Double Life

by Amanda Stevens

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think Ash just disappeared to get away from his family. He may be still alive somewhere, but…I don’t think he’s coming back, Emma.”

  She continued to watch the rain. “Who are you?”

  “I told you my name.”

  “I mean…who are you?”

  He sat down beside her. “I’m nobody. Just a guy who’s never caught a decent break in his whole life.”

  Her head jerked around. “You think that justifies what you’re doing?”

  “No. I’m not making excuses. I’m just trying to answer your question. You wanted to know who I am. I was born in Louisiana. My mother died when I was twelve and I was in and out of foster homes until I turned eighteen. I spent some time in the military and when I got out, I went back home to Louisiana. I started up a construction business in New Orleans, but the storm wiped me out. I lost everything. I evacuated to Houston with a lot of other folks, and I eventually ended up in Corpus Christi. I guess someone saw me one day and thought I looked like Ash. The next thing I know, I’m being offered a quarter of a million dollars just to convince an old woman that I’m her long-lost grandson.”

  She turned back to the rain. “You said earlier that you were in prison.”

  “I spent eighteen months in a state pen for a burglary I didn’t commit.”

  “You expect me to believe that you were innocent with what you’re trying to pull?”

  “I’m telling you the truth. Whether you believe me or not is your business. But there’s one thing you have to believe. Whoever set this up has a lot of money and a lot of influence. Public records have been changed, official documents forged, you name it. They’ve made damn sure my identity would never be questioned, and if they find out that you know the truth…”

  She looked at him then and even in the dark he could see the glint of fear in her eyes.

  “You have to keep your mouth shut, Emma. Do you understand?”

  “If I go to the police—”

  “The police can be bought. Everybody can be bought for a price,” he said bitterly. “I found that out the hard way.”

  “No one held a gun to your head and forced you to do this,” Emma said. “Or did they? You said earlier that you would do anything to avoid going back to prison. Did they somehow threaten you?”

  He hesitated. Even after everything he’d told her, she was still clinging to some hope that he was the man she wanted him to be. He had to look away from her probing gaze. “They offered me the money,” he said flatly. “That was enough.”

  “That explains why you’re doing it,” she said. “But what are they getting out of it? How does Ash’s return benefit anyone? I would think just the opposite. He was always Helen’s favorite. Why would anyone else want him to come back?”

  “I’m not just here to convince her that I’m her grandson,” he said. “I’m also here to convince her that I have no interest in Corbett Enterprises.”

  “I see.” She seemed to ponder that piece of information for a moment. “Pamela Corbett told me that Helen has never changed her will in all the years that Ash has been gone. He’s still in line to inherit controlling interest in the company upon her death.”

  “Or at any time she decides he’s ready to take the reins,” he said. “I’m here to make sure that she knows he’ll never be ready.”

  “Then the person who has the most to gain from all this is Wesley,” Emma said. “But I never thought he would be the type to perpetrate a scam like this, especially on his own mother. He’s always been kind and generous to my father and me.”

  “Loyalty has its rewards,” Ash muttered. “I agree that Wesley has the most to gain, but I don’t exactly trust the other brother, either. How well do you know Brad Corbett?”

  “Not nearly as well as I know Wesley.”

  “Where do you think he stands with Helen in terms of her will?”

  “I have no idea,” Emma said. “But since he’s now second in command at the company, I assume he would only inherit controlling interest if something happened to Wesley—” She broke off.

  “What is it?”

  “I just thought of something. When I was leaving Wesley’s office today, I saw Brad and Pamela getting off the elevator together. They looked as if they’d been caught in a compromising position.”

  “So? Even if they’re having an affair it doesn’t make them guilty of anything else.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, Emma, we could sit here all night speculating about who sent me. But the only thing that concerns me at the moment is what you plan to do about it.”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “Then you’re not going to the police? Or to Helen?”

  “I said I don’t know,” she said angrily. “I can’t just let you get away with this. What kind of person would I be?”

  “A survivor,” he said grimly. “Isn’t that what we all are?”

  She lifted her chin. “Yes, but there’s a limit to what some people can live with.” She stood. “I need some time to think. If everything you’ve told me is true, then it’s not just my father’s job I have to worry about. He could be in danger because of what I know. And if I don’t talk—”

  “No one will get hurt. It’s an easy choice, Emma.”

  “Maybe for you. But I have a conscience. And I despise you for putting me in this position,” she said coldly.

  Chapter Eleven

  Emma spent a sleepless night, and by morning, her options were no less muddy. Even if she went to Helen and told her what she knew, there was no guarantee that she would believe her. Helen was stubborn and now that she’d convinced herself that the man living under her roof was her grandson, she would not be easily dissuaded. And according to Ash, the DNA evidence would support his claim.

  Ash.

  She still couldn’t think of him as anyone else.

  How easy her life had been twenty-four hours ago when all she had to worry about was a man who no longer loved her. Now she and her father could be in danger, and Emma didn’t know what to do about it.

  She considered calling Rick Bledsoe, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what Ash had told her. Anyone could be bought for the right price. Could she trust Rick?

  By the time she headed downstairs, she was no closer to solving her dilemma. She couldn’t do anything to jeopardize her father’s life. But how could she stand by and do nothing?

  She had to tell Helen. She couldn’t not tell Helen. The woman had a right to know what was happening under her own roof. The longer Emma let it go on, the more damage would be done to everyone concerned.

  But when she walked into the study, her resolve fled the moment her gaze met Ash’s. He’d been standing at the window looking out at the lawn, but he turned when she walked into the room. Their gazes connected, and her heart fluttered unexpectedly. After everything he’d told her, she still found him attractive. How could she not? He looked so much like Ash.

  “Good morning, Emma.”

  The masculine voice took her by surprise because Ash hadn’t spoken a word. She tore her gaze from his and glanced toward Helen’s desk. Wesley was perched on the edge, sipping a cup of coffee.

  “You’re late,” Helen said imperiously from behind her desk.

  “Actually, she’s early.” Wesley set aside his cup and smiled. “Unless you normally have the poor woman coming in at the crack of dawn.”

  “I didn’t think you would need me before eight,” Emma said. “I apologize.”

  “Don’t apologize for keeping decent hours,” Wesley said. “Mother will think she can have you at her beck and call twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Don’t speak as though I’m not even in the same room,” Helen snapped. “Now that you’re finally here, Emma, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

  “Actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about, too.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ash move away from the window. She didn’t know where he’d gone
to until she felt his presence behind her.

  “Before you and Mother get embroiled in business details, I wanted to tell you that I saw your dad this morning, Emma.” Wesley’s blue eyes regarded her over the rim of his cup. “He wasn’t looking well. Are you sure he’s taking care of himself?”

  Emma’s heart twisted in agitation. Was the mention of her father a coincidence or something very deliberate? Was Wesley the mastermind of the scam? He had the most to gain if Helen changed her will, but Emma found it hard to believe that a man who’d stepped in and paid for her father’s medical expenses could be the same cold man who’d deceive his own mother.

  But what was it Ash had told her last night? Loyalty has its rewards. Maybe that was why Wesley had paid the medical bills and gotten Emma this job. He was counting on their loyalty as his reward.

  “I think you should see to it that he takes it a little easier,” Wesley said. “We don’t want him suffering a relapse. He’s too valuable to this family. And to you, of course.”

  Emma nodded, but her mouth had gone dry with fear.

  “What was it you wanted to tell me?” Helen said with a frown.

  Behind her, Ash touched her shoulder. She almost jumped out of her skin. “I…nothing. It can wait.”

  “Then sit down and let’s get to work. My birthday is coming up. I was just telling Ash and Wesley that I’d like to celebrate the way we used to. We haven’t had a real party in this house in years. It’s high time we did. But the kind of event I have in mind will take a great deal of planning and we’re already behind schedule. I’ll need you to work overtime, Emma. Are you going to have a problem with that? You’ll be compensated accordingly, of course.”

  Emma nodded. “I don’t mind overtime.”

  “Good. Then if you two will excuse us, we have a lot to do.”

  Wesley bent and kissed his mother’s cheek. “A party is a great idea. Just don’t you overdo it, okay?” On his way out of the room, he paused beside Emma and said in a low voice, “I’m glad you’re here to keep an eye on her for me. And as for your father…” He touched her arm. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

  She turned to find Ash watching her. He nodded almost imperceptibly before he left the room behind Wesley.

  “YOU DID THE RIGHT THING,” he said a few minutes later when he caught Emma alone.

  She pulled away from him and said coldly, “Don’t you dare speak to me that way.”

  He frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t act like we’re in this together. You’ve put me in an impossible position. You know I’ll do anything to protect my father. And I may decide yet that the best way to do that is to go to the police.”

  “You’d be making a mistake,” he said. “The police can’t help you, Emma. I told you last night, they’ve got all the bases covered. The only way you and your father will be safe is for you to say nothing. Just let it happen and no one gets hurt. And no one will blame you for doing what you have to do.”

  That might be, Emma thought. But she didn’t like being manipulated and bullied. She didn’t like having her father threatened. Maybe it was high time she showed a little backbone and started fighting back.

  A FEW DAYS AFTER THE ENCOUNTER with Ash, Emma found herself alone in the house. Helen had been driven into Corpus Christi for a doctor’s appointment and Ash had gone off somewhere after lunch.

  From a window in the study, Emma had watched his car disappear down the drive and then she’d hurried up to the third floor where his room was located. The staff quarters were downstairs so Ash had the top floor to himself. Emma had never been in that part of the house before, but she knew where to find his room. She used to watch his window from her own bedroom in the caretaker’s cottage. Sometimes she would catch a glimpse of his silhouette moving back and forth in front of the window, and later, once they’d become close again, he would flash a light as a signal that he was thinking about her.

  She tried to put those memories out of her head. She needed to forget about Ash. The real Ash, at least. After twelve years, he was never coming back. What she had to concentrate on now was getting her and her father out of this mess in one piece.

  She found Ash’s room and tried the door. It was unlocked and, glancing down the hall in both directions, she slipped inside. Pausing just inside, she looked around, wondering where she should start. There had to be some evidence of who he really was in this room. Some shred of proof that she could take to Helen and to the police that would make them believe her in spite of the DNA results.

  The room was just as Emma had always imagined. Clean, neat and sparse. But the simple lines of the furnishings were deceptive. Everything in the room was expensive. Helen had hired a designer from Dallas to redo Ash’s suite when he first moved in and every couple of years thereafter.

  The only thing that ever changed in her room at the cottage were the posters on the walls that had reflected her taste in music and movies during various stages of her youth.

  Moving as quickly as she could, she searched through the bureau drawers and the nightstands, and finally his closet. After nearly half an hour, she hadn’t found one thing that tied the occupant of the room to Tom Black. Or to Ash Corbett for that matter. She should have known he wouldn’t be so careless as to leave evidence of his true identity lying around in his room, but it had been worth a try.

  Emma left his room frustrated but still determined to find the evidence she needed. Sooner or later he was bound to slip up. And when she had proof, she would be able to fight back.

  For now all she could do was watch and wait.

  OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, Emma made it a point to check in on her father every day. Helen had her working impossible hours, but Emma still found the time to at least drop in for a few minutes before bedtime each night.

  He wasn’t looking well these days and Emma was very worried about him. He’d been putting in a lot of overtime as well, getting the grounds ready for Helen’s big party. He hired additional labor as he needed it, but Emma knew that he still did a lot of the work himself.

  One night after dinner, she checked his calendar and reminded him that he had a doctor’s appointment the following day.

  “I’d forgotten all about it,” he admitted. “I’ve got some plants being delivered from the nursery. I’ll have to cancel the appointment.”

  “Don’t do that, Dad. Your health is more important than any plants. Maybe you can reschedule the delivery.”

  “No, I can’t. The exotics have been special ordered just for the party. They’ll have to be tended to immediately.”

  “I can’t imagine that a few hours would make a difference, but even if it does, you can instruct one of the workers what to do when they come. Don’t miss your appointment, Dad. I want you to have a checkup. I’m worried about the kind of hours you’ve been keeping.”

  “I’m fine, Emmy, stop fussing over me.” He dropped the magazine he’d been reading and gave her a long appraisal. “You’re the one I’m worried about. Look at you. You’re skin and bones. And you don’t look like you’ve been sleeping all that well, either.”

  “I’m fine. We’re all under the gun these days.” She came over and sat down across from him. “When I used to climb up that tree by the terrace and watch Helen’s parties from a distance, I never had any idea how much work goes into an event like this. It’s exhausting.”

  Her father was still scrutinizing her. “Are you sure that’s all it is?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It seems to me you’ve got something on your mind these days, Emmy. What is it? Maybe I can help.”

  Tears burned her eyes and Emma quickly looked away. Time and again she’d been tempted to tell him about the imposter. He was the one person that would believe her without question.

  But Emma also knew that he would insist she tell Helen and the police about the scam. If she didn’t, he would. He would probably scoff at the threat of danger, but she
knew firsthand that sometimes those threats were carried out.

  Open your mouth and I’ll slit your throat.

  She’d done as she was told that night. She’d kept her mouth shut and hadn’t fought back, but this time would be different. First she had to make sure the odds were in her favor. She couldn’t take a chance on anything happening to her father because he was all she had left.

  EMMA TOOK THE SHORTCUT BACK to the house that night, and as she came out of the trees, she glanced at the summerhouse. She could see the faint silhouette of someone standing in one of the arched openings and the orange glow of his cigarette as he lifted it to his mouth.

  Emma stood there for a moment, watching from the darkness, and then she turned her back on the gazebo and headed for the house. He caught up with her as she was walking through the garden. Emma heard the squeak of the gate behind her and a shiver slid up her spine.

  She turned and watched him move toward her. “What do you want?”

  He said nothing as he advanced toward her. The night was very still. The only sound in the garden was the trickle of the fountain and the pounding of Emma’s heart. She told herself that she wasn’t afraid of him, but she was. Not because she thought that he would hurt her. But because he reminded her so much of Ash.

  Even after everything he’d told her, Emma couldn’t stop the flutter of her heart every time she saw him. She wondered what that said about her character, that she could still be physically attracted to a man who lacked a decent moral fiber.

  She lifted her chin and glared at him through the darkness. “I told you to stay away from me.”

  “I just wanted to ask you a question.”

  She could see him clearly in the landscape lights. His features were at once strange and disturbingly familiar. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  Emma frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “You searched my room the other day. Did you find anything?”

  Emma started to deny it, but then she shrugged. “No. Not yet. But I will. And the moment you slip up, it’s all over.”