by Maya Banks
“I understand. I’ll send it over as soon as we get off the phone. And, Jewel, if you need any further help from me, let me know.”
“Thanks, Chrysander. How is Marley doing?”
Chrysander sighed. “It’s been difficult for her. She’s already ill with the pregnancy, and the stress of having to identify the kidnappers and give more statements is getting to her.”
“I’m sorry,” she offered softly. “Will you be much longer in New York? Will she have to remain there for the trial?”
“Not if I can help it,” he said fiercely. “The District Attorney has offered a plea bargain. If they accept it, then they’ll forgo a trial, and Marley will be finished with this nightmare.”
“Give her my love, please.”
“I will. Let me know if there is anything else I can do.”
“I will, Chrysander.”
She hung up the phone and then went to find her laptop. A few minutes later, she received Chrysander’s email. She frowned as she read through the details. A few phone calls would have to be made, but she couldn’t wait to tell Piers what she’d discovered. There was no need for Eric to be in foster care when he had a family all too willing to take him in.
* * *
Piers sank into his chair behind his desk and looked ruefully at the piles of mail in front of him. Never before had he been so lax when it came to work matters. He had Jewel to thank for his inattention lately.
His emails were in the hundreds, his voice mail had reached capacity, and he hadn’t opened mail in several days. His brothers would give him hell, but they’d also be happy to know that work wasn’t his life any longer.
With a sigh, he powered up his computer so he could sift through the backlog of emails. Then he reached for his phone and turned on the speaker so he could weed through voice mails. Most were routine reports from various construction projects. A few minor emergencies from panicked hotel managers, and one offer to buy the new hotel in Rio de Janeiro. That one made him smile. There weren’t many corporations that could afford one of the Anetakis’s hotels. They spared no expense.
As soon as the voice mails were squared away, he dialed Chrysander’s number. He wanted to check in on Marley and find out the results of their trip to New York to identify her kidnappers.
When he received no answer, he called Theron instead. They spent several minutes talking about business. Theron brought him up to speed on Chrysander and Marley and then conversation drifted back to business.
As he chatted, he idly sorted through the envelopes piled on his desk. When he got to one addressed to him from the laboratory that had performed the paternity test, he froze.
“I’ll speak to you later, Theron. Give Bella my love.”
He hung up and stared at the envelope in front of him. A smile eased his face as he fingered the seal. Here would be the proof of his paternity. In black and white, irrefutable proof that he was a father.
Last time it had gone the other way, and he’d lost everything that mattered most to him. This time...this time it would be perfect. He had a daughter on the way. His child.
Mine.
The surge of possessiveness that rocketed through his body took him by surprise.
He tossed the envelope aside. There was no need to open it. He knew what it would say. His trust in Jewel also surprised him, but he realized he did indeed have faith in her. He trusted her not to betray him.
After sorting through a few more envelopes he glanced back over at the letter. He should open it and revel in the feeling. Then he could go find Jewel and make mad, passionate love to her.
The idea made him tighten with need.
He felt like celebrating. Maybe he’d take Jewel on a trip to Paris. She loved to travel, and her doctor had pronounced her fully recovered from her surgery. To be on the safe side, he could schedule a check-up and a sonogram. Then they could take the private jet. They could make love in Paris and then maybe go on to Venice. Take the honeymoon they hadn’t been able to take when they’d gotten married.
He picked up the envelope again, smiling as he turned it over. He only hesitated a moment before tearing it open and unfolding the letter within.
He scanned the contents, the perfunctory remarks thanking him for his business, and finally he got to the bottom where the results were posted.
And he froze.
He read it again, sure that he’d missed something. But no, there it was in black and white.
He wasn’t the father.
Icy rage flooded his veins, burning, billowing until he thought he would explode. Again. It had happened again, only this time it was different. So very different.
What had she hoped to accomplish? Would she, like Joanna, wait for him to form an attachment to the child before leaving? Use the child as a bargaining tool?
Was Kirk the father or was he yet another man she dangled from her fingertips like a windup toy?
Older and wiser? He wanted to puke at his stupidity. In his arrogance, he’d imagined that he’d never be deceived as he’d been in the past, but what had he done to prevent it?
He looked down at the offending document again. His hands were shaking too much to keep it still. Damn her. Damn her to hell.
She’d wormed her way into his life, into his family’s lives. His sisters-in-law loved her, and his brothers had accepted her. Because of him. Because he’d brought her into their unsuspecting midst.
Never had he felt so sick. He wished he’d never opened the damn thing.
What a fool he’d been. What a fool he’d always be. All this time wasted on building a relationship that was based on lies and treachery. He’d bought the house of her dreams, done everything in his power to make her happy.
And worse, he’d bought into the fantasy as well. He’d begun to believe that they could be a family. That he’d been gifted another chance at a wife and child. That he’d finally been given hope.
He stared bleakly at the paper in his hand. The worst part was he had to have played right into her hands by offering her a settlement regardless of her child’s paternity. She won either way. And him? He’d lost everything.
* * *
Jewel clutched the printouts to her chest and hurried to Piers’s office. She knew it would hurt him to find out Eric’s fate and that Joanna had abandoned him two years ago, but the most important thing was getting Eric out of his current situation.
Nausea rose in her throat at the thought of the young boy in so many foster homes. Had he harbored the same hopes she had when she was a little girl, only to be disappointed over and over?
She didn’t knock but burst through the door, breathless from her pace. She stopped abruptly when she saw Piers sitting at his desk, a document crumpled in his hand, his expression so horrible that she nearly forgot why she’d come.
“Piers?”
He turned his cold gaze to her, and she shivered as a chill washed up her spine.
She took a step forward. “Is everything all right?”
He rose slowly with calculated precision. “Tell me, Jewel. How did you think you would get away with it? Or did you just want to prolong the truth until you had me completely wrapped around your finger?”
Her heart sank. How had he found out about Eric? Why was he so angry?
“I was on my way to tell you now. I thought you’d want to know.”
He laughed but the sound was anything but joyous. It skittered abrasively over her skin, and she shrank away from his obvious anger. Rage. That was the word for it. He vibrated with it.
“Oh yes, Jewel. I wanted to know. Preferably when this whole charade began. Did you enjoy hearing me spill my guts about Joanna and the deception she perpetrated? Did it give you satisfaction to know that yours was even more sound?”
She shook her head in confusion. Wha
t was he talking about?
“I don’t understand. Why are you so angry? And at me? I didn’t do this, Piers.”
He gaped incredulously at her. “You didn’t lie to me? You didn’t try to foist another man’s child off on me? You amaze me, Jewel. How you manage to sound the victim. The only victim here is me and the poor child you’re pregnant with.”
Hurt crashed over her, making her fold inward in a familiar defense mechanism she’d perfected over the years.
“You hate me,” she whispered.
“Are you suggesting that I could love someone like you?” he sneered.
He thrust the paper forward. “Here is the truth, Jewel. The truth you never saw fit to give me. The truth I deserved.”
She took the paper with a shaking hand, tears obscuring her vision. It took her three times to make sense of the words and when she realized what it said, she went surprisingly numb.
“This is wrong,” she said in a low voice.
Piers snorted. “You’d still keep up the pretense? It’s over, Jewel. These tests don’t lie. It states with absolute certainty that there is no chance I could be the father of your child.”
She stared up at him, tears trickling down her cheeks. He was cold. So cold. Hard. And unforgiving.
“You’ve waited for me to fall,” she choked out. “You’ve been waiting for this since the day I called you. It’s the only outcome that was acceptable to you. You weren’t going to be satisfied until you proved I was no better than Joanna.”
“You have quite a flair for dramatics.”
She scrubbed angrily at her tears, furious that she’d allowed him to make her cry. “The results are wrong, Piers. This is your child. She is your child.”
Something flickered in his eyes at her vehemence, but then he blinked, and it was gone, replaced with ice.
There would be no convincing him. He’d already tried and convicted her. She had some pride. She wouldn’t beg. She wouldn’t humiliate herself. She’d never allow him to know how shattered she was by his rejection. Or how much she loved him.
She lifted her chin and forced herself to stare evenly at him, steeling herself until she could no longer feel the shards of pain that pelted her.
“Someday you’ll regret this,” she said quietly. “One day you’ll wake up and realize that you threw away something precious. I hope, for your sake, you don’t take too long and that one day you can find the happiness you’re so determined to deny yourself and others around you.”
She turned stiffly, her heart breaking under the weight of her pain. She gripped the papers she’d intended to show Piers and held them close to her chest as she walked away. He made no effort to stop her, and she knew he wouldn’t. He’d stay here, holed up in his refuge until she’d gone.
Methodically she took the stairs to the master bedroom. She got out a suitcase and began putting her clothing inside.
“Mrs. Anetakis, is there something you need?”
Jewel turned to see the maid standing in the doorway wearing a perplexed look.
“Could you arrange for a car to take me into town?” Jewel asked. “I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Of course.”
Jewel turned back to her packing, willing herself not to break down into more tears. She would survive this. She had survived worse.
When she had packed everything she thought she’d need, she smoothed out the papers that had all the information about Eric. No matter that she and Piers were no longer together, she couldn’t allow that child to remain in the system, unwanted and tossed from family to family.
She closed her eyes and sighed. This would be so much easier with the money and power of the Anetakis name. Slowly she opened her eyes again and frowned. She may not have the money but she did have the name. Yes, Piers had provided a settlement for her in the case of a divorce, but who knows how long it would take to lay hands on it. She needed money now. Eric couldn’t wait.
She went to her dresser and pulled out the diamond necklace and earrings Piers had given her on her wedding day. With one fingertip, she stroked the brilliant stones, remembering the way he’d fastened the necklace at her nape.
Between her engagement ring and the necklace and earrings, she should be able to raise enough cash to rent a place in Miami. But she’d need enough money to remain solvent until she would collect her settlement from Piers.
“Mrs. Anetakis, the car is ready for you.”
Jewel closed her suitcase and smiled her thanks. She looked one more time around the room she’d shared with Piers and then walked down the stairs behind the maid.
When she was settled into the car, she directed the driver to take her to the airstrip. She didn’t have time to call for Piers’s jet, though she didn’t have any qualms about using it. She had no desire to be stuck here in this place for any longer than necessary. She’d take the first flight off the island, and go to New York to see Bella and Marley and pray that they’d help her save Eric.
Chapter 18
“Jewel, what on earth are you doing here?” Bella asked as she all but dragged Jewel inside the doorway. “Does Piers know you’re here? Did he come with you?”
Jewel swallowed the knot in her throat. Damn if she was going to get all weepy again.
Marley appeared behind Bella, her face soft with sympathy.
“What happened?” Marley asked.
Despite her resolve, Jewel burst into tears. Bella and Marley flanked her, each wrapping an arm around her as they guided her into Bella’s living room.
“Are Chrysander and Theron here?” she managed to ask around her sobs.
“No, and they won’t be back for a while,” Bella said soothingly. “Now sit down before you fall over. You look dead on your feet.”
Jewel perched on the edge of the couch while the other women took a seat on either side of her.
“What has that idiot brother-in-law of mine done?” Marley asked grimly.
Jewel tried to smile through her tears at Marley’s show of loyalty. “I’m afraid he’d say it was what I’d done to him.”
Bella snorted. “With that man, I’d hardly believe that. Besides, it’s easy to see that you’re crazy in love with him.”
Jewel buried her face in her hands. “That’s just it. He believes the absolute worst of me.”
Marley put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Tell us what happened.”
With little reluctance, Jewel spilled the entire sorry tale from start to finish, including the part about Joanna and Eric and the paternity results.
“What an idiot,” Bella said scornfully. “Did he even call the laboratory to double-check the results? Did he question them at all? Clearly there was some mix-up at the lab.”
Jewel gave her a watery smile. “Thank you for believing in me. But the thing is, he got what he was waiting for. He’s been waiting since the start for me to fall off the pedestal, so to speak. He hasn’t been able to believe in a woman since Joanna.”
“So what are you going to do?” Marley asked. “You’re in love with him.”
“But he doesn’t love me. Moreover, he doesn’t want to love me. I can’t live with someone who distrusts me as much as he distrusts me.”
“What about Eric?” Bella questioned. “Surely you won’t leave him in his current situation.”
“No,” Jewel said fiercely. “And that’s why I’ve come. I need your help.”
Marley put her hand on Jewel’s. “Anything.”
“I pawned the jewelry that Piers gave me. It’s enough to rent a small place in Miami so I can set up a permanent residence. But I’ll need enough money socked away that the state will see me as a stable, financially able parent for Eric. I won’t get a settlement from Piers until the divorce, and I have no idea how long that will take.”
“None taken,” Marley said dryly.
“I have some cash on hand that I can give you, and I’ll wire you more funds so that you can rent something a little better than a ‘small place’ in Miami. If small is good, then bigger is better, right?”
Jewel squeezed both women’s hands. “Thank you so much. I was so worried that you’d hate me, that you’d believe that I’d deceived Piers.”
Marley sighed. “I have a feeling that Piers is going to wake up one day and realize he’s made the worst mistake of his life. I almost wish I was there to see it.”
“Don’t feel so bad, Jewel,” Bella said soothingly. “I’m afraid all of the Anetakis men are rather dense when it comes to love.”
“So true,” Marley agreed.
“You’ll keep us posted on how things go with Eric? I’d love to meet him,” Bella said.
“Of course I will.”
“Do you have travel arrangements for your trip to Miami?” Marley asked.
Jewel shook her head. “Not yet. I’ve barely had time to breathe. I came straight here from the island.”
Bella stood, her expression one of take charge. “First things first. We’re going to go have a nice girly lunch followed by an afternoon of complete pampering at the spa. God knows you pregnant women need it. Then we’re going to arrange for a private jet to fly Jewel to Miami, and I’ll have a driver waiting there to pick her up and take her wherever she needs to go. Piers may be a dumb ass, but you’re still family.”
Jewel burst into tears again, and Bella groaned.
“Is it any wonder I have no desire to procreate? Pregnancy turns women into hormonal messes.”
Marley dabbed quickly at her eyes, and Jewel burst out laughing. Marley joined her, giggling through her tears and finally Bella joined them as well.
“Okay, enough sniffling. Let’s get out of here before the men return. I’ll leave them a note telling them I’ve taken Marley off for an afternoon of debauchery. They won’t be the least bit surprised,” Bella said with a grin.