High Passion

by Vivian Arend

  Love. It had snuck up and wrapped around her.

  Having the two men meet right now would only tangle the issues further, but she wasn’t about to make the same mistake she’d made the first time Vincent had frightened her.

  She dressed quickly before sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking Devon’s arm gently. “Hey, wake up. I need to talk to you.”

  His eyelids fluttered open, his gaze sharpening as he rolled to a sitting position. “Xavier?”

  She shook her head. “No news yet. I got another e-mail from Vincent, and I’m ready to kick his fine-suited ass back to Toronto.”

  All the sleep haze vanished. “What did he do now?”

  “More of the same. Sent me a stupid engagement announcement, as if he’s planning on handing it out to the media. I’ve had enough of the asshole jerking me around, Devon. I’m going to talk to him and tell him he can shove his threats up his ass. He can make any bloody announcement he wants—I’ll deny it, and that’s it.”

  Devon held her hands to stop her from flailing them in the air. “What about your dad? The company?”

  “Nothing. I don’t care.” She took a deep breath and calmed herself, slipping one hand free to cup his face. “You said it last night. Focus on what’s important—the people who are important. I’ll call my father and give him a warning, but beyond that I don’t owe any of them anything.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Devon said.

  She pressed her fingers over his mouth, gently stroking his lips. “I’ll meet him in the lobby, or somewhere public, but I want to do this by myself.” His face tightened, and she frowned. “I mean it. I’m not being stupid, but I don’t want you to come with me and have this end up some kind of public brawl.”

  “You don’t trust me to keep my temper?”

  Alisha growled in frustration. “I don’t trust Vincent not to take the first swing, then find a way to pin it on you. Please, stay here. I’ll be back within the hour.”

  She kissed him before he could protest again. He crushed her closer, his hands curling possessively around her lower back before setting her free.

  “I don’t like it,” he complained.

  Alisha backed away, letting his hands slip from hers. “I know, but thank you for letting me do this my way. I’ll call you if there’s any trouble. I promise.”

  She tried Marcus’s number, but his phone went to messages. The rest of the short trip she fretted about Xavier and planned her approach with Vincent. More diplomacy was required than storming up to him and hitting him on the head with a large, blunt object.

  She phoned him from the courtesy phone in the lobby. “I’m here.”

  “You know my suite number.” Vincent spoke in clipped tones. “Stop wasting my time, and get up here.”

  Bullshit on that. “I’m not going into your suite alone.”

  He made a rude noise. “You don’t trust me?”

  “Not one bit. If you want to talk, it’s in public.”

  “You risk the media discovering us before we make the announcement official,” he pointed out.

  Her anger shot higher. “I will not meet with you alone, Vincent.”

  “Very well. Wait for me in the foyer.”

  “No. I’ll be outside the teahouse restaurant.” She wanted some semblance of control headed into this façade. Besides, people passed that location regularly, but the chairs were far enough aside to allow a private conversation.

  She might want witnesses, but she didn’t want to be overheard.

  Waiting in the elegant setting made her skin itch. Devon texted her, but she ignored it, not ready to answer him while she still had to face Vincent. Her brain ached. Her heart was equally filled with hope from her time with Devon and her fears for Xavier. With so much uncertainty before them, both good and bad, the only undeniable point was that this ongoing stupidity with Vincent had to stop.

  He strolled in, suited and groomed to the nines, and she took a sadistic pleasure in having pulled on her rattiest pair of jeans, most holey runners, and an old coat of Devon’s.

  Alisha held up her phone with the link to the engagement announcement. “Is this your idea of a joke?”

  Vincent was so smooth and calm she wanted to shake him. Or kick him, or do something physically painful and devastating. But he sat there like some untouchable statue, examining her with disdain. None of the façade of attraction he’d attempted during that first dinner meeting.

  “It’s no joke. You will return to Toronto with me. I need to return, and there is no cause for you to remain any longer.”

  “You’re being an idiot, Vincent. I have a job, I have—”

  “Yes, your job.” Vincent leaned back and assessed her again, the fancy chandeliers around them reflecting flashes of light in his dark eyes. “How is Xavier?”

  Alisha went cold through and through. Had there already been a news report about the accident? She didn’t think so. “How did you know he’s been hurt?”

  “You were warned.” Vincent ignored her question, ignored her, instead meticulously straightening the cuffs of his suit jacket to lie smoothly. “Search and rescue is a dangerous line of work. Such a terrible thing that accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.”

  She went to stand, but he shot forward, catching her hands and holding her in place. He tugged her to a sitting position and leaned in closer.

  “Ropes failing at the wrong moment. Could happen to anyone, couldn’t it?” he asked.

  How could someone who appeared so sophisticated sound so menacing? Alisha glanced around, but the nearest people were too far away to hear his words or see anything other than a couple holding hands. Perhaps having a lovers’ quarrel.

  God, she wished Devon were with her.

  Vincent didn’t allow her to speak, instead sending her a hard-edged smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Or maybe the next terrible accident won’t be on the job. Your pilot—Erin, correct? Such a lovely woman. She lives alone. She should be more diligent in locking her doors.”

  This wasn’t making sense. “You’re threatening my Lifeline teammates if I don’t marry you?”

  Vincent lowered his voice and darkness rasped over her eardrums, setting her hair on end. “I allowed you to make the right decision on your own, and you chose to ignore me. I’ve had enough, Alisha. Your time here is done.”

  She struggled to make sense of what seemed total nonsense. “Are you claiming you caused Xavier’s accident?”

  “Don’t be stupid. How could I cause an accident?” His gaze tightened, his pressure on her fingers increasing to the point of pain. “I’m a businessman, not a petty thief. Not a person willing to accept money to place drugs in someone’s cup. Not a desperate creature willing to damage a sturdy harness in strategic places.”

  The blood drained from her head, leaving an eerie echo in her ears. “Vincent—”

  “I didn’t want to do this, but you forced my hand, Alisha. You. Your stubborn resistance is the reason that until you cooperate, I’ll find ways to encourage you to come to your senses. Perhaps that sweet Jonah—he’s a friend of Tripp’s, isn’t he? He shouldn’t walk to work at the school over the next while. I’d hate to have a car lose control near him and cause another tragedy.”

  Her chest was so tight she couldn’t breathe. He knew her teammate’s names, their friends, what they did for a living. What had begun as a meeting full of frustration and anger at his idiotic refusal to leave her in peace had turned into a nightmare.

  “This isn’t how the real world works,” Alisha stuttered. “If you did something to hurt Xavier, or anyone else, you’ll be caught. I wouldn’t lie down and obey your insane orders simply because you’ve done some research into the people in my life, as infuriating as that is. You’re not above the law, Vincent.”

  “But I am,” he said. “There’s nothing you can blame on me because everything is untraceable, yet I’ve got the resources to make accidents keep happening. What I don’t have are the shares you own, and
until I do, I won’t stop. I’m not enjoying this—I’d far prefer to get on with our lives, and I’d imagine the rest of your team feels the same way. I’d hate for something to happen to anyone else. Especially . . . what’s his name? Ah, yes. Devon.”

  Alisha stilled. The words escaped in a bare whisper. “No, Vincent. No.”

  He shrugged. “It’s up to you. I need you to return to Toronto. Once you’ve satisfied the conditions of your inheritance, I can take the steps to ensure a smooth transfer of business matters. It’s not that great a hardship, I think, marrying me. Rejoining society for a year should be a nice change of pace for you—you won’t be required to do anything but act as my companion. I don’t even expect you to sleep with me so long as you make the proper noises at the proper times in public.” He waved a hand. “We’ll arrange things in the prenuptial so once I’m satisfied the shares are permanently in my name, we can split up. You could return to your climber then.” He paused and narrowed his gaze. “Or . . . you can continue to fight me, and there might not be anyone to return to.”

  She was going to be ill. “Xavier is lying in a hospital because you can’t stand the thought of losing a business? What kind of a bastard are you?”

  “One who’s had enough. It’s your choice. I assumed it should be an easy one to make.” His eyes were cold. “If you think I’m stupid, don’t. As far as any records or investigations will show, my only sin is waiting far too long for you to come to your senses and accept my proposal. I will have what I need. Now.”

  How had she stepped into such an impossible situation? She searched for words to deny him, but images of Xavier’s broken body lying on the ice filled her head. Picturing Devon as motionless dragged a whimper from deep inside that escaped before she could stop it.

  Her wrist would be bruised from his grip. “This isn’t some game, and it’s time you woke up. I want Bailey Enterprises. I’ve put too much into it over the years to allow my money to get flushed away by a fading old man or his rebellious daughter. I have the resources, and now I’m calling the shots. The sooner you cooperate, the fewer people will suffer for your mistakes.”

  He finally let her free and stood, pulling an envelope from his pocket and dropping it on the coffee table in front of her. His gaze drifted over her, his outside presentation still polished, which made his examination colder and more disturbing.

  Vincent walked away without another word.

  Alisha’s hands shook as she picked up the flat envelope and opened it to find a first-class ticket to Toronto in her name, dated for the following Saturday.

  CHAPTER 24

  Devon paced his living room like a caged tiger, frustration and worry making it impossible to sit.

  Ever since Alisha had sweet-talked him into allowing her to leave without him he’d been angry about giving in. Angry he hadn’t thought to go along to protect her even if he simply observed from a distance.

  Finding the balance between her need to stand on her own and being an overprotective asshole wasn’t an easy line to walk. Adding in that it was now after noon and she still hadn’t returned didn’t make it any easier.

  She’d texted him to let him know she was done talking with Vincent and she was safe. She needed “time to think.”

  What the fuck did that mean?

  If it would have done any good he would have driven around town trying to spot Alisha’s car, but the idea was stupid. Staying home and waiting for her to return seemed his only choice, but the longer he had to wait and keep reaching nothing but her voice mail, the more infuriated he got.

  The front door opened and Alisha stepped through, lifting tired grey eyes to meet his.

  “What happened?” he snapped. He stomped across to her side and pulled her against him, as she seemed nearly unable to keep on her feet. “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head, pushing him away as she stumbled into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. “Give me a minute.”

  He’d given her all morning, but shouting wouldn’t get her to talk any sooner. He followed her, eyeing her defeated body language as warning bells went off like crazy. This wasn’t the confident, cocky woman who’d left him five hours ago. “Alisha, you’re killing me. What the hell did Vincent do?”

  A noise between a whimper and cry escaped her. “He’s insane. He’s completely and totally insane.”

  She looked up and he swore, the lost look in her eyes too much to bear. He sank to his knees and caught her hands in his. “Explain.”

  “Vincent pretty much admitted to sabotaging Lifeline—to causing Xavier’s accident.”

  “What the fuck?”

  She snorted. “Yeah, that was my response, but as bizarre as it sounds, it’s true. Only he was sure to mention he couldn’t be implicated in any of it. If I go to the police with this information, it will lead to nothing but dead ends. In the meantime, more accidents could happen.”

  Now he understood her confused expression—his must’ve been about the same. “This is bullshit. If he admitted to having anything to do with the accident, of course we go to the police.”

  “With what proof?” Alisha snapped. Her cheeks brightened as her breathing picked up. “I wandered for hours trying to figure out a way around this, but his comments are nothing but hearsay, and in the meantime, the rest of you are in danger. He threatened you. You and Erin and—God, he knew Jonah’s name, and everything. Vincent’s deranged enough that I can believe he’d do it. He’d hurt you.”

  Devon caught her around the back of the neck and held on tight, his forehead pressed to hers as he attempted to calm her. To make sense of what she was saying. “He’s not going to hurt anyone. Most likely he’s lying in an attempt to scare you into doing what he wants. If he’s really guilty, he’ll be caught. The RCMP is investigating now. If you’ve got information, we need to tell them. Let them explore and—”

  “No.” The word burst out like a gunshot as she leapt to her feet, stomping away, her runners loud on the hardwood. She twirled to face him, all energy and passion again, only this time the energy stoking her wasn’t sexual, it was despair. “You don’t understand. What if in the meantime something happens? What if because I go to the RCMP something else terrible happens? I can’t live with that. I just . . .”

  She stared up at the ceiling, her teeth biting into her lower lip as she fought to calm herself.

  Devon forced his fists to uncurl. To stand slowly, and move as if toward a skittish horse. “You have to trust nothing will happen.”

  Fire blazed out again. “I can’t. Don’t you see? You of all people should understand—the accident with your father impacted you hard, and it wasn’t even your fault. It’s taken years for you to move past it.” Her eyes were wild. “Maybe Vincent is lying, maybe he’s not causing terrible things, but what if he is? What if I can stop anyone else from being hurt, or God forbid, killed? What is one fucking year of my life compared to that?”

  “What are you proposing?” Devon demanded. “You’re seriously considering quitting Lifeline and marrying him? That won’t solve anything. Not to mention if he is insane, getting married to the asshole isn’t the answer. What kind of crazy abuse would you be putting yourself on the line for? God, Alisha, think this through.”

  “I have, dammit. He doesn’t even want me, all he wants is the business.” She pressed her hands against her eyes and swore. “Listen for a minute. It’s stupid and wrong and like something out of the seventeenth century, I get all that, but it’s also the only solution that makes sense. I went over it again and again after I talked to him.”

  “You listen to me.” Devon wanted to shake her until reason clicked on. “Tying yourself to someone who you say has threatened others is not right in any way. You can’t put yourself in danger like that.”

  She flicked her hands to her sides, still clenched into fists. “I know it’s crazy, Devon. I know, but it feels as if it’s the only goddamn answer there is. I don’t want to do it, but . . . arghhh. I just want all this to g
o away, but it won’t stop.”

  Alisha shoved past him, jerking away as he attempted to soothe her. Her feet slapped the wooden floorboards loudly as she stormed into the back of the house and slammed the bedroom door.

  Devon dragged a hand through his hair, frustrated and furious and totally out of his depth.

  There was no fucking way he would stand aside and allow her to offer herself up like some damn sacrifice. She’d admitted marrying Vincent was crazy. He’d give her a while to calm down before driving that point harder.

  If not, he had no problem tying her to a chair to keep her safe. Or throwing her over his shoulder and hauling her down to the police station to let them know what she’d learned.

  She was right about one thing. Suggesting that Vincent was involved in sabotage was a shocker at first. Even knowing in advance that the man was more than slightly unhinged, Devon had never, ever expected to hear such an accusation. Vincent’s obsession with Alisha wasn’t obvious at first, not until you started adding the details up. Little things showed it clearly, like the stupid ploy to buy out her residences from under her, but without that evidence it was hard to believe. Vincent would have skepticism on his side, which was the biggest bullshit Devon had ever faced.

  The bedroom door creaked, and he glanced up to see Alisha cross the hallway. She stared, her face tight with frustration, before disappearing into the bathroom. The sound of running water clicked on.

  His phone rang—Marcus’s tone. Devon yanked it out and answered it on the second ring, the issues with Vincent not forgotten but set aside for a moment. “Any news?”

  His boss’s familiar growl came through, tired and restless. “There’s additional testing to be done, but preliminary reports are in. It’s not good, but it’s not the worst. His T10 was crushed.”

  “Shit.” Devon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Chances of recovery?”

  “That’s the good part. You guys stabilized him properly, and he got the fastest treatment possible. They had him in surgery already this morning. He’ll have therapy to deal with, but chances of walking again are higher than average.”