Accidentally Yours (10 page)

It took him a couple of seconds to put the pieces together. “You blame me for what happened to Cody?”

“No. Of course not. I blame myself.”

“But I’m a part of it.”

“No. It’s complicated. Look, we have a deal and I’ll be there for whatever you want for the towers. Photo ops and whatever else there is. But nothing else. Nothing personal.”

He didn’t want her. He’d never wanted her. Okay, maybe she’d turned out to be more interesting than he’d first thought, but she didn’t matter. No one mattered.

“That works for me,” he told her curtly. “I’ll get out of your way.”

She reached toward him, as if she were going to touch him, maybe offer comfort. Which was bullshit. He was Nathan King. He played the game and he won. She was nothing.

“Thanks for coming all this way,” she said.

He nodded and started walking. Rather than wait for the elevator, he took the stairs and he never once looked back.

F
RANKIE HAD TIMED
her visit perfectly. She knew exactly when Nathan’s secretary left for lunch. Five minutes later, Frankie stepped out of the ladies’ room and made her way to her brother’s office.

She was shaking, which was better than crying. She’d already cried too much. That morning, she’d gone into work only to find out it was going to be her last day. She’d run out of time. It was over.

Terror gripped her. Without work, she had nowhere to go. It was only the realization that her future was a giant black hole of nothing that had propelled her to her brother’s office. Nothing else could have gotten her there.

Now, as she pushed the door open and stepped inside, she felt the fear fade away. There was only the certainty of being right and the knowledge that somehow she would make him pay.

Nathan sat at his desk. He was on the phone and looking out the window. He obviously hadn’t heard her enter. She stood on the plush carpet and stared at the man who had once been the person she loved most in the world. Years ago…when they’d been small. When they’d only had each other. Before Nathan had left her.

For a second there was only the blood spatters on the wall, but she pushed them away. She had to stay in the moment. She had to remember why she was here.

She looked around the room, taking in the beautiful oversize furnishings, the big desk, the fancy globe on a stand. It was one of those expensive ones with all the countries done in semiprecious gems. Except this was her brother. Maybe they were all the precious ones.

Carefully, quietly, she took the globe from the stand. It was heavy, but that was okay. She lifted it in her arms and threw it as hard as she could against the wall.

The impact was as loud as an explosion. Nearly as loud as a gunshot. The globe shattered, raining shards onto the carpet and leaving a sizable dent in the wall. Nathan turned slowly in his chair and looked at her.

“I’ll have to get back to you,” he said into the phone, and hung up. He stood. “Frankie. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Doesn’t that make this fun?”

He walked around the desk. “How are you?”

“What do you care? You never have. But that’s okay. Because you’re a terrible man. I’m going to destroy you, Nathan. How does that feel, hearing that? I’m going to destroy you.”

“Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

He wasn’t taking her seriously. She hated that! “Are you listening? I’m going to sue you. You’re not getting
the towers. Not ever. You can’t have them. You have too much and I’m going to take it away from you.”

“Why, Frankie? You never cared about material things before.”

“I don’t care, but you do. You want your name so big and high. You want to be famous. But you can’t be. They won’t like it when your own sister sues you. People will talk. The newspapers will say things. You’re going to be in trouble.”

“You can’t hurt me.”

“Want to bet?” Anger burst into life. “I can destroy you, Nathan.”

He leaned against his desk. “Frankie, I want to help. Maybe if you talked to a doctor.”

She laughed. “So you can say you fixed me? I’m not going to give you the pleasure of that.”

“I’ll be there for you.”

“No, you won’t. You were never there. It was all a lie. You said everything would be okay and it wasn’t. It wasn’t and you didn’t come home and I was alone.”

Her eyes burned with tears she blinked away. She could still remember what it had been like—being so terribly alone and afraid.

He took a step toward her. “I’m sorry. I should have come back.”

“You didn’t want anyone to know the truth. That’s why you stayed away.”

He nodded slowly. “You’re right. I was a kid and I…”

“I was younger,” she screamed, hating him, wanting to destroy him. “I was younger and I was there. I was there.”

He took another step toward her. She backed up.

“Stay away,” she told him. “Don’t touch me. I hate you. I’ll always hate you.”

“I’m sorry about that, too.”

“You don’t care about me. You don’t care about anyone. But you do care about your stupid tower. Stupid like you.”

He studied her for a long time. “Will destroying this make up for anything?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t care about that. It doesn’t matter.”

“Frankie, you need help.”

“Not from you. Don’t pretend to be nice.”

“I’m not nice, but I do want to help you.” He hesitated, then said, “You’re my sister.”

“No,” she whispered. “Not anymore. Not for a long time. You’re nothing to me, Nathan. Nothing.”

“That’s not true. If it was true, you wouldn’t be here. I can get you help. Please, Frankie, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

There was something in his voice. Something that made her remember a long-lost summer night. Their father had been drunk and screaming. She’d been afraid, so afraid. Nathan had taken her outside and
sat with her while the screaming went on and on. He’d held her, rocking her.

“Make it stop,” she’d begged him. “Make it stop.”

“I can’t do that,” he’d told her. “I can’t, but I know it doesn’t have to be like this. When I get older it won’t be like this ever again. You won’t have to be afraid. I promise.”

She’d believed him because she’d been young and stupid and he’d been her big brother. But he’d been wrong…about everything.

Weariness washed over her. She turned and left his office. In the foyer, she gave in to the tears, only to realize too late that she wasn’t alone. A tall, thin man sat on the sofa, flipping through a fashion magazine. He was familiar. She made it a point to know most of the people in Nathan’s world. But she couldn’t put a name to the face.

The man stood. “Are you all right?”

She nodded as the tears fell. “It’s just…” And then she remembered. Lance something. He was dating Tim, Nathan’s driver.

She walked over to the chair by the sofa and gave in to the tears. “My brother is unreasonable. He’s always thought he knows best and he’s wrong. I know he’s wrong.”

“You’re Nathan’s sister?” Lance sounded surprised.

Frankie nodded and sniffed loudly. “We’ve been fighting. About that woman he’s seeing. I know she’s just in it for the money. He’s going to be hurt and I
don’t know how to stop that from happening. He won’t listen to me. I’m just his dumb baby sister. I’m just so worried.”

Lance sat across from her and took her hand. She hated being touched and desperately wanted to pull back, but this was for a greater good. If she could just get something on Nathan, anything, she could take it to Grant. She could get what she wanted.

“You don’t have to worry,” Lance told her. “Kerri’s okay.”

“She’s got you snowed, too.”

“Not my type. But I know her. She’s adorable. She’s got a sick kid—Cody. He has what Nathan’s son had.”

Gilliar’s Disease? Frankie shuddered. “So she’s using that to get to Nathan?”

“No. You’d have to know Kerri. She’s totally focused on her son. She and Nathan are just friends. She’s actually helping him out with a project. He gave money to research and now she’s helping him with…” Lance pressed his lips together. “With some things. I can’t really say what.”

How could someone like Kerri help Nathan? A single mom with a sick kid? And why would her brother have given the money in the first place? It wasn’t like Nathan at all. Unless…

There were times when her mind was a dark and scary place and there were times when it was as if a light went on and chased away all the shadows. This was one of those times. She saw exactly what had
happened and how Nathan was using the woman, just like he’d always used people.

She smiled at Lance. “You’ve made me feel a lot better. Thank you.”

“I’m happy to help.”

He probably was, she thought gleefully. Sucker. She stood and waved, then left the foyer. As she rode the elevator down, she pulled out her cell phone to call Grant at the newspaper office. The destruction of Nathan King had begun.

K
ERRI HEARD
the rumble of a truck on the street but didn’t think anything of it until the vehicle came to a stop in front of her house. She glanced out the window, saw it was a rental and was prepared to ignore it until she caught sight of the driver. As Tim was about the biggest man she’d ever seen, she spotted him right away.

Her focus shifted back to the rear of the truck as she wondered what on earth could be inside. If it was a pony, it was going straight back, she told herself, because making a joke was easier than dealing with the guilt that had flickered at the edge of her consciousness ever since Nathan had shown up at the hospital.

She’d been a total bitch. Nothing that had happened had been his fault. Her deal with God was private and not something that made sense to anyone else. Nathan had come through with the money and she owed him. She needed to remember that.

She walked outside and squinted as Tim walked around to the rear of the truck and pulled the back open.

“Is it alive?” she yelled.

He grinned. “Nope. You plug it in. It’s fast, though. I took it for a spin myself.”

She knew that it was unlikely Nathan would have bought her a car, knowing her feelings about her old beat-up machine. Which meant whatever it was had to be for Cody. She could only think of one form of transportation that her son needed right now.

As Tim ducked into the truck, she bit her lower lip and debated whether or not she could accept it. Then Tim rode a shiny new electric wheelchair down a ramp and she knew she didn’t have a choice.

He stopped in front of her, then stood. “I’m going to build a ramp up the front stairs,” he said. “I have all the hardware with me. Nathan said to tell you that refusing the wheelchair is about you and this is about Cody, but judging from the look on your face, I don’t think you’re going to say no.”

“I’m not,” she said, eyeing the expensive piece of machinery and knowing what a difference it would make for Cody. But it did make her wish she hadn’t got quite so cozy with Nathan. Passion complicated everything.

“He’s not a bad guy,” Tim told her. “I like working for him.”

“I never said he was bad. He’s just… I can’t deal with him right now.”

“You can’t control timing.”

“I can’t control anything.”

A
N HOUR LATER
she and Cody turned onto Songwood’s main street.

“There’s already a lot of new construction from the lab opening up again. A developer is bidding for housing projects and the diner is getting a new porch.”

“Maybe I could do wheelies off the sidewalk.”

“Maybe you couldn’t.”

Cody grinned up at her. While he’d hated the idea of giving up his crutches, he’d been excited when he’d seen his superpowered, bright blue wheelchair. Tim had shown him the basics, then let him loose in the driveway. Cody had mastered the controls in a matter of seconds. With the little trailer that had come with it, they could take the chair everywhere they needed to go. It was an amazing gift, worth thousands of dollars. Kerri wondered how she was going to pay Nathan back.

“Whoa, look at that!”

Kerri turned to where Cody pointed and saw a large crane at the edge of town.

“They’re putting in beams for something,” she said. “The crane is a total waste of money. I could have flown those beams up for free. Or maybe just for an order of fries. You know I love my fries.”

“Mo-om.” Cody rolled his eyes. “You can’t fly.”

She pressed a hand to her chest and sucked in a breath, pretending hurt. “What? Of course I can fly.”

“I don’t think so.” He patted her arm. “But it’s important to have goals.”

Having him say what she said was both funny and annoying. He was just so sure. “I could fly if I wanted to.” She’d already talked to Nathan about the possibility.

“Uh-huh.”

They turned at the next street. Cody put his hands on the control. “I want to go really fast to Brandon’s.”

“Sure. I’ll hang back, just to be polite. Because I could fly there if I wanted.”

He rolled his eyes again, then shot forward. The wheelchair raced along the smooth sidewalk, leaving her behind in a matter of seconds. By the time he got to Brandon’s, he was laughing.

Kerri closed her eyes and breathed in the sound. Happiness. At least for now. She wanted so much more for Cody, but it was the best she could do at the moment. Find a way to make him laugh. The next step was going to be to make a miracle come true.

“I
FEEL SO GUILTY
,” Kerri said as she clutched her mug of tea. “He was only trying to be nice. And now I want to ask him a favor and I know I shouldn’t, but it’s for Cody and…” She looked at her friend. “Are you even listening to me?”

Linda smiled. “Of course I am.”

“You seem distracted.” Kerri covered her eyes with her free hand. “Something’s going on in your life and all I’m doing is talking about myself. I’m a terrible friend.”

“You’re not. You’re dealing with a lot of stuff.”

Kerri straightened. “Stuff we don’t have to talk about right now. What’s happening with you? I want details, which is what you’re always telling me.”

Linda shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. Abram is making great progress at the lab.”

“And?”

Linda ducked her head. “He really fell apart when he thought I was leaving. While that’s not why I did it, it’s nice to know that I matter.”

“He would be lost without you.”

“I always thought so, but now he knows it, too. He’s been different. Attentive, caring.”

Kerri knew that Linda stayed with Dr. Wallace because he was brilliant, but also because she loved him.

“You could tell him how you feel,” Kerri pointed out.

“That would be mature and sensible,” her friend said. “I’m not there yet.”

“He’s not going to reject you.”

“Maybe not. But I want to be sure. I think it’s better if the first move comes from him.”

Kerri didn’t want to push, although she couldn’t help thinking that after twenty years, Linda had waited long enough.

“K
ERRI
S
ULLIVAN ON
line two,” his secretary said.

Nathan studied the phone before picking it up.

“If you’re going to say no, I’m not listening,” he told her.

“I can’t refuse,” she said. Her voice was soft and familiar and hit him right in his groin. “It’s for Cody. He needs something like that to get around. I couldn’t possibly afford it.”

Tension he’d ignored faded. “I figured.” He remembered when Daniel had gone into a wheelchair. He’d been horrified, but his son had adjusted quickly, enjoying the speed and freedom. At least until his disease had reached the next stage.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t expect anything like that, especially after what happened when you came to the hospital.”

“You were upset. But, Kerri, none of this is anyone’s fault. It just is.”

“Don’t play the logic card. It won’t work on me.”

“Kerri—”

“No. Don’t, Nathan. I can’t believe anything but what I know to be true. Besides, I called to ask for another favor.”

“Which is?”

“I want to fly.”

It took him a second to remember that conversation in Jason’s office. “Wonder Mom?”

“Yes. Cody doesn’t believe in me anymore. I want to change that. Can you make me fly?”

He pictured her naked, flushed, writhing as his
hands and mouth took her to another dimension. One beyond the heavens where she would fly in the best way possible. But that wasn’t what she was talking about.

“Somewhere in Songwood?” he asked.

“That would be easier, but if you want me soaring across Safeco Field, I won’t say no.”

“The Mariners might object.”

“Those picky baseball players. Okay, Songwood works.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you. I owe you big-time.”

She hung up and he replaced the receiver. Before he could turn back to his computer, Tim walked into his office.

“I want you to know I’m sorry,” his driver told him. “He didn’t mean anything by it. He was trying to do the right thing.”

Nathan frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Tim put a single sheet of paper on his desk. “You should read that.”

Nathan scanned the short letter, then looked back at the other man. “You’re resigning?”

“I’ll save you the trouble of firing me.” Tim sucked in a breath. “A couple of days ago Lance was here, waiting for me. We had plans to go to lunch.” He shifted his feet.

Nathan nodded, still clueless as to the point of all this.

“I got tied up in traffic. He was outside your office, in the waiting area. Your sister was here.” Tim shoved his beefy hands into his slacks pockets. “Frankie came out of your office crying and Lance was concerned. She said she was worried about you seeing Kerri. That Kerri was just in it for the money and you would be hurt and you didn’t need that.”

“My sister would like nothing better than to see me beaten and bleeding.”

“Yeah. I know. But Lance doesn’t, so he explained that Kerri wasn’t in it for the money. That you have an arrangement with her and everything is fine.”

Frankie knew about the deal. Nathan stood and crossed to the window. “She’ll go to the press.” With his luck, she would go straight to Grant Pryor.

“I figured. I just found out this morning.”

What were the odds? He’d known the truth would come out eventually—it had a way of surfacing. But like this?

He stared at the view, at the clouds chasing across the sky, and wondered when things had gone so badly with his sister. Stupid question, he told himself. He knew exactly when. The moment he hadn’t bothered to take care of her.

She’d always been fragile and close to snapping. What she’d gone through would push a rock over the edge. Frankie hadn’t had a chance.

But if he knew where things had gone wrong, he
had no idea how he might have made them better. Had there been times when he could have gotten close to her? Tried to make amends? His gut had always told him what he’d done had been too big to be forgiven, but had he even tried?

More guilt. First about his son’s death, now about his sister. He’d failed them both. Most people believed he didn’t do relationships because he was a heartless bastard. While that was true, there was more to it than that. He was toxic to everyone he cared about.

He turned back to Tim. “You’re not resigning and I’m not firing you. Lance didn’t know.”

“But he told her.”

“I’ll deal with it.”

Not that he had a choice. In truth, Frankie’s attitude was his problem, his fault. He should have handled things differently from the beginning.

“I have a team of expensive lawyers on retainer,” Nathan said. “They’re about to earn their money.”

Tim nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Let it go.”

His driver left the office. Nathan moved to the desk and picked up the phone, then dialed a number he’d memorized without meaning to.

“I’m coming up,” he said when Kerri said hello.

“Nathan—”

“This is business.”

“Then I’ll be waiting.”

K
ERRI DELIBERATELY DID
nothing to get ready for Nathan’s visit. She resisted the need to straighten the living room and reapply her makeup. She put out a plate of cookies because it was polite and warned Cody they’d have a visitor. Her son barely looked up from the book he was reading.

“Okay, Mom. Is he bringing fried chicken again?”

“Probably not.”

Without any incentive to join the adults, Cody returned his attention to his book.

On his bed, with his legs stretched out and his stocking feet hanging over the edge, he seemed like any normal kid. As long as she didn’t look too closely and notice the electric wheelchair parked at the side of the bed or the crutches in the corner.

She moved back and closed the door behind her.

With nothing else to occupy her, she had plenty of time to get nervous. To worry about seeing Nathan again and tell herself she wasn’t going to react to him anymore. There would be no fantasies about him kissing her and her kissing him back. No memories of their bodies pressing and the heat he could generate with the lightest touch. He was nothing more than the man she’d agreed to help in return for fifteen million dollars. Not some hot, single guy who made her blood heat and her thighs whimper.

Fifteen minutes later she’d given herself a second stern talking-to, rearranged the spice rack into an almost alphabetical order and sorted laundry. She
was so busy trying
not
to listen for Nathan’s car that she actually missed it when he pulled up. A sharp knock on the door startled her so much she dropped all of Cody’s socks.

She kicked them behind the door to the small utility room off the kitchen and walked to the front of the house.

“Hi,” she said as she let Nathan in. “You made good time.”

“Not a lot of traffic.”

He looked the same as he always did—dark, dangerous and solitary. He was not a man she would seek out, yet here he was—involved in her world. How had that happened?

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she settled on the sofa.

He took the worn club chair on the other side of the battered coffee table.

“The press knows about our deal.”

“Not possible. I haven’t told anyone.”

“The leak came from my end.”

“You wouldn’t have told anyone, either.”

“It was my sister.”

The one he didn’t have contact with? “How?” she asked. “I thought you never saw her anymore.”

“She came to the office.” He stared past her, as if remembering the visit. “She was angry. She’s been working for a tree-hugging newsletter. They’re not even close to legitimate, so they can’t get funding.
They can’t hang on any longer. She blames me. She wants me punished.”

“Did you do anything to deserve that?”

He looked at her, his eyes the color of night. “Not with her newsletter. They’re not worth the effort.”

Talk about lacking support. “I take it you’re not a fan of environmentalists.”

“They’re fine if they have a point. In her world, punishing me is enough reason. She hates the idea of the towers and wants to stop me. She was angry. When she left, she ran into Lance and convinced him she was terrified that you were out to get me and that I wouldn’t listen to reason where you were concerned.”