The Billionaire's Son

by Sharon Hartley

  “Have they made an arrest?” she asked eagerly.

  “I doubt it.”

  He forced himself to look at her face. A current of something explosive and sensual arced between them. Her eyes widened in awareness. He clenched his fists, wanting to shed his clothing and climb into bed with her.

  As worried as he’d been about Jason getting at her gun, he’d actually had a flash of envy when he saw his son snuggled next to her.

  He’d just met this woman. She came from a world foreign to him. Was it because of their differences that he wanted her?

  And she didn’t even respect him. So he once again wanted what he couldn’t have? Story of his life.

  And all they’d shared were kisses. Good-night kisses for his confused son. Nothing more than that.

  Yeah, and he wanted to kiss her again. This time without Jason watching. He took a step toward the bed.

  Still holding his gaze, she raised the sheet over her chest. A knowing smile appeared, and he lowered his gaze to her mouth where her tongue darted out and swept her lips.

  He took a step away from her. He needed to get out of here before he initiated something he’d regret. Jason needed Kelly. He couldn’t screw that up.

  “Breakfast is waiting,” he said, moving toward the door. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

  * * *

  “SO YOU’RE NOWHERE on Jason’s abduction?” Trey demanded.

  Agent Ballard turned from the buffet where he’d been scooping melon onto his plate. When Ballard had arrived, Trey had invited him to join them for breakfast, hoping against his better sense for good news.

  “You have absolutely no leads at this point?”

  “We have leads,” Ballard said, “but none of them are credible.”

  “So why are you here?”

  After dropping several of Greta’s fresh pastries beside the fruit, Ballard nodded toward Kelly, who was seated at the table gobbling down scrambled eggs, sausage and a huge helping of hash brown potatoes.

  “Actually I’m here because of Officer Jenkins,” Ballard said.

  Kelly looked up, her mouth full.

  “What about Officer Jenkins?” Trey asked.

  Ballard grinned. “She believes the kidnapping was—in her words—an inside job.”

  Kelly swallowed and shot Ballard her best glare. Trey hid a smile. No love lost between those two.

  “Kelly?” Trey asked.

  She wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, “Jason was taken from the playground. I keep asking myself how the bad guys got on the island.”

  Trey nodded. “Good question.”

  “Either a resident put their names on the ferry list or they came by private boat to the marina,” Kelly said.

  “We’ve combed through the ferry rosters from that day looking for discrepancies,” Ballard said. “There are none.”

  “And I didn’t recognize any names on the list,” Trey offered. “What about the marina?”

  “We’ve double-checked there, too,” Ballard said. “Impossible for someone to motor in or out without the staff noticing. Everyone had clearance.”

  “What about a sailboat?” Kelly asked. “A landing on the beach or against the seawall?”

  “The island’s security team has excellent coverage with surveillance cameras,” Ballard said. “We’ve been through everything the day of the abduction. No unauthorized boats landed or docked anywhere around the island.”

  “So they had to get Jason off via the ferry,” Kelly said. “I checked with security. Guests aren’t followed to make sure they end up where they say they’re going.”

  “I understand the playground is seldom used,” Ballard said.

  “There aren’t many kids on this island,” Trey agreed.

  “Yeah, mostly rich old guys,” Kelly muttered.

  “As a result, there’s no surveillance video of the playground,” Ballard said.

  “What are you getting at?” Trey asked.

  “Because your housekeeper and son were in a rather isolated area, no one heard any screams for help,” Ballard said.

  “But Maria was knocked unconscious,” Trey protested, looking from Ballard to Kelly. “You’ve seen her black eye. She fought for Jason.”

  “We’re trying to reconstruct a possible chain of events so you’ll understand our thinking. You know that Jason’s tox screen showed he was drugged,” Ballard said.

  Trey nodded. He’d allowed Carico to draw blood, even though he’d hated that his son had to go through a needle stick so soon after returning home.

  “After drugging him, it’s likely they placed him in a large container, maybe a duffel bag, and then possibly in the trunk of a car to smuggle him on and off the ferry,” Ballard said.

  Trey closed his eyes.

  “Someone had to give Adam, and most likely Caleb, clearance for the ferry that day,” Kelly said.

  “Without clearance, the car wouldn’t be allowed on the island,” Ballard agreed.

  “I checked,” Kelly said. “Three members of your staff can put a name on the list.”

  His appetite gone, Trey shoved away his own food. “I thought you’d already cleared everyone on my payroll.”

  “They all passed an initial background check,” Ballard said. “Now I’d like them to take a polygraph.”

  “A lie detector test,” Trey said. “I thought that wasn’t admissible as evidence.”

  “It’s a tool,” Ballard said.

  “I can’t force anyone to take a polygraph,” Trey said.

  “But if a staff member refuses, it’ll give us someone to focus on,” Kelly said.

  “We’re also looking at the personnel from the private firm that runs security on the island,” Ballard said. “Protection Alliance.”

  “Great,” Trey said. “I just hired them to provide another layer of protection for Jason.”

  “How well do you know your attorney?” Kelly asked.

  Trey stared at her. “Brian Howell has been my friend since prep school.”

  “Check him out, too,” Kelly suggested to Ballard. “Maybe he’s got money problems no one knows about.”

  Her words were like a punch to his gut. If Kelly and Ballard were correct, then someone he trusted was willing to hurt his son. But it couldn’t be Brian. Not Hans, Greta. Not Maria. They’d been with him for years. But he had other maids, groundskeepers, temporary staff of maybe a dozen people to run the house while he was on Collins Island.

  He might not know all of their names, but they were always well treated and paid an excellent wage. And they’d all passed his security check, the one that had so pissed off Kelly.

  “You’re way out of line here,” Trey ground out. This was too much.

  “The kidnappers had help getting on and off the island,” Kelly said. “Someone who knew Jason would be out of the house.”

  Kelly had to be wrong. He refused to believe that someone he trusted—he employed—could have stabbed him in the back.

  Damn her. He’d asked her to stay to help Jason, but her presence was causing nothing but more turmoil in his life.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  KELLY SWUNG FOR the ball, trying to smack it with what Trey called the sweet spot of her racket. She connected, and the ball sailed back over the net. She even managed to keep it inside the lines this time.

  Trey hit the ball back to her, but she judged the trajectory wrong and her return slammed into the net.

  “Better,” Trey called.

  Sitting on the sidelines, Jason clapped madly. “Good job, Mommy.”

  Kelly grabbed the fabric of her new white tennis skirt and curtsied to the little dude. A burly bodyguard, wearing sunglasses that hid most of his face, hovered close to him. How did Jason feel ab
out that new and disturbing facet of his life?

  They’d been rallying for almost an hour, and she was enjoying this new game, one that forced her to chase down the ball and break a sweat.

  How strange that a girl from the wrong side of the tracks would like a country club game.

  “Heads up,” Trey shouted, and lobbed another ball her way, this time forcing her to use her backhand, which for some odd reason was satisfying.

  Tossing a ball in the air, Trey grinned.

  “You’re a competitive thing, aren’t you?” he yelled at her.

  “Who, me? No way.”

  Trey looked like some kind of tennis god on the other side of the net, all gorgeous in his white shorts, muscled legs and arms on full view. Patrice had sent her an email with an attached cover of Celebrity magazine featuring his smoothly handsome face. Apparently Trey had been their Hottest Man of the Year a few years ago.

  Looking at him right now, yeah, she got that.

  His mood had definitely improved since they’d started playing. Man, but he’d been offended by her suspicions. Did the guy want her to keep her ideas to herself? No way. Someone close to him had aided the kidnappers, someone he might deal with every day.

  She knew what betrayal felt like. And now so did Trey.

  Welcome to real life, Mr. Billionaire.

  She slammed a ball back, and realized she wasn’t being fair. Maybe she’d misjudged Trey Wentworth.

  For one thing, he’d turned out to be a patient coach. He knew intuitively how to help her learn, and never lost his temper or made her feel like an idiot when she screwed up. He encouraged her, complimenting her small successes and improvements. As a result, their rallies were definitely getting longer.

  Too bad her boss, Sergeant McFadden, wasn’t more like Trey.

  “Argggh,” she wailed when a ball went long. She was losing her focus.

  “That’s enough for today,” Trey said.

  “Okay,” Kelly agreed, breathing hard. Tennis was more work than she thought, but had energized her.

  Trey grabbed two towels from the sidelines and handed her one when she met him at the net. “You did great today.”

  Taking the towel, she said, “Thanks.”

  “We’ll have your second lesson tomorrow morning.”

  She wiped sweat from her face. She wanted to learn more—people paid a fortune for private coaching like this—but didn’t Trey have anything else to do with his time but teach her how to play tennis? She knew he was beyond wealthy, but surely he had some work to do. Wentworth Industries couldn’t run itself.

  She shot a glance to Jason. Besides, there was no guarantee she’d still be here tomorrow.

  “Tennis is a great game,” she said. “Aerobic, but you also have to use your brain. Too bad it’s not more accessible to kids that don’t belong to a country club.”

  “But it is,” Trey said.

  Kelly shrugged. You just think it is.

  Jason leaped to his feet. “Is it time to go swimming?”

  “Sure, buddy,” Trey said. “Find Maria and put on your bathing suit.”

  “He’s like a fish,” Kelly said, watching Jason scamper ahead, the bodyguard hurrying to keep up with him.

  Trey draped the towel around his neck. “He’s always loved the water.”

  “Is Dr. Carico coming today?”

  Trey’s smile faded. “After lunch.”

  They walked a few steps and Kelly said, “Jason is showing no signs of getting his memory back.”

  “No, he’s not,” Trey agreed, his tone flat.

  Sorry she’d mentioned what had to be foremost on his mind, Kelly looked away, and the beauty of Trey’s home slammed her in the face. Colorful tropical flowers, swaying palms and graceful structures surrounded her. She took a deep breath of clean, salty ocean air. If she listened hard, she could hear the crash of waves on the beach.

  This place was like an artificially perfect amusement park. How long could the three of them continue to live in this fake bubble?

  She wasn’t a mixed-up little boy’s mother, a woman who spent her days playing tennis or golf or whatever hoity-toity game.

  Still, under the illusion—the delusion—his mother was alive, Jason was happy. Content. Kelly shook her head. She had grown very fond of the little prince. Too fond of him. And his father.

  “It’s such a beautiful day,” Trey said. “I think I’ll ask Greta to serve lunch on the pool deck.”

  “That’ll be nice,” Kelly said.

  As long as she remained stuck in fantasyland, though, she intended to keep a close eye on Trey’s staff. She might not be a detective yet, but life with her junkie mother had taught her to know when people were up to something.

  Her bet was on Hans or the lawyer.

  * * *

  TWO DAYS LATER, Trey followed Dr. Carico into his office and shut the door behind them. Her session with Jason was complete, and his son was now in the pool being watched by his new bodyguard and Maria.

  “Can I get you anything, Donna?” Trey asked. “Coffee?”

  “No, thank you, Trey. If you’re looking for an update on Jason’s condition, I’m afraid I don’t have any progress to report.”

  “Please have a seat,” Trey said, indicating the chair across his desk. “Actually, this isn’t about Jason.”

  Donna perched on the edge of the chair and crossed her legs. “No?”

  “Well, I guess it is in a way, but this is more of a...personal matter.”

  She smiled broadly, and the excitement dancing in her eyes clanged a warning bell for Trey. Donna was hoping to hear something from him. What? Had he given her the wrong impression?

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I need your advice,” he said cautiously.

  “On a personal matter?” she asked, her voice light, teasing.

  “Yes, and I’d like you to keep this confidential.” He leveled his gaze at her to judge her response.

  “Of course.”

  “I’ve received the background report from my investigator on Kelly.”

  Her smile faltered. “So this is about Officer Jenkins?”

  Trey nodded. “She was abused as a child. The abuser was her mother’s boyfriend. Her mom was a real piece of work and never did anything to protect her.”

  Donna sat up straighter in the chair. “That’s very sad, although I’m not surprised.”

  “You’re not?”

  “I think it’s obvious Kelly is from a different class than you’re used to dealing with, Trey.”

  He remained silent. Donna’s snobbery annoyed him, but he remembered similar thoughts filtering through his head when he’d first met Kelly. Before he knew her.

  “Abuse doesn’t recognize class lines,” Trey said.

  Donna’s lips thinned. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked, her tone no longer light.

  “You’re a therapist.” He shrugged. “I wanted your input on how to talk to Kelly about her past.”

  “Why in God’s name would you want to discuss her past abuse with Officer Jenkins?”

  Trey didn’t answer. Why indeed? When Donna phrased it in those blunt words, he wondered why he’d even considered bringing up the subject with Kelly. Because he’d seen the burn mark on her chest?

  Because he wanted to know everything about her.

  Donna nodded and looked away. “I haven’t wanted to say anything, Trey, but this conversation has convinced me that we have a problem.”

  “A problem? Has something changed with Jason?”

  “No, and frankly that concerns me, too.”

  “You expected him to regain his memory by now?”

  “It’s true I didn’t expect him to become quite so attached to Off
icer Jenkins, but it’s her behavior that has me concerned.”

  He leaned forward. “Kelly? What’s she done?”

  Donna crossed her legs. “And she’s Kelly now.”

  “That’s her name.”

  “It appears that Kelly has wormed her way into your life in a most disturbing fashion.”

  Trey stared at Donna. Wormed her way? Kelly hadn’t wormed anywhere. She’d fought him at every step.

  “It was on your advice that I allowed her to remain,” he said. “You told me it was the best thing for Jason.”

  Donna nodded. “I am aware of that.”

  “So what’s changed?”

  “Is she here now?” Donna asked, lowering her voice.

  “She’s back on duty.” Which was too bad. He and Jason had enjoyed a pleasant two days with Kelly while she’d been off. Swimming, tennis, watching television. They’d even played a board game together, and Kelly had worked with Jason on his ABCs.

  “I wish you could hear your tone of voice,” Donna said.

  “What’s wrong with my tone?”

  “It’s full of regret because she’s gone back to work.”

  “I like Kelly,” Trey said with a shrug. “So does Jason, obviously.”

  “I’ve also noticed that she’s watching people very carefully, as if she’s plotting something.”

  Trey tapped a pen on his desk. Although convinced Donna couldn’t have been involved in the kidnapping, he thought better of telling her Kelly was assisting the FBI.

  “She’s a cop and naturally suspicious.”

  “And just listen to how you defend her. I’m truly sorry to have to say this, Trey, but it’s become clear to me you’re getting as attached to Officer Jenkins as Jason. I did not expect that from you.”

  Trey sat back. “I know Kelly is not his mother.”

  “Do you know she’s not your wife?”

  Trey knew jealousy when he heard it. He’d dealt with it often enough. And right now Dr. Carico didn’t sound at all professional. What was this conversation really about?

  He steepled his fingers. “Are you saying you think it’s best for Jason that I send Officer Jenkins away?”