Tiffany had assured her mother that her upcoming inheritance had nothing to do with Gary wanting to marry her. He loved her. She knew he did. In fact, the topic of her inheritance had never come up, and she doubted Gary was even aware of it.
She had pulled up information about Gary’s parents on Facebook to show her mother that Gary was wealthy in his own right. He didn’t need her money. His apartment inBoston, which was way more fabulous than hers, pretty much announced his financial success. He worked not because he had to but because he wanted to.
“Are you ready to ride back down, Tiffany?”
Gary’s question broke into her thoughts, and she turned to look at him. A group of them had rented mountain scooters and were having a great time. With Bronson Scott and his wife, Sunnie, leading the charge, the group had taken off to explore the mountainside. Before getting started, Bronson had suggested that everyone stay together, as the higher up the mountain they went, the more likely they were to encounter animals, such as wild boars, wolves, and bobcats. Now four hours later, they were headed back down to the lodge.
“Yes, I’m ready to ride back down, although I love the view from up here.”
“So do I,” he said, glancing around. “I couldn’t help but notice some of the animals around here. I took several photos of a few on my phone.”
“Great! Be sure to share them with me,” she requested.
“I will.”
When they returned to the lodge, the parents collected their kids, and everyone went their separate ways. Donovan suggested a game of Bingo around three, and everyone agreed to meet back up. Mercury’s best friend, Jaye Colfax, volunteered to be the caller, and his wife, Velvet, assisted him. It was a true family affair, especially since so many of the couples were now expecting.
Jaye and Velvet were anxious to meet their first, due in a few months, while Zion and his wife Celine were expecting their second, and Xavier and his wife, Farrah were ready to welcome their third.
Kids were the one thing she and Gary hadn’t talked about. Would he want any? She just assumed that he would—didn’tmost men? -and he probably knew she did. After all, she was a pediatrician. Still, perhaps it was something they should discuss. He’d been around tons of kids this week -there were plenty of them in the Steele family—and he didn’t seem bothered by them. In fact, he’d even seemed to enjoy helping her at the kids’ Christmas Eve party. That had been a good sign.
“B14.”
Jaye’s booming voice broke into her thoughts at the same time Gary nudged her. When she looked at him questioningly, he motioned to her Bingo card. That was when she realized that B14 was the number she had been waiting for. She yelled out, “Bingo!”
Velvet came over to check her card, smiled, and said in a loud voice, “We have another winner!”
A happy Tiffany raced toward the front to collect her $100 gift card.
**
While everyone was preoccupied playing games, York and Quade met in the same isolated and empty cabin they had used on Christmas Eve. Reports had begun coming in. Through his DNA, they now knew Gary’s true identity. At least they knew who he’d been before changing his name. And after listening to his phone conversations that came through the bug York had placed in his room, they knew his target wasn’t Tiffany, but the Steele Corporation.
What they didn’t know was why, and who was behind the entire thing. And more importantly, why had the Steele Corporation been targeted when they didn’t have anything new in production?
Quade and York decided that they needed to come up with a plan for when Gary would try to get into Chance’s cottage again. From one of the bugged conversations they’d heard, he’d takeadvantage of the fact that Chance and Kylie would be spending the day in Gatlinburg with Drew and Eden on the 28th.
“A part of me was hoping I was wrong about him,” York said. “This is going to really hurt Tiffany when she finds out the truth. That bothers me more than anything. She deserves better.”
“I agree. At least she will have plenty of family to give her love and support,” Quade said. “Palmer was the wrong guy, but Tiffany is a prize. Someday, the right guy will realize it.”
“I’m counting on it,” York said.
At that moment, the printer that had been installed in the cabin a couple of days earlier made a noise, alerting them that new information was being transmitted. York made copies for both him and Quade so they could read the information simultaneously. Finished, they looked up at each other at the same time. Finally, they had an answer. They’d just learned what they were dealing with and why.
York and Quade decided to handle things themselves, then they would call a meeting with all four Steele brothers the day after Chance returned from Gatlinburg. By that point, they’d have definitive proof that Gary was up to no good.
**
The next morning at breakfast, Gary turned down Tiffany’s request to join her and some of her cousins when they went horseback riding. He told her that his company had reopened after Christmas and that he had to attend an important Zoom call. She understood and said that she would check in on him when she returned. He did ask if her parents were around, and she told him that they had left for Gatlinburg with Drew and Eden as planned early that morning and wouldn’t return until late that night.
He also knew, from overhearing a conversation at dinner with her uncles yesterday, that York Ellis had left early thismorning to meet up with a college friend in Pigeon Forge. And the other three Steele brothers would be joining the group that was going horseback riding this morning. That left the way clear for Gary to do what he needed to do.
He had timed things perfectly, making it to the north wing without running into anyone -not even a member of the housekeeping staff. It had been quick and easy getting into Chance Steele’s cottage, and the laptop had been sitting on the desk in plain view. Moving quickly, he opened the computer and pressed the power button. When the screen flashed for a password, instead of providing one, he entered the code he’d been given. The screen flashed twice, an indication that the laptop had been successfully breached.
He smiled. How about that? He had managed to hack the laptop without even knowing the password. Instantly, all the information stored in that laptop was being transmitted elsewhere. Every trade secret, formula, or sensitive data was now in the possession of his team.
With the deed done, he quickly left the cottage, feeling good that his work here was finished. Chance Steele would not know his laptop had been breached until it was too late. As an additional bonus, the man would never know when or how it was done, so he could not connect it to Gary in any way. Perfect!
