Hunter's Fortune (River Jewel Resort Series Book 2)
Read Hunter's Fortune (River Jewel Resort Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Madison Sevier
Hunter’s Fortune
River Jewel Resort
Book 2
Madison Sevier
Copyright@2012MadisonSevier
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission of the author, Madison Sevier.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people without the written permission from the author. If you would like to share this eBook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to those who are still searching for something. Look within.
If it all came down to a choice between love
and money…which would you choose?
Chapter One
“What do you mean it’s all gone? How can it all be gone?” There was a resounding tat-tat-tat-tat as Hunter marched beside her accountant.
“Ms. Golde?”
“How am I supposed to face these people?”
“Ms. Golde?”
“Who told them about the money before anyone told me? Shouldn’t I be the first to know? It i
s
m
y
company. One would think coming to me with this type of information would be of first priority.”
“Ms. Golde?”
“I’m supposed to walk in there and tell them everything will be okay? That there’s just some big misunderstanding?”
“Ms…”
“What, Giles? What?” Hunter abruptly stopped and turned to the annoying old man whom her father had hired years ago. Obviously another mistake by the philandering fool.
Flustered, Giles Markham fuddled about and cleared his throat. “Ms. Golde, I’ve been trying to warn you of this for weeks. I told you someone was tampering with company funds and you told me to fix it. There was no fixing it.”
“When did yo
u
eve
r
say I was losing money? Never, that’s when. You said figures weren’t adding up. Had you told me money was vanishing into thin air, I might’ve taken you a bit more seriously, Giles. But you couldn’t take your head out of your…books long enough to explain what was happening.”
“But, I tried…”
“No, Giles, you cowered like you always do. Instead of growing a pair and speaking up, you were too afraid to tell the truth. Why should I even be surprised? You’ve always been this way. My father was an idiot to make you the in-house accountant for life. I guess we’ll have to see if there’s even a reason to keep you on staff since my money is gone.”
Hunter turned on her heel and left Giles standing in the hallway as she proceeded to the third floor where her company’s stockholders awaited her.
She pushed the door open and twelve people wearing masks of frustration glared at her from across the room. They’d foregone sitting at the giant, hand-carved table and were standing at full attention. Hunter didn’t even bother to smile. She knew there was no point in false emotion. Her company was in deep shit and, as the president of Golde Trucking, so was she.
“Morning, everyone. I’m sure we can all agree it isn’t a good one, but at least we’re all alive, right?” Her use of sarcastic optimism fell like a lead balloon.
“Ms. Golde, would you like to explain to all of us how you managed to lose every dime invested in this company?”
“I’d love to, Mr. Bonner. However, I was only recently informed of this dire situation and I have no answers for any of you.”
Angry murmurs and exasperated sighs echoed throughout the room. Hunter could feel an anxiety attack creeping up her spine and though she tried to remain calm, she now found her own voice a bit shaky.
“Gentlemen and Lady,” she nodded, “I know we are now in a horrible situation, but I plan on getting to the bottom of this as soon as possible. I can only hope that you’ll give me the same support that you so graciously gave to my father while he built and ran this wonderful company.”
Of course, the room remained silent, but Hunter held her head high. She refused to allow a small group of stuffy old windbags make her feel inferior. This catastrophe wasn’
t
he
r
fault. Hunter was just as poor as the rest of them at the moment! She wouldn’t rest until she figured out who had stolen every last penny and once Hunter knew his or her identity, she’d make them pay.
“Ms. Golde, we’ve been discussing this all morning and we feel you are nowhere near as capable to run this company as your father was. Based on your recent performance and now, this, this insanity, we hereby request you to step down as President.”
How dare they! And to have that bitch, Jennifer McConnell plunge the knife into her back, was reprehensible! Who made her the new foreman?
“You cannot be serious.” Hunter emphasized each and every word as she stared down each one of the board members.
“Sadly, we’re completely serious.”
“This is my family’s company. You can’t ask me to leave. My father built it. My father brought all of you in. If it wasn’t for him, you’d have nothing.”
“Well, thanks to you,” the old hag piped up again. “We have nothing, Ms. Golde.”
“You don’t seem to understand, Jennifer. If there is no money, there is no company. If I’m out of money, so are you. Therefore, the company cannot go on, the company will close. I will not be stepping down, nor will I be backing down. However, when I find out where the money went, I will personally see to it that each and every one of you is removed. You can bet your asses that you’ll be the ones without a dime.”
Hunter snatched the proposed letter of resignation off of the table and stormed out, leaving them to their mutinous conversation. “I will get that money back.”
There was no way this would end prettily. Whoever had sabotaged her and the Golde Trucking name was in for an incredibly rude awakening!
“Giles!”
Of course, her accountant would be slinking around. He was a weasel.
“Yes, Ms. Golde?”
Hunter grabbed him by the collar and slammed Giles into the cinnamon-colored wall.
“Listen to me, you worthless little man. You have forty-eight hours to find my money. Do you hear me?”
A strangled gasp escaped him as he nodded.
“At the end of that forty-eight hours, if you have not found my money, don’t show your face here again. I’d suggest you leave the country. Because if I ever see you again, I will tie you to the bumper of one of Daddy’s big rigs and drag your pathetic little body through town. Got it?”
His eyes practically popped out of his head as each word fell from her lips. Hunter wasn’t prone to violence, but desperate times called for dire plans. And right then, she needed to take her anger out on someone. Giles fit the bill.
“Now, scurry on out of here and remember everything I’ve said, Giles.”
Hunter smoothed the front of his shirt down. “Forty-eight hours. Set your watch.”
As her heels click-clacked on the oak floors, Hunter stared straight ahead and marched back to her own office where she sat at her desk and wept silently.
“God, what am I going to do?”
* * * *
“Hello? Is anyone here?” Hunter removed her key from the lock before slamming the front door. “Jason, are you home?”
The spacious ranch-style home greeted her with silence as she kicked off her shoes and made her way to the open bar in the den.
“Why would I expect you to be here?” Mumbling to herself about the many flaws in her relationship with Jason Simpson, she poured a large glass of tequila, foregoing the useless shot glasses that sat on the hand-carved oak monstrosity.
Hunter stood at the sliding doors, gazing out over the massive grounds as she sipped her drink. The clear liquid burned as it coated her throat. In no time, she felt comfortably numb. However, getting shit-faced was not an option. Just enough of a buzz to take the edge off so maybe she could concentrate on the task at hand.
She knew Giles was inept and it was time for her to take total control of her life and business. Hunter knew she wouldn’t be hearing from her accountant again. If she was a gambler, like dear-old-Dad, she’d wager her last few thousand dollars that Giles had already purchased a one-way ticket to Belize. Maybe that’s what she should do, too.
“It’s not like anyone would miss me. I’m all that’s left and those decrepit assholes are just itching to get me out of the company. It’d serve them right if I left this entire mess in their laps.”
The more Hunter drank, the more she contemplated and liked the idea of leaving. She could always take off to the family cabin and hunker down there for a while. At least until the missing money was found. Or until she was forced to sell it to pay off the stockholders. As if she’d allow that! This was her company and her money and frankly, she really didn’t give a damn about any of them at the moment. Her father should’ve taken care to ensure this would never happen.
“Ya know,” she yelled to the empty house. “You’ve always been like this. Not once did you ever care about anyone else, Mr. Golde. I really have to hand it to you. Not only did you manage to screw every available woman in our town before you succumbed to your own vices, but you also managed to screw everything up after your death! Cheers to you, Daddy! Thanks for nothing.”
As she stared at the barren trees surrounding her property, Hunter rubbed her arms, warding off a chill. Winter in Southern Indiana was far from bitter, but it was cold enough to remind her of how lonely she was. Hunter had a home, a boyfriend who rarely showed his face and who couldn’t be counted on even though they lived together. She knew he was only with her for the lavish gifts she gave him, the name and notoriety, but she told herself she didn’t care about any of that. That was the easiest thing to do. Hunter was rich and that’s what mattered. She’d stopped caring about love a long time ago. Besides, she could’ve done worse. At least she hadn’t married the worthless, pathetic excuse for a man.
“He can’t even get it up.” Hunter felt the hard liquor course through her veins and she swayed a bit, musing over her so-called wonderful life with Jason.
* * * *
Though their lovemaking in the beginning of their relationship had been hot enough to melt a tin roof, the last time they’d attempted to make love had been over four months ago. She was always busy and Jason seemed to be away from home a lot more often, giving no time for them to connect with each other. For the most part, their normal conversations consisted of emails or texts. After one too many abrupt emails from Jason, Hunter knew she needed to try something to salvage what was left of their relationship.
“Maybe a nice, quiet evening is what we need. We can’t keep going like this.”
Hunter had planned the romantic evening for weeks. Though it wasn’t their anniversary or anything special, she went to several specialty shops in town and purchased everything she’d need to get them both in the mood.
To surprise him, Hunter prepared Jason’s favorite dinner
,
coq au vi
n
, and spent an incredible amount of time baking him a chocolate cake with truffle frosting, all from scratch. An hour before he was due home from work, she took a long, hot bath and slipped into a white, vintage dress with cap sleeves.
When Jason arrived, she poured him a drink. “How was your day?”
“What’s with the get-up? Do we have another high-society costume party to go to?”
Hunter felt the sting of his snide remark. She loved the way the skirt of the dress flared out and the peek-a-boo lace seemed so sexy until Jason had opened his mouth. Obviously, he’d already been drinking and she questioned why she was even bothering to go through the motions for him anymore. Here she was, trying to give him a nice evening with a home-cooked meal and he had to act like an asshole again.
“No. I just wanted to do something nice for you, for us. You don’t like the dress?” Hunter tried to control her emotions, but Jason was always so abrasive to her. She usually fired back with some snappy retort. Hunter had never been very good at hiding her true feelings about anyone or anything. However, she knew their special night would be ruined if she opened her mouth. Inwardly, she cringed and mentally weighed her options of going through with her plans or not.