He tried to answer, to correct whatever misconceptions she had, but the doors to the elevator opened, and the moment was lost. As they made their way down a long hall, he was impressed by the elegant Oriental runner and the silken wallpaper. Even in areas of the casino closed to the public, no expense had been spared.
Gavin put a finger beneath his collar and tugged. He’d worn a suit and tie as befitted his role in this upcoming drama, but he was tense and uneasy. Not for himself, but for Cassidy.
Though she had glossed over it when she came to North Carolina, he knew she had been deeply hurt by her father’s reaction to her pregnancy. Cassidy was determined to be the one to break the news about who was stealing the money. But if her dad was verbally abusive to her in any way, Gavin would intervene.
He was not about to let anyone make Cassidy feel bad about herself. Or to be insulted or belittled.
He stood by her side as she knocked. Turning the knob, she opened the door and they both stepped inside. “Hello, Daddy,” she said. “I need to talk to you.”
Fourteen
Cassidy could feel Gavin at her back, his warm, solid presence a silent comfort. Perhaps she should have done this on her own. Perhaps it was cowardice to need backup. But she couldn’t be sorry he had come with her. It was the only thing propelling her forward at the moment.
Gianni Corelli rose to his feet slowly, his gaze darting from his daughter to Gavin and back again. His bushy eyebrows drew together. “Is this the scoundrel who—”
Cassidy cut him off with a chopping motion of her hand. She wouldn’t lie outright to her father, but today was not the time to dissect her untimely pregnancy. There were more urgent matters at hand.
She touched Gavin’s arm briefly, feeling the strength of muscles beneath his jacket sleeve. In dress clothes, it was readily apparent that he was a man from a privileged background. He was comfortable with wealth. But not owned by it.
“Daddy,” she said, “this is Gavin Kavanagh, a friend of mine. His company deals with cyberattacks of all kinds. I asked him to dig into the money being stolen from you. He found the source of the theft.”
Gianni Corelli sat down hard in his chair, his daughter’s failings forgotten for the moment. He seemed older suddenly, almost frail, though he weighed almost two hundred and fifty pounds. “Tell me,” he croaked.
Cassidy took a small chair and dragged it to the edge of the large desk. Sitting down quickly, she wondered if there was any easy way to do this. She took a deep breath, gazing at him with all the love she could muster. “It’s Carlo, Daddy,” she said, her heart aching for her parent.
Gianni frowned. “What do you mean, it’s Carlo?”
“Carlo has been stealing money from the casino...from you. Don’t ask me why, but it’s true.”
The old man stared at her aghast. His hands began to shake. She reached out and gripped both of them, trying to steady him. “Daddy...don’t get upset. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
He stared at her. “I love that boy. And he stabs me in the back?”
Cassidy had expected fury and outrage. But the reality was even worse. Her father was heartbroken. And perhaps for the first time in his life, at sea. His vigor and infuriatingly dictatorial personality changed in an instant. To Cassidy, it was astonishing. But the metamorphosis was clear proof of how much Gianni idolized Carlo.
Gavin appeared at her elbow. “Drink this, sir. It will help.” He had poured a shot of whiskey from the decanter on the sideboard. Cassidy was so intent on her father she had almost forgotten Gavin’s presence in the room. “Thank you,” she whispered, brushing his hand with hers.
Gianni tilted his head and swallowed the amber liquid. When his chest rose and fell in a giant sigh, she knew they had turned a dangerous corner. He gathered himself visibly. After a moment of hushed silence on the part of everyone in the room, he leaned forward and pressed the button on his intercom. “Find my son. I need him in my office ASAP.”
* * *
Cassidy looked to Gavin automatically for support. His encouraging smile helped calm her nerves. She knew he was worried about her. This stress couldn’t be good for her or for the babies. Outwardly, she was calm and resolute, but inside, she was a mess.
The three of them were silent as the minutes ticked away on an antique mantel clock. Her father’s fireplace was for show and far from necessary in Vegas, but he leaned toward the traditional when it came to decor, as in most other things in his life.
It was exactly twelve and a half minutes before Carlo knocked briefly at his father’s door and entered. He stopped short when he saw his sister and Gavin.
“Cassidy,” he said, his face lighting up. “I didn’t know you were here. Is everything okay?”
Carlo’s look of love and concern as he hugged her seemed genuine. She hugged him back. “I’m fine, Carlo. But Daddy needs to talk to you about something.” She paused awkwardly, hoping the alley had been too dark the night Gavin punched Carlo for Carlo to recognize him. “And this is my friend Gavin.” She waved a hand in Gavin’s direction.
Gavin nodded, apparently content for the moment to stay out of the limelight. The two men were standing far enough apart to make shaking hands unnecessary. Carlo returned the nod and looked at his father. “What’s up, Pop?”
Gianni rose to his feet, putting one hand on the back of his chair. “I know, Carlo.” The three words were ice-cold. But Carlo didn’t get it.
He frowned. “Know what?”
The genuine puzzlement on her brother’s face made Cassidy wonder for one hopeful second if Gavin was mistaken. She stayed silent, waiting to see how her father would handle this dreadful moment.
Gianni scowled. “I know about the money.”
Carlo tensed, his body language unmistakable. “I don’t know what you mean.” But there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he did. He paled beneath his golden tan, his expression hunted.
The older Corelli stepped out from behind his desk and walked toward his son, with Cassidy at his side. She wasn’t sure what she could do, but she wanted to be close in case her father needed physical assistance.
To Carlo’s credit, he didn’t back up.
Gianni poked a finger in his son’s chest. “You stole from me, boy. Don’t you know that I would have given you anything you asked for?”
Carlo blanched, wild-eyed. “I can explain.”
Cassidy inhaled sharply. “So you admit it?” Up until that moment, she had prayed there was some mistake, some confusion.
Her father shook his head, seeming to age before her eyes. “It makes no sense. You deliberately decimated your own inheritance? Or were you trying, perhaps, to make sure you received more than your share?”
Carlo was sweating now, though the room was cool. “I had a plan, Papa. Truly, I did. Let me tell you.”
Cassidy’s father folded his arms across his chest. “I fail to see how you deserve a hearing, given your appalling villainy, but let no one say that Gianni Corelli is not fair. Speak, boy.”
“Can we sit down?” Carlo asked.
Cassidy breathed an inward sigh of relief when her father consented. The stress of this confrontation taxed her strength and threatened a return of the morning’s queasiness.
The three of them settled into seats around the fireplace, Cassidy and her father on the sofa, Carlo in an adjacent armchair. Though she lifted an eyebrow and motioned for Gavin to join them, he gave a negative shake of his head.
Carlo leaned forward, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. “I wanted to make you proud of me,” he muttered.
His father looked at him as if he were an alien species. “I do not think I have reached the age of senility,” he said, shaking his head. “But you are speaking foolishness.”
Cassidy felt a wave of sympathy for her younger brother. Growin
g up, he had been spoiled by their father. Though Carlo had always been a bit immature, this latest escapade took his peccadilloes to an alarming new level. “Carlo,” she said softly. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
At last he sat up straight, his broad shoulders filling out the dress shirt and expensive sport coat he wore. He was too handsome for his own good. Females everywhere swooned when faced with that sexy smile and dark-eyed gaze.
Cassidy understood that he had coasted through life up until this point on his looks and his charm. But if he were going to be her father’s right-hand man, he sure as heck had better offer some kind of a decent explanation...and quickly.
“It was because of Cassidy,” Carlo said quietly.
She blinked, shocked by the seeming attack.
Her father saved her from having to respond. He glared at his son. “I do not like the direction this is going.”
“Hear me out, Papa.” Carlo had regained his equilibrium, but was visibly troubled. “When you sent Cass away, I knew you were wrong to do so. But I didn’t say anything, because I knew this was my chance to finally work by your side. All my life I’ve heard you say how smart Cass is and how ambitious...how much you admired her responsibility and her drive and her instincts for business.”
Cassidy stared at her father. “You did?”
His sheepish nod astonished her. “Of course. You’re my daughter. It made me proud that you were just like me.”
Carlo shrugged, looking at his sister with resignation. “See? I could never live up to that. But suddenly, you blotted your copybook by getting pregnant...with no husband or father in sight. I had to do something quickly to solidify my spot as Corelli presumptive.”
“But I was gone,” Cass said. “The job was yours.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But I knew if I could make Papa see me in a new light, I had an opportunity to impress him with my worth.”
Gianni slammed a fist on his knee. “So you decided that defrauding your papa of half a million dollars was going to make me happy?” His voice rose to a shout at the end, renewing Cassidy’s fears that her father’s health might be at risk.
Carlo winced. “I knew you would be upset when you realized the money was missing. I was going to offer my help in finding the culprit. When I ‘discovered’ the stolen cash, my plan was to return it to you and reap the benefits of your gratitude. So help me God, that’s the truth.”
* * *
The room fell silent. Gavin wanted to believe the kid’s story, though there was no real hard evidence to do so. But Carlo was seemingly transparent, his contrition real and touching. Though he wasn’t all that much younger than Cassidy, he had a lot of growing up to do.
A man needed to pave his own way in the world, though certainly not at the expense of the innocent. Gavin found it in his heart to feel sorry for Carlo. But his most pressing concern was for Cassidy.
Her brother’s actions had to be a slap in the face.
Gianni stared at his son, his expression inscrutable. “Who taught you how to do such a thing?”
“I fooled around with computer stuff in college. I’m good at it, Papa.”
“Good enough to rob me blind.” But the rejoinder held little heat. The old man looked at his daughter. “Do you believe him, Cassidy? You’ve always been good at reading people. Is Carlo telling me the truth?”
Gavin frowned, taking an instinctive step forward. Gianni was being cruelly unfair. Why should Cass be asked to implicate or exonerate her own brother?
Cassidy stood up, her expression hard to read. “Excuse me, please.” She made a beeline for the private bathroom that occupied a large corner of Gianni’s office.
Neither Gianni nor Carlo seemed perturbed by her abrupt departure. Gianni shook his head. “I want the money back in the casino accounts by tomorrow morning at eight. Are we clear?”
Carlo nodded. “Yes, sir. Does that mean you believe me?”
Gianni scowled. “I need time to think about it. I will consult with your sister and let you know.”
It was the most painful thing he could have said. Carlo slumped in his chair, defeat in every line of his posture. It had become very clear to Gavin in the past half hour that Gianni’s brand of parenting was manipulative at best. He had pitted his children against each other, and sadly, the consequences were emotional bloodshed.
Cassidy’s tenure in the bathroom was longer than Gavin would have liked. His radar was already on high alert when she finally emerged. In an instant he knew there was trouble.
“Cass,” he said urgently, going to her and putting an arm around her waist despite the eyes watching. “What’s wrong?”
She leaned into him, hands clinging to his forearms, her brown eyes wide with panic. “I’m bleeding,” she said. “Oh, Gavin, I’m bleeding.”
In an instant all thoughts of the stolen money or Carlo’s perfidy were forgotten. Cassidy’s brother had his cell phone in his hand. “I’ll dial 911.”
Gianni shook his head vehemently. “It will take too long with traffic.” He pointed at Gavin. “You, boy. Take her yourself. The closest hospital is only three blocks away. I’ll have a car meet you downstairs at the back door service entrance. Carlo and I will be right behind you.”
Gavin scooped Cassidy into his arms. She didn’t protest. That scared him most of all. “I’ll take care of her,” he said, giving the two Corelli males one last glance. The two men, so much alike in build and coloring, had identical expressions on their faces. Fear.
It was a good bet that Gavin’s face looked exactly the same.
Reversing the route he and Cass had followed to access her father’s office seemed to take forever. He held her tightly, as if he could literally keep her safe. But today’s danger was not something as clear-cut as a bully in an alley. It was internal...potentially devastating.
In the elevator, he looked down at his precious cargo. She was crying. “Ah, God. Don’t, Cass. I can’t bear it. Everything is going to be okay.”
“You keep saying that,” she whispered, “but it seems to be getting worse. This is my fault,” she said.
“No.” He didn’t know how to comfort her.
“Yes. It’s true. In the very beginning I didn’t want this pregnancy. Now I’m being punished.”
“The world doesn’t work that way. Neither does God or fate or any other force of nature. Not every woman is ecstatic when she finds out she’s pregnant. But would you give those babies up now if you could?”
“Of course not.”
“Then hush, sweetheart. Don’t upset yourself more. This has been a hell of a day.”
With Cassidy’s help, he located the door to the delivery bay. As promised, a car was waiting. Gavin tucked Cass into the backseat and ran around to the other side of the car to join her. Only then did he realize this was the spot where he had first met her.
At another day and time, he might have paused to smile at the irony. But now was not the moment for reflection. He leaned toward the driver. “To the hospital. And hurry.”
* * *
The medical facility was modest in size, but completely modern and fully equipped. Everything worked like a well-oiled machine. The wait time in emergency was only fifteen minutes, which seemed like a miracle to Gavin. He was prepared to do battle, but when they took Cassidy back, he followed and no one protested.
The nurse, however, did oust him while she helped Cassidy into a gown and checked her stats. When he was allowed to return, the woman in scrubs gave him a smile. “The doctor will be in very shortly. Hopefully ten or fifteen minutes. You picked a good time to come. It’s been pretty quiet here today.” She exited the room moments later.
Cassidy looked pale and small in the hospital gown. “Hold my hand,” she said, stretching out her arm.
He gripped her fingers with hi
s, trying to telegraph courage. She didn’t speak, and he didn’t know what to say to her. Finally, when the burden of silence became too great to bear, he sighed. “Are you hurting?”
“No.”
“Is there much...uh...”
“Not a lot...but not a little.”
“Is it because we had sex last night?” The possibility tormented him.
“I don’t know. Miscarriage is fairly common in the early weeks.”
“You’re not having a miscarriage,” he said firmly. “Don’t think that way.”
Finally, the doctor came in. Although it had seemed like a long wait, when Gavin glanced at his watch, he saw that the nurse’s estimate had been spot-on.
The emergency room physician looked barely old enough to be out of med school. But he seemed confident and knowledgeable. “Let’s see what’s going on,” he said as he pulled out the stirrups.
Cassidy glanced up at Gavin. “Would you step outside, please?” She tried to pull her hand free.
He tightened his grasp instinctively. “But I...”
The doctor nodded, though his gaze was kind. “We won’t be long.”
Gavin had no choice but to cooperate. He went into the hall and shut the door. In the old days, emergency rooms had curtains. But now that privacy laws were so stringent, even these cubicles had standard doors.
What was happening inside? Why had Cassidy asked him to leave?
It seemed like eons before he was summoned. The doctor poked his head out the door. “You can come back in now.”
When Gavin returned to the small room, he found Cassidy sitting up on the end of the exam table and the doctor washing his hands. The man spoke over his shoulder. “Everything looks perfectly fine. It’s not uncommon for fluctuating hormone levels at this stage to prompt some bleeding. She’ll be fine. It wouldn’t hurt to rest tomorrow, but after that, resume activity as normal.”
Gavin cleared his throat. “So it was nothing we did?”
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