“My grandmother would say I need a glass of sherry.”
“Then, let’s pick a place that serves it.”
“Ranger?”
“Yeah, beautiful?”
“Thanks for not pressing me on this.”
“If you figure out what is causing you so much anxiety, I’ll be more than happy to listen. Otherwise, I’m just here for whatever you need.”
“What a lucky girl I am.”
He put his finger on my chin and turned my head so our eyes met. “I’m the lucky one.”
After lunch, we walked up and down the main thoroughfare, and when the opportunity presented itself, Ranger would ask the shopkeepers if they had other locations or if they’d considered expanding into other markets. I was surprised by the number who said they’d be interested in hearing more about the development at our lake. The positive feedback left me feeling more optimistic. The dread wasn’t gone entirely, but it certainly lessened.
Unfortunately, it only lasted a couple of hours. We were at dinner when my cell phone rang, and while I knew it was rude to look at it, I had to make sure it wasn’t one of my grandparents calling. It wasn’t. It was Maxim.
11
RANGER
When Maisie looked at her cell phone, then set it facedown on the table, I had a suspicion about who was calling. I wouldn’t ask, though. If she wanted to tell me—or when she was ready—she would.
In the meantime, I’d asked Diesel to see what he could find with the little information I had. Maxim was an unusual enough name and the graduating class of Tuck’s MBA program was small enough that I hoped he’d be successful without my needing to ask Maisie more about him.
“Excuse me. Ladies’ room,” she said, getting up and leaving the table after her phone pinged. She was clearly distraught, but in order for me to get closer to her, be a part of her life, she had to trust me. That included trusting me not to push her to talk about something she wasn’t ready to.
I used the opportunity to check for an update from Diesel. There was an email, but when I clicked on it and saw its length, I decided to wait until I had a few minutes alone. If there was anything Diesel wanted me to see immediately, he would’ve sent it in a secure text.
“Everything okay?” I asked when Maisie returned a couple of minutes later.
“No.” Her abrupt response stunned me.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
Maisie looked around the room. “Not now, but later, definitely.”
Now I was anxious to read Diesel’s email. We’d ordered and eaten our appetizers, but the main course had yet to be delivered. Since we were in another of our hotel’s restaurants tonight, a solution was easy. “We can take our food back to the room if you’d like.”
She nodded. “That would be a good idea.”
“Let me see if I can track someone down.”
Maisie reached out and took my hand when I stood. “Thank you, Ranger.”
I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Be right back.”
I saw our waiter at the bar, made my request, and passed him a fifty when he said he’d take care of it right away.
“Let’s go,” I said, returning to the table and helping her with her chair.
“What’s got you so spooked?” I asked once we were in the room.
“Maxim called and requested we get together before Friday’s meeting. That in itself wasn’t a big deal, until he said he was in Saratoga Springs as well and could meet either tonight or in the morning. How in the hell did he know I was here?”
“Excellent question.”
“I haven’t spoken to him since before we graduated. In fact, I was surprised when our mutual friend said he asked to join us.”
“There’s something I need to tell you. I asked one of my colleagues to see what he could find on the guy.”
“And?”
“I received an email on the subject but haven’t read it yet.”
“Can you read it now?”
I pulled out my phone and perused it before reading the pertinent parts out loud. “Maxim Edwards, right?”
Maisie nodded.
“Seems he was being investigated for multiple counts of securities fraud. He was about to be indicted, and suddenly, the whole thing went away.”
“Why?”
“Diesel, that’s my colleague, believes Edwards must’ve made a deal. Still, court proceedings are a matter of public record. There should be something about the case being continued, dismissed, or sealed. He’s digging deeper since the dollar amount of the alleged fraud is significant.”
“What does that mean?”
“Apparently, he bilked investors out of close to a hundred million dollars. Maybe more.”
“Why does he want to meet with me?”
“That’s an excellent question. I’d like to talk it over with Diesel, if you don’t mind.”
“Should I alert our mutual friend? I’m sure he wouldn’t want Maxim to be a part of this meeting if he was aware of the charges against him.”
“Before you do that, let me check on this mutual acquaintance. In fact, can you get a list of everyone who is supposed to be at the meeting?”
Maisie picked up the hotel’s notepad from the desk, swiped her phone, and wrote the list I requested.
“Thank you,” I said when she handed it to me. “With your permission, I’ll get this over to Diesel.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll also alert him that Edwards is in the vicinity. If anyone has been trailing us, I have no doubt he’s already picked up on it.”
“Diesel is here?”
“He is.”
“Am I allowed to ask the name of anyone with him?”
“Buster.”
Maisie put her hand over her mouth to cover her reaction. “Seriously?”
It was such a relief—and a joy—to see her smile. “You know, we’re only an hour from home. If you want to head back, we can.”
“Is that what you want to do?”
I put my arms around Maisie’s waist and drew her body close to mine. “I already told you I’m in no hurry to return to a place where we don’t share a bed.”
“Who’s to say we can’t share one when we’re home?”
“Good point. However, my place is overrun with a bunch of guys most of the time and your grandparents…”
“It might be easier to get rid of the guys than them.”
My mind immediately went to what that would entail and how quickly I could make it happen. There was a knock on the door, and while I hoped it was the waiter with our dinner, I wasn’t taking any chances.
“Stay over here,” I said, pointing to the wall near the bed where she wouldn’t be visible. I had my hand on my gun as I walked over and looked through the peephole. It was the waiter and another man I remembered seeing in the restaurant, but I still wouldn’t assume that a guy who didn’t think much of stealing a hundred million bucks wasn’t lurking in the shadows.
When I opened the door, I did make eye contact with a third person—Diesel. He gave a head nod, and I invited the other two to bring our food in.