Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) (13 page)

Sophie sat beside him. Her frown didn’t bode well for a good answer. “I was worried that the people following me would be able to find me if I used my bank account or credit card. On the way out of Chicago, I withdrew as much money as I could from a money machine. That helped me for the first few weeks. When I met you, I had less than ninety dollars in my pocket.”

“What would you have done if I hadn’t offered you a job?”

“I don’t know. My sister was happy to lend me money, but I didn’t want to do that unless I was desperate.”

He almost choked on his coffee. “And what do you call having less than ninety dollars in your pocket?”

“Lucky that I found you.”

Ryan pulled her business case toward him. He needed something to do with his hands in case he gave in to an insane desire to kiss her senseless. Sophie Elliott was driving him crazy with her complicated life. He’d never met anyone with so many issues.

She was about to see a side of him she’d never seen before. He handed her back her business case. “Hold onto this. We’re going to see a friend of mine. If anyone can help you, it’s John.”

Sophie looked down at the folder, then into his eyes. “I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can. John’s security business is the best in America. He’ll know what to do.”

“I’ve just told you that I don’t have much money. I can’t afford his help.”

“If anything happens to you, I’ll have to face Dorothy on my own. I’m not going to be the one who tells her that my concert has been canceled. I’m offering you a deal. You organize my concert and I’ll keep you safe.”

Sophie raised her eyebrows. “I’m getting the easy end of the bargain.”

“You don’t know Dorothy,” Ryan said. “She’ll expect you to move mountains to make the concert a success.”

Sophie sighed. “I’ll organize the concert. But I’m not taking any responsibility for your ex-wife.”

Ryan held out his hand. “It looks as though we’ve got a deal. My concert for your safety.”

Sophie nodded and shook his hand. “If anything goes wrong, you can always come on the run with me.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I hope you’re joking.”

“I’ve forgotten what a joke feels like. I’m worried about my mom and sister. Someone is following me and Dorothy is about to make your fans deliriously happy by telling them about your concert. And if that’s not bad enough, your ex-wife is about to show parts of your anatomy to the world.”

He touched Sophie’s arm. “John and his team will look after you. All you need to do is worry about Dorothy and keep making your mom’s supplement. I’ll take care of Cindy.”

Sophie leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He looked into her eyes and nearly did something he’d regret. “Let’s get going before John sends out a search party.” And before she noticed his fast breathing he walked out of the room.

Keeping Sophie close might be just as hard as saying goodbye.

***

John’s gaze moved between Ryan and Sophie. “Is there anything else you’ve forgotten to tell me?”

Sophie pulled out the list she’d made on their way into Bozeman. She ran her finger down each of the neatly bulleted points, stopping at the last one. “Do you mind if we talk about Ryan’s concert?”

If Ryan didn’t know John as well as he did he might have missed his slight frown.

“You’re not still thinking about holding the concert on your property are you?” John looked at Ryan and waited for him to say something.

Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He knew that continuing with the concert was probably a dumb idea, but he’d spoken to Dorothy on their way into town. She wanted it to go ahead and she wasn’t taking no for an answer. She’d argued with him for ten minutes about how important the concert was. She’d dismissed each and every concern, giving him ideas about how they could minimize the risk but still create a good PR opportunity.

Ryan glanced at Sophie. “Dorothy suggested downsizing the concert and making it into an invitation-only event. That way we’ll know exactly who will be there. Can your company provide the security services we’ll need?”

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do? There’s still a chance that someone will find Sophie.”

Sophie closed her notebook. “When we’ve got security guards in place, I won’t be alone. I’ll be extra careful and won’t do anything silly.”

“Okay,” John said reluctantly. “If that’s what you want to do, I’ll put a plan together. My secretary will make an appointment to see you in two days’ time. We’ll look at all of the options then. In the meantime, I’ll send a security guard home with you. Tomorrow morning I’ll try to find out who Sophie’s professor has been talking to. I imagine there’s only a small group of funders available for the type of research he wanted to do. If there are any grants that you know about, send me an email and I’ll have a look at them. I’ll also look into the business dealings of the companies you’ve mentioned. What about your mom and sister, Sophie? Do they know what’s going on?”

Sophie glanced at Ryan. He knew what she was thinking. The cost of what they were asking John to do would be high. She didn’t like asking for help from anyone and this meeting was pushing her out of her comfort zone. Before she could tell John that her mom and sister would be okay, Ryan answered John’s question. “They need someone to look after them.”

“When do you want a guard in place?”

Sophie leaned forward. “Hayley and mom are okay at the new dementia unit. My sister’s calling me tonight. I’ll ask her if she wants a security guard.”

John sent Ryan a quick look then turned to Sophie. She wasn’t giving in easily. “I’d suggest sending one of my team to look after them as soon as possible. Where did they move to?”

“They’re living in Fort Wayne, Indiana.”

“They didn’t travel far from Chicago.” Ryan watched Sophie closely. She was having a hard time telling John about her family. He couldn’t really blame her. They were everything she had. If anything happened to them, she’d never forgive herself.

“It’s difficult taking mom anywhere, especially when you don’t want people knowing you’re not coming back. Hayley told the staff at her previous nursing home that they were going on vacation.”

John added some more information to the document on his computer. “Is there anything else? Boyfriends, ex-husbands, criminal convictions, financial troubles?”

Sophie shook her head.

“In that case, I’d say we’re finished. I do have one thing I want to ask Ryan, but after today, I’m not sure it’s something you’d want to do.”

Ryan looked at John. “You might as well ask. Adding something else into the mix isn’t going to make much difference.”

“Tess is on the organizing committee of a junior talent show. She wants to know if you’ll be a guest judge. The competition is in three weeks’ time.”

Ryan pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and checked his calendar. “As long as the judging happens over one day and not all weekend, it should be okay. The winner could perform at my concert.”

For the first time since they’d arrived, John smiled. “Thanks. I’ll let Tess know. If there’s anything else you remember or want to tell me, just call me. You’ll have a security guard on your property in an hour. I’ll give you a call once I know who it’s going to be.”

Ryan stood up and shook John’s hand. “Thanks for everything you’re doing for us.”

“That’s what we do. Try to keep close to home.” John shook Sophie’s hand. “We’ll see each other in two days’ time. If someone follows you while you’re in town today, head straight to the police station. Call me when you get there and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

Sophie picked up her bag and slipped her notebook inside. “Thank you. I hope we don’t need your help, but it’s good knowing you’re there.”

Ryan held the door open and Sophie walked into the reception area. Halfway through the meeting with John, he’d realized that Sophie’s formula could be the biggest medical news of the year. If he was looking for a story to divert attention away from his ex-wife’s photos, then this was it. All he needed to do was make sure that Dorothy didn’t find out.

If she uncovered the story behind Sophie’s sudden appearance, no one would be safe.

***

Sophie turned her cell phone off and leaned against the window in her bedroom. So much had happened today that she was having a hard time putting it into perspective. John had sent a security guard across to Ryan’s property. Jason, the security guard, had sat down with them and organized a plan for quickly leaving the property if they needed to. They had his cell phone number on speed dial and he had their appointment schedules for the next week. Tomorrow morning he would be replaced by another guard who would stay with them until eight o’clock each night. That person would do a security assessment of the property and give Ryan a list of things that needed to change.

Jason and the other guard would provide day and night protection for them until they weren’t needed anymore.

Everything was happening so fast that Sophie felt as though her life was turning into an out-of-control roller coaster. From the moment she’d decided to continue researching the medicinal plants, she’d set herself on a path she had no control over. Instead of thinking through what would happen if the supplement did what she thought it would, she’d blindly followed her heart. That decision had changed not only her life but her sister’s and her mom’s, as well.

They’d turned into fugitives. But even though their entire lives had changed, she wouldn’t have done anything differently. Her mom meant the world to her and she’d do anything she could to make her well.

Sophie looked at the stars and wondered what her sister and mom were doing. Hayley was one of the most resourceful people Sophie knew. In some ways, her sister was the complete opposite of her.

Hayley made plans, but they weren’t set in stone. She wasn’t scared of making mistakes or refocusing her energy on something she’d never considered. She had a way of making the best out of any situation. Beyond all of these things, Hayley was patient and kind, and the best sister Sophie could ever have.

She wiped her eyes. There was no point getting upset. She had to believe that what was happening would work out for the best. Otherwise, the risk to everyone’s life wouldn’t be worth the danger they were in.

She opened the window to let some fresh air into the room.

Ryan was playing his guitar. It was soft and soothing, and made the view from her window seem almost magical.

After dinner most evenings, he sat outside on an old wooden chair and worked on his music. He strung together different chords, creating beautiful melodies. Every now and again he’d stop and make an adjustment to the sheet of music. He’d try the same song again, changing the chords or the timing, adding something different to make the melody better.

Tonight he was singing a song she hadn’t heard before. The words sounded okay, even beautiful in places, but something wasn’t right.

Without thinking about what she was doing, she leaned out of the window. “I think the last chord needs to be different.”

Ryan looked up. “Higher or lower?”

“Higher. The last verse should end in a question, not a statement.”

He looked down at his guitar and replayed the same verse but with a higher chord at the end. He played it once more before adding the lyrics. “You’re right. Do you want to come down and give me some more advice? I’m stuck on the last verse.”

“As long as you don’t tell anyone that I helped with the words. I’ve got a reputation to protect.”

“You think writing a song with me would make people think you’re less of a scientist?”

Sophie shook her head. “It’s more the naked body thing that I’m worried about. They might think I’m working with you because I’ve seen the photos.”

Ryan’s grin made her breath catch in her throat. “So, it’s my body you’re after?”

“Not in this lifetime.” Sophie smiled when his grin grew wider. “I’ll be there in a minute.” She moved away from the window and headed downstairs. The good thing about Ryan’s home was that it might look huge from the outside, but the interior layout was easy to follow. All of the upstairs bedrooms opened onto a circular landing. Once you were downstairs, the living areas opened onto a stone patio area. If she’d been talking to a realtor, Sophie was sure they would have told her that Ryan’s home had great indoor-outdoor flow.

By tomorrow morning, the floor in the entranceway would be ready to walk on. While the varnish was drying, Jamie had installed a metal frame that connected the living room to the stairs. It looked like a gangplank leading to a ship, but it worked.

Sophie held onto the railing, still not sure how safe it actually was. When she walked outside, Ryan was making notes on a sheet of paper. “I liked the song you were singing last night. The lyrics were lovely.”

“That’s because it’s ready for the studio. When I’ve finished this song, it’s going to be a number one hit.”

Sophie sat in a chair beside him. She’d listened to some of his music the other day and had been impressed. If Ryan thought a song was good enough to hit number one on the music charts, then it had a good chance of happening. “You sing from your heart.”