by Lee, Nadia
Then again, he couldn’t always work out of his study. Many of the documents he needed were confidential and couldn’t be removed from the office building.
She was dressed in old black jeans and comfortable t-shirt. The TV didn’t have anything interesting, and she was bored. No, that wasn’t true. She was brooding about Lisa, and what Catherine had said.
Ethan knew more about Kerri than anybody else. Was he in this because he wanted to fix things for her in an attempt to redeem himself for the “fuckup” Catherine had kept mentioning?
And what was this “fuckup” anyway? Did it even matter when Kerri was in it for the short haul?
“Argh!” Kerri half-growled at herself. It wasn’t like her to worry about things she’d already told herself weren’t important.
Except they were. They were about Ethan, and she wanted to know.
Okay, enough is enough. She needed a distraction. Maybe a visit to Natalie’s would be just the thing.
Mind if I come over? she texted Natalie.
The answer came after a moment. Mi casa es tu casa.
Kerri left the penthouse with a small purse and drove the BMW out of the underground parking garage. Almost immediately, three black SUVs appeared in the rearview mirror.
Hmm. If she were the imaginative type, she might’ve thought they were some kind of bad guys. Maybe kidnappers. She snorted at the silly notion. Why would anyone want to kidnap her? Who would pay the ransom?
Ethan.
No, that was a stupid idea. Why would he do that for a short-term fling?
Her phone rang, and she frowned. It was Justin.
“Good thing I caught you.” His voice was tight, his words fast and clipped. “Where are you?”
“On the road at the moment. Why?”
“Barron fired my PIs. He decided they were incompetent.”
“Not surprising. Nobody’s competent enough for him, and you didn’t hire the best.”
“That’s not the point. Barron decided to get involved. Got it? He’s going to locate you himself.”
She flexed her suddenly clammy palms, and took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”
“But he’s so busy.”
“Not busy enough, apparently.”
She cursed. “You’ve gotta be kidding. What could he possibly want from me?”
“Kerri, you know he doesn’t explain himself. I just found out that my PIs were fired this morning when I got a note from them.”
“Tell him he can’t fire them.” A headache started, little hammers pounding at her temples. She pushed the rising panic back into its proper place. Only cool, logical thinking could help her figure out what to do. “You hired them.”
“Riiight. He’s Barron frickin’ Sterling, and he can fire whoever he wants.” Justin lowered his voice. “Look, I know you don’t want to see him. But you can’t run forever. You already gave up your job at Goldreich to avoid him. What more do you want to sacrifice?”
Kerri found that she didn’t have an answer.
“Hey, I’ve got a meeting. Just wanted to warn you. Think about it.” Justin hung up.
As she drove through Arlington the SUVs stayed in her rearview mirror. Maybe everyone was just going in the same direction. Or maybe they were Barron’s goons.
Could he have found her this fast?
If so, why send someone instead of coming himself? He’d said he wanted to see her, and that probably hadn’t changed. He couldn’t possibly expect to intimidate her by sending some men after her. What would he threaten her with? He couldn’t withhold affection when he’d never given it in the first place. Money? She had enough to be comfortable on her own. Sabotage her attempts to get jobs? She had a great résumé, and he couldn’t block her from earning a living. She’d sue the bastard.
She pulled her car into the underground parking lot of Natalie’s glitzy high-rise. The black SUVs followed. As she climbed out of her car, the SUVs’ doors opened and several men in black hopped out. Crisp suits, dark sunglasses and earpieces marked them as bodyguards.
What. The. Hell.
One of them walked up to Kerri. “Miss Wilson?”
Must not panic. Must not freak out. She arched an eyebrow. “Who are you?”
“Your security detail.”
“What?”
He inclined his head. “Mr. Sterling sent us.”
Oh god. Barron had found her already. “Why?”
The man frowned. “I believe the idea is to keep you safe, ma’am.”
No. She resisted the urge to run her clammy hands over her denim-clad thighs. This wasn’t about keeping her safe. This was about demonstrating who had the power in the relationship—him.
The old, incompetent PIs had warned her things would become more complicated for her if she didn’t agree to meet her grandfather in Hong Kong. One way or another, Barron always got what he wanted.
But she’d never once imagined he’d send “bodyguards.” She studied the men. They looked respectable and clean-cut, like some kind of heroes ready to put their lives on the line for her, but she knew the truth. They’d follow her everywhere until she did what her grandfather wanted. She wouldn’t be able to pee in peace.
“What does he want?” she asked the leader of the group.
“It’s like I said, ma’am. To keep you safe.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That’s it? No other instructions?”
“That’s it.”
“Fine. I’m going up to see my friend. It’s a private conversation, if you catch my drift.”
“Don’t worry about us. You won’t even notice we’re around.”
She looked at the three black SUVs with their complements of completely black-garbed men. “Riiight.”
* * *
Kerri stepped inside Natalie’s penthouse and closed her eyes. Four of the men had followed her to the top floor, two of them insisting on taking up stations outside the elevator and two more outside Natalie’s door. She’d definitely noticed they were around and they would make a nuisance of themselves until Barron called them off.
It infuriated her that none of them had done anything even remotely improper. If it came to a lawsuit, she wouldn’t even be able to claim harassment.
“What’s wrong?” Natalie said. “Did something hap—something did happen. Okay, sit down. You look like you’re about to faint.” She led Kerri to a couch.
“There are men outside,” Kerri said as she sat.
Natalie glanced at the door. “What men?”
“My ‘bodyguards.’”
Natalie’s eyes widened. “Bodyguards?”
“My grandfather sent them.”
“You have a grandfather? Sorry, that’s silly. Of course you do. But…why would he send bodyguards? Do you have a stalker or something?”
“No, no. Nothing like that. I think…they’re more like my keepers or something. So I don’t run again.”
Natalie stared at her for a long moment, then went to the kitchen and brought out cappuccino and hot tea. “Okay, I think you need to start from the beginning.”
Kerri sighed even as she gratefully took the coffee. The beginning. Easier said than done. “My grandfather is Barron Sterling.”
“Who?”
“Barron Sterling. You know, Sterling & Wilson? Corporate raider back in the 80s, currently an investor and venture capitalist?”
Natalie was staring at her again. “No way.”
“Unfortunately, way.”
Natalie swayed a little bit. “Okay, I need to sit down.” She took the seat next to Kerri. “Your grandfather is the Barron Sterling? Oh my god, Kerri. Holy shit. The man is like the richest guy in the world. How come you never said anything?”
“We have some…issues.”
“Like what? Wait, did he cut you out? Is that why you were always working so much?”
Kerri shifted closer to Natalie. “No, more like the opposite. I was working so much because I had to pay off my college tuition. Barron f
ooted the bill initially, but I didn’t want his money.” That might have given him some hold over her. I paid for your education, and you owe me with compound interest. It wasn’t that unimaginable. “So I sent him a cashier’s check for the full amount he paid plus interest. Prevailing market rate.”
“That’s…” Natalie shook her head. “I want to say that’s crazy, but I totally understand where you’re coming from.”
Yes, she would. She didn’t have such a great relationship with her family either. “He tracked me down in Hong Kong not too long ago. Said he wanted to meet, except I had nothing to say to him.”
Understanding dawned in Natalie’s eyes. “So that’s why you left. You didn’t want to see him.”
“Basically.” Kerri grimaced. “The health stuff was a factor too, but yeah. I couldn’t stand the idea of facing him.”
“Did he say why he wanted to see you?”
Kerri shook her head. “He never explains himself.”
“But you must know him pretty well. He’s your grandfather.”
“A grandfather who never had any time for me.” And one who had been too busy dealing with his own grief plus his daughter’s. A granddaughter whose birth had caused the deaths of his darling grandsons, not to mention his son-in-law, didn’t rank very high in his priorities.
“Aren’t you still his heiress though?” Natalie asked.
“Maybe, maybe not. He’s heavily involved with lots of charities. He’ll probably leave them all his money. Either way, I don’t care.”
Natalie nodded. “You’ve got a great career. You’ll always be able to make your own path.”
“Exactly. But right now I need to find a way to shake those damn guards. I really don’t want to draw attention to myself or have them announce to the world who sent them.” Ethan and his brothers knew she was Barron’s granddaughter, but not everyone from the Lloyds had believed Jacob’s drunken accusation. She’d rather not let them know for certain until she was ready to explain the situation, make sure they understood that she hadn’t done anything improper. She’d done everything in her power to help Ethan and the company, and it was important that she didn’t create any conflict within the Lloyds. “Ethan’s family owns The Lloyds Development.”
Kerri could see Natalie get it. “You think Ethan’s going to think you’re untrustworthy or something?” she asked.
“He won’t, but his family probably will. And they might say and do stupid, petty things to hurt him. I don’t care if people say nasty things about me, but I don’t want to give anyone a weapon to wield against Ethan.”
“Why don’t you just see your grandfather? Ask him to call off his men?”
“Hah. Change his course of action just because I asked him to? Doubtful.”
“He must care about you to send people to find you.”
“He probably sent them to upset me.”
Natalie grimaced. “Is he that petty?”
“No.” Kerri sighed. “I think he’s just unhappy about my leaving Hong Kong without seeing him, and he doesn’t care that what he’s doing might disrupt my life.”
“Uh… That would qualify as petty.”
Despite herself, Kerri laughed. “I guess it would, huh?”
“So what are you going to do once you lose those men?”
“Get the hell out of—” Kerri stopped. If she left, would that really mean she was free of Barron?
Natalie let the silence stretch before saying, “You can’t avoid him forever. Not someone with that kind of money to spend finding you.”
Kerri couldn’t deny her friend was right. How long and how far could she run to avoid Barron?
She’d given up her job. What more would she sacrifice, as Justin had put it? Would she have to give up seeing Natalie? How about Ethan? Could she just walk away from her entire life because of Barron?
“You’re right,” she said. “But I want to be able to decide what to do without Barron’s men breathing down my neck. And a couple of them are standing right outside your door.”
Natalie considered for a moment. “We have a fire exit. Down this way.” She took Kerri to the balcony and showed her a trapdoor. “You open this and climb down the ladder to the next level. And so on down to the ground.”
Kerri pulled the trapdoor up and studied the escape. The ladder had wide steps and rubberized bars for a secure grip. The penthouse was on the fourteenth floor, but if she could lose the men it would be worth it. Then she shook her head. “Can’t. The BMW’s in the garage, and there’s probably four of them standing around it.”
“Bet they aren’t watching my Audi.” Natalie held out some keys. “Plus, the windows are tinted.”
Kerri’s wrapped her hand around them. “Thanks.”
“What are friends for?” Natalie said with a wide grin. “Go before they notice something’s up. And hey, gimme your keys. I like BMWs.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
KERRI RETURNED TO ETHAN’S PLACE in the Audi. Sure enough, Barron’s men hadn’t noticed as she’d driven the fancy new car past them.
She’d bought some time, but now had to find a more permanent solution. They’d come back to Ethan’s penthouse once they figured out she wasn’t at Natalie’s anymore. If they were smart—and Barron didn’t hire stupid people—they would leave a few men at Natalie’s place too, just to make sure.
She’d already told Ethan about her family, and he’d believed they were estranged. But that might change if she told him her grandfather had sent three SUVs’ worth of men to “keep her safe.” Estranged families didn’t send bodyguards.
She shook her head. No no no. Shouldn’t be thinking like that. Ethan wouldn’t doubt her story. But how would he react? He could be so single-minded in his desire to protect those he cared about. She didn’t want him to do anything rash and get hurt.
Damn it. She paced, jittery with nervous energy. Maybe she should just go to Houston and confront Barron—hell, her whole family—and be done with it. Say that she didn’t want anything to do with them. All she wanted was to be left alone.
She didn’t want to have to give up what she’d worked for. She didn’t want to force herself to be aloof and emotionally detached so she could leave them without feeling anything. Barron had hurt her so much already with his uncaring actions and neglect. He’d had the power to do so because she’d been young and vulnerable without resources of her own.
Did she still want to allow him that much power over her?
Ethan came home a little after noon. He hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss, then looked around. “Where’s Natalie?”
“Natalie?”
“I saw her car outside.”
“Oh, we decided to trade for the day.” He opened his mouth and she added quickly, “Are you finished with work?”
“Um, yeah, I am. Wanna go get some lunch?”
“Yes,” she said, desperate to get out of the penthouse before her grandfather’s goons showed up. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Sushi?”
“Sounds good.”
“By the way, did you notice those armored SUVs when you went out earlier? There are five of them.”
Her mouth dried. “Five?” she croaked.
“Uh-huh. Looked like somebody’s entourage.”
Kerri rubbed her forehead. “Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?”
She went to the sofa and sat down, elbows on her knees and hands clasped together. “Ethan, they’re for me.”
“For you? What are you talking about?”
There was no way to avoid the topic. “Barron sent them.”
Ethan’s voice sharpened. “Barron? What does he want?”
“I don’t know.” She buried her face in her hands. “God, this is crazy. I think he’s trying to turn me into a prisoner or something because he’s angry I refused to meet him earlier in Hong Kong.”
Ethan sat down next to her. “Okay, let’s figure this out. Did he say why he wants to see you all of a sudden?
”
She shrugged. “No, and I don’t care what the reason is. I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“Then don’t. You don’t have to see him.”
“Ethan, you don’t understand. Barron Sterling isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. He’s going to keep it up if he doesn’t get what he wants. This morning there were three SUVs. Now there are five.” She told him about sneaking out of Natalie’s place.
Ethan threw his head back and laughed.
She stared at him for a moment. “This isn’t funny.”
“Look, Kerri, I’ll take care of this. You don’t have to see Barron or anybody else unless you want to. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“It’s not about what he deserves. It’s about what he’s doing to make my life hell just because he can.”
The doorbell rang. Kerri jumped, though Ethan remained relaxed. He rose to his feet and went to answer it. She followed him.
An impeccably uniformed driver stood on the other side of the door. The man was in his mid-fifties, his dark hair glinting with streaks of dull silver.
Ethan stood looking down at the man, his larger body dwarfing him. “What?” he demanded, uncharacteristically rude.
“Good day, sir. Mr. Barron Sterling sent me,” the man said, not even raising an eyebrow. “I’m Miles Wellington. I understand that Miss Kerri Wilson is currently residing here, and I am to pick her up.”
He must’ve thought the name Barron Sterling would be enough to make Ethan back down. He had miscalculated.
“You can tell Mr. Barron Sterling he may come in person if he wants to see Kerri,” Ethan said.
“As it happens, sir, he is currently in town. So he has, in fact, come more than ninety percent of the way already.”
“It’s that last ten percent that makes all the difference, isn’t it?”
“I’m sure you’re correct, sir. However, if I might speak with Miss Wilson herself?”
Suddenly Kerri felt tired. Before Ethan could answer, she put a hand on his arm. “It’s fine, Ethan. I’ll go see what he wants, get this whole stupid thing over with.” He wouldn’t intimidate her into running this time. Justin had been right. Natalie had been right. Kerri couldn’t keep giving up what she’d worked for, what she’d built, just to avoid seeing Barron.
