Planet of Riches

By Trisha M. Wilson

**Book 3 of 3 in the Planet of Riches Trilogy**

Dealing with the Planet Mafia was a complete bust ending in me injured and running for my life. A life which was supposed to include another planet and lying low until they forgot all about me, but that was before Ms. Blanc entered the picture.

Ms. Blanc, a filthy rich trillionaire who didn’t take “No” for an answer, wanted me to become her new girlfriend...whether I wanted to or not. While I really wanted to be free, I stayed under her wing long enough to complete my two objectives: learning Meredith’s location and narrowing down the Planet of Riches possibilities to ten.

With these done, I just had to get out from under Ms. Blanc’s thumb, get my revenge on my long time adversary, and finally find the Planet of Riches. It sounded so easy, but I’ve come to learn that nothing was as easy, or uncomplicated, as it first appears. Especially when you’re dealing with the uncertainty of space.

**This is Book 3 of 3 in the Planet of Riches Trilogy**
Book in the Trilogy:
Planet Secrets (Book 1)
Planet Mafia (Book 2)
Planet of Riches (Book 3)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trisha M. Wilson
• Release date: Mar 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310454028

Trisha M. Wilson

Trisha M. Wilson lives in Wisconsin. With a degree in History and minors in Math and Business Administration, Ms. Wilson still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. When not regularly contributing on Colbyjack.net, she leads the life of a happy hermit with her three cats and family.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Planet of Riches

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

About The Author

Works from Colbyjack.net

Chapter 1

Why did I keep waking up with no memory? I silently asked myself, even as I kept my eyes closed.

My head pounded, my mouth was dry, and I was lying on something soft. The something soft was much better than the hard surface I’d been laying on the last time I’d been in this situation, but this thought wasn’t very comforting to me.

You really want me to answer your stupid question? the little voice in my head asked quietly. She didn’t wait for my answer. It’s because you keep letting your guard down. You didn’t think anyone would follow you, so you didn’t pay attention to your surroundings. I really don’t think you’re cut out for this cloak and dagger stuff anymore. You should really get out of the business before the business takes you out.

I’ll take your advice right after my head stops trying to kill me from the inside out. It seemed every knockout drug in the world had the same side effects and since I’d been unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of more than my fair share of said drug, I kept feeling them. Just once, I’d like to get a sleeping drug which would make me feel refreshed instead of crappy.

What fun would that be? she asked snidely.

The bed dipped and I felt a cool, gentle hand touch my forehead. The coolness helped settle the pounding to the point where I could think without worrying I’d pop a blood vessel.

There were murmuring voices around me, and I felt the pinch of a needle going into my arm.

Ah, crap, I thought. Not another knockout drug. Hadn’t I been through enough? Why didn’t they just kill me and put me out of my misery?

Instead of the weakness and unending darkness, however, I began to feel better. My head stopped pounding, the weakness in my limbs disappeared and generally, I felt good enough that I thought I’d be able to sit up and not fall over immediately.

I opened my eyes, and saw a worried looking woman with smooth, chocolate brown skin, and sleek, flowing golden hair leaning over me.

Angel, can you hear me?

Ms. Blanc, in her ever present light blue clothing, was beside me, stroking my forehead like I was her child and had been ill.

What –? I started to cough. The dryness in my throat stopped my question.

Get me some water, Ms. Blanc ordered. Don’t try to talk. You’re safe and I’m going to take very good care of you. Just rest.

I wanted to tell her I wasn’t safe, that I couldn’t rest, and I would, just as soon as I stopped coughing up a lung.

A cup went to my lips and refreshing water dribbled into my mouth. I grabbed the cup in my weak grasp and drank all the water, suddenly famished as if I’d been in the desert for years and was drinking my first water in all that time.

Slowly, Ms. Blanc cautioned. Or you’ll make yourself sick. She took the cup from me and put it on the nightstand before pushing me back down onto the fluffy pillows which were behind me.

I swallowed a few times before trying to ask my question again. What am I doing here? My voice sounded like something you’d hear from a frog, but I needed to know what was going on.

The last thing I remembered was studying the ship which was going to take me off the planet and away from the mafia hunting for me.

Then...nothing.

It was almost like my memory had been wiped clean.

You’re safe, she repeated, petting my hair like I was a pet. I’ll take very good care of you.

Thank you, but what happened? Maybe this question would get an answer.

My men saved you from danger. But we can talk about that after you’ve had a chance to rest and recoup your strength. Go to sleep, my angel. All will be answered...later.

I wanted to demand that she answer my questions now, but I suddenly felt exhausted, as if I hadn’t slept properly in years.

As I drifted off to sleep, Ms. Blanc kept running her fingers through my hair, repeating, Sleep, my angel, sleep.

Chapter 2

I was in that happy state between sleep and being awake. I was so comfortable in this bed that I really didn’t want to get up and confront whatever had happened.

Why couldn’t I just stay here forever?

My rumbling stomach and full bladder answered that question. After taking care of business, I came back into my room and looked at it properly for the first time. The walls and ceiling were light blue, as were the bed sheets and carpet. There were two bedside tables which weren’t light blue, but they were white, so they were guaranteed to not to conflict with any color palette.

At the end of the bed was a light blue robe, some silky, light blue pajamas, and fuzzy light blue slippers. Seeing the clothes made me suddenly realize I wasn’t wearing the same clothing I’d had on when I’d been on my way into space. I was wearing some loose fitting white and blue sweat suit.

But how did it get to be on me? I didn’t remember changing clothes, or someone else changing my clothing for me.

There’s a lot you don’t remember. Like how did we get here? the voice in my head asked.

That was a good question too. One I planned on getting an answer to...right after I ate something.

I left the clothes on the bed and, after slipping on the slippers, walked out of the bedroom. I smelled food being cooked, fresh baked bread if my nose wasn’t deceiving me, and followed the smell into the kitchen.

But this wasn’t just any kitchen. This was a kitchen any chef or cook would have killed for. It had so much counter space you could have had a half dozen chefs working and each would have had plenty of room. There was an eight burner gas range with ovens so large you could have put three huge turkeys in each one.

In addition to all the fancy equipment, which must have cost a fortune, there was a wood burning bread oven. Oh, what I could have done with something like that! It would have made my bread a thousand times more flavorful and crispy.

The chef, who had just taken out a perfectly browned loaf, turned around and said, I thought I heard someone come in. Sit down and I’ll get you something. Have any requests?

I sat down at the counter, and tried to control my salivating. I’d love a few slices of that bread with butter.

Ah, a fellow bread lover. The chef pulled out a large, serrated bread knife, and sliced off two perfectly thick pieces.

Setting them down on a plate, she turned and got what looked to be homemade butter out of the refrigerator and slid everything over to me.

Before even putting the butter on the warm bread, I picked up the bread and inhaled its yeasty fragrance. There really was nothing better than eating, or smelling, freshly baked bread. It was like ambrosia to the gods. Irresistible in every way.

When I’d finally roused myself enough to get out of the bread haze I’d fallen into, I slathered a generous amount of butter on the first slice and sank my teeth in. Oh, by the Ancients, this was heaven. Who needed to die to experience the supposed blissfulness of heaven when you could eat this every day and receive the exact same feeling?

Every bite I took transported me into another universe. So much so, I was completely unaware of what was going on around me. It wasn’t until I had finished every last crumb that I noticed someone had sat down next to me.

It was Ms. Blanc, my trillionaire savior, and she was blissfully sipping her tea, as if she came down to the kitchens every day after a wayward guest. I didn’t think this was true but perhaps she did. What did I really know about her life? Nothing. I’d only met her once, and while she’d certainly made an impression on me, I’d never assume to know anything about her except that she was ruthlessly cunning and loved the color light blue.

Seeing my gaze, she set her teacup down. Finally come up for air, have you? I blushed. Had I really been that bad? Oh, don’t be embarrassed, my darling girl, she said. It is so refreshing to see a woman enjoying her meal. Usually, I’m around women who just pick at their dishes, trying to convince me they aren’t hungry, even when I can hear their tummies growling. If you’re finished, I’d love for you to come with me.

I really just wanted to stay in the kitchen and trade recipes with the chef; however I knew that wasn’t an option. So, after saying thank you to the chef, and complementing her on how deliciously decadent the bread had been, I trailed behind Ms. Blanc.

Oh, do come next to me, she cooed, waving me up, I wouldn’t want you to get lost.

I am quite good at following people. I’m not a child, I said, even as I did her bidding. I knew I should probably thank her for...something, but I had no idea what had happened.

By all accounts, I should have been off world by now, starting my new life on a planet which had never seen my face before, not here, in this grandiose house, walking next to a trillionaire who would love nothing better than to become very well acquainted with me.

Not that I’m not happy to be here, but how did I get here? It was a good, well thought out question whose answer shouldn’t be too hard, but would she answer it? She hadn’t answered any of my other inquiries, but maybe she’d answer this one.

No questions until we’re comfortable, she scolded me, wrapping her arm around mine as she guided me into a plush living room. There were two light blue couches facing each other, separated by the requisite glass coffee table. The light blue painted wall was covered in pieces of artwork which were all worth more than the average person made in five years.

All except one, I saw with surprise. One of the paintings was not created by one of the great masters and mistresses. Instead it looked to be painted by an unknown. Not that the unknown wasn’t very good because they were, but in a house full of masterpieces and the rare, this was an anomaly.

Ms. Blanc guided me to one of the very comfortable couches and after grasping my hand very firmly, she said, I know you have a lot of questions, but I first want to tell you the events which have led up to this moment. I ask that you keep any and all questions you have to yourself until I’m done. Can you do that?

Yes, I responded. If she’d just tell me what was going on, I wouldn’t need to ask any questions.

Good. She patted my hand and shifted a tiny bit more so she was facing me. You have captivated me since we first met. Oh, I knew you were preoccupied with your little business with Meredith, but I had hoped that when she was taken care of, we’d have been able to...see where this blooming friendship could go.

Friendship? What friendship? If my memory was correct, she’d wanted quite more than a platonic relationship with me.

Things, however, didn’t work out as I’d anticipated, and the little cockroach got out of the trap you’d so cleverly set up for her. You were injured. I was injured. My home was damaged and needed extensive repairs. It was such a horrible time that it wasn’t until much later I realized you had disappeared.

She gave me a disapproving look, as if I should have stayed until she’d dismissed me from her presence. Resentment built inside me. Who did she think she was to tell me when and where I could go? Yes, I’d been a guest in her home, but nobody had said I couldn’t leave when things started going to hell.

"I’ll admit, at first I was quite panicked when I couldn’t find you. I was sure that creature had done something horrid to you. I couldn’t sleep at night for fear for you. I needed to find you. I needed to know you were hale and healthy. To find the answers I sought, I put all my resources and connections to work, searching everywhere I could think, looking for just a trace of you.

It took a little while, but they finally found you and I got to see for myself that you were fine. A little battered and bruised, but whole none the less. This relieved my mind greatly, because now I didn’t have to have my men searching the area for your broken and disposed of body.

She’d found me? How? I’d always been so careful. I was always on the lookout for anyone who might want to know my true identity. I watched my accounts, my transactions... everything I did so closely. No, she must be making things up. I’d have known if someone was following me, or even watching me.

I’d have known.

Ms. Blanc gave a little chuckle. I can see you don’t believe me, but trust me, I know a lot about you, Anastasia.

She knew my full first name.

She knew my real first name.

I wanted, no, needed, to run away as fast as possible. Nobody, and I mean nobody, knew my entire first name. Except for Paul, and he’d only called me his little Lana in public. He’d never have used Ana or even Anastasia anywhere anyone could hear because, in our business, names had power.

Power over you.

Power over your actions.

Power over your future.

Power you never wanted to give to the people you were dealing with.

But Paul couldn’t have told her because he was dead. Even if he’d been alive, he’d never have told her. So, how did she know?

Maybe this was a test. A test to see what I’d do, how I’d react. She was bluffing. She really didn’t know anything. I just had to stay calm. Don’t do anything stupid, don’t say anything you’ll regret later. I should stay silent.

Yes, silent was good.

Don’t worry so, Ms. Blanc said, smoothing the fingers of her free hand over my forehead and down my cheek. I can keep a secret, and so can those who work for me. And if they don’t, they’ll be dealt with. I never have to say that name again, if it’ll make you more comfortable. I’ll call you Angel. I like Angel better, anyway.

Ms. Blanc smiled at me, and looked a little misty eyed, as if remembering something which was incredibly endearing.

I, on the other hand, was trying not to be creeped out.

She not only knew my name, but wanted to change it to some pet name she’d decided fit me better months ago. Pet names were given to best friends and lovers, not someone you met for the second time, ever, today.

Ms. Blanc blinked a few times before continuing. "But back to my tale of worry, relief, and worry again. Once I knew you were alive, I instructed my investigators to learn everything they could about you.

"But, yet again, things weren’t as easy as they should have been.

You made it quite difficult for them to find even the tiniest of detail about you. They spent a lot longer than they’d ever thought they’d have to, trying to find out about your past, and even then, there are things they still can’t find, which I must congratulate you upon because these men and women are the best. There is normally nothing they can’t find out.

I’d been a challenge to the best? That was quite a complement considering everything I’d done I’d done out of instinct and with no real idea as to what I was doing.

On the other hand, they had still been able to find me, so should I really be patting myself on the back?

Of course you should, the voice said. Remember, she has the cash to pay for anything her little heart desires, but because you were creative, and innovative, you denied her some of that information. That’s a win in my book if there ever was one.

When they compiled the most complete report they could come up with, I looked through it, and saw you were exactly the type of person I’d believed you would be. Strong, brave, loyal to a fault, and fiercely independent. Ms. Blanc’s eyes glowed as she spoke these traits I supposedly had.

Knowing these qualities, however, just made me want to know more about you, to learn what makes you tick, so I set out to have us meet again.

Ms. Blanc smiled a little and got a distant look in her eyes. "I was going to send you a message to meet me at a park, and we were going to talk. Just talk over a beautiful picnic lunch. It would have been divine.

But then you had to get involved with those mafia people.

She looked at me very disapprovingly, reminding me of the way Paul had put me in my place the few times I’d done something incredibly stupid.

"I knew you’d contacted that little mafia stooge Atrox, but I don’t know what made you think meeting with him was a smart idea. Meeting with those riffraff is never a good idea and, to be perfectly frank, I thought you were smarter than that.

If I’d had a little more notice, I’d have been able to avoid so much angst, but I’d been in business meetings all day and wasn’t told about your little plans until it was far too late.

But you wouldn’t have been able to stop me, I said, unable to keep quiet a second longer. She was talking like my parent, as if I had needed to clear my activities with her.

I wasn’t, though. I was an adult and I would make my own choices, and mistakes, and accept the consequences. I needed to go talk to Atrox. He had information I needed, I said.

Oh, do be quiet, dear. You didn’t then and don’t now need anything from those hoodlums. I have everything you could ever require. Those mafia people excel at making you think you need something they have. That’s how they are able to stay in business. When in reality, all you had to do was turn to me. Ms. Blanc took a deep breath, apparently needing to release her sudden anger. Who was she angry at? Me? Atrox? Or perhaps she was mad at both of us.

"Anyway, so you foolishly went to Atrox, walked right into his trap, and then disappeared. You didn’t go back home, or any other of your usual haunts. My investigators couldn’t come up with hide nor hair of what had happened to you, but I knew. Yes, I knew. I knew you’d been taken by them and could be anywhere.

"I searched for any sign of you for a month, no matter how small or preposterous. I had my people follow up on thousands of leads, but none of them led anywhere. I worried a little more as each day passed, because I knew that at any moment they could kill you.

"Or torture you to the point of insanity.

"Or worse. Yes, they could do so much worse that I could hardly think upon it.

Then, she said, gripping my hand very tightly, as if suddenly afraid I’d disappear as I had before, "as if it were an answer to all my prayers, I heard about your breakout from their headquarters.

"I began to rejoice. You were alive! You could walk and run and think! You couldn’t be broken beyond repair if you could outsmart them. Now, if I could only get you to safety, everything would be fine. I was convinced of this to the point that I started dreaming of our future.

"I should have known not to dream without having you within my home, for you are much more clever than I’d anticipated, even after knowing all I do about you.

"You not only escaped their detection, you escaped mine. Until you started moving money from your accounts to the untraceable interplanetary banks. That’s when I knew what you were going to do. That’s when the whole picture cleared, allowing me to see into your mind and know what your plans and schemes were. You were going to try to get off the planet and start a new life, which is all well and good, however it wasn’t what I had in mind for you. It wasn’t part of my plan for you.

"I wanted you here, with me, not on some random planet where I wouldn’t be able to keep track of you. Where I wouldn’t be able to make sure you were well and alive and happy.

"No, I needed you here, so I started having every ship taking off watched. I knew you’d have to come out of hiding sooner or later and I wanted to be ready when you did.

I’ll admit I was beginning to despair, certain you’d slipped out of my grasp yet again, when one of my men told me he had you safe. He brought you here, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It was a lot to take in. She’d been searching for me since our first and only other meeting. But why? I wasn’t anyone special or important. Why would she spend so much time and energy and money?

Why? I asked. I had to, there was no way we could continue forward when I was in the dark about her intentions.

Why what, Angel? Why did I bring you here? I thought I’d explained myself pretty well, Ms. Blanc said squeezing my hand.

I shook my head. No, not that. Why have you gone to so much trouble? You’d only met me once. We barely spent a half hour, total, in each other’s presence. Why were you searching for me? Why did you kidnap me and bring me here?

I wanted to wince when the word kidnap left my mouth, but in essence, that is what she’d done.

Ms. Blanc’s eyes narrowed and if they could have thrown flames, I knew I’d have been toast. "Firstly, my men did not kidnap you, they saved your hide for which you should be groveling at my feet thanking me. When you were too busy looking at your destination, you failed to notice the thugs who were watching that ship to see if you were going to board it. Without my well timed rescue, you’d be back in their grasp and they wouldn’t have been as gentle as they were last time.

Secondly, I already told you why I was searching for you. Access your brain, go back five minutes, and relisten to my words, because I’m certainly not going to repeat myself to such an ungrateful child.

Oh no. I’d pissed my benefactor off so much that I’d gone from her little Angel to an ungrateful child. I needed to do some serious damage control.

I didn’t mean to be ungrateful because I’m not, I said trying to sound contrite. "I’m immensely grateful toward you and your men for saving me. I’d have done anything not to go back to the mafia and I appreciate you preventing this from happening. I’m just confused because nobody’s ever done anything like this for me.

"If you look at things from my perspective, we haven’t known each other that long and were merely blips on each other’s radars. Not that you weren’t a very memorable blip, but we were like two ships passing in the night. We didn’t know a lot about each