A Family Affair - Next of Kin (6 page)

“Well, I don’t know what to say.” Nikki herself had formally withdrawn any challenge to the will while overseas. The Bradleys’ lawyer had contacted her as a matter of course, and she indicated that she didn’t want one cent of Jack’s money. It wasn’t right for Kane to contest the will either. “I guess there’s no talking you out of this action, is there?”

“The hearing is this afternoon. I’ve waited for nine months to have my day in court and stand up to these people.”

“Don’t you think we have caused the Bradleys enough pain, Kane?”

“Listen, ten million is like spare change to these people. Tom’s got all his makeup money. He doesn’t need his father’s real estate too. He wouldn’t even notice if ten million dollars disappeared from his bank account. And Jack had already divorced his first wife, so she is hardly entitled to it. I’m Jack Bradley’s son. It’s a matter of principle.”

It was obvious that Kane would not be moved from his planned course of action. In any case, it was his business, and Nikki didn’t want to get involved. “Anyway, I ran into Ellen and her bodyguard the other day,” she said, changing the topic.

Kane’s interest in the conversation seemed to increase. “She has a bodyguard now?”

“I think he was there to keep you and me away.” Nikki smiled. It was ridiculous for anyone to think that she or Kane was a physical threat to Ellen.

Kane raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why do you say that?”

“He said something about my being on a list.”

Kane chuckled. “Tom would have made that list. Ellen knows that neither of us would hurt her.”

“I suppose.” Ellen had asked the security guard to back off.

Kane was thoughtful for a few moments. “You know, Tom probably hired a bodyguard for Ellen because Ted Blake hasn’t been captured yet.”

“Who is Ted Blake?”

“The man that abducted Elle when she first started dating Tom. If I was Tom, I’d keep a guard around her too.”

Nikki didn’t like the protective way Kane spoke about Ellen, but tried not to feel jealous. “Oh, I didn’t realise he was still on the run.”

“I don’t know why they haven’t been able to catch him yet. You would think the coppers would be focussed on a high profile case like that. Anyway, how was Elle when you saw her?” He was trying not to appear too interested.

Nikki frowned, seeing through this charade. “To be honest, she wasn’t really very interested in speaking to me.”

“You too, hey?”

Nikki liked to hear that Ellen wasn’t speaking to Kane. “It was a coincidence that I ran into her, but she only gave me a minute or so of her time. She sort of left in a hurry after that. I’m not sure what I said. Have you seen her recently?”

“No.”

“Why did you say ‘you too’ then?”

“I tried calling a few times, but she refused to take my calls. I think she has changed her number now. You don’t know her new number do you?”

“No, Kane.” Even if Nikki did have a way to contact Ellen, she would not have handed it over. She remembered seeing the two babies side by side. It had almost been shocking. “So, you haven’t seen her baby then?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“I guess it’s because you and Tom are half-brothers, but gee, it’s amazing. The two babies look very alike - Alice and Angus I mean - that’s what she named her kid - Angus. Despite the fact that Alice is a girl and Angus is a boy, they are almost identical.”

Nikki may have been mistaken, but she couldn’t help but notice Kane gritting his teeth, as he turned away.

Nikki’s words rang loud and clear in Kane’s mind - the two babies were strikingly similar. Fury raged through his body as he stormed out of the hospital, leaving Nikki wondering at his hasty departure.

Her words meant one thing to him - Ellen’s baby was his, just as he’d sensed it was when she first announced the pregnancy to him. Kane remembered that time fondly. Ellen had come to him in confidence - not even Tom had known that she was pregnant. It had been their little secret. The situation had been promising until that damn doctor said the baby wasn’t his.

The doctor had screwed everything up. If Ellen’s baby had been correctly tested, her marriage to Tom wouldn’t have happened. Kane could have cared for Ellen until she recovered from the breakup. They would have been together all that time, and eventually Ellen would have turned to him for comfort. Nikki would never have gotten pregnant either.

Kane felt like a fool for being tricked by Ellen and her doctor. In any case, he reasoned, today was not the day to fume about such matters. It would be easier to contest the paternity of Angus once he had received his rightful share of Jack Bradley’s estate. He could hire a fancy lawyer who would demand a second test.

Kane caught a taxi from the hospital to the courthouse. It would have taken him less than ten minutes to run from one location to the other on a normal day, but he didn’t want to sweat in his new suit. It had been bought especially for the occasion to show his family and the judge he was serious about claiming what was rightfully his.

Seeing Nikki Lucas again had been odd, but not unpleasant. He was disgusted by the fact they had made love that one time. The way she looked at him suggested she wanted to do it again; a desire he did not understand. She seemed convinced that the DNA test would show they weren’t related, but where did her confidence come from? It was ludicrous. Their birth certificates both showed that Sarah Rush was their mother, and these things couldn’t be wrong.

She had seemed different somehow, but he didn’t want to think about her until the results of the DNA test were known. If Alice was his, then he supposed Nikki would be in his life for a while. There were no two ways about it. A child of his was not going to grow up without knowing its father, the way Kane himself had. He didn’t know how it could be possible, but for Alice’s sake, he suddenly hoped Nikki was right about their not being related. In any case, if he ever came across that doctor who had pronounced him infertile, he would punch his lights out.

It was an unusual sort of day. He had started off as a single man without any dependents, and it now seemed likely he would finish the day a father of two. He would have to find a way to see Ellen again.

Kane had waited almost a year for his day in court, given the Bradleys’ refusal to negotiate a settlement. With all their money and privileges, they had refused to offer even a cent. This whole production could have been avoided with a measly sum of one million - that would have been the minimum amount he would have accepted. Instead, they wanted a fight, so a fight they would get. Instead of one million, he was going for ten. Given the hundreds of millions tied up in the estate, ten million was still a drop in the ocean for these people.

Kane had hired the best lawyer he could find for the job. Roger Smith was waiting outside the courthouse dressed in a grey suit with matching tie. The man carried his briefcase with an air of confidence about him. He smiled approvingly when he saw how Kane was dressed. “You look fine, Kane - just as I’d instructed you. You look the part - like a man who deserves every cent of his rightful inheritance. They won’t know what’s hit them.”

“Are we going to win today, Roger?”

“I don’t see how we couldn’t. We have presented a strong case. It should be a straight-forward decision for the judge.”

Kane followed his lawyer into the large building, up escalators and through a maze of hallways until they found their allocated courtroom.

“We can go in now and wait for the judge,” his lawyer said, leading him inside.

Kane’s eyes surveyed the room as he entered. The faces were mostly unfamiliar, although Margaret Bradley’s expression caught his attention. The old bat scowled without any attempt to hide her feelings. Suddenly he saw Ellen from behind. She was here. In some ways, her presence was unexpected, given their past, and given that the hearing was unrelated to her specifically. He looked all around her for the son who was rightfully his, but the boy was not there. Ellen stood close behind Tom, as he spoke to a man whom Kane presumed to be the family lawyer. He looked familiar, but Kane couldn’t quite place him. Ellen’s hands were entwined with Tom’s, even though he was not paying her any attention.

It had been many months since Kane had spoken to Ellen, but nothing had changed for him. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her every movement fascinated him. If Ellen was his wife, she would never be made to stand behind him in that demeaning way. Tom didn’t appreciate her in the way she deserved.

The Bradley family turned to stare at Kane as he took his seat, but above all it was Ellen’s eyes he sought. She held his gaze for only a second before looking away. It hurt him to see the disapproval there. She shouldn’t feel that way about him. It wasn’t the way things were supposed to be.

Kane’s lawyer assumed his seat, and the room waited in silence for the judge to arrive. After what seemed like forever, a uniformed officer asked everyone to stand and the judge entered. He was older than expected, however his deep voice and deliberate words indicated he still had an astute mind. This was the man who would understand his plight, and set everything right.

Both lawyers took turns to present their cases, but Tom’s lawyer made it personal by describing the supposed night when Kane had seduced Jack’s wife. He didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. The one time Kane had been with Nikki had been during the afternoon. Anyway, Tom’s lawyer claimed that it was the shock of the affair which had killed Jack. But everybody knew that Jack must have had a bad heart or something. It wasn’t Kane’s fault he had died.

Unfortunately Tom’s lawyer was smooth and poised, articulating every point as if Kane was involved in criminal activities. The judge at one point asked whether the police had been called, and the lawyer implied that they were still building a case. The lies were steering the judge away from what mattered - Kane had been Jack’s rightful son.

Kane’s lawyer was eventually right about one thing - the case did appear to be a straight-forward matter for the judge. The claim on the estate was dismissed within forty minutes, and Kane stood in shock listening to the words, not understanding how a simple matter of being a son had become a parade of personal business. And even if he had been involved with Nikki that one time, it did nothing to alter his claim.

Once the judge retired from the courtroom, his lawyer left quickly, not even staying to discuss what went wrong, or how the judgment should be appealed. Kane desperately needed all the legal mumbo jumbo explained.

He turned slowly, as footsteps approached. It was Tom’s lawyer come to gloat. “What do you want?” Kane asked.

The lawyer was a tall man with dark hair and even darker eyes. There was something familiar about those eyes, yet frightening in an odd way. The lawyer leaned closer, so that nobody else could hear. “You will stay away from this family, or you will be made to stay away.”

It was a threat of violence, plain and simple, and the sort of threat that Kane would normally laugh off. But something in the man’s eyes told Kane to nod, so he did. Thankfully Tom’s lawyer seemed satisfied and walked away.

What the hell was Tom doing with a man like that in his life? Couldn’t anybody else see him for what he was?

Kane sat still, as everyone filed out of the room. Ellen kept her eyes averted this time, and he didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to her.

He departed after them, disappointed with the outcome, but more aware of Tom’s lawyer. He watched as Tom shook his lawyer’s hand. They exchanged some words jovially, and the lawyer left them, heading towards the exit.

Kane needed to have a word with Ellen to warn her about him. He walked after her, keeping a safe distance so Tom didn’t know he was there. He watched their every move, hoping to find a moment to approach her. Tom and Ellen rounded a corner and were almost at the exit when Tom indicated towards the male bathroom. This was Kane’s chance, as Ellen would be alone.

Kane quickened his step until he was by her side. “Elle.”

She turned in surprise. “Kane, you can’t talk to me anymore. It’s over. We want you to leave us alone now.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, dismissing her concern with a wave of his hand. “Listen, I just want to warn you about that guy Tom hired as your lawyer.”

“Hayden.”

“Whatever his name is - there is something not right in the...”

“Kane,” Ellen said, interrupting him. She looked annoyed. “Hayden is the company’s head of legal affairs, and Tom’s best friend. He was Tom’s best man at our wedding if you remember.”

Kane thought back. Ah, yes. That explained why the man seemed familiar. He didn’t usually pay much attention to men as a general rule.

Ellen kept explaining. “He’s an excellent lawyer, as today’s outcome would demonstrate to you.”

“Listen, this is not about who won the case, or whose lawyer was the best.”

“No?”

“No. That guy just threatened me. He told me to stay away from the family, or else. I don’t want him in your life. There’s something not right about him.”

“It doesn’t matter what you want. You don’t get to say who should be in my life. You’re no longer part of our family after what you did.”