RAGE (The Rage Series Book 2) (8 page)

              However, her father wouldn’t hear of keeping a single one. He might be greedy, but he was too paranoid over the potential harm the devices could cause the company to even consider the money that could be made. He'd ordered every single project to be locked in a vault and marked for termination.

              His rash decision made Charlotte seethe.

              The entire reason he'd cited for removing her from her CEO position was her carelessness when it had come to hiring David. Namely, it had been the billions of dollars she'd supposedly lost the company by devoting resources to devices that would be unusable.

              But they still worked.

              Mathers Incorporated could make all their money back, if only Emerson wouldn't be such a blind, pig-headed asshole. He was going to drive his precious company into the ground. That would please David most of all.

              Sighing, Charlotte put down her magazine for a moment to gaze out of the window at the cloudless sky beyond. They'd left New York about two hours ago, which would make them halfway into their flight. For two more hours she'd have to sit next to David, pretending the smell of him didn't make her lightheaded and that she didn't feel his thigh against hers.

              Embarrassingly, she found herself praying, above anything else, that her father had been wrong about him being part of their biological family. It was just because she couldn't stand the thought of him getting the last word when it came to anything, especially anything involving her personal life.

              However, she suppose David wouldn't be part of her personal life anymore after this last joint venture. They'd part ways, and she'd have to watch him struggle to escape the charges her father was preparing to file against him. From what she'd heard from Addy, they were massive. If the Mathers Incorporated lawyer managed to get all of them to stick, David would be facing quite a long jail sentence.

              And then what would happen to his mother?

              David had called the nurse to look after her before they'd left, but all the while, mother and son hadn't made eye contact. From what little she knew about the woman's condition, it was obvious that she was severely detached from what went on around her. However, she was present enough to realize just how angry her son was at her for hiding such a large secret for so long.

              Charlotte knew it was wrong of her, but part of her wished the woman would just open her mouth and speak the truth. It was obvious that she'd had intimate relations with Emerson, but that didn't mean they would have had a child together. In fact, she would think that if her father was trying to build up a reputable company, he would try to avoid something as tumultuous as sleeping with a married man's wife.

              The entire matter was extremely perplexing and was made even more so by the hoops they had to jump through to acquire the actual medical records. To retrieve them from the private hospital where they were stored, Charlotte was going to have to convince the staff that her father was facing a life threatening situation in the States. Plus, she needed hard copies of the documents, as well as a blood sample.

              It would be a bit difficult since all the records department would need to do to confirm or deny the claims would be to pick up the phone and call New York Presbyterian.

As loathe as she was to admit it, Charlotte knew that Leah had come up with a brilliant plan for this situation. Marshall would pose as an orderly at the hospital, answering the phone when they called. Leah and his mother worked as a consultant at the facility, so it had been simple to get Marshall in for the day. Now, they simply had to tell him what number to look for and they would be in.

              The records would be in their hands as soon as they got his confirmation that her dear father was, indeed, waiting on triple bypass surgery.

              She should be so lucky.

              “Hey.” She looked back to find David addressing her, and her face flushed slightly when she realized how close he was. Funnily enough, he seemed to come to the same realization in a millisecond and leaned back to give her space.

              “Hey,” she managed to say, regulating her breath carefully. “What is it?”

              “I just wanted to thank you…for letting me come along. I know you didn't need to. You could have made the trip yourself. You didn't have to…to do me any favors.”

              Well, he was certainly right there. She owed him nothing…but all the same, she couldn't imagine letting him sit at home, waiting with bated breath for her to dictate his future. Honestly, she didn't know what David would do if they discovered that they really were brother and sister.

              She didn't know what she would do.

              She would certainly consider herself insane for still being so attracted to him.

              The plane suddenly banked left, changing course slightly, and her stomach lurched a bit. The young woman pressed her mouth shut, hoping she wasn't in for another series of nausea and vomiting. Recently, she'd been having on and off again discomfort—headaches, back pain, upset stomach. She was sure it was from all the stress she'd endured lately. She hoped there would come a day where she could get back to her normal self, even if David wasn't in the picture.

“Hey, you ok?” This time Leah spoke, and there was genuine concern in her gaze as she looked over at the blonde woman. “You look a bit green.”

              “I'm fine,” Charlotte replied quickly, closing her eyes and praying the feeling would pass.

              “Don't like flying?” David's low baritone made her shiver slightly, mere inches from her ear. It was criminal how the man could still have the effect he did on her.

              “I'm fine with flying.” The words were ground out from between clenched teeth. “I'm just not feeling so well.”

              Indeed, when the plane righted, she had to rush to the bathroom and empty the contents of her stomach. It was something she'd grown used to in the past week or two, and she felt immediately better when it was over.

              Though both Leah and David eyed her with worried looks, she merely scowled at them both to ward of their questions and they went back to their pleasant conversation. For a moment, Charlotte watched them from her window seat, tamping down the little green monster of jealousy beginning to rear its ugly head. Then, she checked her messages from Addy. While the woman hardly approved of her spending time with David again, when Charlotte revealed to her exactly how the company had become the technological powerhouse it was, the executive had been disgusted at the depth of Emerson's deception. Adeline wasn't on David's side, per say, but she grudgingly agreed to let Charlotte go to the Bahamas to check on the paternity claim.

              Honestly, it had been hard to draw even
that
much from her.

              The rest of the flight passed without a hitch. The three of them spent their first night on the island checking into the separate hotel rooms they'd reserved and having time to themselves. Charlotte, for her part, spent the evening on her private balcony, marveling at the beauty of the ocean, as waves crashed onto the beach. Though her wealthy father had afforded her many trips to beautiful locations, she suddenly felt free, no longer forced to please him at the drop of a hat.

              In fact, she felt freer now than she had in a long time.

              Everything had been taken from her, but her mind was clearer than it had been in ages. As soon as she and David cleared up the little matter they'd come for, she was going to return to the firm and start directing Causewell with a little more purpose. If the man wanted to pity her, he'd take her directives, and she'd make sure that her father couldn't do too much damage. She'd work the company her way from right under this nose. Hopefully by the time he realized it, she'd have Samson under her thumb.

              David thought he had a way with the ladies? Well, she hadn't even
begun
to use her charms.

              On another note, this island was absolutely gorgeous. Though Charlotte dimly remembered visiting it sometime in her youth, she thought it was much better appreciated as an adult. As they walked off the plane, she received flowers to put in her hair and wear around her neck. Marshall had booked them into one of the most amazing resorts and the customer service had been exemplary.

              It was almost as if she was getting the vacation she had so craved.

              She, Leah, and David had all been booked in private suites, each complete with its own bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and balcony with a beach view. And
what
a view. The weather was clear and calm, and the ocean was perhaps only twenty meters from the patio outside. If she tried really hard, she could pretend she was here to assuage her own personal desires and not to unravel another of her father's potential untruths. Ultimately, however, it wouldn't matter. She'd make her way back to the office and have Samson eating from the palm of her hand.

              Sipping on a piña colada, she closed her eyes, relishing the thought. Even as she did, she had to struggle to picture Samson's face instead of David’s, and she found herself wondering what he was doing at this very instant—two doors down.

              As if the heavens had somehow heard her inquiry, there came a sudden knock on her door. The young woman tore herself away from the lilting steel drum music that drifted up from below and the warm tropical breeze.             

              It had better not be David. If he'd come expecting her to fall all over him, he had another thing coming.

              However, when she opened the door, it wasn't the tall, dark, and handsome man who stood before her, but Leah, clad in a pair of Bermuda shorts and a bikini top. It was clear from her damp hair that she'd recently taken a dip in the ocean. Charlotte could only stare at her, utterly at a loss for what to say.

              “Um....hi,” Leah said, looking up at the taller woman.

              “Hi,” Charlotte replied, her voice flat. She still wasn't overly fond of the flirtatious woman or of the way she acted around David. “Can I help you with something?”

              “I figured we could talk.” Leah's tone was neutral, her expression guarded. “We haven't really gotten a chance to, considering that we've spent so much time together lately.”

              “We've spent time together because you're helping us plan a way around my father, not because we're girlfriends who are ready to hit the mall, Leah.” The words came out harsher than Charlotte had intended.

Immediately, Leah was on the defensive. “Excuse me? What's your problem? I just want to help David. The only reason why I’m helping you is because David’s asking me to.”

              “Oh I'm sure it's
all
for David,” Charlotte replied, oozing with sarcasm. “How long did it take after you met him to start planning how to get into bed with him?”

              Leah's face went slack in outrage. “Well, I suppose you'd know all about that. You were so busy getting into his pants that you happened to overlook a potential familial detail.”

              “My father hid that from
both
of us,” Charlotte answered in a low hiss, her eyes narrow, “and you know it. That's the only reason we're out here, though I'm sure your taking it as an opportunity to sneak into his room as soon as you get the chance. Good luck with that. I'm sure you've heard he's excellent at faking it.”

              “You
bitch
.” Leah's tone was low and trembling. “You don't know anything about him.”

              “And you do?” Charlotte shot back before barking a laugh. “You've been his lawyer for what, two weeks?”

              “Maybe you're forgetting I'm Marshall's sister, and Marshall has known David for twenty-five years. He knew him when
your
father hired him and when he fired him in disgrace. He knew him while David was suffering, working three jobs to support his family, and struggling to stay in school. He'd come home to me and tell me how much he admired David for doing what it took to keep going, even though he must be falling apart inside.” Leah shook her head in dark amusement, her smile wry. “You think you know about pain? You're just a little girl with Daddy issues. Could you imagine finding one of your parents dead in the bathtub? Supporting your near- comatose mother through your high school years?  Hell, I'd have been shocked if he hadn't tried something, with all that Emerson Mathers put him through. Now, you stand there and try to tell me you know him better than I do.”

              For a moment, Charlotte was struck absolutely dumb. Leah's words were painful, and they were harsh; but, they were also true. Different people dealt with their problems in a variety of ways. What David had tried to do had been wrong, yes; but, it had been how he'd dealt with a lifetime of pain. It was what had kept him from crumbling when the world seemed to be falling to shit around him.

              What did she do when the going got tough? Cry on Addy's shoulder. Go shopping. Donate a million to one of the charities she loved to back. She'd thought she was desolate her entire life because an odious man had refused to pay her attention. She'd been showered with whatever she wanted from an early age while David had struggled to keep food on the table. When he'd hidden himself from her, it hadn't simply been because he feared that she would discover his intention to bring the company down. It had also been because he'd known she couldn't possibly understand what he had gone through.