Page 58 of Risky Passion

“We did,” she said, shrugging. “For many, many years.”

“I’m sensing there’s a ‘but.’”

Tory gave a hollow laugh. “Yeah. You could say that. My foster dad was one of the early adopters of Bitcoin. He became . . . well, extremely wealthy. Practically overnight.”

I whistled low. “That’s incredible.”

“For a while, it was,” she said, scrunching her nose in that way I was quickly coming to love. “We had amazing holidays, moved into a massive house on the beach, and had every gadget you could think of. Then we became even wealthier when my grandfather passed away. Since Dad was an only child, he inherited another small fortune.”

“This all sounds like a dream,” I said, raising a brow.

“It was,” she said. “Because of Dad’s inheritance, Izzy figured out that if Mom and Dad hadn’t adopted me, she would’ve been an only child. And she’d get everything. Meaning, she wouldn’t have to share with me.”

“Jesus,” I muttered. “How old was she when that happened?”

“Fourteen. It didn’t matter how much I told her I didn’t care about the money. She wouldn’t believe me. I meant it, too. Ineverwanted the money. I had an amazing upbringing, and I was just lucky they adopted me. So many orphans never get out of the system.”

“Izzy sounds . . . very selfish.”

“That’s one way to put it,” she said. “Greed is an ugly beast.”

“Oh, don’t I know it,” I said. “My brothers and I talk about the cases we work on all the time. The number of murders triggered by greed is shocking.”

“Well,” she said, smirking, “at least Izzy hasn’t murdered me yet.”

“Small blessings,” I said dryly. “Do you see her?”

“No. It was better for Mom and Dad if we visited separately. They’re the reason I could afford to become a pilot. I refused to take money from them after I moved out. It would only make things worse with Izzy. But when I turned twenty-one, they insisted on paying for my pilot’s license.”

I nodded. “They sound like good people.”

“They are,” she said, glancing toward the moon. “When they adopted me, I got really lucky.”

“Just like today,” I said, flashing her a small smile. “You’re shaping up to be one of the luckiest people I know.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “I’m not feeling it right now.”

“I don’t know,” I said, smirking. “After the day you’ve had, I’d say you’re very lucky.”

“Well, maybe we’ll get a miracle, and someone will just happen to drive along this track,” she said.

“I doubt it. We’re in the middle of nowhere, remember?”

She winced and stumbled. Her bare foot must have trodden on something sharp.

“You okay?” I asked, reaching toward her.

“Yeah,” she muttered, shifting her weight to her other foot. “Wish I had my other shoe, though.”

I glanced at her feet. “I’d give you mine if I had them. Want a piggyback?”

She giggled, the sound soft and unguarded, and my body betrayed me, heat stirring in my groin.

“I don’t think you could carry me,” she teased.

“What? Are you doubting my strength?” I said, feigning offense.

“Whoa, calm your farm, Hercules,” she said with a grin.

---