Reunited in Love (6 page)

Leaving on a high—and clean—note was far better.

The doorman looked at her with curiosity.

“Any chance of catching a cab at this hour?” she asked.

“Not a problem, ma’am. Lemme call you one.”

She didn’t have to wait long. She slid inside the taxi and let out a breath. Spend an entire night at a boyfriend’s—or lover’s—place? Hadn’t happened yet, and probably never would. She preferred to keep things at a proper distance and didn’t plan on changing her ways, especially not for Ethan. She knew she’d been right to peg him as being unmanageable. When dealing with such men, it was even more imperative to stick to her rules: don’t get too attached; don’t give them any power over you; keep things in perspective. Rules that ensured nobody could ever hurt her again.

*

“Anyway, Jacob’s missing. His stripper wife too. They—”

“Wait, what?” Ethan blinked. “Catherine’s become a
stripper?
”

“No, no. He apparently married some Vegas bimbo years ago. Some spur of the moment thing, but she showed up in Houston last week demanding to see him.”

“What, at his house? Was Catherine there?”

“No, thank god. At our office. But Catherine, ah, well…she’s not, ah, married to Jacob anymore. Technically speaking.” Simon Caldwell, an executive from The Lloyds Development, cleared his throat. “Actually, she was never his wife. He married this other woman before he met Catherine, and he didn’t, ah, resolve that union. So Catherine and Jacob’s marriage was never valid in the first place.”

Ethan swore and kicked. His wheeled chair spun lazily.

“Look, Ethan. We’re up against Sterling & Wilson on another critical bid, and there’s nobody here to steer TLD.”

Ethan knew what that meant. Jacob was apparently MIA, and his family didn’t believe in letting strangers control their company; too many Lloyds depended on the dividends to maintain their lifestyles.

“You haven’t been involved in running the company, but you’re next in line,” Simon continued.

Ethan put his foot down, stopping the chair, and stared out the giant floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The neighborhood sparkled with night lights and traffic on I-66 flowing in and out of Washington DC. The oldest of the Lloyd siblings, Jacob had made sure his brothers and sister weren’t welcome in the family business. Ethan had joined the company after graduating from college, but left within two years when Jacob had made it clear Ethan’s presence was unwanted. It had been easier to step aside and avoid unnecessary conflict. Jacob could not only be stubborn but hot-tempered as well. There hadn’t been any reason to provoke him, especially when the business was doing well.

“It’s not the first time TLD has gone up against Sterling & Wilson, so it’s not like you don’t know what needs to be done. I’m not free at the moment to devote much time to a new project,” Ethan said, thinking of Global Strategies and glancing briefly at the wall adjacent to his bedroom.

“I know, but you’re the second oldest and have the experience and business savvy. It makes sense that you take over until Jacob comes back.”

Ethan tapped the arm of his chair with his index finger. What would they have done if he’d remained overseas? He’d been in charge of European operations at Global Strategies and worked out of its London office until a few months ago. There was always Gavin, his youngest brother, but he didn’t seem to get along with Jacob…or Catherine, for that matter. Gavin wouldn’t want to deal with TLD if Catherine remained in Houston or on the TLD board.

“Have you tried Jacob’s cell or email?” Ethan asked.

“We’ve tried everything. Messages go straight to voice mail. Email has so far been unanswered. We couldn’t locate him by the GPS on his car either. He left it at a motel in Louisiana. Probably using the stripper’s car now.”

A stripper. From Vegas. What a cliché.

Ethan rubbed his face, suddenly weary. “Catherine knows everything?” He needed to tell her if she didn’t. He didn’t like her much, but he didn’t relish having to give her the bad news.

“I believe he texted her, so yes.”

Ethan sighed, both disappointed and furious with his brother. A text? Jacob should’ve talked to her in person. That was the least she deserved after four years of marriage, even though it was no secret she was a gold-digger. Jacob hadn’t cared so long as he had a beautiful, well-bred wife to grace his home. And Catherine certainly did fit that particular bill.

“How about Mother?”

“I imagine Mrs. Lloyd has been informed by now,” Simon said carefully.

And she would be upset. The Lloyd family matriarch put the well-being of the family over everything else. Ethan’s hand clenched. He hated it that he wasn’t going to be able to shield his mother from the taint of the scandal. People would talk, that was inevitable. And there was nothing good about the situation, no way to put a better spin on it.

Damn it, Jacob
.

Ethan turned his chair away from the glass wall and back to his desk. “Okay,” he said. “Let me see what I can do.”

He hung up, thinking quickly. Clearly, there needed to be a shift in his priorities. Delegate some tasks at Global Strategies and let Alex know he might need some time to look into the family business. It shouldn’t be that difficult. The Lloyds Development was solid, with a good balance sheet and strong cash flow. He just needed to establish systems so that it would run without him, then check on it every quarter or so to make sure the company was on the right track. The family would be taken care of regardless of who was nominally in charge at TLD.

Meanwhile, he also needed to get in touch with Pattington. He was the owner of a large PI firm on retainer with the Lloyds to handle everything the family needed, and they paid a premium for both excellent service and absolute discretion. Pattington would be able to locate Jacob. His brother liked money and the kind of lifestyle it afforded him. It wouldn’t be long before he accessed his accounts or used his credit cards, and Pattington was excellent at locating missing people and hidden information. If it hadn’t been for his efforts fifteen years earlier, Ethan himself might have been one of those who were cleared by law but guilty in everyone’s eyes.

Feeling more optimistic now, Ethan returned to the bedroom, then stopped short when he saw only a rumpled sheet on the empty bed. Had Kerri gone to the bathroom? He scanned the master suite.

No. Her clothes were missing…along with her shoes.

Who wore stilettos to the bathroom in the middle of the night?

He let out a vicious curse.
Of all the…
He’d turned away for fifteen minutes, and she’d run.

Again.

His mind sorted the night’s events. He’d noticed the way she’d refused to speak about her family, evading his gentle probing questions like an eel. Not even her career, which she must’ve worked very hard at, seemed to hold much emotional appeal to her—she’d spoken casually of leaving her job. And Ethan didn’t buy the idea that she’d left because she’d gotten tired of the hours. People who climbed as far as she had didn’t quit without a good reason or a better and more lucrative position waiting for them.

From what little he’d been able to piece together, she kept everyone and everything at arm’s length, except possibly for Natalie. And she was very good at not revealing personal information. Which, when he thought about it, was really kind of amazing. What woman didn’t like to talk about herself?

Ethan sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing for a few moments. He needed to calm down and think. First point: it would be a mistake to go after her. If her MO was to stay aloof—which she’d apparently perfected over the years—he would have to come up with a targeted plan to neutralize it. Unlike the last time, he didn’t have to leave on business. And he knew
exactly
where to find her come morning.

KERRI GOT UP EARLY, still feeling the time difference. Her plan to sleep the morning away was clearly not going to work, so she ordered room service, stepped into the shower and washed until her skin was red from the hot water. Her thoughts kept returning to Ethan, her body still throbbing from their lovemaking the night before.

Well, she’d been deprived for a while. Of course she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Keep telling yourself that
.

She wrapped a towel around her head and scowled as she shrugged into a robe and left the bathroom. Now with the light of the day glaring in her face, sneaking out seemed a little juvenile. She should’ve said, “Hey, thanks for a great time. Catch you on the flip side,” or some such and walked out, head held high.

If she were in his shoes, she would be pissed.

Still, what was done was done. Hopefully Ethan would be cool about the situation. She’d apologize, of course, even though she hated to. Apologies sort of undermined the whole “establish control” thing, but there weren’t a lot of other options. Pretending that she hadn’t done anything wrong or that it didn’t matter would be worse.

She should man up, so to speak, and just get it over with.

Her phone rang. She glanced at the screen. One of her far-flung family—actually, the only one who could be calling: her second cousin.

She stuck her Bluetooth headset into her ear. “Hey, Justin.”

“Hey, Kerri!” The voice was familiar and warm. “How come you didn’t call when you checked in?”

“Sorry. Kind of a hectic day.” An understatement.

“Congratulations on ditching the PIs.”

“Thank you for not hiring the best.”

“You’re welcome. But you know, I can only keep your secret for so long.”

“You promised.” Justin was the only member of the family who had known Kerri’s whereabouts. They’d run into each other in Hong Kong a year after she started working for Goldreich. At her behest he’d kept her secret, but on one condition: she had to stay in touch and let him know she was okay. The situation had put him at odds with the rest of the family, but he really hadn’t had a choice. Kerri would simply have disappeared again if he’d told anyone.

“It’s not that. Eventually, Barron’s going to get tired of waiting and decide to do it himself. Once he gets involved, that’s it. He’s going to fire the PIs I got and hire his own.”

Kerri’s mouth tightened. When Barron had decided he wanted his granddaughter back in his life and demanded to know where she was, no one in the family could help him. Only Justin had known, and he’d never broken his promise. So Barron had ordered Justin to locate Kerri. Sympathizing with Kerri but unable to directly defy the family patriarch, Justin’s solution had been to hire mediocre PIs and kept her informed of what they were up to. That was the only reason she’d been able to leave Hong Kong before Barron had descended upon Goldreich with his entourage.

She really hadn’t needed her grandfather marching into her office and causing a scene. Even if she hadn’t actually been there, and no matter what he might have intended. Everywhere he went, people fell to their knees to please him. He was
the
Barron Sterling, and there were people in her office who would have handed her over to him hogtied if they thought they could score some points.

She still didn’t know why she should have to see him. What good could come of it? Their reunion would only open old wounds, and it was better if they each pretended the other didn’t exist.

Still, none of this was Justin’s fault. “Hmm. Might have to start hanging out with some shady characters. Maybe get a fake identity.” It was only half a joke.

“You’ve been watching too much TV. I thought your job kept you busy.”

“It did, till I was more or less forced to quit.” She shook her head. “Barron doesn’t get to decide when and where we can be a family. He had his chance.”

“Give him another. He’s getting old, and losing his daughter really affected him. Don’t do anything you’ll regret later.”

“Losing Mom affected a lot of people.” Kerri tapped the cap on her facial lotion. “Justin, really, I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’m not sure if I care.” Barron only wanted her back so he could fill the void left by his daughter Renée’s death. It had nothing to do with how he felt about Kerri. If Renée hadn’t passed away, Barron might have never noticed his only grandchild was missing. Why would he? He was the one eager to send her off to boarding school in Europe as soon as she’d turned three.

Brisk knocking dragged her out of her morose thoughts. Maybe her mood would perk up after a nice,
healthy
, doctor-approved breakfast. Dinner last night had been her final indulgence. It was home-cooked Italian after all.

“Hold on a sec.” She opened the door, and her mouth fell open at the sight of a hard-eyed Ethan. A blue silk shirt and black trousers with creases sharp as a cutlass’s blade enhanced the aura of danger around him. The rolled up sleeves revealed his powerful forearms, and a black jacket hung from one hooked index finger. His shoulder-width stance reminded her of a pirate standing on the rolling deck of his ship, about to close with the enemy.

She pulled her bathrobe tighter and unconsciously touched the thick white towel wrapped around her head like a turban. “Gotta go,” she whispered into the headset. “We can talk more later.”

She ended the call and looked at Ethan. “Hey… What are you doing here?” What timing. She wasn’t even dressed.

“Thought we’d have a little talk,” he said.

Her fingers dug deeper into the soft terrycloth. She was painfully aware of her naked body underneath. This was far worse than meeting him in the teeny top and skirt at the airport. “About…?”

“Venture a guess.” His jaw jutted out, a pugilist before a fight.

She debated, then decided there was no point in trying to make him go away. He’d just force himself inside. Besides, she did owe him an apology.

Putting the headset into the robe’s pocket, she stepped aside. “Come on in.”

The door closed behind him with a soft click. She crossed her arms and moved into the living room, her bare feet quiet on the carpet. “Have you eaten? I ordered breakfast.”

“So did I. It’s on its way up.”