A Bad Boy is Good to Find (33 page)

“This is Leeza from Eyewitness news,”

“Oh, hi, Leeza.” She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Danny lifted a big hand and placed it on her thigh in a proprietary manner. She tried to ignore the surge of heat that caused. “Any news on the DNA test?”

It was purely a formality. They all knew Con was the heir, but they planned to show the test on screen, with a brief explanation of the cutting edge technology involved. Once that was done they could pretty much wrap up and get out of here. They’d already shot a bunch of establishing shots of Con in the house and garden; they had their touching reunion. As soon as they got these last shots she could get back home and—

Danny’s mouth closed over her wet pussy. His tongue flicked and made her hips buck.

Maybe she’d have to take him home in her suitcase too.

He was twenty-one and totally uneducated. He knew what to do with that tongue, though.

“What is it, Leeza?” she said impatiently into the phone. Her nipples were tingling. She had better things to do than listen to dead air.

“I’m sorry.” She heard papers rustling at the other end of the line. “I’ve got the test results, and I’m trying to make head or tail of them. This doesn’t seem to make any sense.”

“Con, what are you doing? You don’t have any clothes on!”

Gia’s voice penetrated his consciousness as he reached the front door. Holy shit, he had the hangover to end all and Lizzie was roaring off down the drive in the Jeep. His muscles itched to go leap in the van and chase after her, but as Gia had observed he was buck naked.

Idiot. He couldn’t have grabbed some pants before running downstairs?

“Shit.” He banged his fist on the doorframe. “Where is she going?”

“It doesn’t really matter,” murmured Dino, who stood at the top of the stairs next to Gia wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. “We don’t need her anymore. Only a few last shots to wrap up and we can get out of here.”

“I need her.” Con stared out the door. Raw terror gripped him at the thought of losing her. He turned to face them. “I love her.”

“Conroy, could you do us all a favor and put some clothes on?” Raoul stood in his doorway, wearing a Japanese robe. “I don’t doubt she’ll be back in your arms before sundown, but my blood pressure medication isn’t up to your bare ass running all over the place.”

Roger, sitting on the couch holding his head, tossed Con a pair of jeans from a pile on the floor beside him. Con caught them and put them on. “Can I take the van?”

“Why?” Dino itched his crotch. “You have no idea where she’s going. Just relax. She’ll come back.”

No, she won’t.
He’d never been so sure of anything. He couldn’t breathe.

“Conroy!” Maisie’s voice rang out as he heard the back door slam. She marched into the living room wearing only a dirty white towel. She had grass in her hair. “I’ve just got a call from Leeza over at Eyewitness.” She paused and sucked in a breath. Looked down. “There’s some bad news I’m afraid.”

“What?” He stared down the driveway, burning to get the hell out of there.

“The results of the DNA test came back and I’m afraid it appears there’s a zero percent chance you’re related to Thomas Milford.” Her pale eyes looked almost soft. “So you’re not the heir.”

Lizzie couldn’t get far. She didn’t have any cash
.

Maisie’s words sank in.

“I’m not a match? But I thought they were sure?”

Maisie bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry, Con,” she said softly.

Con scraped a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand.”

“Don’t worry about the show. The reunion with your brother was beautiful. That’s quite enough for us to put together an hour package so you’ll get the full fifty thousand just like we—”

“Where’s Danny?”

“Um,” she tucked some hair behind her ear. Danny wandered up behind her wearing only his jeans. He also had grass in his hair and a sheepish expression on his face. Con felt a hot surge of relief that at least his brother was still here.

“Lizzie’s gone,” he burst out. “Just took off. She didn’t understand that I want to marry her for real. She thought I was blowing her off and she—”

“Hey.” Danny strode up to him. “Don’t worry. We’ll get her back.” He embraced Con, who realized he was shaking. “Let’s get some water. I’m hung over something fierce and I bet you are too.”

“Um,” Maisie hoisted her towel higher. “Has anyone seen Dwight?”

Chapter 24

“I
guess our mom was illegitimate.” Con was trying to make sense of how the DNA evidence didn’t mesh with the evidence of the letters and the will. “That could explain why the old man cut her loose and didn’t read her letters. He might have known.”

“So how come he left the house to her?” Gia asked. She and Roger were sitting with Con and Danny in the untidy dressing room, while Gia half-heartedly packed up embroidered tablecloths and silver cutlery.

“He didn’t. I never saw the will,” Con said, “but it leaves the estate to the owner’s firstborn. No mention of names. It long predates that generation, so if we’re not his kin, we’re out in the cold. Maybe in the old days no one would have known, but now with DNA evidence…” He shrugged. “I don’t know who’ll get it. Probably that lawyer that spent up the estate money and is getting ready to buy it from the parish.”

Nothing about this new turn of events surprised him. Being a no-count outsider was pretty much par for the course. As if someone like him could ever own a place like this?

That was as crazy as his idea of marrying Lizzie.

He felt cold all over.

Danny clapped a hand on his back. “Houses are nothin’ but trouble. Leakin’ roofs, lawns that need mowin’, bills to pay. You don’t need that.”

“Nice try, bro.” Con punched him lightly on his huge bicep.

“So, where d’you think your woman has gone to?”

Con shook his head. “The airport maybe? I don’t know where she’d go except back to New York.”

“We’d better get going then. But we need to get my truck from the bar. Who’s gonna drive us over?”

Con put his hand on Danny’s forearm. “No use going anywhere. It’s over.”

“What’s over?”

“Me and Lizzie.”

Saying it out loud socked him in the gut. He jumped to his feet and out of the room, damned if he was going to let anyone see him cry. He slammed out the back door and sucked in some air.

Danny was right behind him. “It’s not over. You love her, right?”

“Yes,” Con managed to keep his voice steady. “But that doesn’t mean a damn thing. When I thought this house was mine and that I was rich I knew I could ask her to marry me, to come live with me here. But without it—” He shook his head. He’d offered to marry her out in the desert. She’d turned him down flat.

“What?” Danny’s face creased into amusement. “You have to be a royal prince for this chick? I don’t get it.”

“She’s from a rich family. Filthy rich, old money.”

“So you’ll live on her dough.” Danny slapped his back. “What’s the problem?”

Con let out a hollow laugh. “Funny you should mention it, but that was my original plan.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “Now she’s broke too.”

“Nothing wrong with that. You’re even, you can build your empire together.”

“Empire? Doing what? I’m a mechanic. She does graphic design, or something like that.”

“Sounds good. What’s the problem?”

Con wrinkled his brow. Hmm. What was the problem? “We fixed up a car together. I rebuilt the engine and she sprayed it. She’s an amazing talent, a real artist, I’ve never seen anything like it. We turned a profit of eleven thousand dollars in a couple of days.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

“It was kind of an emergency situation, I don’t know if she’d do it again.” Con looked at him. His brother’s eyes were so blue, like the sky out over the gulf. A heavy weight on his heart made it hard to breathe. “Our old man married a pretty rich girl and ended up ruining her life. She’ll be better off without me.”

“Big brother.” Danny grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Does she know you love her?”

“Of course she…well, I don’t know.” Con rubbed a hand over his face. “I guess I never did say it to her. I was waiting for the right moment. I wanted it to be perfect. But that was before, you know, the DNA.” A funk crept over him like the sticky heat. “She won’t want me now.”

“So you say, bro, but from what I saw last night, she’s crazy about you. Love doesn’t have anything to do with money—it comes from in here.” Danny tapped Con’s chest with a brawny finger. “I bet you that right now she’s cryin’ her eyes out, wishing you were there to put your arms around her.”

Con stared at him. The image of Lizzie crying cut into him like a boning knife.

She thought he’d screwed her over.
Dumped her now he didn’t need her money anymore. He had to set that straight, at least.

Adrenaline roared through him. “Let’s go get your truck. And don’t you start lecturing me on love, little brother. What the hell do you know about it?”

Danny grinned. “That’s the spirit!”

Lizzie wasn’t at the airport. She wasn’t at the bus station, or the train station. Danny rolled his eyes while Con made nervous phone calls to the police and local hospitals, who’d never heard of her either.

“Must be still on the road.” Con snapped his phone shut and drummed his knuckles on the dash of Danny’s truck.

“Maybe we can check her credit cards? See if she’s used one. You know the numbers?”

“Um, yeah. I’m afraid I do. I filched them from her wallet and made some payments without telling her.”

“You still got that amazing memory?”

“Old habits die hard.” Con winked and flipped his phone open.

“Dwight!” Maisie plastered on her biggest smile. “Finally, I have a few moments. I was so excited when I heard you were coming.” The chef had whipped together some oyster po’boys for lunch and the remaining members of the crew were gathered on the patio. She’d been delayed by a phone call with Don so she was the last to attack the buffet.

“Really.” Dwight helped himself to some coleslaw.

“I would have spent more time with you last night, but this show just sucks up every living second. You know how it is when you have one of your big bond deals going through.”

“Oh, yes.” Dwight picked up a little bottle of Evian. He wouldn’t meet her eye.

“Is something the matter?” She smeared a dollop of mayonnaise on her bread.

“Is something the matter?” repeated Dwight, in a flat voice. “I’d say so, wouldn’t you?”

Maisie’s brow furrowed. She swatted a wasp away from the mayonnaise. “What do you mean?”

Dwight chuckled. Instead of asking her where she’d like to sit, he went and sat on the edge of a low wall, near Raoul.

“Would you like to join me at the table?” she asked brightly.

“Not really.” He took a big bite of his sandwich.

“Sorry, Dwight, am I missing something?” She cocked her head, getting a nasty feeling that a scene was coming on. But it couldn’t be, not with Dwight. That was the most wonderful thing about him. You could count on him to be discreet, tasteful and highly appropriate at all times.

“I’d say so.”

Of course he wasn’t the most sparkling conversationalist, Maisie reflected as she seated herself next to him on the uncomfortable stone wall and took a bite of her sandwich. But that’s why you had friends. Choosing a husband was like picking a tasteful wallpaper pattern that wouldn’t get tiresome for being too overwhelming. “This oyster is marvelous, isn’t it? What’s in the batter, André?”

“Beer,” said the chef, as he stirred the fresh mayonnaise.

“Ah. Very cunning.” She took another neat bite.

Dwight dabbed his lips with his napkin. “I’m obviously never going to get a moment truly alone with you, and I suppose everyone would know sooner or later, so I’ll be frank…” Maisie’s throat tightened around her last mouthful of oyster. “I came here to break off our pathetic excuse for an engagement.”

“What?” Crumbs flew from her mouth. “You can’t!”

“No? Just watch me.” He took another bite. Raoul murmured something inaudible in his ear.

Maisie’s ears buzzed as hot disbelief made it hard to think straight. “But the napkins have already been monogrammed. The silver commemorative wedding goblets are being engraved by artisans in Sierra Leone. My one-of-a-kind lace veil is being hand-netted in Lausanne—”

“Then tell them to stop,” Dwight said through a mouthful. “Because the wedding’s off.”

“Why?” Her voice came out as a plaintive wail. She cleared her throat and asked more calmly, “why?”

“Let’s see. Where do I start? Oh, yes, you don’t love me, I don’t love you, and I’m gay.” He took another bite of sandwich.

“What?” she squeaked. “You’re not gay!”

Dwight looked at her. “Trust you to think you know better than I do. I would feel sorry if I thought I was really hurting you. At one point I was delusional enough to think that we were a good match in a practical, looks-good-in-print kind of way. And I would have rather died than admit that I wasn’t, shall we say, ‘into’ women.”

Maisie blinked. Frankly, it explained a few things.

“Anyway, I’ve fallen in love. His name is Matthew, and he’s a real estate developer and we’re going to build a house in Greenwich together.”

“I’m so happy for you,” she spat. “And where exactly does that leave me?”

“Exactly where you’ve been all this time. Pursuing your own goals without regard for anyone else, and—from what I heard last night—screwing any thick-necked brute who grunts in your direction.”

Maisie felt her face coloring. Had they heard? She’d been discreet. And that nasty characterization was uncalled for. At least Danny wasn’t around to hear it. Since he and Con had gone off to look for Lizzie, the intoxicating effect he’d had on her had worn off a bit, but she wasn’t quite sure what would happen when she saw him again.

“Now, now,” said Raoul. “There’s no need to get bitchy.” He patted Dwight’s knee. “Maisie has her needs that have clearly been going unmet.”

“I’ll say!” Maisie narrowly resisted the urge to throw her plate of po’boy at him. “You’ve got some nerve acting angry with me when you’re the one who’s been living a lie this whole time.”