Dante's Ultimate Gamble (10 page)

He stopped her as she started from the room. Just a brush of his fingers along her arm. “Téa…”

The Inferno stirred, flared to life, sizzling and crackling with unmistakable urgency. She longed to turn and step into his arms. To beg him to allow her in.
To give her a chance. “Don’t. I can’t…” She shook her head, struggling for control. “Please, don’t.”

Without another word, he let her go.

She got ready for bed, moving mindlessly through her nighttime regimen. At long last, she slid between the sheets and curled into a ball. Just a few short hours ago she’d been married. This was her wedding night. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she’d spend it alone. Or that the man she married would have given almost anything to rip the ring from his finger, and her from his life.

Tears burned against her eyelids, slipped out and left scalding streaks down her cheeks. She buried her face in the pillow, fighting not to make any sound as she cried. She never heard the door to her room open. Never heard Luc limp across the floor. One minute, she was huddled in her bed, the next she was curled against his chest as he lifted her and carried her to his room.

“What are you doing?” she choked out the question.

“It’s my wedding night,” he said, echoing her earlier thoughts. “And I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend it alone.”

He deposited her in his bed, then joined her there. In the silence of the night, he gathered her up. Her nightgown whispered away, melting into the darkness. Then his hands found her. Stroked her. Spoke the words he refused to. With every touch, every caress, he gave of himself, allowing what he guarded so carefully free rein.

Where before they came together in clashing power, now they gently slid, one into the other. Sweetly. Tenderly. The climax, when it came, was every bit as powerful, but it contained a different quality. A need
answered. Two hearts united. A consummation of not just bodies, but of souls.

Just before sleep consumed her, he wrapped her up in his arms, hands intertwined, palms meshed. From a great distance she heard his whisper. “Good night, my Inferno bride.”

“Good night, my Inferno husband,” someone answered. Not her. It couldn’t have been her. “Oh, Luc. I do love you.”

When Tea awoke, she was alone in the bed.

A quick search of Luc’s apartment confirmed that he’d gone, though the scent of freshly brewed coffee drew her to the kitchen. Beside the pot, she found a note that read:
Don’t go in to Bling until I get back.
The word “don’t” was underlined several times. It took two cups of coffee to figure out why. If she planned to oust her cousin and assume the reins of Billings, she’d better do it with a plan. Because, guaranteed, Connie had one.

After a quick shower, she ate breakfast and drafted a press release announcing the change in management, fussing over each and every word, striving to get it just right. It took several hours to perfect. She’d just finished when Luc returned. He was accompanied by a tank-size black man whom he introduced as Juice.

She offered her hand, amused when it got swallowed up in his. “Pleased to finally meet you,” he said. “Luc’s had a lot to say about you.”

“Some of it good, I hope.”

“Good enough to make me wonder why you’d waste your time on him when I’m available.”

She grinned. “Maybe if I’d met you first…?”

He waggled his eyebrows at her. “You’d be counting your lucky stars and singing praises on high.”

“If you’re done hitting on my wife,” Luc interrupted, “I’d like to give her an update.”

Téa buried a smile. “I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee. I drank the last one while drafting a press release.”

“You read my mind.”

Once everyone had fresh coffee, they gathered at the dining room table. Luc took the lead. “First, let’s deal with the issue of the new equipment Conway has been purchasing. FYI, Juice was my top researcher when I owned my own security business. He was able to locate where Connie had the equipment stashed.”

“How did you do that?” Téa asked in amazement.

“Uh…” Juice darted Luc a panicked look. “Best if I don’t tell you. It’s not exactly leg— That is to say…”

“It’s none of your business,” Luc cut in. “We also have temporarily relocated said equipment. My men should be finished moving it by noon.”

“Wait a minute. You
stole
Connie’s machinery?”

The two men exchanged glances. “Well, technically, it belongs to Billings since he used company money to purchase it,” Luc explained. “Which means it’s yours to move if you want. I merely decided that’s what you wanted and acted on it.”

“Of course.” She didn’t know why that didn’t occur to her. “Will that be sufficient to keep him from starting up a competing business?”

“That’s the hope.”

Téa nodded in satisfaction. “Then the next step is to get Connie out with as little fuss as possible while keeping our current customers.” She put the press release she’d drafted on the table. “See what you think about this.”

Luc and Juice scanned it. “Oh, Connie’s not going to be happy,” Luc said, with a merciless grin. “Particularly
when he reads the part about being a distant relative of your grandfather who, quote, has been forcibly removed as CEO for failing to maintain Billings’s high standard of producing top quality merchandise, which is the number one priority for Daniel Billings’s granddaughter, the company’s new CEO. End quote.” He shoved the release back across the table toward her. “One major error.”

Téa snatched up the paper. “What? Where?”

“Your name. It says Téa de Luca. It should say Téa Dante.”

The correction brought tears to her eyes. Considering how he felt about their marriage, it meant the world to her that he’d insist she use the Dante name. “Silly of me,” she murmured. “I’ll change it right away.”

Luc nodded in satisfaction. His cell rang just then. “Yes, Sandford,” he said as he left the table to take the call. “What did you find out?”

It took Téa a moment to place the name, but then she remembered the deputy who’d been so helpful after their car crash. She only caught snatches of Luc’s conversation, but when he returned a grim fury clung to him. He gave Juice a nod before turning to Téa.

“Let’s go,” he announced. “Time for you to kick Cousin Connie to the curb.”

C
onway Billings didn’t take kindly to being kicked to the curb.

Téa swept into his office without bothering to knock, followed closely by Luc and Juice. Conway looked up, his face darkening in outrage. “What the hell do you mean by waltzing in here without permission? You may take over in another month, Téa, but until then this is still my office.”

“You’re mistaken, Connie. It’s now
my
office.” She took a stance in front of his desk, her hands planted on her hips. “And don’t call me Téa. The name is Mrs. Dante.”

Her cousin’s mouth opened and closed several times. “When…?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Did I get married? Luc and I were married yesterday.”

“Yesterday? I… You…” He resorted to bluster. “You
were supposed to be getting to know our clients. How are you ever going to learn what you need to—”

“That’s no longer your concern,” she interrupted. “As of this minute, you’re no longer in charge.”

“There’s still another month until it’s official, Téa.” Luc and Juice both took a single step forward and Conway’s eyes bulged. “Mrs. Dante,” he hastened to correct. “You don’t take possession of Billings until next month.”

“I suggest you go back and reread the will, Connie.” She circled the desk, putting herself on his side of it. Then she edged her hip onto the corner in a decidedly possessive maneuver. “In case you overlooked it, I also take possession of the company the day I marry. Since that happy event took place yesterday, I’m now the new owner of Billings.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Te—” a quick look at Luc “—Mrs. Dante. You’re not ready to assume control.”

“That’s quite possible. Time will tell. What I can say with absolute certainty is that you’re through. I have security waiting outside the door. They’ll escort you off the premises.”

His breath hissed in surprise. “What’s brought this on?” His gaze shot to Luc and narrowed. “He’s responsible for this, isn’t he?”

“No, Connie,” she corrected very gently. “You are. Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?”

He stiffened. “Figure what out?”

“The equipment. Billings Prime. I did get the name right, didn’t I? That’s what you plan to call your new company?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Stop. I uncovered it all. The way you cut corners to save money and churn out inferior merchandise. The
business you planned to start up. The new manufacturing equipment you bought with the extra profits you gained from overcharging
my
customers. How you planned to use the drop in quality to convince those same customers to switch to Billings Prime. The sale you’re currently drafting so that your company can buy the new manufacturing equipment from Billings for only pennies on the dollar. That was particularly slick, Connie.”

“And if I did all that, so what?” He shoved back his chair, fury reddening his face. “This should have been my company! I worked here my entire life.” He didn’t bother to conceal his disgust. “You’re not even a Billings. You gave up your rights to this company when you let de Luca adopt you.”

She straightened, faced him down. “That decision was my grandfather’s to make. Obviously he didn’t agree with you since he left Billings to me, not you.” She tilted her head to one side. “I wonder why that is? He must have figured you out long ago.”

Conway smoothed the front of his suit jacket and drew himself up to his full height, as little as that was. “It’s too late for you to do anything about it. That equipment now belongs to me. I wasn’t planning to bring Billings Prime online for another month, but I won’t have any difficulty moving up my agenda.”

“I think you’ll not only find that difficult, but impossible,” Téa replied. “I rescinded the sale of the manufacturing equipment between Billings and Billings Prime first thing this morning and I’ve confiscated that equipment. All you have left is a name. No equipment, no merchandise to sell and when my press release hits, not much of a reputation, either.”

“That’s impossible! I’ll…I’ll sue.”

“I wish you would.” She smiled coldly. “But I doubt
you will, considering that when all the facts are brought to light you’ll most likely find yourself sitting in a jail cell.”

Luc stepped forward. “And if by some chance the judge is inclined toward leniency, it won’t last long. Not when he discovers that you tampered with Téa’s brakes before sending her on a dangerous drive. I’m guessing you arranged that sometime Monday when her car was parked in Billings’s garage. I suspect it was shortly after you ordered her to take that trip to L.A. No doubt you were hoping it would end up being a one-way trip.”

Téa swung around to face her husband. She didn’t even attempt to conceal her shock. “What?”

“Deputy Sandford called. Someone mixed transmission fluid in with your brake fluid. It’s slower than simply cutting the lines. No doubt he wanted to give you plenty of time to get on some of the more treacherous stretches of road before your brakes went out. Might have worked, too.”

Téa fought to breathe. “It would have worked if you hadn’t been driving.”

She turned to face her cousin. She saw his mouth moving, could hear the denials that spilled out. But her brain couldn’t seem to process them. Instead all she saw was the guilt burning like acid in his unrepentant blue eyes.

“I want him out of here,” she said, her voice cutting through whatever her cousin was saying. It took every ounce of self-control to keep from physically attacking him. He must have sensed it because he fell back as she approached. “Just so you know, Connie? Just so it’s crystal clear. My sisters will inherit the business if anything happens to me. And every last scrap of information that my husband has uncovered
about your activities is going to be turned over to the appropriate authorities. I suggest you find yourself a good lawyer.”

“Screw finding a lawyer,” Luc said. “Find yourself a nice, deep hole,
Cuz
. Somewhere I won’t find you. Because if I ever see you again, I swear I’ll take you apart.”

Billings’s security stepped in then and with Juice’s assistance, escorted Conway out of the office, out of the building—and she sincerely hoped—out of her life. The instant the door closed behind them, Téa sank into the chair behind Connie’s—
her
—desk.

“That’s that,” she murmured.

Luc inclined his head. “You’re now the boss. Congratulations.”

A tiny frown tugged at her brow. “Thanks to you.”

“Happy to help.” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and strolled across the spacious room to stand in front of the windows. “I guess my job is done now.”

Maybe if he hadn’t said it with such finality, she’d have known how to respond. She hesitated, before conceding, “I guess it is.”

He threw her a look over his shoulder. “You okay?”

“Sure. Fine.” Only she wasn’t. Not even a little.

“Anything else I can do for you?”

Love me. Stay with me. Make our marriage real. She silently shook her head.

“If you’re sure, then I’ll push off.”

“Thanks again for all your help,” she managed to say.

For ten minutes after Luc left, Téa continued to sit behind the huge desk, numb. So this was it. In the blink of an eye, he’d given her everything she thought she
wanted, and she owed him more than she could ever repay.

Because he suspected her cousin might be attempting something underhanded, he used his time, skill and associates to look into Connie’s background. More, he and Juice uncovered her cousin’s plan and moved to circumvent it. And thanks to Luc agreeing to marry her, she’d gained control of her inheritance in time to stop Connie from gutting it. With a lot of hard work and dedication, she’d turn Billings around and salvage her family’s finances. But she’d lose something far more important. Luc.

Her mouth trembled. Of course, that was assuming she’d ever had him. She leaned back and closed her eyes, fighting exhaustion. She loved her husband. Loved him with all her heart and soul. Loved him with every fiber of her being. And because she loved him, she’d let him go. Knowing Luc, that wouldn’t be easy, despite his aversion toward marriage. She’d need to prove she could stand on her own two feet. And she’d have to find a way to get him out of their marriage without his looking like the bad guy.

Unfortunately she knew precisely how to do it, too. Even more unfortunate, she’d give him up, regardless of the personal cost. She just wished she could offer him something in return to show him how much she appreciated everything he’d done for her.

A light tapping sounded at the door and Juice peeked in. “What happened to Luc?” he asked.

“He’s gone.” A sudden idea struck her. One final way she could even the scales. She straightened in her chair, energized. “Juice, I wonder if you’d do one more favor for me.”

“Sure.” He stepped into her office. “Name it.”

“There’s someone I need you to find…”

Luc checked his watch and grimaced. He was late for his dinner date with Téa. Not badly, but more than he liked. Maybe it had been his subconscious way of putting off the inevitable. Because he suspected he knew what she wanted. She wanted to end their marriage so she could return to her default setting—taking care of her family. Of course, he wanted to end their marriage, too. No long-term commitments for him. He’d made that abundantly clear.

So, why the reluctance?

It couldn’t have anything to do with those words she’d whispered on their wedding night. Words that burned a path straight to his heart. Words he wasn’t even sure she remembered speaking. Words that confessed how much she loved him. For some reason they resonated, wrapped around him, through him, binding them as surely as the itch in his palm bound them.

“Luc Dante,” he practically growled at the maître d’. “I’m meeting someone.”

“Yes, Mr. Dante. She’s already arrived. I’ll show you to your table.” He gestured toward the interior of the restaurant. “This way.”

Luc followed the winding pathway through the various tables to a small alcove where a woman waited. It took an instant to realize that she wasn’t Téa. The maître d’ made a flourishing gesture, then retreated before Luc could explain that he’d been shown to the wrong table. He offered the woman an exasperated smile.

“Sorry about the mistake. I was supposed to meet my wife and—”

“There’s no mistake,” the woman said. She tilted her
head to one side. “You don’t recognize me, do you? Would it help if I told you that you saved my life five years ago?”

Luc hesitated and looked more carefully. There was something familiar about her… Then it hit him. The car wreck. Kurt and the Jorgen boy, dead. The wife, pleading, begging him to let her die.
“Sonya?”

Téa checked her watch and bit down on her lip. Right about now Luc and Sonya Jorgen would be getting reacquainted, assuming Luc stayed to talk after learning that his wife had set him up. A big if. Since she hadn’t received an outraged phone call, she could only hope the impromptu meeting yielded positive results instead of all going hideously wrong. A distinct possibility, she was forced to concede. But if it worked… She closed her eyes and fought a rush of tears. If it worked, it would be the first of her parting gifts, gifts she could only pray would pay him back for all he’d done for her. Now for gift number two.

She let herself into the home that until recently she’d shared with Madam and her three sisters. She’d deliberately chosen a time when she was certain they’d all be together—the dinner hour. It was all part of her plan to try to put Luc’s life back on track before their divorce. If he no longer had to worry about her, he’d feel free to move on.

She found the de Luca clan in the kitchen, squabbling over dinner preparations. She couldn’t help smiling. Some things never changed. It took them a moment to realize she was there. The instant they did, they turned to greet her, the volume going up by several hundred decibels.

“What’s for dinner?” she asked with a wide smile. “I’m starving.”

“What are you doing here?” Madam demanded. “Where’s Luc?”

“He has an appointment this evening, so I thought I’d have dinner with you.” She eyed each in turn. “We need to talk.”

“Actually,” Sonya said, “it’s not Jorgen, anymore. It’s Thompson.”

“You remarried?”

His shock must have shown because she smiled and waved him toward the chair across from her. Once he was seated she studied him with frank curiosity. “It’s been five years and you haven’t changed a bit, Luc,” she murmured. “You still have the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. You know, it was the first thing I noticed about you.”

He took his time replying. “I may not have changed, but you have,” he surprised himself by saying. “Your eyes aren’t sad at all.”

She lit up. “No, I guess they wouldn’t be.”

She shook out her napkin and spread it across her lap. Luc’s gaze followed her movements, dropping downward. He froze. “You’re—”

“Pregnant?” she asked with a lilting laugh. “Why, yes, I am.”

“What’s this about, Téa?” Madam asked apprehensively. “Has something happened between you and Luc?”

“Yes. We’re going to be divorcing soon.” She held up her hand when everyone began talking at once. “That’s enough.”

For some reason the quietly spoken words worked, cutting through the cacophony of feminine voices. Odd. It had never worked before. But then, she’d never been this serious or determined before.

“I’m not going to discuss it or answer any questions. I’m just going to say that the relationship didn’t work out. As a result, I’ve decided to make some changes. A lot of changes.” She eyed each in turn before settling on Juliann. “I’ve been a lousy wedding planner, Jules. I’m sorry about that.”

“It hasn’t been so bad,” Juliann instantly denied.

“Yes, it has.” Téa reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out the shiny black cell phone with its neon-pink kisses. She placed it on the table. “I appreciate you including me in the preparations, but I think what I’d enjoy most is just being there for you on your special day.”

Juliann’s eyes misted. “That’s all I ever wanted, too. But you’ve always tried to fill in for Mom, and I figured…”