not responding to you, once she realizes that you emailed. I’m guessing she’ll bend over backward to make it up to you. Probably insist on taking you shopping, buying you some of the best chocolate you’ve ever eaten, show you all the best places to get deals…She’s got a huge heart. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Tonka’s right,” Spike said with a nod. “She’s the heart and soul of this place, and she’s not going to be happy that she overlooked your emails.”

“All the more reason not to tell her,” Cora mumbled, making the men all around smile.

“You’re good people, Cora Rooney,” Tiny said after a moment.

“Agreed. And on that note, I need to go pack,” Stone said, pushing back from the table.

Everyone else stood as well, each of them reassuring Cora that they’d do whatever they could to help Lara, and that she was in good hands with Owl, Stone, and Pipe.

Then it was only Pipe and Cora left in the room. He stepped into her personal space and reached for her, tilting her head up and holding her face gently, like he had last night. “We’re going to get her back. I give you my word.”

She swallowed hard and reached up to grip his wrists. She held on tightly, as if she was a moment away from flying into a million pieces. “I’m even more scared now. I can’t believe Ridge kidnapped her for her money. And everyone knows money often makes people do desperate or stupid things. What if he’s already hurt or killed her?”

“I don’t think he has. She was seen at that restaurant, remember?”

“Yeah,” she muttered. “But I still don’t understand what he’s doing. It doesn’t make sense, and that worries me too.”

It worried Pipe too. “You’re going to go crazy if you try to understand everything right this second. Put it aside, if only for a few hours. Tomorrow, we’ll head straight to his estate and see what we can find out.”

“And if he won’t let us see her?”

“Then we’ll go to Plan B. And then Plan C, Plan D, and Plan E.”

“We have all those plans?” she asked.

“Nope, but we will. One thing you should know, us special forces guys are used to changing things up on the fly.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Pipe agreed. “You hungry?”

Cora shook her head.

“Right. You want to go see Chuck and the others at the barn?”

She shook her head again.

“What do you want to do?”

“Stress. Wonder what Lara might be going through. Figure out how to get her home.”

Pipe couldn’t help but smile down at her. He’d hoped she’d stop worrying, but like the true friend she was, she simply couldn’t do it. “All right, how about this…we’ll go back to my cabin, I’ll make us some lunch, we’ll sit on the roof and you can tell me more about Lara. About what you guys like to do back in DC. About your job and the kids you work with. Yeah?”

She looked up at him. “You’d do that for me? Let me bore you to tears by telling you yet again how awesome Lara is?”

“I think I’d do anything for you,” Pipe told her honestly.

“We don’t really know each other,” she replied.

“We know each other,” Pipe countered. “We know the stuff that counts.”

He didn’t think she was going to respond, but she finally nodded. “Yeah.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, satisfaction coursing through his veins.

“Maybe we can do some more of that kissing thing?” Cora asked with a small smile.

“I think that can be arranged,” he said.

“Pipe?”

“Yeah?”

“When this is all said and done, I want to get a tattoo. Will you go with me?”

“I’d be honored.” And just like that, a new design began niggling at his brain, despite years of no interest in getting another tattoo.

A skeleton key…because keys open things, and it felt as if Cora was slowly entrusting him with the key to understanding who she was, deep down. Not only that, but she was working her way through his shields, as well.

He envisioned barbed wire around the key, symbolizing how he’d guard it with his life and wouldn’t take advantage of her trust. He wanted to incorporate a wolf somehow too, as the animal was known for its loyalty. Maybe the key would be around the wolf’s neck, or clenched in his teeth.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

Pipe dropped his hands from her face and pulled her against his side as he walked them toward the door. “What I want to get for my next tattoo.”

She giggled. “Why am I not surprised?” she asked.

“Because you know me,” he said simply.

He felt Cora’s gaze as they walked. “I’m beginning to think I do,” she said, more to herself than him.

Her words made him smile. He wasn’t exactly an open book, but he’d opened up more to this woman than he had with anyone in a very long time. He never talked about the reasons he’d left the military and the UK. And yet she hadn’t judged him. Had simply listened. Which was what he needed.

No, what he needed was this woman. He’d never met anyone like her, and he had a feeling he never would again. She felt familiar, as if they’d been together for years instead of less than two days. He connected with her on a level he hadn’t clicked with anyone else.

He’d be an idiot to let her go, and one thing Pipe wasn’t, was an idiot. They needed to figure out how to help Lara, and then he’d make it very clear, if he hadn’t already, that he didn’t want Cora out of his life.

She’d probably want to go back to DC with her friend, and he’d never ask her to leave the city where she’d lived her entire life. He’d need to talk to Brick and see if he could continue as an owner of The Refuge while living across the country. If he could, great; if not, then he’d sell his share.

He looked around as they walked…and was surprised to find the thought of leaving everything he knew in this country for a woman didn’t freak him out, even after just meeting her. He’d miss it, but he’d also do whatever it took to earn Cora’s loyalty, because he knew deep in his heart that it would be the best thing he’d ever done in his life. Hands down.

They continued toward his cabin, and somehow Pipe felt lighter than he had in a very long time. He had a plan. One that included making Cora understand without a shred of doubt that he was in this for the long haul. She wanted a family? He’d happily give her one. She’d never be alone again. Not if he could help it.