Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) (26 page)

Looking at the number of cases and staff, Sophie was pleased they’d left the small round table in the kitchen area. Dorothy’s team would need every available surface to turn Ryan’s living area into their office.

“This will do nicely.” Dorothy looked at Sophie. “Ryan said you had a project plan for everything that needs to happen before the concert. When you’re ready we could go over the plans together.”

Sophie looked at the bucket in her hands. “I’ll just put this away and then I’ll be right with you.”

Dorothy took one of the bags a staff member handed to her. “Whatever works for you is fine with me.” She put the bag on the counter and turned to Sophie. “It’s going to be okay. If I can salvage a musician’s reputation, I can run a concert.”

Sophie knew Dorothy could do anything she set her mind to. It was everything else that worried her.

She walked around the boxes in the entranceway and opened the laundry door. As she emptied the bucket of dirty water into the sink, she realized she’d never looked more like Cinderella.

All she needed was a fairy godmother to make everything end happily ever after.

***

Tess cut a tomato into quarters and put the pieces onto a plate. They were getting ready for dinner, preparing everything as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Sophie had moved into Tess’ home a few hours ago. She hadn’t seen Logan, but Tess assured her he was okay with her staying with them. For someone who had always been independent, the last few months had been some of the hardest in Sophie’s life.

She’d had to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive. It hadn’t been easy, especially when she felt as though she was taking more from them than she was giving.

“Have you thought about visiting Montana State University?” asked Tess. “They have some great programs. I’m not sure what their science department is like, but it could give you other options.”

They’d been talking about what Sophie would do after everything settled down. With her mom and sister still missing she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to consider anything.

What she did know was that she couldn’t go back to Chicago. While her professor still worked in the science faculty, there would be no place for her. The company her lawyer had been negotiating with was based in Dallas. She’d need to visit them regularly, but that didn’t mean she needed to live there.

“I don’t know Tess. I need to get through the next few days before I make any decisions. What I do will depend on Hayley and mom.”

Tess squeezed Sophie’s arm on her way to the fridge. “I thought you might say that. Whatever you do, don’t assume that Bozeman isn’t the place for you. I know we’re not as big as some of the cities you’ve lived in, but there are lots of good reasons why living here could work.”

“I’m not sure Ryan would agree with you. I’ve turned his life upside down.”

“I’m sure he’ll survive. Sometimes you need to have your boundaries pushed to make you remember you’re alive.” Tess glanced at her watch. “Logan should be home soon. If he asks you any questions you’re not comfortable answering, tell him. He’s a reporter. Sometimes he forgets that there’s a difference between being at work and being at home.”

Sophie had met Logan a few weeks ago. She could see why Tess and Logan had gotten married. They both had strong personalities and wanted to make a difference in the world. There were enough similarities to make them well matched and enough differences to make life interesting.

Sophie washed some lettuce leaves under the faucet. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“When did you know that what you felt for Logan was more than friendship?”

“When he made me blueberry pancakes.” Tess grinned at the surprised look on Sophie’s face. “It’s true. He always enjoyed coming to the café and annoying me. One morning I’d run out of buttermilk. I had about twenty grandmothers on motorcycles arriving for breakfast. He went to Safeway and bought more buttermilk, then helped me make pancakes. He didn’t annoy me so much after that.”

Sophie shook most of the water off the lettuce and put it in a bowl. “I didn’t know Ryan was a musician straight away. When I found out, I was going to leave. Working with him was the complete opposite of what I needed to be doing. I was trying to hide from everyone, not draw attention to myself.”

“But you stayed.”

“I did. I needed money to buy food and more ingredients for the supplement. I enjoyed helping Danny and Jamie. I thought it might work, and it did. But I’m not so sure that Bozeman’s the right place for me.”

“What would be the right place for you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve stayed close to my family for most of my life. Now that my job in Chicago is over I could live anywhere, but only if mom and Hayley are safe and happy. I don’t know what I’m going to do if something has happened to them.”

“Fletcher Security is one of the best security companies in America. Your mom and sister are in safe hands with Tank. I’ve met him a few times and from what I’ve heard, he’s very good at his job.”

The doorbell rang and Tess and Sophie looked at each other.

“It’s not Logan,” Tess said with a frown. “Maybe Ryan’s stopped by to see how you are?”

Sophie picked up her cell phone. “The security guards wouldn’t have let anyone they didn’t know onto your property. It’s either John or Ryan, but I’m taking my phone just in case.”

“What are you going to do if it isn’t them?”

“Call 9-1-1. I’ve got the emergency services on speed dial.”

Tess pulled the curtain aside that overlooked her front yard. “I can do better than that. There’s a police car parked outside.”

Sophie opened the door and stared at the police officer.

It didn’t look as though the news was good.

CHAPTER TWELVE

When they left Tess’ house, the police officer wouldn’t tell them what had happened. All they knew was that they needed to go with him straight away. It didn’t matter what they said, he refused to answer their questions.

His silence made Sophie’s imagination work overtime. She had visions of her mom and sister lying in a ditch, left for dead by a psychopath who valued money over life.

When the police car stopped in front of the station she felt so sick she thought she was going to vomit. Tess put her arm around her and squeezed her tight. They walked in together, Tess’ presence giving her the strength to put one foot in front of the other.

Sophie saw Ryan first. He walked out of a room carrying a cup of coffee.

He stopped when he saw her. “Drink this. You’re as pale as a ghost.”

Sophie shook her head. “I’m going to be sick if I drink that. Are mom and Hayley dead?”

Ryan’s eyes widened. “No, they’re okay. John’s team found them an hour ago.”

The room tilted at an odd angle and Sophie reached for Ryan. He held onto her as she slipped toward the floor. He yelled something above her head and the sound of footsteps echoed along the corridor.

She heard Tess’s voice, felt something cold across her face.

“Breathe,” Ryan said. “That’s it. Take another deep breath and let it out slowly.”

Sophie concentrated on the sound of his voice. When the room stopped spinning, she looked at the people around them.

Tess and John were standing in the corridor with at least four police officers she’d never seen before. She looked at Ryan, embarrassment heating her cheeks. “I’m okay now,” she said quietly.

“Are you sure?”

Sophie nodded. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“I’ll take her,” Tess offered.

Ryan helped her to her feet. When she stepped away to go with Tess, Ryan stayed beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist. If it had been any other time, Sophie would have made a joke about being able to go to the bathroom on her own. But right now, she was glad of his support.

“Will you be all right with Tess?”

“Of course she will,” Tess said with a smile. “If you want to stay outside the door, you’re more than welcome.”

Sophie took another deep breath. “You still haven’t told me how mom and Hayley are? Did they get hurt?”

“They’re fine. Tank said they’re a little shaken, but happy to be coming to Bozeman. John will tell us more when you’ve finished in the bathroom.”

“Come on,” Tess said. “Ryan will be here if you need him.”

Sophie didn’t argue. She really needed to use the bathroom. Her mom and sister were safe. Another few minutes wasn’t going to make any difference to what she would hear.

Before she closed the bathroom door, she looked at Ryan. She knew without needing to say anything that Tess was right.

Ryan would always be there for her.

***

Ryan watched Sophie the whole time they were in Dan Carter’s office. The Deputy Chief of Police had spoken with the officers who had worked with John’s team. They were moving Tank, Hayley and Sophie’s mom back to Bozeman.

Dan looked down at his notes. “We’ve arrested a man in Fort Wayne. He was employed by Alberta Pharmaceuticals to find your mom and sister. He had a female accomplice who’s still missing.”

“Is he the person who tried to kidnap Hayley?”

Dan nodded. “The local police reviewed the security footage from the shopping mall where the attempted kidnapping took place. He was already known to the police.”

“Where is he now?” Sophie asked.

“He’ll stay in Fort Wayne until his trial.” Dan’s cell phone beeped and he read the text. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s something I need to do. John can answer any questions you might have.”

When the door closed, Sophie turned to John. “So Dr. Bernard contacted the pharmaceutical company and offered to sell them the formula?”

John nodded.

“But no company would have purchased the formula without proof that it worked. Even if Dr. Bernard made the supplement from the formula on my computer, it wouldn’t have done anything. The data he stole was false.”

“The pharmaceutical company had proof that it worked. They had copies of the research notes from the students who first trialed the supplement.”

Sophie looked confused. “But I never showed those notes to anyone. I deleted them off my computer at the lab and saved them on my external hard drive.”

John opened a folder and passed it to Sophie. “Do you recognize this woman?”

Sophie looked at the photograph and frowned. “That’s Carrie, one of the students in my first trial. Are you telling me that she stole my research notes?”

“She did more than that,” John said. “She didn’t drink all of your supplement. When the formula started showing positive results, she spoke with your professor. Between the two of them, they changed your notes and sent a sample of the real formula to Alberta Pharmaceuticals.”

“Why would she do something like that? She knew how important the supplement was to me.”

John closed the folder. “Money is a great motivator, especially when you’re dealing with people who have no respect for the law.”

Ryan watched Sophie’s gaze sweep over everyone in the room. When her eyes met his, he felt a jolt of electricity crash through his body.

Sophie blinked. “Do you know how long it’s going to take mom and Hayley to get to Bozeman?” she asked.

“They should be here in the next half hour,” John said as he looked at his watch. “If they stopped anywhere, Tank would have let me know.”

Ryan touched Sophie’s arm. “Would you and Tess like something to eat? There’s a Thai restaurant not far from here. It has a good takeout menu.”

“I want to be here when mom and Hayley arrive.”

“It won’t take long.” Ryan stood up and opened the door. “We’ll be back in less than twenty minutes.”

Sophie looked at Tess and nodded. “That would be great.”

Ryan glanced at John.

“Let’s all go,” John said as he stood up. “It’s been a long day and it’s not over yet. I’ll ask someone to tell Dan where we’ve gone. He can call me if they arrive before we get back.”

Within minutes they were heading past the reception desk and onto the street.

Ryan held Sophie’s hand, half expecting her to let go. But she didn’t. She held on tight, as if she didn’t plan on letting go.

And that suited him fine.

***

Forty minutes later, the door to the meeting room opened. Sophie’s sister and mom walked inside, followed closely by Tank.

Sophie’s heart was beating so fast she was sure it would leap out of her chest. She jumped up from her seat and ran toward Hayley. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I can’t believe what’s happened.”

“Don’t squeeze too tight,” Hayley gasped. “I bruised my ribs.”

Tank made a scoffing noise from behind her. “It’s not the only thing she bruised. Your sister thinks she knows how to look after herself. It’s a pity her listening skills aren’t as good as her confidence.”

Sophie stepped back and looked closely at her sister. She didn’t look annoyed or embarrassed at what Tank had said.