The Tycoon's Temporary Bride: Book Four (46 page)

“Boris was forced to halt his operation until
he built back up his manpower, finances, and acquired more clients.
His first shipment of girls since that night was scheduled to take
place last night. The agency was set to raid all his secret
locations and the hotel—the one place they were certain to get him.
But because of your ex, here we are planning, instead of
celebrating,” Paul stated in an acerbic tone.

Adam’s head snapped upward. “My ex?” He
pushed his hair from his face and tucked loose strands behind his
ears.

Paul took a sip of coffee. “The one who left
you at the altar.”

“Claire?” Rage coiled inside Adam.

Paul fixed his eyes on Adam. “Some P.I. she
hired was flashing Tashi’s picture around her old college campus
and neighborhood. Scottie recognized her and told the boss. The
boss got all the info he could out of the man and then had him
killed. Wish I’d killed that little jerk the second I found out
what he’d planned for my child.”

“I know about the P.I.” Adam said. He told
Paul about his conversation with Eddie. “I warned Claire to stay
out of my affairs. She got an innocent man killed. When I’m done
with her, she’ll wish she’d never met me,” Adam ground out between
clenched teeth. He shot to his feet and began to pace. “What is it
about exes? When it’s over, it’s over. Move on. Get a life. They
keep hanging around like bad breath stinking up your space.”

“You’re not going to have her killed, are
you?”

“She deserves something far worse than death.
She has too much time and money on her hands. What are this devil’s
plans for my wife?” Adam came to a halt in front of Paul.

Paul cringed and shook outwardly. “Never ask
me that again, Andreas. It’s not something any father wants to
think about, much less discuss, in relation to his daughter. We
have to talk strategy for securing Tashi’s safety, permanently. I
don’t ever want to have to deal with this devil again. I’m sending
him and his minions straight back to hell in a blast of smoke.”

Being an Andreas, who left no spiders when
sweeping the web, Adam understood fully. “Is the agency with you on
this?”

Paul shook his head. “They know nothing about
Tashi. I kept her a secret because I didn’t want her identity or
whereabouts compromised. Thank goodness, Boris was in the habit of
creating false identities for the girls he shipped off. If
possible, I would still like to keep Tashi out of it. I don’t want
her name associated with this operation. So no, I had to go rogue
again on this trip. They don’t know where I am.” He paused. “And to
answer your question about why there was no coverage of the
shootout, well, the house, thank God, was completely soundproofed.
No one on the outside heard anything. I managed to crawl out of
there before Boris sent in his cleaners. He didn’t want his clients
knowing he’d been raided. Not good for future business. The man in
the driveway became a drug deal gone wrong, and since his name
happened to be on the deed to the house, it was easy to pull it
off.”

“You made Tashi wear gloves, so there were no
fingerprints,” Adam murmured.

“And the gun is untraceable. As far as the
agency knows, I shot him with his own gun and drove his car away
from the scene—a car that I’d already smeared with my blood. Got my
ass chewed out, but I pacified them by promising to go back in to
bring down the bastard. They’ll probably kick me out this time,
which wouldn’t be bad since Tashi and I have a lot of catching up
to do.”

Adam stared in awe at the strength, tenacity,
and wit of his father-in-law. “You said there were two of you.
Where’s the other man?”

Paul rubbed his chin. “I gave Leon some of
the drugs I’m supposed to administer to Tashi to keep her
malleable. He’s sleeping in his motel room. I obviously couldn’t
have him tagging along when I came to see you this morning.” He
sighed deeply. “I bugged his phone, and just as I suspected, I
overheard Boris’s plan to off me once I handed Tashi over to him.”
He glanced at his watch. “I have to get back to the hotel before he
wakes up. It’s just you and me and the local police if you still
have clout with them,” Paul said, standing.

“Yes, what do you need?” Adam headed back to
his desk.

“We need a decoy. A Tashi look-alike. We’ll
stage a kidnapping. I’ll have Leon call Boris for the meeting
location. Unknown to him, I’ll be listening in. The feds would be
taking down the rest of Boris’s gang. And this is probably the time
to call your guards and have them take Tashi to the Andreas estate.
She’s to remain there until this is all over.”

“Definitely.” Adam pulled his cell from his
pocket. His hands were shaking so hard, he dropped it on a pile of
papers on his desk.

Paul placed his hands over Adam’s. “It’s
gonna be okay, Andreas. I’m not gonna let anything happen to my
little girl. You already know I would die for her, just like you.”
He paused on a deep breath. “We obviously cannot meet again until
Boris is terminated. So you’re on your own getting the decoy as
quickly as possible. I’m hoping to have this over by tomorrow. I
need to see my daughter, start a relationship with her,” he said in
a tremulous voice.

Adam nodded. “I understand.”

“Does Tashi still have that phone I gave
her?”

Adam smiled. “You kidding me? She guards that
thing like a baby.”

Paul tipped his head to the side. “Funny. I
called it several times last night and there was no answer.”

Adam dropped his gaze and his lips twisted in
a secretive smile. “We spent the night in the garden. We’ve been
spending a lot of time there. We don’t take our phones—”

“Hey, say no more,” Paul said with a knowing
grin. “You’re newlyweds.” He slapped him on the shoulder. “Once you
get the decoy and the details of the kidnapping set up, use that
phone to call me.” He pulled a piece of paper with a number written
on it from his pocket and handed it to Adam. “ Both are clean.
Don’t’ attempt to communicate with me by any other means.”

They hugged, wished each other luck, and
after walking Paul to his private elevator, Adam called Tashi’s
bodyguard. “Hank, take Mrs. Andreas to the estate immediately.
She’s to remain there indefinitely.”

“On it, Mr. Andreas.”

Adam buzzed his assistant. “Ms. Jenkins, have
the accounting department begin the preliminary procedures on
buying out Forsythe Jewelers. I don’t care what it costs.”

“Yes, Mr. Andreas. Right away.”

Adam pushed another button on his phone.

“Granite Falls Police Department. Office Mike
Jordan speaking.”

“Mike, it’s Adam Andreas.”

“Hey, Adam. How are you? What can I do for
you?”

“Well, that depends…

“On?”

“I need a huge favor. Can we meet?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be over in fifteen.”

“See you then.”

***

When she walked out of Dr. Walsh’s office,
flanked by two of her female bodyguards, and noticing two male ones
waiting at the door, Tashi knew something was wrong.

“Come with us, Mrs. Andreas,” the one named
Hank said, as he escorted her toward his Hummer. “Mr. Andreas has
asked us to take you home.”

“Where’s my car?” she asked, staring at the
empty space where she’d parked it before she went in to see the
doctor.

“Doris drove it back to the estate,” Hank
said, as he helped her into the backseat of his vehicle and closed
the door.

Tashi’s heart fluttered inside her chest.
This could only mean one thing: her enemies had caught up to her,
and they were in town. She swallowed back the lump in her throat
and as the Hummer took off, she pulled her phone from her purse and
called Adam. “Adam, what’s going on?” she asked, trying to keep the
panic from her voice.

“Sweetheart, where are you, now?”

“I’m in Hank’s car. He’s taking me home. Are
they here, Adam?” Tears stung her eyes.

He sighed. “It’s just a precaution. Something
came up and I think it’d be best if you remained on the estate.
Inside the mansion. No going to the garden. Okay?”

“You’re scaring me, Adam.” Tears flowed down
Tashi’s cheeks. “What about you, are you safe?”

“I’m fine, darling. I’m fine. I’ll be home as
soon as I can. Okay?”

Tashi sniffled. What if those people were
holding him to get to her? She knew he’d die for her, just like
Agent Dawson. She couldn’t deal with the possibility. She wouldn’t
survive without him. “Are you sure you’re not being held prisoner,
Adam? Tell me the truth.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure, baby. I’m not being
held prisoner. I’m in my office. Hold on,” he said after a short
pause.

“Mrs. Andreas,” a male voice greeted her
ears. “This is Officer Jordan form G.F.P.D. Your husband is with
me. He’s fine, but if you need verification, call the station.”

“See?” Adam said. “You’ll be holding me in
your arms soon. And promise me you won’t spend the afternoon
worrying. No unpleasant thoughts.”

Tashi bit into her lower lip. “Okay, I’m
convinced. I’ll stay home. I’ll remain in the mansion. But I will
worry until you get home. I love you.”

“I love you, too,
cara
.
Sei
amato,
Eve
.
”

Tashi smiled. “
Tu sei amato, troppo,
Adamo.”

“
Che è la mia ragazza
.
A
presto
.”

After ending her call, Tashi took a deep
breath and folded her arms across her stomach as she reflected on
her meeting with Dr. Walsh. She still didn’t know if she was
pregnant, but Dr. Walsh had taken some blood for testing. She’d
also pointed out some symptoms that Tashi wasn’t even aware of:
like tenderness in her breasts, which she’d thought was a result of
Adam’s constant sucking and kneading them, and the fact that her
appetite was reduced. That had surprised Tashi. She thought it was
suppose to increase with pregnancy, but Dr. Wash had explained that
sometimes it decreased in the beginning of the first trimester as a
woman’s hormone levels adjusted.

If she wasn’t certain of the fact that she
was pregnant, Tashi would have demanded that the guards take her to
her husband. But it would be foolish of her to place her unborn
child in danger. If anything happened to their baby, Adam would
never forgive her. She would never forgive herself.

Tashi glanced out the window as the vehicle
crossed the Aiken River Bridge. And for the first time in a long
time, she thought about the car she’d pushed in there sixteen
months ago. Was it still where she’d pushed it over, or had it
drifted downstream? Would it ever be found and her crime made
public? Would they send her to jail if Agent Dawson wasn’t alive to
testify on her behalf? Her heart began to race with the questions,
and soon Tashi felt as if her throat would explode.

“Stop—stop the car!” she shouted, gripping
the door handle.

Hank pulled over immediately.

Tashi was barely able to open the door and
lean over the side before she began to retch in the mixture of
gravel and dirt along the side of the highway. It was minutes
before she realized that her seatbelt was still in place and that
Caleb, the other guard was standing beside her and holding back her
hair from her face. When she was certain that there was nothing
else in her stomach, Tashi pulled herself back into the Hummer and
slumped back against the cool leather seat.

“Feeling better, Mrs. Andreas?”

“Yes, thank you,” she whispered on a ragged
breath. “I’m sorry,” she gazed up at him, referring to the specks
of vomit she’d seen on his shoes.

“No problem, ma’am. It beats getting it in
the car which my wife has done on more than one occasion.”

“There are some bottles of water in a cooler
on the door,” Hank said, passing her a box of tissues from the
front seat.

“Thank you.”

“Here you go, Mrs. Andreas.”

“Goodness.” Tashi took the bottle of water
Caleb had retrieved and uncapped for her. She took a long sip,
happy to get rid of the taste of bile in her mouth. “You guys are
the best.”

“Just following orders, ma’am,” Caleb said
with a grin. “Mr. Andreas instructed us to treat you like a queen.
Always.”

Tashi chuckled. “I’ll be sure to tell him
you’ve surpassed his expectations, and I’ll insist he give you both
raises.”

“You’re the queen, ma’am.” Hank’s dark face
sported an energetic grin. “Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes, thank you. And please don’t report this
incident to Mr. Andreas. I’ll tell him myself,” she added, knowing
that they reported everything to him. Adam had finally admitted
that Daisy had told him about Claire approaching her. He’d promised
her it would not happen again.

“Not a word.” Caleb closed the door and
retuned to the front seat.

Tashi settled down and closed her eyes as the
vehicle pulled carefully back onto the road and headed west on
Route 80. She didn’t need the results of that blood test to tell
her that she was carrying the next generation of Andreas in her
belly. Except for the time she had salmonella poisoning, she’d
never been sick a day in her life, had never even thrown up.

For the rest of the ride home, Tashi
speculated about how she was going to tell Adam he was going to be
a father.

Adam awoke to the clicking sounds and
flashing lights of a camera. He blinked and covered his face with
his hands. Through his fingers, he peeked up at Tashi standing
beside the bed wearing a red satin thigh-high nightgown, while he,
he realized, taking a quick glance down at his morning erection,
was stark naked with no covering. A long-stemmed rose was lying on
his groin area. Thank goodness, she’d removed the thorns. “What are
you doing?”

“Making memories.”

“I’m in the buff, you know.”

“You do everything else buck naked. Why not
this? I need memories to lay on my pillow the next time you lie to
me. You said you’d be home soon. That was two days ago, mister.
Then you sneak in here at one in the morning.”