The Henson Brothers: Two Complete Novels (74 page)

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Adriana rested her hands on her hips, tapped her foot, and glared at her ex-husband. "You're wrong."

"She told me all about him," Laurence said.

"She doesn't know him."

"She dated him. He asked her to marry him. She refused because of what he is."

"She's lying. I was—"

"She has pictures of them dating. He has asked wealthy women to marry him before. Don't you understand? He's trying to marry up."

"I'm hardly wealthy."

"But you have a name and Nina, which connects you to me."

"Laurence—"

"This isn't a discussion. He's a con artist. You have to make a choice. You can do whatever you want with your life, but not my daughter's."

"So now she's an interest to you? The love of your life doesn't matter?"

"Go ahead and be childish. I can fight you on this. In the courts you know who will win. However, you do like to be impulsive. Perhaps you would like to try," he said in a mocking voice.

"You're so damn arrogant and selfish. You only care about yourself."

"Selfish?" His voice cracked. "I'm trying to keep you safe. You're a train heading for disaster. You argue with me out of habit, not sense."

"That's not true."

"Why won't you accept alimony?"

"Because I want to be independent of you and your money."

"Money is money, it holds no chains."

"Of course it does. It comes with a price." She waved her hands. "Look at us! I'm not even taking money from you and you're still trying to control my life."

"I'm not trying to control your life. I've never said anything about your men before. But this time I must. Eric is dangerous, he's clever."

"Too clever for me?"

He softened his voice and held her arms. "I've known you since you were nineteen. You were my wife, you're the mother of my child. I'll always care for you, about you. It's my job. You deserve better than some guy trying to marry your name or what you can give him." His voice grew hard. "You're not used to men like him, but I am."

"Just because your sister married a gold digger doesn't mean I will."

"You don't know that. No matter how exciting he seems to be, he is no good. Look at the danger he put Nina in. Who knows what other unsavory 'friends' he has? Maybe you could be next. You could disappear and he would come to me to get the money to rescue you. I won't sit by and watch you make a mistake like this again. It's either him or Nina."

"No." She yanked away from him and went to her room, slamming her door.

Eric came into the room then. He could feel Laurence's eyes on him, but chose to ignore them. His concern was with Adriana and Nina.

"I came to say good-bye," he said in a casual tone, taking off his coat.

"Permanently, I believe."

He swung his coat over his shoulder. "How much are you going to offer?"

Laurence looked smug. "I knew this was about money."

"No. I just wanted to see how far you would go to insult me."

"I want you out of their lives."

"I'm not going anywhere." He headed to Adriana's room.

"You have a brother that owns a few restaurants, don't you?"

Eric halted and turned.

Laurence smiled. "Good, you're beginning to understand me."

Eric adjusted his glasses, saying nothing.

"They're very popular restaurants, the Blue Mango and the Red Hut," Laurence said in a conversational tone. "Don't restaurants live on their reputations? It would be unfortunate to give them a bad one. Think how quickly business will falter. I would hate to have to say something awful about the service or the food. However, a man in my position has to do his duty."

Eric glared at him. "You can't win."

"I think I have." Laurence went to the door. "And if my little scenario didn't make up your mind, think about this. If Adriana continues to see you, I'm taking Nina." He opened the door. "I'll give you a chance to say good-bye. But I'm returning later to make sure you're gone for good."

Eric stood paralyzed, gripped in rage. Laurence had beat him. He was going to take Nina and ruin Drake's business. But Laurence wouldn't do anything if he left. Yes, he would leave. He could start fresh away from his brother, away from Adriana and Nina. Go somewhere where his past wouldn't hurt those he loved.

"He can't threaten you," Adriana said behind him.

Eric didn't turn. "He did pretty well."

"He can't do this. He can't control our lives."

"He can. Damn ginnygog. He's a powerful man. Drake and I may have money, but not the prestige. He has influential friends. He could crush us like beetles." He sat on the edge of the couch. "How's Nina?"

"Why don't you see her?"

He shook his head.

"She thinks this is her fault."

"It's Lynda's fault." He laughed bitterly. "No, it's my fault. Mine alone."

"I'll handle Lynda and—"

"Doesn't matter."

"It does. People like Lynda and Laurence think they can do whatever they want."

"Probably because they can. We're the little people. The few ways I could get back at him would be illegal. Satisfying but illegal."

"In this game it's who you know." She toyed with her earring. "Who do we know that is as rich as Laurence with the same background?"

He shrugged.

"This isn't hopeless. I just have to think." She grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet. "Please say something to Nina. She wants to see you."

He walked into Nina's room and found her on the bed with her knees drawn to her chest, her head held down.

"Hello, Nina."

"It's all my fault," she said in a tear-soaked voice.

"No, none of this is your fault."

"Dad says that a small pebble can create a big wave."

Yes, and your father's a baboon.
"You're not a pebble. You're a little girl who had a very horrible thing happen to her. It shouldn't have."

Nina peeked up at him. "I didn't cry when it happened."

Eric sat on the bed and touched her hand. "Do you want to cry now?"

"No." She hesitated and straightened. "Aren't you happy I'm back?"

"Of course I am."

"You don't seem it. You seem sad and Dad was angry with you. Why?"

He stood, needing to create a distance from her. "I can't see you anymore."

Tears threatened. "Why not?"

He went over to the window and pulled the curtains aside to stare out.
Because your father doesn't think I deserve you.
"Your father loves you very much and—"

Nina sat up, her feet falling to the floor. "But don't you love me too? Just a little?"

He felt his throat close. He nodded.

"Then why do you have to go away?"

He swallowed and turned to her. "Your father wants to keep you safe."

She frowned. "But you'd never hurt me."

"No, but..." Why couldn't she just understand so he could leave? He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know how in stories there are good guys and bad guys?"

"Yes."

"Your father is a good guy and—"

"So are you."

"No." He leaned against the wall and shook his head, shoving his glasses back on. "I wasn't always. I used to play tricks on people."

She tilted her head to the side. "Like Anansi?"

"Exactly."

Understanding dawned. "Oh, that's bad."

"I know."

She paused. "But that doesn't mean
you're
bad." She stood, staring up at him. "You don't play tricks anymore. Right?"

"Right."

"I used to play tricks but you said I was good."

"It's different. I'm—"

"It's not different. People change."

He rested on one knee so they were at eye level. "People don't always think like that."

Nina stomped her foot, angry. "But they should. It's not fair that you have to go away. It's not fair at all. And it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault."

She turned from him and fell on the bed pounding her fists. "It is! It is! I shouldn't have gone with him. But he told me you were hurt and I went with him when I shouldn't have. They tell you not to go with strangers and I did. I'm stupid and dumb and I ruined everything." She began to pound the bed harder. "Everything's my fault. Everything!"

"Nina." He said her name gently, cutting through her tantrum.

She stopped pounding but didn't look at him.

Eric grasped her shoulders. "You aren't stupid. He was a trickster. You can't blame yourself." He lifted her up to face him. "You're home safe now and you'll never go with a trickster again."

Her eyes swam with tears. "I don't want you to go away." She wrapped her arms around him. "Please don't go away. Please."

For the first time in years moisture built in his eyes. "Nina, you already have a dad, you don't need me."

"You're my friend. Please. I'll tell Dad you're not like Anansi. I'll tell him you're good. Please don't go away.
Please."

He held her close, unable to say yes.

Chapter 15

He left her room and leaned his head back against the wall. He tried to gather the pieces of the foundation to rebuild the brick wall, but they continued to crumble. He took off his glasses and covered his eyes, fighting against tears. He didn't belong here. He had nothing here he could claim as his own.

"Eric," Adriana said softly.

He couldn't look at her. He turned away. "Don't say anything."

"Eric," she said again in the same soft voice, drawing him to her as if she were an oasis to a man lost in the desert.

He resisted the need to be close to her. She romanticized him, felt sorry for him.

"Laurence thinks of people as part of his inventory, but we're individuals. Nina loves you and so do I. We want you to be a part of our lives." She cupped the side of his face. "Look at me please."

He shut his eyes. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because if I look at you I won't be able to leave."

She slapped him across the face. He sent her a venomous glare.

"Go ahead and be angry at me," she said. "But don't rebuild that damn wall. You shut people out, afraid of being hurt. Well, you're hurting now, right? The pain is real, burning. No layer of ice will heal it. But we can together."

He turned away.

"We're already falling, Eric. There's no turning back, but there's nothing to fear at the bottom."

"There's separation, loss—"

"Or renewal. Look at me."

He did. The ice had melted into a river of such anguish, tears stung her own eyes. She held him. "Stop punishing yourself."

"It's what I know. Because of me Drake's business is at risk and you could lose your daughter. I've hurt Nina. And for what? Because I—" His voice faltered. "I was reckless once and will never be again."

"We both know survival creates different rules, different codes of conduct."

"That doesn't matter. The results are the same. Someone gets hurt."

She bit her lip. "I have an idea."

His voice hardened. "You're not listening to me."

"No, you're not listening to yourself. You're as bad as Nina. People mistreat you and you blame yourself. Laurence is wrong. He doesn't trust you partly because of what Lynda told him and partly from his own prejudice. I won't stand for that and neither should you. He's no better than you are, though in the hierarchy of things it appears that way. If they want to use their background as a weapon, I know someone who can handle them."

"Who?" he asked, curious in spite of himself. The tempting allure of risk was calling to him again.

"Kevin Jackson."

Eric lifted a brow wary. "The rich playboy? The one who had nearly every woman at Drake and Cassie's wedding drooling?"

"Yes."

He shook his head. "No."

She ignored him. "I'll get Cassie to talk to him. He would do anything for her."

"And the fact that Drake hates him doesn't bother you?"

"He doesn't have to find out." She smiled. "No worries. Do you trust me?"

Eric glanced up at the ceiling. "I don't trust myself."

Adriana grasped his shirt and forced him to look at her. "That wasn't the question. Do you trust
me?"

He gazed down at her. Her caramel eyes were full of mischief. A ghost of a smile touched his mouth. "Yes."

* * *

Kevin Jackson owned three homes, but he loved his Maryland estate the best. Especially in the spring. He sat on the patio watching the cardinals darting through the trees, as the blue sky melted into the lush green lawn.

"Mrs. Henson is here," his assistant said.

His heart accelerated. Cassie had arrived. He knew a part of him would always love her. "Great, I'll meet her in the living room."

Cassie came onto the patio and said, "Too late, I'm already here."

He was a handsome man who used his good looks to his best advantage. He used them now to flash a heartrending smile. She looked lovely in a pink floral slip dress that hugged her luscious figure, which could fill a man with sinful thoughts. He didn't discourage them. No one would mistake him for a saint.

He stood and kissed her on the cheek. "Hello."