Page 128 of Moonlit Colorado

The knife left Grace’s throat, and I started breathing again. Vincent moved to my side, though he didn’t get too close. Didn’t want to risk me grabbing for it.

Ainsley crossed to Grace, held her by the shoulder, and made her sit in one of the chairs in front of my desk. Ainsley took the other. Grace kept her hand against the cut on her neck, eyes down on the carpet. Which bothered me. I hated seeing her so dejected. But at least Vincent wasn’t touching her anymore.

“The information Nina stole,” Ainsley said. “Where is it? I want every copy and a guarantee that you haven’t shared it with anyone else.”

“Don’t do it, Dane,” Grace countered.

Ainsley lifted her eyebrow, as if in challenge.

I sat against the edge of the desk, keeping Vincent in my peripheral vision. “You’ll get it. But I have questions first.”

Grace’s head bowed. Her hair fell past her shoulders, hiding part of her face, and her hand rested on her knee, fingers spread.

We’re getting out of this, I promised her silently.And we’ll make them pay.

“And I can answer them,” Ainsley said. “If I get your assurance that you’ll make sure our fathers sign their partnership agreement. Harcourt Hotels merging with Knightly Global’s resorts. I also want a guarantee that when you and Kip eventually get control of Knightly Global, you’ll sell all of your shares to me. For fair market value, of course.”

The picture became that much clearer. I assumed Ainsley and Bristol had originally operated the escort service out of Harcourt Hotels. Gathering blackmail material. Using powerful men’s weaknesses to their advantage.

I almost couldn’t blame them for it.Almost.

Then, Kip had gotten caught up in their net. He must’ve become a client, and Bristol and Ainsley blackmailed him into proposing to Bristol. Our families were already friends, so the engagement was believable. Neither of our fathers would object.

Maybe the Harcourt sisters had planted the idea for the hotel partnership in their father’s mind too. While Kip had done the same within Knightly Global.

But this much was clear: Ainsley was really the one in charge. And what Ainsley truly wanted was to own a business empire, using any means to make it happen. The escort business was just a means to an end.

Ainsley wanted Knightly Global for herself.

“I can live with that,” I said. “The only reason I joined the family company was for my mom anyway, and I’m just grateful she’ll never understand how far Knightly Global has fallen.”

“Then go ahead and ask your questions.”

Grace still had her eyes on the carpet.

I love you, gorgeous. Just hold on.

I crossed my arms. “Is my hotel manager working for you? Tobin?”

Ainsley shrugged. “Of course. I made sure I had him in my pocket months before your grand opening.”

Which meant Tobin had let her into my suite tonight. That rat. He was also probably behind the “glitch” that had prevented us from identifying Vincent and Nina when I first asked for the security camera footage from the night of the grand-opening masquerade.

So much for that raise I had wanted to give him. Unbelievable.

“And the break-in at Grace’s house? Who did that?”

“Tobin too. He’s been useful.”

Though I’d been speaking to Ainsley, I still had my focus on Grace. She tapped her fingers against her knee. It distracted me for a moment. Was she trying to tell me something?

Then she pulled back her thumb. Tapped again.

Five fingers, then four.

Whatever Grace was trying to tell me, I didn’t want Ainsley or Vincent to notice. “But why did Tobin take Nina’s mask?” I asked, to keep the conversation going.

“By then, we knew Nina had vanished. We also knew she had access to sensitive information about my business. She’d been talking to Grace that night before she disappeared, so I had to make sure she hadn’t turned over the stolen data. Tobin was looking for anything about Nina he could find. Guess he didn’t look thoroughly enough.”

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