by Joss Wood
And she, as their mother, couldn’t? Whom did they think she worked for? Everything she did was for them!
Rafe shook his head. “You might be the oldest, but your head is up your ass. You are so damn distracted these days that I’m surprised you haven’t run into a malpractice suit.”
Elana leaned sideways and jumped into the argument. “Why don’t you two ever consider me? I actually work for the company!”
“Do you actually know the definition of that word, Elana?” Luc demanded. “It actually means doing more than turning up and looking pretty.”
God, this was a nightmare. Mariella glanced at Gabe as her children argued. He was watching a ship on the horizon, seeming unaffected by the argument raging around him. But she could see the tension in his jaw, the rigid cords of his neck. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned his head to look at her, and she saw the profound and heartfelt sympathy in his eyes. Mariella watched Gabe’s eyes harden as the argument around them escalated.
“Shut up!” Gabe’s terse command cut through the siblings’ argument like a sharp knife through flesh. “You three are the biggest pains in the ass the world has ever known. Can one of you surprise me and think beyond yourselves? Your mother represents your interests—she always has, you morons! And can I remind you that your father is inside, fighting for his life, and you three are bickering like mean kids on a playground. Just shut the hell up, all of you!”
Shock receded, and three pairs of accusatory eyes landed on his face. When silence reigned, Gabe drew in a breath before placing his beer bottle on the table between them. “We need to think about what Uncle Harrison would want. It isn’t this.”
“How the hell would you know what my father would want?” Luc asked, private school snooty. Low blow, Luc, Mariella thought, ashamed of him. Why did Luc constantly feel the need to remind Gabe that he wasn’t really part of this family, that he wasn’t a Marshall by blood?
It was time for her, as their mother, to intervene. Mariella snapped her spine straight and sent a continue-or-die look to each of her children, holding Luc’s eyes a tad longer than the rest. “Be quiet and listen to what Joe has to say.”
Mariella placed her hand on Joe’s knee and bit her lip. That train she’d been thinking about earlier was now so close that she could feel the heat of its engine, its vibrations running through her. She was about to be annihilated, she knew that just as she knew that the Pacific Ocean beyond them was bright and blue.
Joe ignored her hand, didn’t respond, and Mariella tapped his knee. “Joe? Who is in charge? Is it me? Luc? Gabe? Rafe?”
“Me?” Elana’s voice drifted over to her, but Mariella ignored her.
“None of the above,” Joe replied, finally looking up. The expression in his eyes was a mixture of nerves and fear and dread. Dear Lord, Harrison, what have you done?
“Harrison has, over the years, done a number of favors for many powerful people. Those favors have become a sideline business.”
It was a bolt from the blue. “What type of favors?” Gabe asked, shock coating his words.
“Anything, everything. Harrison and his partner made bad things, people, choices and consequences go away. They ensured that potential scandals disappeared. Harrison initially worked alone, but then he took on a partner in this fixing business, and that partner is the one who is going to be calling the shots. It is my belief that those shots include who makes certain decisions about Harrison’s business and Harrison himself.” Joe looked at Mariella and shrugged.
“You weren’t consulted about Harrison’s move to this clinic because you didn’t need to be. This person—”
“God, Joe...this person what?” Luc demanded, impatient.
“This person is bad news. The secrecy? Someone hiding out in the shadows? It’s...” They all held their breath as Joe looked for the word he wanted to use. “...sinister. What the person has done, does, raises the hair on the back of my neck.”
Mariella gasped as that heavy freight train slammed into her.
“Who are we talking about?” she demanded, her heart in her throat.
Joe sent her an anxious smile and shook his head. “I don’t know, exactly, but in certain circles, this person is called the Fixer.”
* * * * *
A possibly fatal accident has taken out their beloved husband and father. Luc and Rafe are fighting—so what else is new?—but this time, for the paparazzi. Their sister, Elana, is tangled in the arms—and sheets—of her married lover and isn’t answering her messages. And now this stunning surprise! Just who is this mysterious person calling the shots for the mighty Marshall family?
Read SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 2 of 12)
By Clare Connelly
To find out what happens next!
Available now from Harlequin Serials
wherever Harlequin ebooks are sold
Don’t miss a single installment of the
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST series:
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 1 of 12)
by Joss Wood
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 2 of 12)
by Clare Connelly
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 3 of 12)
by Donna Hill
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 4 of 12)
by Reese Ryan
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 5 of 12)
by Helen Lacey
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 6 of 12)
by Michelle Major
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 7 of 12)
by Yahrah St. John
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 8 of 12)
by Cat Schield
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 9 of 12)
by Maya Blake
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 10 of 12)
by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Dani Collins
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 11 of 12)
by Maya Blake
SECRETS OF THE A-LIST (Episode 12 of 12)
by Karen Booth
Available now from Harlequin Serials
wherever Harlequin ebooks are sold
And don’t miss two linked romances also featuring the Marshall family from Harlequin Desire®:
CONVENIENT CINDERELLA BRIDE
by Joss Wood
On sale now
and
SNOWED IN WITH A BILLIONAIRE
by Karen Booth
Coming in December 2017
ISBN-13: 9781488082795
Secrets of the A-List (Episode 1 of 12)
Copyright © 2017 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Joss Wood for her contribution to the Secrets of the A-List serial.
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