Family Man

by Jayne Ann Krentz

  That realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. A surge of relief poured through her. She could relax a little, even if she was going to be working for a slave driver during the next six months. The burden of saving Gilchrist, Inc. had finally been lifted from her shoulders. The responsibility had been safely handed over to the Bastard.

  Katy reached the end of the pool, planted both hands on the tiled edge, and hauled herself upward in a cascade of water. As soon as she saw who was standing in front of her she nearly dropped back beneath the surface.

  Maureen Gilchrist, Justine’s formidable daughter-in-law, loomed straight ahead. She was backed up by her husband, Luke’s uncle Hayden, and her two offspring, Eden and Darren.

  Maureen smiled determinedly as Katy surged up out of the water. “There you are, Katy. We just arrived. We’ve been looking for you. Mrs. Igorson said she thought you might be in here.”

  Luke’s aunt was not a Gilchrist by blood, but she certainly fit right into the clan in terms of looks and personality. Gilchrist men were apparently all attracted to tall, dark-haired women with thoroughbred bones. Maureen also shared the family preference for black.

  On Maureen a basic black surplice dinner dress turned into a dramatic gown with the aid of a heavy crystal and jet necklace. Her discreetly tinted dark hair was styled in a short, sophisticated cut.

  “Hello, Maureen. Hayden.” Katy smiled politely at Luke’s cousins, Eden and Darren. “Good to see you all again.”

  “Not much choice,” Hayden said darkly. He was a typical Gilchrist, tall and aristocratic, even at sixty. He had thickened a bit around the midsection, but the added weight only made him more imposing. It certainly did not detract from the impact of his brilliant green eyes and patrician features.

  Hayden did not fit Katy’s private image of a successful artist. But then, it would probably be impossible for any Gilchrist to look bohemian. Their innate sense of drama prohibited such sartorial disasters as baggy, paint-stained pants and untrimmed beards. In the well-cut black jacket and trousers Hayden wore tonight he could have passed for the chairman of the board of a major corporation or an elegant Old World vampire.

  “Mother has summoned the family, as I’m sure you’re well aware,” Hayden continued.

  The edge of his cultivated voice betrayed a hint of his lifelong resentment of Justine. Her failure to applaud his talents had eaten at him for years. No amount of success in the world of art had compensated.

  “I understand we’re here to welcome back the prodigal grandson,” Hayden added. “Finally agreed to take on the job of saving our asses, has he?”

  “That’s the theory. Katy picked up her towel and began drying herself. As usual, she felt puny surrounded by a bunch of Gilchrists. They towered over her, sleek, dark, and predatory.

  Darren—lean, black-haired, and green-eyed like the rest of his family—lounged with insouciant ease in a poolside chair. He was dressed in a fashionable charcoal-gray jacket and slacks that suited his aristocratic good looks.

  Darren was currently managing Gilchrist’s on Lake Union, the newest restaurant in the group. The popular, upscale establishment was doing well under his management. Darren was showing a flair for the job, and he knew it. He was bitter about the fact that Justine had not acknowledged his budding talents and rewarded him by making him her successor.

  He was only twenty-seven, but there was already a dash of bitterness, perhaps even desperation, in his eyes.

  Darren smiled at Katy with languid charm as he watched her dry the water off her legs. His eyes moved over her bright blue one-piece racing suit and lingered at the points where the snug fabric was cut high at her thighs. She hastily wrapped the towel around herself. There was nothing more than idle male interest in Darren’s gaze, but Katy felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

  “How’s it going, Katy? What’s it like working for the Bastard?” Darren asked with suspicious blandness.

  For no good reason other than her natural instinct to defend anyone under attack, Katy leapt to Luke’s defense. “It’s going rather well, to be honest. I can feel a change in the organization already. I think Gilchrist, Inc. is in good hands.”

  “It had better be,” Eden muttered. “There’s a fortune at stake.” At thirty, she was three years older than her brother, but the age difference was indiscernible. As in Justine’s case, Eden’s blue-blooded features and lean, elegant body would guarantee her an appearance of agelessness until the day she died.

  She was wearing a simple black silk sheath and a silver choker. Her black hair curved just above her shoulders in a vampish style straight out of classic film noir. It emphasized the blood-red lipstick on her fine mouth and her long crimson nails.

  Eden had inherited at least some of Justine’s talent for numbers. She worked as the supervisor of the payroll and accounting department at Gilchrist, Inc.

  Remembering Liz’s armchair diagnosis, Katy took a second glance at Eden’s slender frame. No, she was not anorexic, Katy decided in relief, but there was no doubt Eden had lost some weight. Since her divorce six months ago a strange haunted look had appeared in her eyes.

  Another generation of dissatisfied Gilchrists, Katy thought as she covertly studied the coven. The emotional darkness in them must have been hereditary, too.

  The genetic explanation did not account for the darkness in Maureen, Katy reminded herself. But then, as she had told Liz, there was explanation enough for Maureen’s resentment. Katy knew Maureen had tried hard to be the perfect daughter-in-law, but in the end her husband’s talents had been ridiculed and her offspring had been overlooked by Justine.

  “I take it Grandmother still refuses to consider selling off any of the company assets,” Eden said, looking annoyed.

  “She won’t hear of it.” Katy peeled off her swimming cap and shook out her hair.

  “She’s turned into a fool in her old age,” Maureen declared. “We’re going to have to unload the two troubled restaurants, at least. We can’t go on taking the sort of losses we took last year. Did you tell her that?”

  “I suggested she think of selling them, yes,” Katy replied, even-toned.

  “But you failed to convince her,” Maureen muttered. “Do you think the Bastard can talk her into it?”

  “I don’t know if he’s even going to try,” Katy said. “I have no idea what Luke’s plans are yet. So far I think he’s just been gathering information and letting people know there’s new blood at the helm. He’s only been here a couple of days.”

  Darren’s smile was cynical. “That should be long enough to see that only three out of the five restaurants are really doing well and Gilchrist Gourmet is sliding downhill fast.”

  Katy looked up quickly, wondering if Darren knew that Luke intended to snaffle the Pacific Rim as his fee for saving Gilchrist, Inc. Apparently not, she decided as she examined his face. Far be it from her to make the announcement. Justine could handle that. Or Luke himself. He certainly was not shy about his intentions.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to change for dinner,” Katy murmured. “You’re staying the night, I assume?”

  Hayden nodded. “We’ve been assigned our usual rooms upstairs.” His eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure I like this business of bringing Luke into the family like this. It’s a risk. He’s an unknown quantity.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Katy smiled. “He has a lot in common with the rest of you. I think there’s reason to be hopeful that Gilchrist, Inc. will survive. Whatever else you can say about Luke, he does seem to know what he’s doing when it comes to the food and beverage business.”

  “What I’d like to know,” Eden said coolly, “is why did the Bastard finally decide to join us?”

  “Maybe he just felt it was time to explore his roots,” Katy suggested brightly.

  “Sure.” Darren chuckled grimly. “The guy walks into our lives after all
this time because he’s suddenly developed a deep longing for family ties. If you believe that, I’ve got another bridge I can sell you.”

  “I should think it’s obvious he’s here because Justine offered him the position of head of Gilchrist, Inc.,” Maureen announced. Why that woman refuses to see that she has plenty of talent to pick from on this side of the family defeats me. Damn it, we’re the ones who’ve been loyal to her all these years.”

  Eden’s crimson mouth twisted. “She tried to get Luke to take over Gilchrist after his wife and parents were killed three years ago. He’s known all along he could show up on her doorstep and take over at any time. Why did he decide to do it now, when Gilchrist, Inc. is in the worst shape it’s ever been in?”

  “Good question,” Darren muttered “Why now? If he’d been smart, he would have joined the company years ago, when everything was still rosy.”

  The coven turned accusing emerald eyes on Katy, as if expecting her to come up with a suitable explanation. She smiled quickly and started backing toward the exit. “Like I said, I’ve got to change.”

  “Revenge,” Hayden said in portentous tones.

  Katy cleared her throat uneasily. “I beg your pardon?”

  “That’s why he’s here.” Hayden nodded to himself. He gazed into the still pool water as if he could foretell the future in its depths. “My brother Thornton never forgave Justine for failing to accept his choice of a wife. Thornton passed that anger down to Luke. And now Luke sees a chance to avenge his parents. He’s here to burn Gilchrist, Inc. at the stake.”

  An unfortunate choice of words in this family, Katy thought. “Gilchrist was starting to totter all by itself,” she pointed out hastily.

  “But it probably would have survived,” Maureen said slowly. Her gaze rested on her husband. “Oh, we might have lost a couple of the restaurants and had to scale back plans for Gilchrist Gourmet, but we would most likely have made it. Justine would have seen sense in the end. She’s not stupid.”

  “You’re right.” Eden eyed her mother thoughtfully. “Luke knows we’re in deep water, but we can still swim. He probably realized that if he wanted to ensure that the company goes under, he has to be here to give it a shove.”

  “It’s revenge, all right,” Darren muttered. “That’s the only logical explanation. Damn. Justine is going to hand him enough rope to hang the whole family.”

  Katy was startled at the rapidity with which they were all jumping to the same conclusion. “Now hold on just a second. I’m sure Justine knows what she’s doing. She would never have invited him here if she thought there was any real danger he might deliberately crush the company. You know how much Gilchrist, Inc. means to her.”

  “We also know how badly she wants to mend fences,” Hayden said. “Her desire to do that may have blinded her to certain realities.”

  “I don’t think that’s the case,” Katy said firmly.

  “No offense, Katy, but your problem is that you always tend to look on the bright side,” Eden said. “You can be extremely naive.”

  “You would know,” Katy murmured with a rare flash of irritation.

  Eden blinked, obviously surprised by the cut from the normally serene Katy. Then her gaze narrowed “My God, you’re not going to fling Nate Atwood in my face, are you? When are you going to figure out that I did you a favor by marrying him? Be grateful he didn’t marry you instead.”

  “I am,” Katy said. But that didn’t mean she had to forget her own humiliation. Katy knew Nate would have been all wrong for her, but that knowledge did not lessen the sense of having been used.

  “Forget it,” Darren said quietly. “We’ll all find out soon enough what Luke has planned.” He smiled at Katy. “See you in Justine’s suite at seven.”

  Katy nodded and hurried through the conservatory jungle toward the door. It was always a relief to be able to escape from a gaggle of Gilchrists.

  On the way back to the cottage she recalled Hayden’s remark about Luke burning Gilchrist, Inc. at the stake. Perhaps she would wear her flame-retardant underwear tonight.

  The knock on the cottage door came just as Katy finished struggling with the zipper of her turquoise dress. She frowned at her image in the mirror, afraid she knew who the caller was.

  “I’ll get it,” Matt called from the kitchen where he was studying at the table.

  “Thanks.”

  Katy held her breath as she brushed a swath of hair back behind one ear and anchored it with a gold clip. A moment later she heard a familiar deep voice in the living room..

  “Evening, Matt,” Luke said easily. “Tell your sister I stopped by to pick her up, will you? I decided I didn’t feel like walking into that roomful of sharks alone.”

  “I don’t blame you.” Matt chuckled. “Katy says a bunch of Gilchrists surrounding her always makes her kind of nervous.”

  “Yeah?”

  “But she calls them a coven of witches and warlocks, not a school of sharks.”

  “Matt,” Katy yelled from the bedroom, “shut up.”

  “The boss is here, Katy,” Matt called back. “He says he’s going to be your date for the evening.”

  Katy groaned as she watched her cheeks turn pink in the mirror. Trust a teenager to treat what was essentially a business function as a date. She stepped into a pair of very high heels and walked reluctantly out into the front room.

  She was not surprised to find Luke looking dangerously elegant in a black dinner jacket, black trousers, and a snowy white shirt. His midnight hair gleamed in the light, and his green eyes held cool speculation. He gave her an approving glance.

  “Very nice.” Luke held her coat for her. “Don’t forget your wings and halo. You may need them tonight to make a quick getaway from the coven.”

  “I’ve been handling Gilchrists for years. It doesn’t take wings or a halo. It takes a whip and a chair.”

  “Suit yourself. Don’t say you weren’t warned.” Luke gave Matt a man-to-man look. “Don’t worry about your sister. I’ll bring her home when it’s all over.”

  “Sure. Right.” Matt grinned at Katy. “Don’t stay out past curfew. Remember you have work tomorrow.”

  Katy made a face. “Don’t worry. I won’t be staying any later than absolutely necessary. I only wish I had a ten o’clock curfew. It would be a great excuse to leave at a reasonable hour.”

  “Always nice to go out with a woman who’s looking forward to the evening ahead, Luke remarked dryly. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” He took Katy’s arm and guided her out the door.

  “You didn’t have to pick me up,” Katy said as he opened the door of his black Jaguar for her. “I don’t mind walking. It’s perfectly safe around here.”

  “I wasn’t worrying about your safety. It’s my own I was thinking of. Like I told Matt, I’m the one who wanted an escort this evening.”

  She slanted him a curious glance as he got in behind the wheel. “I can’t believe you’re afraid of your own relatives.”

  “I’m not afraid of them. I’m just not looking forward to spending an evening surrounded by a pack of witches and warlocks.”

  Katy was acutely embarrassed. “Matt should never have repeated that remark. It was a gross exaggeration. A silly joke. I certainly never meant to imply—”

  “Forget it. I told you once you don’t lie well. Katy, I want your honest opinion on something. Which member of the coven do you think might have reason to embezzle from Gilchrist, Inc.?”

  Katy stared at him in stunned amazement. Then she scowled. “Are you still on about that?”

  “More so than ever.” Luke eased the Jaguar onto the road and turned toward the nearby lights of the big house. “There’s something going on.”

  “Forget it, Luke. No one in your family would do anything like that.”

  “My gut instinct tells me that what’s been going o
n is inside work. If I can’t clean it up quietly in the next month or so, I’ll launch a full-scale security investigation at Gilchrist, Inc.”

  “Oh, my God.” Katy studied his profile. “How are you going to try to clean it up quietly?”

  “With an outside computer investigator. Someone I’ve gotten to know during the past three years. He makes a living doing this kind of thing. I’d do the investigation myself if I had the time, but I’m too busy putting out brush fires all over Gilchrist, Inc. these days. I can’t bury myself in a computer long enough to find the culprit.”

  “Well, I refuse to believe it’s someone in the family, or even in upper management. And I hope you’ll keep quiet about your lack of faith in your relatives,” Katy said forcefully. “If the other Gilchrists find out you suspect one of them of this kind of thing, they’re going to be hurt and angry.”

  “So what?”

  Katy raised her eyes toward the heavens in exasperation. “So you’re supposed to be acting as the head of the coven—I mean the clan—now. You should try to get along with the others. Show them you aren’t the enemy. Luke, this is your family.”

  “You’re too damn sentimental for your own good, Katy.”

  “I’d rather err on the side of family sentiment than turn into a callous, cold-blooded, unfeeling brute.”

  “Is that what you think I am?”

  Katy hesitated. “I think it’s what you try to be,” she said gently. “After what happened three years ago you probably think it’s safer to be that way. Luke, I know what you went through. I know what it feels like.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Don’t mock me. Don’t you think I know what a temptation it is to just pull back from everything? I couldn’t do that because I had Matt to care for. But you have family members counting on you, too. It’s time you came out of your shell and started acting like a man with family responsibilities. You’re a Gilchrist, Luke, and there are other Gilchrists depending on you.”

  His expression was chillingly amused. “Why would I want to be responsible for a bunch of witches and warlocks?”