“Why here?”
“It would be hidden in plain sight. No one ever moves or cleans or disturbs the memory garden. That’s the beauty of it. Your memories stay here forever. The USB drive would be safe here forever.”
“Worth a shot.” He started to accumulate his own pile of rocks. Lots of them had children’s drawings on them. Some were little phrases “in memory” of loved ones. Soon they each had large stacks and there was still a lot of ground to cover.
Then one caught his eyes. “Wait.” He picked up the rock. It was the writing that had caught his attention. It wasn’t Paulson’s name like he’d expected, but two simple letters: KG. Killion Group? He held the rock up to the light and sure enough, there it was. A little seam indicating that the rock wasn’t real.
“I was starting to think this was a crazy idea,” said Katy as Nathan twisted the two halves apart and the Killion Group-branded USB drive fell out.
“Bingo.”
Katy reached over and picked it up, twisting it around in her hand. “Hard to believe something so small is worth so much.”
“Or worth killing for. What do you say we get a look at what’s on this?”
She nodded as they both stood up.
They started across the lawn and Nathan couldn’t help but feel like nothing had changed. In fact, now that they had this thing, there was an even bigger target on their backs. “Who do you think wants this?” he asked.
“Well, Austin Miles and the Killion Group, right? Except Killion could’ve hired Miles.”
“No. He said he was hired by a third party. And someone had to be here to sabotage the roof and the Carriage House. That was all done before Miles checked in. Were there any long-term guests here? Staying in the room Paulson had stayed in?”
Katy stopped abruptly. “Mr. Parker. He said he was writing a book, but I could never find any other published works. And if he caused the leak, that would’ve given him a chance to search other floors of the inn without raising suspicions. He’s so old, I never considered—”
“He could be putting on a show. Making himself feel less threatening. I bet if you saw a senior citizen wandering around somewhere he shouldn’t be, it wouldn’t be as suspicious as walking in on Miles searching through rooms. That’s why Miles needed that ridiculous ghost hunter cover.”
“What does that mean we do? Kick him out? We don’t know anything for sure. It could just be some innocent guy.”
“Tell him that the inn was bought out and is going to have to be emptied out to undergo a complete inspection. Then offer him a voucher for another nearby inn.”
“A voucher?” That could work... “For how much?”
“I don’t know. Five grand?”
Katy blinked a few times and frowned. “Every once in a while, I forget how much money you have and then you say something like that.” She started back for the inn and he followed.
Okay, he could see how five grand could be a little too much.
They went through the back door and walked past the restaurant and library, but right as they were about to go to Katy’s office, there was a loud bang above them. They both stopped and looked up, but by then the clattering had moved to the stairs. Nathan and Katy both rushed to see what was happening, but by then Miles was already out the door and making a run for it with Hart right on his heels. “Shit,” said Nathan.
“Should I call the police?” said Katy.
“We had him handcuffed in his room,” said Nathan. “I think the cops would be more upset with us than him.”
“So what are we going to do?”
Nathan craned his neck to see whether anyone was around. Sean stood at the door, looking at the two men running away, and one of the housekeepers poked her head out of the library. He tried not to worry about the fact he didn’t know her name yet. He would in time.
Nathan pressed the USB drive subtly into Katy’s palm. “I’m going after them. Go into your office. Don’t come out for anything until I’m back.” Katy barely got out a nod before Nathan started after the two. “Which way did they go?” he asked Sean.
Sean pointed and Nathan took off, except he took his car. Katy had to let out a small laugh at that. No point in Nathan working hard when he could work smart.
Katy ran to the door to see Nathan speeding out of the parking lot. She bit her lip as he sped off. She checked her phone for the time; she’d give him half an hour before she completely freaked out.
“What was that all about?” asked Sean.
Katy raced through the list of lies she could give him, but instead settled on a basic one. “I have no idea. Let’s just hope they didn’t break anything.”
“That was the paranormal guy, right? And the new owner’s weird friend.”
“That’s what it looked like.” She turned to go back to her office, but Sean didn’t seem ready to just let it go.
“Should we call the police or something?”
“I’m sure the police are already overstretched this morning. If the new owner thinks he can handle things, then let him handle it.” There. She’d put the entire thing on Nathan.
When she got to her office, she shut the door and let out a breath. How could it only be noon? This day felt as though it had been going on forever. She looked down at the USB drive in her hand. So what was on this thing that was so important? Part of her knew that she shouldn’t look. That it would just stress her out.
But who was she kidding? Even if she worked out a deal with Killion Group to return it, they’d never believe she hadn’t peeked anyway. So she sat down and plugged the USB drive into her laptop and started the process of opening it. The computer was doing its normal scan for damaging programs when her phone rang.
Katy jumped at the sudden noise. She hadn’t realized that she’d been holding her breath. The caller ID told her it was the front desk. “Yes?”
“Hey, we’ve got a problem. Some guy just came in here and said his wife fell down by the water. He thinks her leg is broken.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Wish I were. He just left to go be with her, and I called the paramedics, but this seems like a manager thing, right?”
Yes. This was a manager thing. She looked around her office and tried to think of any way to avoid this. Nathan had told her to stay there. But it was broad daylight. It couldn’t be that dangerous. She pulled the USB drive out of the computer and set it in the pocket of her dress.
Once she was out, she went directly to the front desk. “Sean, I want you to come with me.”
He looked around him as if he were hearing things. “Who’s going to cover the front?”
“It will just have to be empty for a little bit. I’m sure Nathan will understand.” She’d take all the one-star reviews as long as it meant she wasn’t going to meet some stranger alone. Besides, she doubted any of Nathan’s family would give her a one star.
“Okay,” said Sean dubiously.
“Why don’t you lead the way?” They started out the front door and Katy tried to imagine what had happened. The rocks could be slippery and the drop-off was steep. But the fall wasn’t far. She supposed you didn’t have to fall far. The only thing that mattered was the landing. “Did he say what happened?”
“I didn’t ask. I kind of freaked out and called 911 and then I realized I should’ve talked to you first. This isn’t really my thing.”
Well, it wasn’t her thing either, but at least she was paid to deal with it. This wasn’t part of Sean’s job description. A bolt of relief went through her when she saw that there wasn’t a crowd of people around the drop-off to the beach. Maybe there was a chance she could hide this from Nathan’s family. And her own family, for that matter. She hadn’t heard from Victoria and Dean, which meant they probably hadn’t checked out yet.
Once Katy reached the drop-off, she frowned. “I don’t see them. Are you sure this is where they are?”
Sean pointed to a part a bit farther down the beach. “I think they’re over there.”
Kat
y turned to look. Something slammed into her back, sending her tumbling over the side. She tried to tuck her arms in close, but the rocks battered her shoulders and her head landed with a solid hit on the rocks below. It was only when she cracked her eyes open that she saw Sean gingerly making his way down.
“I think it’s time we talk, Katy.”
It didn’t take long for Nathan to find where Miles was running. He put his foot on the gas and as soon as he was right in front of the man, he jerked the wheel while slamming on the brakes, causing the car to stop right in front of Miles.
Miles tried to slow down, but it was too late. He slammed right into the side of the hood while Nathan jumped out. Miles was just about to run again when Nathan grabbed his collar and pulled back, causing Miles to fall to the ground. Nathan walked around to his side and looked down at the man trying to catch his breath. “I still had more questions for you,” said Nathan.
“Well, I don’t have any answers.” Miles suddenly rammed his foot into Nathan’s shin.
Nathan cursed as he went down on a knee, but Miles didn’t get up and try to run. By this time, Hart was there and Miles must’ve known that there wasn’t much use in running. “What the hell happened?” demanded Nathan as Hart got there.
“He got out of the cuffs and jumped me,” said Hart. “No idea what he used to pick them.”
“Piece of chest hair,” said Miles. “Used to think it was a curse, but it’s a gift.”
“Shut up,” said Nathan and Hart in unison.
“Did you and Katy get lucky?” asked Hart.
Nathan frowned before he connected that Hart didn’t know about what had happened upstairs. He was talking about the USB drive. “Yeah. We got it.”
Miles sat up at that. “You found it? The USB drive? Where was it? It wasn’t in that room. I cleared that room.”
Hart seemed pensive. “Now we need to figure out what to do with it.”
“You need to give it to me,” said Miles. “I helped you. I told you everything you wanted to know.”
“You haven’t told us anything,” said Nathan.
“Where is it now? Your girlfriend’s in a safe location, right?”
“She’s back at the inn.”
Miles shook his head. “Are you crazy! That’s the worst place she could be! That place is crawling with people who want that drive.”
“Crawling with my family, too. And my family aren’t the kind people like to piss off.”
“Get off your fucking pedestal for a second and get back to get me my drive! Do you really think I’m the only person at that place looking for it?”
“We already know about Mr. Parker.”
“Parker was sent by Killion. The bellboy isn’t.”
Hart and Nathan exchanged a look. “Bellboy?”
“The kid who has been working around the clock ever since I got there? He knows the heat is up and he was trying to find it first.”
“How do you know he’s looking for it too?” asked Hart.
“He was there all night and was pissed when I wouldn’t leave the library. Now he happens to be working this morning too? Seems like a long shift for a quiet town like this, doesn’t it?”
Nathan walked around them and opened the back door. “Get in the car.”
Miles looked annoyed, but he promptly got up and into the backseat. It was too small for someone his size, but he made it work. Nathan slammed the door behind him while Hart went to the front seat. In seconds, Nathan was speeding back to the inn. This was going to be fine. He was going to walk in and Katy was going to be in her office just like he’d asked. He’d only been gone a few minutes. What could happen in a few minutes?
Yet the sinking feeling in his stomach knew all too well what could happen in just a few minutes.
Katy’s hands felt along the uneven ground as she tried to get some sense of balance. The world seemed to be spinning and Sean, one of her best employees Sean, was looking down at her with a face of...emptiness. He didn’t seem angry; he didn’t seem sad. There was nothing there.
“I don’t want to make this harder than it has to be, Katy. I know you found what I’ve been looking for.”
It took all of Katy’s self-control to keep from reaching protectively for the USB drive in her pocket. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sean smiled wistfully and nodded. “I get it. You’re protective and angry about what’s been happening. But there’s a lot of money on the table right now. Serious money. So if you think I’m going to stand here and let you lie to me again, I’m going to snap your neck and leave your body floating in the ocean.”
Katy scanned what little she could see above the drop-off. Someone had to see her fall. Had to know they were here together. “They’ll know it was you. The cops will be at your place before my body’s cold.”
“With the money I get from this, I’ll have a new home. A new name. A new everything. Right now everything is fair game.”
He took a step closer and Katy inched away, struggling to find purchase on the rocks. “And you’d betray the inn for this? I thought we were friends, Sean. Family.”
“The only reason you thought we were family is because you have no life outside of this place. I’m not content to sit around this boring ass place the rest of my life. I actually have goals. And you’re going to help me reach them. Now give me the USB drive or I’m going to have to get more persuasive.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have it! I was going to look at it and plugged it into the computer when you called. It’s still there.”
He raised a brow. “You left a drive worth a million dollars unguarded and in your office? You didn’t even shut the door when you left.”
Damn. He’d been paying attention.
“Your warnings are over.”
He started to reach for her and Katy took her opening. Her hand rested over a palm-sized dry rock; she threw it at Sean’s head with everything she had. The clunking of rock on skull was oddly satisfying; she finally flipped onto her hands and knees and started to run. She was just getting to the slippery rocks when she heard him behind her. So she stopped when her feet touched the freezing cold ocean and turned back to face him. “Stay back!” she warned.
“Or what?” asked Sean, genuinely confused.
“Or I’ll soak myself and ruin your chances of a payday.”
“I’ll still get the drive off your body.”
“You’ll have a useless USB drive that no one would pay you a dime for. And after what you did to Levi, I’m looking forward to screwing you over.” She studied his face, waiting for the sharp denial, but once again, there was nothing. Katy sucked in a breath. “Why? What did he have to do with anything?”
Sean took a step forward and she took a step back. The water was so cold she felt as if needles were stabbing at her feet and ankles, but she knew that if she walked closer to shore she was going to be done for.
“He had nothing to do with it. My benefactor offered him an opportunity to help. To use his relationship with you to get us what we wanted. No one would get hurt and he’d get a big payday.”
“And you killed him because he said no?”
“I killed him because he was going to tell you what I was doing. Once you found out, I was never going to get to find the drive.”
It all clicked in Katy’s mind. “And you put the piece of paper with Austin Miles’s name on it to get him out of the way.”
“This is a race I intend on winning. This doesn’t have to go bad for you, Katy. I don’t have any hard feelings. Give me what I want and you can walk out of here. In fact, the only scenario where you walk out of here at all is if you give me what I want. If you delay this any longer or if you throw that piece of plastic into the ocean, you’re never going to walk anywhere again. You want to try me?”
“Try me,” said a voice above them. Sean was just turning around as the shot rang out. Katy jumped back and Sean groaned as he fell to his knees.
“Katy!” Na
than jumped down the overhang and ran toward her.
“The water’s cold!” she warned, but that didn’t stop him from running right in and wrapping her up in his arms. The cold, which had seemed an inconvenience before, suddenly hit her like a brick and she started to shake like a leaf in Nathan’s arms. Maybe it was terror. Maybe it was both. “How did you find me?”
“Barbara told me where you were.”
Barbara. Nathan remembered her name. Oh good.
“Come on. You need to get out of here.”
“Do you still have the drive!” called out Austin Miles from the top of the drop-off.
Nathan held onto her hand as he helped her to the shore.
“If you give it to me, I’ll make it worth your while.” Sean was bleeding at an alarming rate from his shoulder but somehow he was still more focused on that damn drive. Though, considering all he’d sacrificed already, it wasn’t as if he had anything else to look forward to.
“The cops are on their way,” said Scott from where he still stood at the overhang, gun still pointed right at Sean.
Nathan helped Katy to the path. She really wished she could walk on her own, but at this point the shaking was so bad that she didn’t think she could even stand without Nathan being there. But if she didn’t climb up, that would mean she’d be standing next to Sean longer, and she wasn’t about to allow that. So she let Nathan give her as much help as he could so she could climb up and onto the main lawn.
Some people were walking toward them, but from this distance she couldn’t tell who. Probably family members of Nathan. Damn it. “I can’t talk to anyone right now,” she said as she turned to rest her head on his shoulder.
“You don’t have to say anything, babe. Can you stand for a bit? I’m going to hold them off. I’ll be right back.”
Katy took a steadying breath and nodded. She could hold it together for a few minutes. Nathan jogged across the lawn, but Katy wanted to keep her eyes on the threat. “Did they give you an ETA on the police?” she asked.
“No. But I dropped your name and I think that lit a fire under their ass. People like you here.”
Relentless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 5) Page 16
