Chapter 8

CHAPTEREIGHT

This was a disaster.

Cora stood in the lobby of the huge main lodge at The Refuge as Pipe had an intense conversation with his friends across the room. Alaska, Henley, and Reese sat at a table off to the side after meeting her, and even though they’d invited her to sit with them, it felt to Cora as if they were merely being polite.

So here she stood. Awkwardly, in the middle of the room, waiting to see what would happen next.

The front door of the lodge opened and a woman walked in, someone Cora didn’t recognize from her research. She had straight black, shoulder-length hair and wore black pants and a T-shirt that said The Refuge. She waved at the three women sitting at one of the tables, then frowned when she saw Cora standing by herself.

To Cora’s surprise, she walked toward her.

“Hi. I’m Ryan. I work here. Can I help you with something?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.”

But Ryan didn’t nod and back off as Cora thought she would.

“What’s happening?” she asked instead, looking from her to the guys, then to the table with the women.

“I came here with Pipe and Owl. They’re talking to their friends about me. About why I’m here.”

Ryan’s brows furrowed. “You came with Pipe and Owl?”

“Yeah,” she said with a nod.

“They were in Washington, DC, at a thing,” she went on.

Cora did her best to hide her amusement. “They were.”

“And you came from DC with them?”

“Yup.”

“Okay, I’m missing something, but whatever. I’m new here and not always included in all the ins and outs of running this place…which is fine. I mean, I don’t want to know. I’m just a maid. Are you hungry? I had a hunch that Robert is making his world-famous chocolate chip cookies. That’s why I’m here, to grab a couple while they’re warm. Come on, we’ll go check it out.” Ryan hooked her arm with Cora’s as if they’d been friends forever, instead of just meeting a minute ago, and started pulling her toward a door on the far end of the lodge.

“Ryan.” The man Cora recognized as “Tiny” called out to them from where he stood, huddled with Pipe and the others.

Cora felt the woman stiffen a moment before she turned, without letting go of her arm. “What?” she called back.

“Where are you going? We need to talk to Cora.”

“Kitchen. Cookies,” she said, gesturing impatiently, and without waiting for a response, turned them both back toward where they were headed in the first place.

“Um, maybe I should stay here if they want to talk to me,” Cora said hesitantly.

But Ryan didn’t pause or even indicate that she’d heard her. She stayed on her path to what Cora assumed was the kitchen.

She pushed open a door and the smell of freshly baked cookies was strong enough to make Cora’s stomach growl. Loudly.

Ryan beamed. “I know. I swear Robert puts some sort of narcotic in his cookies to keep us coming back for more. I’ve only been here a few months, but I think I’ve put on at least ten pounds.”

“You needed to put some meat on your bones,” an older man said with a grin, entering the kitchen from what she could only assume was a pantry or something. Cora guessed he was in his fifties or sixties.

“Robert.” Ryan smiled wider as she walked toward him. She gave him a hug, then stepped back. “This is Cora,” she said, gesturing as she spoke.

“I know. She tried to win Pipe in that bachelor auction but someone outbid her. Pipe found out why she wanted to win so badly, so he brought her back home to figure out how he and the others could help get her friend away from some asshole who took her to Arizona and won’t let her leave.”

Cora’s mouth fell open as she stared at the chef in disbelief. How the hell did he know all that? She’d only been here about two-point-three seconds.

Ryan nodded, as if she wasn’t surprised in the least. She glanced at Cora and chuckled. “You have to understand, this place is like the smallest small town you’ve ever been in or read about. There aren’t any secrets. Well, hardly any. Anyway, the guys’ll figure things out. You did good in hooking up with Pipe. Robert…are you gonna give us some cookies or what?”

The man smirked. “You want the ones from earlier, or the ones I just took out of the oven?”

“Is that even a question?” Ryan asked.

“Of course it is.” But Robert made no move to show them where the hopefully still-warm cookies were.

Ryan narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. She studied Robert shrewdly. “Did I tell you that I have an inside line to get those Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes that you like so much…like, all year? I can get them in July if I want them.”

Robert’s eyes widened. “Really? You aren’t just pulling my leg to get the warm cookies, are you?”

Cora’s gaze went back and forth between Ryan and Robert as they bantered.

“I would never lie about Christmas Tree cakes,” Ryan said with a straight face.

“I want in on that,” he demanded.

“And I want warm chocolate chip cookies,” she countered.

Robert moved quickly toward a box on one of the counters. He opened it, and Cora realized it must be a warmer of some sort. He pulled out a tray of cookies and set them on the counter, then scooted them toward where Ryan and Cora were standing.

“Mmmmmm, cookies,” Ryan said in delight as she leaned over to inhale the scent of the gooey treat.

“I’m in, right?” Robert asked with a smirk.

“Oh, you’re in,” she agreed as she reached for a cookie. “You’re so in.”

Robert did a weird little dance, then grinned at Cora. “Go on. Since you’re friends with Ryan, you get warm cookies whenever you want too.”

Grinning, Cora picked up a cookie and moaned when she bit into it. Ryan was right, there had to be more than eggs, flour, and chocolate in this cookie, because the second she swallowed, she couldn’t wait to take another bite.

“I’ll set things up so you get a box of Christmas Tree Cakes every week,” Ryan told the chef.

He beamed. “Make it two.”

Ryan’s brow lifted. “Two?”

“Well, I was gonna make it four, but compromised.”

They all burst into laughter—and that was when the kitchen door opened and Alaska, Henley, and Reese entered.

“What’s going on in here? Wait—is that a new batch of cookies?” Alaska asked.

Ryan hunched over the tray on the counter and growled as she did her best to protect them. Cora couldn’t help but giggle at the over-the-top antics of her new acquaintance. Eventually, Ryan stood and slid the tray toward the other women.

“I don’t know how you always seem to know when Robert’s made a new batch of cookies,” Henley mumbled between bites.

“Right? I mean, we were here and still didn’t know,” Reese agreed.

Ryan took a large bite of cookie and pantomimed zipping her lips closed.

Everyone chuckled.

Cora could feel Alaska staring at her, but she refused to look at the woman. Suddenly, once again, she felt like an outsider. It wasn’t until she could sense Alaska approaching that she turned. Her chin came up and she refused to cower. She’d done nothing wrong.

“Are you okay?” Alaska asked gently.

Cora hid her surprise. She’d been ready to defend her actions, to explain why she’d asked Pipe for help. She hadn’t expected Alaska to sound concerned.

“I’m fine,” she said.

Henley stepped forward. “We don’t know what’s going on. Tonka just said that Pipe wanted to talk to them about helping you and your friend. Can we do anything for you?”

“How long are you going to be here? Do you want a tour of the place?”

For some reason, their…niceness…was almost too much to take at the moment. “I don’t know. Not long, I hope. Not because I don’t want to get to know you guys or see The Refuge, but I’m worried about my friend and want to get to her as soon as I can.”

She wasn’t planning on saying much more than that, but Alaska reached for her hand, gripped it tightly, then towed her toward a small table off to the side of the kitchen. “Sit,” she invited as she pulled out a chair. The other women—and surprisingly, Robert too—all joined them. It was crowded with everyone huddled around the small table, but it also felt comfortable.

“I’m sorry about our behavior out there,” Alaska started. “We didn’t mean to seem standoffish, we just didn’t know what was going on, and we didn’t want to force you to sit with us if you didn’t want to. And Pipe doesn’t…he’s not…he…Shoot,” she sighed. “He’s not the kind of guy to bring women here. We weren’t sure what the nature of your relationship was…beyond your friend’s situation…so we were just trying to respect your privacy. But when Ryan brought you in here, and we heard you guys laughing, we couldn’t stay away,” Alaska said with a sheepish smile.

“I’m not here with Pipe,” Cora said. “Not in the way you think. I did try to buy a date with him at that auction, just for a chance to talk, but an old high school nemesis outbid me. Afterward, Pipe heard her talking to me, took exception to what she said. Then I talked to him, then to him and Owl together, and the next thing I know, we’re on our way here and he said he’d help me find my friend.”

She was talking too fast, telling these strangers way too much, but truthfully, they didn’t really seem like strangers. Not after all the info she’d dug up about them. And she kind of felt the need to fill any silence.

Taking a deep breath, Cora turned to Reese first. “I’m glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d been in your situation. Probably freaked out. I can’t swim at all, so actually I’d probably be dead. And, Henley, I can’t imagine what you went through when your daughter was missing. I don’t have any kids, but if I did, I’m sure I would’ve been a basket case. And Alaska…God. You’re so brave. You’ve been to so many places, seen so many things, there’s no way I could’ve done what you did, exploring other countries all by yourself.

“I admire all of you so much. I just want you to know that. And I’m not here to put anyone in danger. I need the expertise of Pipe and his friends, but I honestly think as soon as Ridge Michaels sees that I’m not going to stop, that I now have help in my quest to figure out what’s going on with my friend, that he’ll give her back without much trouble.”

“Holy crap,” Alaska said, sitting back in her chair with an astonished look on her face.

Henley’s mouth opened and closed, as if she was trying to think of something to say.

Reese simply blinked at her.

It was Ryan who actually spoke first. She had a huge smile on her face as she said, “I knew you’d fit right in the second I saw you. Small-town Refuge gossip doesn’t have anything on you, apparently.”

Cora felt herself blushing. Shoot, she shouldn’t have been quite so gung-ho about making these women understand she wasn’t there to cause trouble. She always seemed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Social niceties weren’t exactly her thing. Lara was way better at that than she was, and it was why she usually left the introductions and small talk to her friend.

“I swear I’m not a stalker,” Cora blurted. “I mean, Pipe jokingly accused me of being one, but I had to know for certain that selling my stuff would be worth hiring him and his friends to kidnap Lara back. And I just did lots of Internet searches. There are tons of articles about the men who started this place. And after all the stuff that happened to you guys, there were even more articles. I didn’t hack into any databases or anything, I wouldn’t even know how to do that. I just used Google to search.”

She turned to Robert and Ryan. “I’m sorry, I didn’t find any information about you guys. But, Robert, if everything else you make is half as good as your cookies, I might never leave. I might move into the barn with Melba and sneak over here in the middle of the night to gorge myself. Maybe I could clean the dishes like some kind of dish fairy and earn my keep. And, Ryan…” Cora shrugged. “Well…I don’t know you at all. Sorry again.”

“Wait, wait, wait—I feel as if we’re missing a huge chunk of info here,” Henley protested. “Selling your stuff?”

“You hired our guys?” Alaska asked.

“Kidnap your friend back?” Reese threw in.

“I can’t believe you three haven’t heard from your men about Cora and her friend,” Ryan said with a shake of her head.

“And you’re in the know?” Alaska countered.

Ryan sobered. “Her lifelong friend Lara was dating a guy named Ridge Michaels, and is now in Arizona with him. They left abruptly, and they’re not talking to Cora anymore, which has Cora freaked out. She heard about Pipe being in that auction and researched all she could about him and The Refuge. As she said, she didn’t win, but Pipe was intrigued enough to track her down, talk to her. Now here she is, and Pipe and the others are out there talking about their next steps, how to go about figuring out once and for all if Lara’s okay, or if she’s being held against her will.”

Cora would’ve laughed at the shocked looks on the other women’s faces if she wasn’t so surprised herself.

“It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for,” Robert said with a chuckle.

“Right? How the hell do you know all that? Pipe, Owl, and Cora have only been here for like twenty minutes!” Henley protested.

“Owl called Stone last night. I was cleaning the lodge and heard them talking in the admin office. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t exactly shut my ears off. Stone had the phone on speaker, and you know how he tends to talk rather loudly when he’s on the phone.”

“Right, okay, so our sneakster friend here has the deets, but we don’t. If there’s anything we can do to help, we’re more than willing,” Alaska told Cora.

“You sold your stuff?” Henley asked again, obviously still stuck on that part of her random word vomit from moments ago.

Cora shrugged. “It was just stuff. I had to get money to be able to bid on Pipe.”

“Like, your electronics and other expensive things?” Reese asked.

She bit her lip. “No. All of it. My furniture, TV, dishes and cutlery, pots and pans, linens…all of it.”

Everyone was silent for a long moment.

“Holy shit, seriously?” Henley asked.

“It still wasn’t enough to win though,” Cora said, staring at the table.

“Tell us about your friend,” Alaska said firmly.

This was a topic Cora was more comfortable with. She told them everything. Not leaving anything out. How she was a foster kid with no family. How Lara took her under her wing. How she’d bailed her out more than once when she needed a place to live. How her parents were nice but distant. How they were disappointed in Lara when she’d become a preschool teacher instead of trying for a better, more prestigious job.

“She’s everything to me,” Cora said, still studying the table as if it was the most interesting thing ever. “My best friend and my family all rolled into one. When she met Ridge, I was skeptical about how perfect he sounded. I told her to be careful, but Lara’s a romantic. She’s dreamed about being swept off her feet all her life. I think she was starting to feel as if she’d missed out. Like she was too old to find someone to love her the way she wanted to be loved. So when Ridge showed up and acted like the man she’d always dreamed of, she was overwhelmed and all in pretty much immediately.

“We had a fight about him. Two days later, she didn’t show up for work and wasn’t answering my calls. She sent an email to the school about taking a leave of absence. The next thing I knew, I got a text from her saying she’s staying in Arizona for a while. A text. After over two decades as best friends.

“I tried to call her immediately, but she never picked up. And the few texts I got didn’t sound like her at all. They were…unemotional. And as I told Pipe, there wasn’t any punctuation in them, and Lara always uses periods and commas and stuff. She’s always worn her heart on her sleeve, so she also uses lots of emojis and exclamation points and gifs. But the texts I got were brief. Not one emoji. The one time Ridge allowed me to see her on a video call, she told me she loved Arizona and wasn’t coming back to DC, ever. But she also gave me a signal. She’s in trouble. Even if I’m the only who believes that with all my heart, I know she is.”

“The guys are going to help though, right?” Reese asked.

Cora shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s what Pipe is doing now. Discussing the situation with them.”

“They’ll help,” Alaska said without a shred of doubt in her voice.

“Have they called their techie friend?” Henley asked.

Everyone looked at her.

“You know, the one who tried to help when Jasna was missing and when Reese was taken?”

“The one who actually didn’t help?” Alaska asked. “I mean, he tried, but it was that mysterious unknown person who thought of using Reese’s tile to track her car. And they also told the guys where to find Jasna.”

“When Owl was talking to Stone, he said something about how he’d already contacted Tex—that’s the techie guy’s name,” she said to Cora, “and he was researching Lara’s boyfriend,” Ryan explained.

“Good. Okay, so I’m guessing you won’t be leaving today. That means we need to figure out where you’ll be staying,” Alaska said matter-of-factly.

“Are there any cabins open?” Henley asked.

Alaska huffed out a breath and shook her head. “No. We don’t have any openings for months. Unless someone cancels, but then I can usually fill that spot pretty easily.”

“She can stay with Gus and me,” Reese offered.

“Didn’t I hear you say you were having morning sickness really bad, and that you get up in the middle of the night to puke?” Henley asked.

Reese blushed. “Yeah, but—”

“She can stay with us,” Henley said firmly.

Alaska laughed. “As if staying with you and your pre-teen is any better.”

“Pipe said I could stay with him,” Cora cut in.

Everyone’s head swiveled to stare at her.

Then Alaska smiled. “Right. Then…that’s that.”

Henley tilted her head. “You’re not what I expected for Pipe.”

Cora did her best not to be offended by that.

“And please don’t take that the wrong way,” she added quickly. “I know it probably sounded bad, it’s just that Pipe is…rough around the edges. And he’s kind of quiet.”

“We aren’t together like that,” Cora said quickly, wanting to clear that up. “He’s just helping me find Lara.”

“Uh-huh, you go on telling yourself that,” Reese said. “I was only staying with Gus while my brother was here healing. And now I’m married, pregnant, and happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”

“We’re embarrassing her,” Alaska said. “Whatever’s between her and Pipe is just that, between the two of them.”

“I like his tattoos,” Cora mumbled, picking at one of her fingernails. “They make him seem tough…untouchable. Even though from what I’ve gotten to know of him so far, that’s not who he is.”

“You’re right, it’s not. He’s a teddy bear,” Henley agreed.

Robert burst out laughing. “No, he’s not,” he said.

This time, everyone turned to look at the cook.

“He’s not,” Robert insisted. “Just the other day, one of the guests was talking shit about a woman he saw in town. You know, doing what a lot of guys do…talking about her tits and how he’d like to ‘tap that.’ Pipe overheard and got all up in his face, told him he was being disrespectful and he needed to pack his shit and leave. Immediately.”

“Oh my God, is that why that guy checked out early?” Alaska asked. “I tried to figure out if something was wrong, but he was all tight-lipped and wouldn’t say much.”

“Because Pipe scared the shit out of him,” Robert said with satisfaction. “That man isn’t someone I’d ever want on my bad side. You ladies might think he’s a teddy bear because he’s all nice to you and everything, but he’s actually a powder keg that’s two seconds from exploding…all it’ll take is the right spark.”

“Should I talk to him?” Henley asked, her brow furrowing.

“Lord, no!” Robert exclaimed. “If he wanted someone messing around with his brain, he’d have already talked with you.”

“I don’t mess with people’s brains,” Henley huffed, sounding offended.

“She’s our resident psychologist,” Reese said in a loud whisper to Cora.

She nodded, her attention stuck on the fascinating conversation around her.

“I’m just saying, if he’s on the edge as much as you seem to think, that’s not good,” Henley added with concern.

“Why do you think this place is here?” Robert asked. “We’re all dealing with the demons in our heads. Love you, Henley, but when I’m ready for you to root around inside my brain, I’ll let you know. I’m sure Pipe’s the same way.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Henley said, reaching across the table to put her hand on Robert’s arm. He patted it and smiled at the other woman.

The door to the kitchen opened, and Pipe stuck his head in. “Cora? You good?”

His concern was surprising. Glancing around, she saw Alaska was trying to hide a smile, Henley was looking at Pipe in concern, Reese was looking at Cora, probably trying to see if she was indeed all right, as Pipe was asking. Ryan was looking down at her phone, typing rapidly, and Robert had stood and was already halfway across the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Cora told him.

“Okay. We’d like a word with you, if that’s all right.”

Cora wasn’t sure why it wouldn’t be all right. The whole reason she was here was to try to convince these men that she wasn’t losing her mind, that Lara really was in danger. She nodded and stood.

“Be nice,” Alaska told Pipe.

“We like her,” Reese added.

“And we want to help if we can,” Henley said.

“Yeah, if there’s anything we can do, let us know,” Ryan agreed.

Pipe’s lips twitched. “She’s been here for like fifteen minutes and you guys are already claiming her?”

Alaska grinned. “Yup. And her friend too.”

“Right. Cora, you ready?” Pipe said.

She couldn’t read what he was thinking. Didn’t know if he was upset that the other women had offered their help and seemed to like her so quickly. It was confusing to Cora too. This kind of thing didn’t happen to her. She had a hard time making friends, so she was just as baffled as to why these women were so willing to help her and Lara…people they didn’t even know.

She nodded but before joining Pipe, she walked over to where Robert was standing by the sink, putting dishes into the industrial-sized dishwasher. “Thank you,” she said softly. “For the cookies, and for…well…for sticking up for Pipe.”

“No matter how tough the packaging, everyone needs propping up now and then,” he replied in a low rumble. “Now get. Go figure out how to rescue your friend. Does she like chocolate chip cookies?”

Cora nodded. “Yeah. But you know what her favorite thing ever is?”

“What?”

She somehow suspected even if she named the most difficult dish ever, if he had a chance to meet Lara, this man would find a way to master it. So she grinned widely as she said, “Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes. I buy boxes and boxes for her for Christmas every year, for her to freeze, and she always runs out by June anyway.”

Robert shared her smile. “A woman after my own heart. When you bring her back here, I’ll make sure she has a box waiting.”

“Thanks,” Cora whispered. Then she surprised herself by going up on her tiptoes and kissing Robert’s beard-covered cheek. She squeezed his arm, took a deep breath, and finally walked toward Pipe, who hadn’t moved from the doorway.

When she neared, he reached for her elbow. The second the kitchen door closed behind them, he asked, “What was that about? Are you really okay?”

Again, his concern for her felt good. Even the scowl on his face didn’t scare her. “Yeah. Robert’s cookies are to die for. You guys should put that on the website.”

Pipe’s lips twitched. “Can’t have all our secrets on the web for stalkers like you to find.”

She returned his smile. Then it faded. “Are they going to help?”

“They want more intel.”

His answer made Cora stiffen. She knew she’d gotten lucky just with Pipe agreeing to talk to his friends, with him bringing her here to The Refuge. She’d held out hope that maybe he’d be able to convince his friends to help her too. But that hope was already waning.

“They didn’t say no, they’re just concerned. As am I,” Pipe said as he stared at her.

Briefly, Cora wanted to give in to despair, but she steeled her nerves instead. If they weren’t willing to help, she’d go to Arizona from here. Figure out a way to see Lara when Ridge wasn’t around. Get her away from him. Even if she had to flee with Lara to Mexico, she would.

Her mind spun with possibilities. Lara could be brainwashed by now. Maybe she wouldn’t want to leave. Cora might have to convince her, maybe even stoop to Ridge’s level and kidnap her friend.

“Breathe, Cora,” Pipe ordered.

She looked up at him in surprise. She’d been so lost in making alternate plans in her head that she’d actually forgotten where she was for a moment.

“When they hear what’s going on from your own mouth, they’ll agree.”

“And if they don’t?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“Then we’ll head to Arizona and see what we can do.”

Cora stared at Pipe. “What?”

“If they don’t agree, we’ll go to Phoenix and see if we can’t get in to see Lara.”

“We?” she asked. “You’d go against your friends’ wishes and help me?”

Pipe’s gaze bore into hers. “I said I’d help when we were in DC, and I won’t go back on my word. Remember what I said about loyalty?”

Cora nodded.

“I could no sooner turn you away and ignore your cry for help than I could one of my friends in there,” he said, gesturing toward what looked to be some sort of conference room on the other side of the lodge. “I’m immune to a lot of things women use to get what they want. But like I said before, the kind of loyalty you have for Lara? It’s precious. And so damn rare. I’m going to help you, Cora. I give you my word.”

She wanted to cry. Wanted to go to her knees right there in the lobby of this amazing place. Cora had never met men and women like the ones she’d encountered here. The staff at The Refuge was kind. Generous. Accepting. And so open to those who needed help. She liked it, but it was also overwhelming.

“Come on, let’s go talk to the others.”

Cora nodded. And the urge to cry dissipated and determination rose within her. She knew she was right. Knew Lara was in trouble. And she needed to be smart, convincing. Needed to give the facts as she knew them to the other men. They’d either believe her or not, but one way or another, she would get to Lara and talk to her in person. Would find out if she was in Arizona of her own free will, or if she needed help getting home.