The Minister's Maid Read Free Page B

with if I'm going to protect you."
    She pulled away, turning the stool and sliding off so she could put some distance between them. "I...we did some things, Derek and I, that I'm not proud of. And some of them resulted in a lot of money that we hid in offshore accounts. We put them under my name, because he was sure the government was watching him. Probably paranoia from the alcohol and drugs. Derek always worried about our 'electric money' disappearing, so little by little we exchanged it for gold coins. He said he always wanted to know what a real chest full of treasure would look like." She shook her head, the story sounding cheesy even to her own ears.
    "We'd take enough money out of the bank for a few coins, and buy them a couple at a time so no one would get suspicious. He had a woodworker make him a wooden chest, and we'd put the coins in there. He even hid it in a cave on his property, even though I warned him it could all easily just disappear. But he was caught up in the pirate-like reality he'd created for himself."
    Ian shifted behind her, and Betsy turned to see him leaning against the counter, watching her thoughtfully. "How did you do it?" he asked quietly.
    She shrugged. "He was losing touch with reality more each day, drinking enough to forget. So I started taking a few coins here and there, thinking I'd need some money when I finally got the courage to leave. Then I left, and after he found me and almost killed me..." she met Ian's hard stare straight on. "I felt like I deserved the rest."
    He nodded, his expression blank as he looked at the photo on the counter. "Where is it now?"
    "In the tunnels," she said, referring to the maze like warren that ran beneath the ranch. "And if it was just the money, I'd give it back, though it wouldn't stop him from killing me. But there's something else..." she stopped, unwilling to put all her secrets on the line. Maybe it wouldn't be necessary, if they could just keep Derek away from her hiding spot.
    "What else? I need to know everything." Ian stepped closer, his nearness intimidating even as it made her want to lean into his warmth.
    She shook her head. "We just need to keep him away from that chest. If we can do that, what's in it doesn't matter."
     
    * * *
     
    Ian turned away, barely resisting the urge to shake Betsy senseless. "Come on," he said, turning back to face her. "I need you to be transparent with me. If you don't trust me..."
    She shook her head, anguish in those big green eyes. "If it were just me affected, I'd tell you in a heartbeat. But there's someone else involved, and the less people who know anything about it, the better. Just let it go, Ian. Please." She tilted her head to the side and he shook his head at her pleading stare.
    "Fine. I'll let you have your secret for now. Will you at least tell me where you hid the chest? We should make sure Derek hasn't gotten to it already."
    She bit her lower lip again, her gaze shifting to the floor. "Well, I would. The thing is, I'm not sure exactly where it is."
    "You're kidding, right?" Ian threw his hands up in frustration. "If we don't know where it is, how the heck are we going to find it? How do you forget where you hid a chest full of money?"
    Betsy shrugged. "I said it was in the tunnels. I brought it here, but I wasn't the one who actually hid it. A friend and I...um, were drinking in my suite one night and talking about how funny it was that Derek thought he was a pirate. I showed her the chest. When I passed out, she hid it somewhere in the tunnels as a practical joke. She was leaving for Europe the next day, and was on a plane before I realized the chest wasn't in my closet anymore."
    Ian closed his eyes briefly, rubbing his nose. "So where is your friend now? How do we get a hold of her?"
    "Last I heard she was on her way to Africa. She loves to travel, and rarely stays in one place for long. Unfortunately it's pretty hard to actually get a hold of her, so I lost touch with her awhile back. I