Rich Man's Revenge

by Tessa Radley

  Jim held the cell phone away from her and she could hear Rico saying something. Then Jim thrust it back into her hand. “I didn’t expect D’Alessio. Make it convincing, make him fear for your safety.” He waved to the tools. “I’ll call him six o’clock tomorrow evening with details of the drop. If he doesn’t have the cash, the carving begins.” He smiled, a sad smile that made her turn cold with apprehension. “Oh—and remind him how much you love him—give him an incentive to raise the money from your father.”

  He obviously didn’t know that Rico was wealthy in his own right. Had Jim made any other slips? Before she could think further, Rico’s voice, dark and dangerous, called her name.

  “I’m here,” she said softly, and repeated the information Jim had relayed to her.

  Rico said rapidly. “Now listen to me. Guard your responses, but I need all the help I can get. Do you know this man?”

  “Yes.” Desperately she tried to think of a way to give Rico a clue without endangering herself. Nothing brilliant came to mind. With time running away, she simply said, “Oh, Rico. I’m so sorry to hear your father’s ill, I haven’t seen him since he went to hospital, after your mother died.”

  Please God, let him work it out. That she was talking about her mother’s death and that the man she’d not seen since he went to hospital was Jim.

  Jim shook her shoulder. “That’s enough social chitchat. Tell him you love him. Blow some kisses.”

  Oh, God!

  She wanted to rail against Jim, tell him to go to hell. Instead she compressed her lips and remained stubbornly mute. The gun appeared again, dancing past her nose, and her eyes stretched wide.

  So what if Rico knew?

  It was only the truth after all.

  “I love you,” she said flatly into the phone.

  Silence met her statement. A silence so darkly intimidating that her knees folded, and she started to tremble. Small infinitely painful quivers that turned to shakes as she waited for Rico to say something.

  At last he broke the stillness. “He made you say that, didn’t he?” His voice was low and hard, relentless.

  She nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see her. “Yes,” she muttered, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.

  Jim grabbed the phone. Holding it away, he snarled, “You little bitch! I want more passion. I need Rico to get your father to send that money. Get some life into the show.” His eyes lit up. “I know. Tell him you’re pregnant.”

  A broken laugh burst from her. “Believe me, I’m soooh not pregnant.”

  “He doesn’t know that.” Shoving the phone at her, he said, “Do it!”

  “Danielle!”

  She heard Rico’s wild yell and said quickly, “I’m here. I’m here. There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “I’m waiting.”

  “I’m—” She squeezed her eyes shut as her chest closed like a vise around her heart, but the terrible ache grew worse.

  “Danielle, what the hell’s the matter?” Rico’s voice held a depth of panic she’d never heard. “Has that bastard…hurt you?”

  “I’m fine.” She gave a broken laugh. “Actually, I’m not. I’m tired and sore right now.” Jim swung the gun and the butt connected against the side of her head. She flinched, biting back a moan of pain. His hand lifted again. Hurriedly she added, “And I’m pregnant.”

  Her stark words rushed into a void. Suddenly the nausea, the dislike of coffee, the lack of appetite all made sense. Despite her surroundings, the threat Jim posed, her heart soared.

  She was pregnant.

  It was true. The impossible had happened.

  Then, when she thought she’d scream from the force of the tension buzzing inside her head, Rico said with dangerous softness, “Run that by me again.”

  “I’m pregnant,” she repeated softly.

  “He couldn’t have found a better way to torture you, could he?” Rico’s curt voice penetrated the haze that enveloped her. “Tell that cruel bastard that I’m going to track him down, and when I find him I’m going to deal with him.” The white-hot rage made her cringe. “And he’d better not lay a finger on you, because I’ll take him apart with my bare hands.”

  Not even the droning noise of the helicopter and the knowledge that he’d rescued countless kidnap victims could stifle Rico’s anxiety as they flew through the night, the blades tuk-tukking outside. Ignoring the team of hostage negotiators and Ken Pascal’s silent presence was easy, the hard part was dealing with the quaver he’d heard in Danielle’s voice when the call had finally come. She’d been so brave, giving him the clue he needed to figure out the identity of her kidnapper.

  He prayed that she was safe. Ruthlessly he quashed his fear that she might die tonight, that he wouldn’t be able to save her. Just like he’d failed Lucia…and Danielle’s mother. Nothing was going to happen to her.

  His Princess. Would she ever forgive him? Blindly he stared at his combat boots sticking out in front of him. Hell. His mouth tightened. He’d certainly put every possible foot wrong with Danielle.

  He’d been so dumb. Criminally dumb. The fear that had snared him like barbed wire when he’d learned she’d been kidnapped had frozen his ability to think, stopping him from realising why he hurt so damn much. Three words. I love you. That was all it had taken. Three words uttered in her dull, flat voice for him to realise why he ached, why he could barely think straight.

  And why the drive for revenge against the Sinclair family no longer provided a goal for him to focus on. To have another chance with Danielle, he’d gladly forfeit his grandiose scheme.

  He’d give up everything.

  Even his dream of a child.

  But she didn’t know that. Danielle was convinced he wanted the divorce she’d offered. To think he’d placed his duty to his family ahead of the woman he…cared…for. If only he could start over…react differently to her revelation that she couldn’t have a child. And offer sympathy and support for the suffering she’d endured.

  I’m pregnant. He swallowed, his throat tight and dry. The words must’ve cracked her heart. They’d torn his apart. Suddenly easing her pain had become more important to him than anything in his world, and revenge, the drive for a son to pass the D’Alessio name to, were no longer his sole obsession.

  Somehow Danielle had become that.

  “Jim,” Danielle called through the murk to the figure slouching in the decrepit chair beside the door. The only light came from a flickering gas lamp. “I need the toilet.”

  “Huh?” She’d woken him. He sounded disorientated.

  “I need to go to the toilet. Now.” She’d waited deliberately, waited until it was dark and very late so that he wouldn’t be so vigilant. She injected a note of desperation into her voice. “Please hurry, Jim.”

  Cursing, he stumbled over to where she lay trussed like a turkey. He yanked her to her feet, “Come on, then.”

  “It’s dark outside. I’ll fall on the uneven ground. Can’t you untie my legs?”

  “Why should I care if you fall?”

  “At the moment I’m worth two million dollars to you, surely you should take some care of your cash cow?” she asked, snippy and tired.

  Without a word he bent and tugged the leg ropes free. Danielle held out her wrists. “These too, please otherwise I can’t—” She stopped, embarrassed at the hygiene details. But he muttered impatiently and untied her hands.

  “Thank you, Jim. I won’t be long.”

  “Hey, you’re not going out there alone. I’m coming, too.”

  “Where am I going to go?” she retorted. “I don’t even know where we are. The last thing I need is to get lost in the hills.”

  But Jim was already pulling on his boots and unbolting the door. The instant the door opened, she slipped through. His hand closed on her sleeve, pulling her back, “Not so fast.”

  Then she heard it. The drone of a helicopter. A rush of blood made her head spin. This was it, her chance. A swift glance upward showed no
thing but blackness, and she sagged. Had it already passed overhead?

  Jim had heard it, too. “Bugger! Get back,” he snapped.

  She hesitated. If she obeyed him it would all be over. Danielle aimed a swift kick at the gas lamp just inside the door. There was an instant of darkness as it tumbled, macabre shadows dancing across the walls, and then the flames leaped as the sacks and blankets caught fire.

  She wrestled with Jim to free herself. Please God, let them see it. A bush fire was always cause to investigate.

  “Bitch!” he grunted, as her knee caught a sensitive spot. Fired by fear and desperation she fought and kicked like never before. He grabbed at her and she slipped off her jacket so that he was left holding nothing but the garment. She burst out the door into the night, her face upturned as she searched the dark sky.

  The helicopter was overhead now. She could feel the beat of the wind on her face. The searchlights came on and she waved and yelled. The next instant the night was swarming with dark figures. A figure swooped like some enormous bird of prey, and she shrank back.

  “Danielle!”

  At the familiar voice, her knees gave out. She stumbled. “Rico?” she whispered in disbelief. Then his arms were around her, tight and hard, and the familiar sensation of warmth and security washed over her.

  She should’ve known she could rely on Rico to find her! She caught a brief glimpse of Jim surrounded by a cluster of camouflage-clad men, his arms pinned behind his back, then she closed her eyes and concentrated on the roughness of Rico’s cheek against hers, the silkiness of his hair against her brow.

  “Dio!” he rasped. “Never dare put me through that again.”

  “You’re insane if you think I want a repeat performance,” she murmured, soaking in the raw, masculine scent of him. “All I want is…” You, she almost uttered. Instead she said prosaically, “…is a hot bath and a clean bed.”

  “And a meal.”

  “No, I’m not hungry.” The thought of food turned her stomach, and a small, secret smile slid over her face. She’d tell Rico about her suspicions soon enough.

  “This has been the worst time of my life. I’ve aged decades knowing you were in that bastard’s hands.”

  She slid her arms around his neck and pressed her body up against the hard warmth of his. “It’s over, Rico.”

  His finger tilted her chin up, and her heartbeat quickened. But the kiss was gentle rather than sensual, a wealth of tenderness in the brief caress.

  “It is over. You’ve had a hellish time. Home for you, I think.”

  “Please, Rico.” She stopped. “Oh, I nearly forgot in this rumpus, is Tymon…okay?”

  “Apart from a slight concussion he’s fine. Jim knew how Ken Pascal works, and your father’s security arrangements have changed little in years. That’s how he could get into the house and your bedroom. He’s still kept in touch with Bob, they’re hunting buddies, so it was easy for him to find out what was happening, and to turn up early when a new driver was assigned. Too easy. I’m going to go over the security with Ken, toughen it up.”

  “Bob Harvey was…involved?”

  “No, but he’s chastened. Believe me, he’ll never look at you with anything except respect in his eyes.” His voice was hard.

  Danielle dropped her head in her hands. “I can’t believe that the horror of the last few months is finally over. It’s been awful—horrible! At last I can get on with my life, get out from under the shadow that I’ve been living in. I want my life back.”

  He tensed and put her away from him, and she wanted to cry at the chill that crept through her.

  “Yes,” he agreed. “The sooner we get your life back to normal, the better.”

  The sound of the phone ringing woke Danielle the following morning. She waited for an instant, then rolled over and half sat up. A hollow remained where Rico had slept. She made a moan of disappointment and reached for the telephone.

  “Danielle!” At Kim’s wail she groaned, ill prepared for her sister’s dramatics. “I thought you were going to die. I need to tell you that I don’t want you to die, that I’m sorry.”

  A sensation akin to déjà vu swept over her. She braced herself for Kim’s latest revelation. “I’m fine. I just need a good rest. Perhaps you, Bradley and Dad can visit tomorrow?”

  But Kim barely paused before she was off, chattering hard. “I’ve always been jealous of you. Everyone liked you. The teachers, the girls at school, their parents—I wanted to be just like you.”

  Stunned, Danielle said, “Kim, you’re bright, vibrant and beautiful. Your own person. You don’t need to be me.”

  “I’ve finally realised that. Bradley taught me. Funny, really, because for years the only reason I’ve wanted Bradley was because I thought you wanted him. Now I don’t know how I ever lived without him.”

  That sounded like how she felt about Rico. Danielle’s brain slowed, “Kim, why did you try to seduce Rico years ago?”

  Kim didn’t utter a word.

  Feeling her way, Danielle asked, “Was it because you thought I fancied him? After all, it was the night after—” She stopped, unable to say more.

  “Yes.” It was barely a whisper. “I wanted to sleep with him and tell you I had done it. But he chased me away. Then Daddy caught me coming out of his room and it all went horribly wrong. Rico told Daddy that he should find me a nice boy to date, and shut the door in our faces. I didn’t know what to say. Daddy was furious. And I was scared. So I told him that Rico had forced me—just a little. The next thing the police were there and a policewoman was taking my statement.” A pause followed. “I didn’t know how to undo it. And you…you’d gone all silent and withdrawn again, and I felt too guilty to talk to you.”

  “Oh, Kim-ber-ly! You should’ve confided in me. Haven’t I always sorted your problems out?”

  “I didn’t think you’d help me that time. You never saw your face when you watched Rico. You used to moon over him. I hated him. I knew you were going to end up hurt. So I wanted to put you off him for life.”

  “You thought if you slept with him, I’d hate him?” Danielle was shocked. “You were too young for those kind of games, Kim.”

  “No one cared what I did. And I told you, I didn’t like the way you watched him.”

  Her sister had been jealous of the attention she’d paid Rico, but in some weird way Kim had been trying to protect her. But with what disastrous results.

  “Is it all fixed between you guys now? Daddy says he thought Rico was going to smash walls yesterday.”

  At the image Danielle almost smiled. “Kim, you’ve got a husband now, one who loves you. Work on keeping it that way. You’ve apologised to me and you can apologise to Rico tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” she said amenably.

  Danielle set the handset down and stepped out of bed. She pulled on the lacy robe that hung over the bed end. She wanted Rico, needed the heat of his arms around her. Filled with lazy languor, she made for the door.

  She was still smiling as she made her way down the stairs, wondering at how much Kim had matured since discovering she loved Bradley. No doubt her sister would have another hundred questions when she and Bradley arrived tomorrow.

  The sight of a suitcase and a bag standing beside the front door wiped the smile off her face and brought her to an abrupt halt. Danielle told herself that the luggage must belong to Tymon, he must’ve called to say he was on his way to collect it.

  When Rico appeared from the kitchen, she anxiously scanned his features. His face was expressionless, and then she knew.

  “You’re going?”

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  “You need to put all this behind you. I’ll only be a daily reminder.”

  Her hand rested on her stomach. She had a daily reminder already. But Rico didn’t know that.

  Then he said, “It never occurred to me to wonder why the only clause you insisted on putting in that infernal contract we signed—apart from the demand that
I leave Kim alone—was that I would vacate your house when you asked. I should’ve known then that there would be no child. You’d never have given up the rights to your child. Never! So I’m not going to wait for you to boot me out.”

  Danielle sighed. He was going to make this difficult. It was going to take time for him to forgive her, to trust her again. But she had a whole lifetime to wait. “Where are you going? Back to Italy?”

  “Perhaps.”

  Her heart ached at the thought of an ocean separating them. Did he mean never to return? But she hid her fear. “I suppose your family needs you.”

  “My father is already much better. We’ve been in contact. He and my mother send their regards, so does Bella.”

  She wasn’t going to make it easy for him to walk away. “I was looking forward to meeting them.”

  He ignored her comment. Instead he said, “My plans aren’t final yet. Even if I visit my family it will only be for a little while. I like it here. New Zealand is where I want to spend my life.”

  Relief swept her. She tried—and failed—to decipher some hidden meaning in his words. Did that mean he intended to keep in touch with her? She opened her mouth to ask, but the words that she uttered were a world apart from what she’d meant to say. “I think I’m really pregnant,” she said baldly.

  There was an instant of complete silence.

  “The hell you are!”

  He was across the space separating them in two long strides. He lifted his hands. She waited for him to sweep her up in a hug. It never came, instead his hands dropped awkwardly to his sides.

  “I’m not dead certain, but I’m pretty sure I am.” When she realised how absurd that sounded, she went quiet and simply stared at him with wide eyes, waiting for his next move.

  “How did it happen?”

  “Er…” She stopped. Her mouth softened. “You know more about the how than I ever did. I can’t believe you’re asking.”

  “I know how. I meant how could it have happened?”

  “After the accident they had to remove my spleen, and one ovary was badly mangled. The other ovary took a bashing, too. I spent hours in surgery and they managed to save both. But the doctors told me and Daddy that there was little chance of a baby because of all the scarring on the fallopian tubes.”