RAGE (The Rage Series Book 2) (10 page)

              “HIV…” Charlotte was shaking her head slowly. “It can't be. I can't…”

              Ignoring Leah's hard look, David took one of Charlotte’s hands in his, his only thought to comfort her when she was obviously in a panic. “Let them take the blood, Charlotte. We'll know for sure. Just let them do a full work up. Thirty minutes, that's all.”

              Dimly, she nodded. A hesitant nurse brought the clipboard to sign her in and within moments, she was having her own blood drawn.

              The next thirty minutes were the longest of his life.

              That
scumbag
. He'd been infected this entire time and he hadn't even thought to tell his own daughter? He was certain Charlotte had been tested numerous times throughout her life, but she'd cited receiving her father's blood on several occasions and giving in kind. Surely, the man wouldn't be sick enough to have let her do such a thing without telling her?

              And what about him?

              Exactly how long had Emerson been afflicted?

              If the man was his father…well…David had never had proper testing. He'd considered himself healthy as a horse, and he was unable to spend the hundreds of dollars it would have cost to get tested without insurance. He was careful. He'd never done drugs or had a sexual encounter without protection.

              But now it might all be for naught.

              Leah sat between the two of them, looking from one to the other, her expression torn. She knew there was nothing she could say to ease the tension of that torturous thirty minutes. Around them, the beeping of hospital machines and the groaning of the infirmed seemed to mock them.

              Would they ultimately be relegated to the same fate?

              Finally, the nurse reappeared.

              Solemnly, she sat down on a chair between them. First, she turned to David. “Mr. Marscomb, the paternity test you requested was negative. Emerson Mathers is not your biological father.”

              Though David prided himself on hiding his emotions, he could have shouted to the ceiling in triumph. The man had been lying once again. Perhaps he somehow thought that the affair between Miranda and himself had produced David, and he was sorely mistaken. Either way, the man was no blood of his, and for that, he was eternally grateful. “Additionally,” the nurse went on, smirking slightly at his triumphant expression, “all your STD tests have come back negative, including HIV. Your glucose, insulin, and platelet levels are all normal.”

              Thank God.

              Leah reached across the gap between them to squeeze his hand with a warm smile; but, already, David was focused on Charlotte, sitting white knuckled in the chair across from him.

When the nurse turned to her, she visibly flinched. “Miss Mathers, I'm pleased to tell you that all your tests have come back perfectly normal as well.” The woman visibly sagged in her seat, relief carved onto every feature of her face as her eyes slid shut. “However,” the nurse’s face had adopted a now somewhat confused expression as she continued, “the results of the paternity test you signed for were negative, as well.”

              “
What
?”
Leah's voice was the first to ring through the room, as the woman's mouth dropped open in pure shock. “What paternity test? Charlotte, what the hell did you sign for?”

              “I thought it was just part of the paperwork.” Charlotte’s eyes were wide, as she stared at the nurse in disbelief. “Where does it say I asked for this?”

              “Right here.” The nurse extracted a clipboard from the desk behind her, flipping to the fourth page where Charlotte had indeed signed a request for a paternity test. She must have been in such shock from the news about her father that she'd signed it unwittingly. Whatever the reason, they now found themselves in a stranger situation then they had before.

              “Negative…” Charlotte breathed, looking back at the nurse once more. “That's the same as David. That means that my father isn't…”

              “He isn't your biological father.” The dark-skinned orderly seemed just as surprised as Charlotte was as she looked at the result closely through her horn-rimmed glasses. “None of the genetic markers were found.”

              “Oh my God.” Charlotte seemed barely conscious, as she stared right through the woman before her. “
Oh my God
.”

              Charlotte wasn't Emerson's real daughter.

              What the hell?

              “Um, guys? I think we should grab the paperwork and go.” As shocked as she seemed, Leah was the first to regain her wits. From the briefcase she constantly carried with her, she withdrew a sheaf of forms. She pulled the nurse quietly aside and requested that both she and her supervisor sign the confidentiality paperwork and then return the documents to their hotel.

Meanwhile, David had taken a numb Charlotte's hand to help her from her chair. The young woman was shaking her head in disbelief.

              “Not my father?”

              She remained silent all the way back to the hotel. Wary of the looks he was giving the former CEO, Leah graciously offered to take Charlotte back to her room.

              Now, hours later, David lounged on the hammock on his private deck, marveling at all that had happened. Emerson had been full of shit—more than he'd ever imagined. Not only had everything he'd said about being David's father been false, he'd apparently been lying to Charlotte her entire life about
her
parentage.

              Did the man
ever
tell the truth?

              There were few times in his life where David found that the hypothetical disdain he hosted for an individual was actually merited. It seemed in Emerson Mathers case, he deserved all he got and more. The look on Charlotte's face when she'd found out he was HIV positive…and then when she wasn't related to him at
all
?

              Jesus, what a way to find out.

              But the HIV...Christ. If he'd still been plotting against Mathers Incorporated that would have been one hell of a blow to deal the man. David had no idea if he'd been born with it and it was just beginning to rear its ugly head, or if the man had contracted the disease sometime over the course of his miserable life, but man,
what a blow
.

              He wondered how Charlotte was doing. Once already, Leah had come to check on him. When he'd asked about Charlotte, the dark-haired girl had merely thrown her hands up and walked away. She was a carbon copy of her brother. When David had insisted that it would be more complicated than Marshall could imagine to merely forget Charlotte, the man had only scoffed.

              And now, he was faced with exactly that decision.

              Charlotte's potential adoption was none of his business. Hell, he should walk away right now and let her duke it out personally with her father. The man might be right and powerful, but he'd love to see what happened when Charlotte slapped her father with a mountain of fraud charges. That would be something. However, he should really concentrate on how he was going to fight Emerson in court. Revealing the man's medical condition was out of the question as, even though the tabloids would go crazy, the law would disprove the findings since they were unlawful. Additionally, unveiling such a huge secret might endanger the reputation of the company and, surprisingly, that was no longer at the top of David's to do list.

              Not if it would hurt Charlotte.

              Christ, what was he doing?

              She was three doors down and probably at a loss for what to do. She'd been through so much in the past few weeks, and he'd been so wrapped up in his own issues that he'd barely deigned to address hers. He wasn't a monster.

              If they were to part, at least it could be on good terms.

              Sighing, the man rose from his hammock and left his room, making sure the door was securely locked behind him. It took him less than a minute to reach Charlotte’s door, and she answered on the third knock.

              Her eyes were dry and clear. She was dressed in a silky nightgown, her blonde hair falling down over her shoulders in golden waves. Her face was free from even the tiniest bit of makeup. She didn't seem like a woman on the brink of a breakdown.

              She was absolutely gorgeous.

              “Hi.” His voice came out huskier than he would have liked, and he quickly cleared his throat, stepping back to give her additional space.

              “Hi,” she replied, simply. For a moment, they merely stared at each other. Then, Charlotte seemed to catch herself. Moving back from the door, she made way from him. “Sorry, did you want to come in?”

              “Just for a minute.” The temptation was too great to resist. He decided he'd go in, spend a few precious moments with her, then it would be formalities all the way back to New York where they would part ways. He entered her room, closing the door behind himself. The space was decorated with the same airy, breezy colors as his own room—though her view was slightly better.

              “Um...do you want a drink or something?” When she turned, he could see that the nightgown dipped low over the small of her back, revealing a length of perfect, tanned skin.

              David swallowed thickly.

              “A whiskey would be nice.”

              “Oh. I didn't know you liked whiskey.” A small smile touched her lips, as she moved to the minibar to pour him a drink.

              “I don't usually drink,” he responded, “but when I do, it's a nip here and there of Marshall's blue label.”

              “Well, this is Jameson.” She held out the glass to him. “I hope it doesn't ruin your refined palette.” The jest drew a slight curve of lips from him before he sipped his drink. She was having some fruity concoction brought to her by the resort, topped with pineapple and a cherry. They drank in silence for a good ten minutes before either tried to speak.

              “I just wanted—”

              “I have to say—”

              David stopped as their words tangled, unable to resist a low laugh. “You go first.”

              “Alright.” Charlotte nodded, steeling herself. “I wanted to thank you.”

              David arched a brow. As far as he could remember, he hadn't done anything that might require thanking. Quite the contrary, actually. “For what, exactly?”

              “For everything. Starting at the company, doing what you did, exposing my father…Emerson…for what he's really like. I always knew he had issues but, God, if I'd only known how deep they ran.” She shook her head in disbelief, sipping from her drink before looking to him once more. “So, I have to thank you. If none of this had happened, I'd still be in the dark.”

              Well, that was unexpected.

              He'd thought she'd still be pretty angry over his attempt the pull the company out from under her. Then again, ultimately, it hadn't been
her
he was after.

              “Well, no problem. I'm just glad you know now.”

              It sounded incredibly awkward, but Charlotte didn't seem to notice. Instead, she was staring out at the moon over the open sea. When she next spoke, her words shocked him. “David, I want to do something for you and your mother.”

              His eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

              “All this time,” Charlotte mused, “All the happiness my father and Mathers Incorporated has stolen from you. You deserve some peace. Compensation, at least.”

              His stomach twisting, David took a long drag of his drink as he remembered the day he had walked into the bathroom and saw the dead, swollen body of his father. As long as he lived, the image would remain with him.

              “Charlotte, no disrespect, but nothing you do can bring back my father.”             

              In the silence that followed, Charlotte took a breath. When she turned back to him, her expression was firm. “I know that. But even so, I'm going to do something. Your mother needs professional, around-the-clock care. I can take care of that. You need a bigger apartment. That can be acquired as well. Compensation for all the patents your father contributed to our firm—that money is rightfully yours.”

              “Charlotte, no. Your father would never approve.”

              “He's not my father,” she responded, gently. “I don't know who my real father is, but I know that I have my own money. An irrefutable trust fund that I came into when I was thirty. Thirty million dollars. I haven't touched it. I want you to have it.”

              David staggered slightly, supporting himself against the nearest wall.

              She couldn't be serious.

              There was
no way
he could accept that kind of money. When he opened his mouth to protest, Charlotte beat him to the punch. “Don't tell me you won’t take it because I won't take no for an answer. Your family deserves this money, David.
You
deserve it. Take it for your father.”