The Millionaire's Temptation (Seduced by Love)

by Sonya Weiss

  Jake eased down into the chair across from Mason’s desk. “I owe Holly an apology.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Cole said, as he joined them. “I knew there was something about her that bothered me, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Then I remembered. That guard who killed your brother used to complain about having to raise his sister’s kids. He mentioned the girl’s name. Holly.”

  “Butler Field. Holly…” Mason said slowly.

  Jake rubbed the sides of his head. He looked around the room. “Holly’s uncle couldn’t possibly be the same guy who…”

  “If it is,” Cole said grimly, “then Holly has worked a bigger game than any of us realized.”

  Olivia rose and crossed to Jake, bumping his arm out of the way to sit on the arm of the chair. “Holly wouldn’t have kept information like that from you.”

  Cole snorted. “If it helped her get what she wanted, you can bet she would have.”

  Olivia looked at Mason. “Holly isn’t responsible for her uncle’s actions if that is the same guy. My father treated you all awfully, but I had no part in that. Don’t assume she’s guilty by association.”

  Jake’s mind went over every other possible alternative and came up empty. When the secretary announced the investigator had arrived, Jake couldn’t remain seated. He jumped up, hands clenched, heart pounding. If Holly’s uncle was the same man who’d killed his brother…

  The investigator, a short man with a receding hairline greeted them all, and then opened his briefcase. He spread a series of surveillance photos across Mason’s desk. “He’s done his best to hide his tracks, but I found him. In every single city where he’s stayed, there have been high-value targets stolen.”

  Jake picked up one of the photos and his stomach dropped. Burt Varner, the man he’d never forgotten.

  “That’s him,” Mason said quietly. “Where is he?”

  “He was at a hotel on Lake Shore Drive, but he checked out. I followed him to the airport, but I’m not sure he actually bought a ticket anywhere. I never saw him approach a counter.”

  “Did he have children?” Jake asked.

  “With him? No.”

  “In the past,” Cole said impatiently. “Find out if he had children and where they are right now.”

  “I can keep digging, but I’ll have to fly to Butler Field again.”

  “Do it,” Jake demanded, not giving a damn what they had to pay to hunt the man down. He dropped the photo, then picked it up again. What if Cole was right and Burt Varner was Holly’s uncle? He would show Holly the photo and he’d get answers. Today. “I’m going to find Holly.”

  “Can’t. We have a meeting with Wade Aerodynamics in less than five minutes,” Mason said.

  Jake cursed. He folded the photo and tucked it into his pocket. Everyone filed from the room until he was alone with Mason.

  “If we locate Burt, then what?” Mason asked.

  “What do you mean, then what? The son of a bitch goes down for what he did to Adam. You held back for Olivia’s sake. You chose not to go after her father for what he did to us. I’m not you. I’m not going to stop until Burt pays for what he did.”

  “Jake…”

  “We have a meeting.” Jake walked out. He was so close to getting everything he wanted. No way in hell was he pulling back now. Once he had his vengeance on Burt, he could find peace, knowing he’d done right by his brother and nothing was going to stand in the way of that.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Since Bessie was busy in the kitchen, Holly answered the doorbell when it rang and came face-to-face with the man she’d hoped to never see again. Fear gripped her, nearly paralyzing her until she realized she wasn’t a child anymore. She could fight back.

  “How’d you know where to find me?” she demanded, proud that her voice sounded strong and firm.

  Burt lifted the hat from his closely cropped gray hair and grinned. She’d always hated that grin. “Followed you from the place you have your brother stashed.”

  “You stay away from me. From Liam.”

  Burt rubbed the edge of his bulbous nose. “Or you’ll what? Call the police? No one will believe you. A woman who was a teenage runaway and a thief to boot. I ought to file charges against you for running with your brother like that. I am still his guardian.”

  Holly could already guess, but asked anyway. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to do one final job, and I’ll have everything I need. I’ll be set for life. Then I’ll be out of your life for good, I swear. Otherwise, Liam and I are going to be working together.” He winked at her. “I gotta know by midnight.”

  “No. I don’t care what you threaten me with. I won’t let you near Liam again.”

  He smirked. “And how do you plan to stop me?”

  “I know what you did to Jake’s brother when you were a guard and I’m going to tell him who you are. Now leave. We are so done.” She could tell by his expression that her announcement troubled him. She’d seen a quick flash of fear in his eyes.

  His eyes narrowed. “We’ll see, darlin’. We’ll see.”

  Holly crossed her arms and waited at the door to make sure he left. Hours before Burt’s arrival, she’d wished she had something that could force him to back off and leave her and Liam in peace. She’d searched for information and had found a retired employee at the now defunct juvenile facility where Burt had worked. She’d called him and the man had shared what he’d known, then told her to look up old news on Jake’s brother. What she’d learned had been so much worse than the truth she’d imagined.

  She’d printed out page after page of the ugly details. No wonder Jake acted like he didn’t have a heart. His had been crushed. Holly went back to her room and spread the papers across the desk. The first stack was a copy of the newspaper article detailing Jake, Mason, and Cole’s involvement in an arson fire, the trial and their sentencing to Butler Field Correctional Center.

  The second stack was article after article of their exoneration after a friend of Olivia’s father had come forward and admitted that they’d later learned the boys were innocent. Yet, they’d left them in the facility.

  The third stack was articles about the death of Jake’s brother Adam. An undetected heart condition, the autopsy had stated in one of the articles. But Jake and Adam’s grandmother, Martha, had disputed that along with Jake and his friends swearing a guard had killed his brother through brutality. No one had listened.

  Holly closed her eyes, the name of that guard burning in her gut. Burt Varner. Her uncle. He’d always managed to portray himself as the innocent victim in everything. He’d never once mentioned taking part in anything that had led to the death of one of the juveniles, and Holly had been too young and too focused on surviving to pay attention to what was going on in the news.

  As soon as Jake came home, she’d give him this information and tell him everything she knew about her uncle’s actions. She chewed her lip, unsure if it was the right time to announce the pregnancy, too.

  She put the information she’d printed out aside and wandered into the kitchen to find Bessie. The woman was on a stepstool digging through a shelf in the walk in pantry.

  “Need help?”

  Bessie turned around and backed down off the stool. Perplexed, she scratched her head. “I could have sworn I picked up cinnamon the last time I was at the store, but apparently, I grabbed nutmeg instead.” She cast a worried eye toward the oven. “I have to keep an eye on dinner. There are still a couple of steps to it, but I need the cinnamon for the cream cheese cinnamon rolls I’m making.”

  “I can run to the store for you,” Holly offered.

  Bessie clapped her hands. “Wonderful! Let me grab some money from the household account. Get your coat, and drive safely. The temperature is dropping and there might be black ice on some of the roads.”

  “Yes, Mom,” Holly teased.

  Bessie made a shooing gesture.

  Holly was glad to run the errand. It
would give her a chance to go over how she wanted to tell Jake about the baby-to-be. She would present him with everything she’d dug up and then lay out how she could help him get justice for what her uncle had done to his brother. She’d tell anyone who’d listen what he’d done to her and her brother. Humming to herself, she left the house feeling full of hope that everything might possibly work out for both of them.

  …

  Her car wasn’t in the driveway. Holly not being home thwarted Jake showing her the photo of Burt. He set his keys down on the kitchen counter and searched the refrigerator for a bottle of orange juice. The meeting with Wade Aerodynamics had lasted longer than he’d anticipated. He realized now that not turning Holly in to the police in the beginning had been the right move. Regardless of whether it was her, her brother, or unknown other parties who’d planned the break in, that information being made public would have hurt their chances to do business with the Wade family. The elder Mr. Wade had gone on and on about how much security meant and that because of Jake’s company’s reputation, it was the only one they’d wanted to get in business with.

  God, he was tired. He drained the last ounce of the juice, then stepped on the trashcan lever to open it. He tossed the bottle in, then stared down into the can. “What the hell,” he muttered. Stooping, he reached in and removed a pregnancy test box. The stick slid from the open end and clattered onto the marble tile floor. Jake bent to retrieve it, feeling like he was moving in slow motion. He could smell supper cooking, hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, and the caw of crows outside the window, but it was like the scent and the sounds were inside a tunnel.

  Turning the stick over, he saw the two lines. His eyes darted to the explanation on the side of the stick. One line meant not pregnant. Two meant pregnant. There were two lines. There are two lines. “Bessie!”

  The other woman ran into the room, her hand over her heart. “What?”

  He waved the stick. “This is a pregnancy test.”

  “Yes,” she said calmly.

  “Is this yours?”

  Bessie laughed. “That door shut two decades ago, son.”

  Right. He wasn’t thinking clearly. “Then…” His mouth opened, but he couldn’t form words. He closed it, then tried again. “Was your daughter here?”

  “No.”

  “It can’t be…Holly’s. Shit!” He threw it away and raked a hand through his hair. Of course she was pregnant. She’d said she couldn’t…and now…she…

  “Jake—”

  He waved her off. Hadn’t he suspected Holly of being cagey? A pregnancy. That was her end game. She’d wanted to be the mother of his child. He’d been so focused on finding out what she was hiding that he hadn’t even considered she’d…wait a second. The condom broke. Holly hadn’t had anything to do with that. Unless somehow she’d stuck a needle through it to poke a hole. That had happened to a friend of his. His mind racing, he headed to his room. He would…he would what? There wasn’t a damn thing he could do until she returned and he could— He glanced into her room as he passed and saw papers everywhere.

  Stepping into the room, he picked up the first pile he reached. Every story was about him. His friends. His brother’s death. A photo of Adam was in the corner of one of the articles. Hands shaking, he dropped the pile and the papers scattered everywhere. He had to get out of here. As he turned to leave, he spotted a copy of an email addressed to Holly with a subject line that said “good job.” But the name on the sender—Burt Varner—was what made his blood run cold. In the message, he congratulated Holly for returning the drive because she realized she was better off taking Jake instead. He’d instructed her to get millions or whatever she could from him.

  The sense of betrayal washed over him like relentless waves crashing on the shore.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Holly returned with the cinnamon and knew right away that something was wrong. She asked if everything was okay, but Bessie was tight-lipped, saying only that Jake was in his study. Holly set the container on the counter, shrugged out of her coat, and went to find him.

  The expression on his face was the same one she’d seen on the island after she’d taken her dive off the yacht. He wore the same cold, unforgiving look. She sat across from him. “You found the pregnancy test, I’m guessing.”

  “Were you going to tell me?” His voice was icy calm, and he spoke slowly as if he was trying to come to terms with his question.

  “Of course. I was trying to plan when the best time to tell you would be.”

  “And your uncle couldn’t help with that part?”

  “My uncle? He doesn’t know I’m pregnant.”

  “You are amazing. Sitting across from me with a straight face. He was here. I looked at the security cameras. I also saw the articles and the email. He told you to get millions or whatever you could from me.”

  Holly could understand how damning everything would look taken out of context. “He was suggesting it.”

  “Oh well, that’s much better.”

  She shook her head. “No, not like that. We weren’t working together. He sent that message out of the blue, and I sent him an email telling him to leave Liam and me alone. Then I started digging into his background, searching for a way to stop him. He showed up after I got home. I never expected that.”

  “This is all so damn convenient after I caught you.”

  “Jake, I swear to you that I’m telling the truth,” Holly said, realizing Jake was in too much pain to think clearly.

  Her words didn’t seem to reach him.

  “I did some research while I waited for you to return. It’s been just over two-and-a-half months now since that condom broke. There’s a non-invasive DNA test that can prove or disprove paternity using fetal cells from your blood. I’ll schedule a time for us to go to Calgary Labs on South Wentworth, and we’ll both give blood samples.”

  The way he was tensed, Holly suspected he thought she’d balk at the idea, but she nodded. There was nothing for her to hide. “Set up the appointment for tomorrow afternoon at three. I’ll meet you there. I’ll pack my things and leave.”

  “Not if it’s my child you’re carrying.” A muscle in his jaw clenched. “Regardless of how I feel about you, the baby needs a home. You need a home. It makes sense for you to remain here.” He stood, then came around the desk. “I was right not to trust you.”

  Holly rose. “That’s what you think? That’s the truth you’ve arrived at?”

  “You don’t want to know the truth I arrived at.”

  She crossed her arms. “Like?”

  “Like you’re a thief. It’s what you are and always will be.”

  Though his words stung, Holly refused to let him see they’d hit their mark. “Let me know when you set up the DNA test.” She swept from the room. Knowing she’d never be able to sleep, much less eat, Holly left the house and called Mia once she parked the car at Jake’s office.

  “I need a ride.” She rattled off the building address. “I’ll meet you out front by the water fountain.” She ended the call.

  Fifteen minutes later, Mia pulled up in her small Toyota and leaned across the passenger seat to push the door open. Holly locked the cell phone in the car Jake had leased for her, then got in and let the warmth from the heater wash over her.

  “What happened?” Mia asked as she pulled back onto the road.

  “He found the pregnancy test before I could tell him and then he saw everything I’d printed out about his past,” Holly said, feeling numb. “That, coupled with the email from Burt and he assumed the pregnancy was my goal all along.”

  Mia scowled and turned the wipers on when a light mist began. “Men.” She blew out a puff of breath that stirred her bangs. “The handsomer they are, the jerkier they are.”

  “Looks don’t have anything to do with it.” After having been through a terrible breakup, Mia tended to group all men together, but Holly didn’t believe that. Jake had valid reasons not to trust her. She could give him that. W
hat she couldn’t let stand was his belief that her past as a thief would always be her future and the way nothing about their relationship had been real. She was so tired of living in fear. Tired of Burt still having control over her and Liam’s lives. After not being believed, she’d been too afraid to fight back, but she didn’t want to live that way anymore. After the information she’d discovered about Adam’s death and the quick glimpse of fear she’d seen in Burt’s eyes, she knew she had the power to stop him. And she was going to use it.

  “So what’s the plan?” Mia asked. “Are you going to buy train tickets? Or stick around?”

  “Both,” Holly said as the idea took root. “After the DNA test, I’m going to Butler Field to find the proof I need to make Burt accountable for what he’s done. Not just for me and Liam, but for Jake as well.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “One final job in Texas.”

  Mia gasped. “You’re going back to the home you were raised in.”

  Holly nodded. “There has to be something in there to implicate Burt.”

  “You think he’d be stupid enough to leave evidence where it could be found?”

  “Burt had a hiding place in the wall beneath the kitchen sink. He’d stash things there. Mostly alcohol when I lived there, but if there’s a chance there’s something linking him to a break-in or to the death of Jake’s brother, I have to check.”

  Mia pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building. She shut off the engine. “You’re not going alone.”

  “No. I’ll take Liam.”

  “And me,” Mia said fiercely. “We’ll run together.”

  “I’m not running. I’m taking control of my life.”

  “Yeah.” Mia pumped her fist into the air. “It’s Burt’s turn to run.”

  …

  Jake drummed his fingers on the edge of his desk while staring out the window. He didn’t see the overcast sky stretching out over Chicago’s horizon. After giving a sample of his blood at Calgary Labs, he hadn’t expected Holly to show up. After she left her clothes behind at his house and dropped off the car at the company, he’d fully expected her to have fled. His first thought had been that she’d lied about even being pregnant. But she hadn’t taken the necklace he’d given her. Or the car. She hadn’t kept one damn thing from him.