The Killing Game (37 page)

“Luke’s staying,” Andi snapped, tired of Carter’s high-handedness.

Emma stood her ground as well. “Ben, too. We’re a team.”

Carter immediately began spouting off reasons and rules, all of which Andi ignored. She cut him off with, “I assume we’re meeting in the conference room? Then let’s get started.” She led the way, Luke one step behind her. Emma’s high heels clicked sharp and fast. Carter had no choice but to follow them in.

Andi took her usual chair, the one Greg had generally occupied. Carter appeared to want to start making a scene but thought better of it. As the majority shareholder, Andi had the right to direct the meeting and sit anywhere she damn well pleased. She was just thankful that Carter had the sense and decency to acquiesce instead of going for schoolboy tactics and tantrums.

But he’d called this meeting, so he was today’s director. “Okay,” he said, pulling a sheaf of papers from his briefcase. “Everything I’m proposing is digital, sent to your computers, but here are hard copies of what I’m proposing.” He shot Luke and Ben each disparaging looks that caused Ben to redden but began a slow smile across Luke’s lips. Ben might be bullied and cowed by Carter, but Luke Denton was another story.

Perfect
, Andi thought as she caught the pages Carter slid across the polished mahogany. “Where are the Carerras?”

“Yeah, where are they?” Emma asked, staring down Carter. She hadn’t bothered looking at the proposal; in fact she seemed edgy, as if something was on her mind.

“They’ll be here soon. I gave us a half an hour before they get here so we could have all our ducks in a row. We need to be on the same page when they arrive.”

Emma said tightly, “That’ll be a trick.”

Carter met her stony gaze. “This is serious.”

“Everything is with you,” she responded. She grabbed up the papers and started leafing through them. “Let’s see what you have planned. Oh great. The Carreras’ names are all over this.” She dropped the pages on the table.

Sensing fireworks were about to explode, Andi tried to ameliorate. “I’ll look through the papers, but I haven’t changed my mind about the Carreras.”

“This is what’s best for the company,” Carter insisted.

“Best for the company?” Emma repeated, her voice rising. “What’s wrong with you, Carter? You know better. Or you should. Greg never would have gone for this.”

“Greg’s gone,” Carter said. “And we have to make some hard choices.”

“Greg’s gone because they killed him,” Emma stated flatly.

“Wait a minute,” Andi said.

Luke leaned forward in his chair. “Why do you say that?”

“Are you insane?” Carter threw back at her. “Of course they didn’t—”

“You think that ‘accident’ just happened?” Emma practically shouted. “Because Greg was tired, or had a little too much to drink, or got confused or something? He’d driven that road a thousand times. No way would he have just missed the curve.”

“Emma,” Ben said, reaching for her arm, but she yanked it away.

“This is between me and my brother! He’s looked at Greg’s death as a
gift.
”

Carter blanched. “That is not true.”

“Honey, maybe you should calm down,” Ben said. “This is upsetting and maybe you had a little drink before you came here and—”

“I’ve never been more sober in my life.”

Silence followed. Everyone stared at her. Finally, Emma said, “Those thugs . . . murdered our brother. Somehow they forced him off the road, and by God, I am not—
we
are not—doing business with them. Not on this project, not on any project.” She was shaking by this time, her face red, her fists clenched in conviction.

Luke asked, “How do you know this?”

“She doesn’t,” Carter shot back angrily. “She’s grasping at straws. What the hell’s wrong with you, Emma? Is your brain pickled from all the booze?”

Emma’s eyes widened in hurt, and Ben jumped in. “Hey now, we don’t need to go there.”

“Sure we do.” Carter wasn’t having any of Ben’s arguments. “Emma, we’re kin. You and me. We’re together on this. We need the Carreras to preserve the company.”

“You’ve thought I would side with you from the beginning, but I can’t. Think about it, Carter. About how it all came down.”

“How am I supposed to keep us afloat? We don’t have the money!”

Emma turned to Andi. “We’re not doing business with them.”

“We’re not,” Andi agreed.

Carter tried to interrupt, but Emma overtalked him. “That bastard Blake called me last night.”

Ben’s head whipped around. “What?”

“He scared the shit out of me,” Emma said.

“Did he threaten you?” Luke asked.

“He just made it clear we needed to do business with them.” She glared at Carter. “So you figure something else out because I’d rather die than deal with those bastards.” She scraped her chair back and started for the door. Ben scrambled to follow.

Carter entreated, “Wait, Em. You can’t just walk out.”

“Like hell.” She stormed out the door and Ben, looking backward, threw them all an apologetic look as he trailed after her. Their footsteps faded and Andi heard the elevator ding before the car collected them.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Carter threw back his head and closed his eyes for a second, as if he could conjure up a different ending to his conversation with Emma. “Sober my eye. Takes somebody drunk to act like that.”

“I agree with her,” Andi said.

“You believe the Carreras were behind Greg’s accident? Oh, come on, Andi. You’re better than that.” The elevator dinged again before Andi could retort, and Carter muttered, “Oh great. They’re here. Now what? What will we tell them?” He was suddenly desperate. “We have to sign with them, Andi. It’s imperative.”

She shook her head. What really had been said between Blake and Emma? She thought again of the note she’d received in the willow wreath this morning, so much subtler than whatever had occurred between Blake and Emma. No, the coy notes had much more finesse, a secret little smug quality that wasn’t the Carrera brothers’ style. She remembered her meeting on the treadmills with Brian. An upfront and in-your-face kind of intimidation.

Hearing a double set of footsteps in the hallways, Andi braced herself for the inevitable showdown. Carter drew a breath and Luke grew very still as they all turned to the door.

Scott and Mimi Quade appeared in the conference room doorway.

“What the fuck?” Carter said.

“We need to settle this,” Scott stated coldly, his gaze taking in Andi and Luke. He frowned, clearly not liking what he saw. Mimi seemed to curl in upon herself. Her baby bump was still in evidence. Scott threw out his chest and declared to Carter, “We’ve got a problem. Your problem.”

Mimi whimpered and Scott grabbed her arm, as if willing some starch into her spine.

“There is no problem,” Luke said before Carter could really get going. “Because there is no pregnancy.”

Scott stayed focused on Carter. “Mimi’s having Greg’s baby,” he insisted.

“Luke found you out,” Carter said calmly.

Scott blinked, but went on, “Your brother knocked up my sister.”

Luke said, “Why don’t we ask Mimi?”

They all looked at Mimi, who started shaking as if an earthquake had hit.

She broke down in sobs. Yanking her hand away, she backed up and blubbered, “I loved him so much. None of you care. He was everything to me.”

“Everything but the father of your child,” Carter said in disgust.

Andi ached for Mimi. She should be furious with her, but she just felt sorry for her. “Mimi,” she began.

“I was pregnant,” Mimi cried. “I wanted that baby so much. But I lost it.” Mimi had started hiccupping then, nearly hyperventilating.

“See what you’ve done!” Scott raged, his face beet red. He turned to his sister. “It’ll be okay, sweetheart. We’ll take these bastards to court. They’ll have to take care of you.”

“But . . . but I just want Greg.”

“You’ve lost, Quade,” Carter said with a certain amount of satisfaction. “Now, take your
pregnant
sister out of here. We have business to do.”

“You Wrens are going to make things right,” Scott declared. “I know things about you people.” His eyes glittered as he took in the lot of them. “All of you. You’re no saints. This is no goddamned ivory tower. And Greg, that lying bastard. He was as bad as the rest of you.”

“Get out,” Carter said through his teeth, but Scott didn’t back down. “You know he didn’t just drive off a cliff, don’t you? That was no accident up there on the ridge.”

Andi stared at him. First Emma, now Scott.

Carter walked around the edge of the table. “We’ve already heard the theories.”

Beside Andi, Lucas rose to his feet.

“You all have blood on your hands.” Scott grabbed a blubbering Mimi by the arm and marched her toward the door. As he passed out of the room, he snarled, “You goddamned Wrens. Always thinking you own the world. I haven’t forgotten, you know!”

A few minutes later they heard the elevator bell ding once more, and then Mimi’s sobs grew more distant.

“What was that all about?” Andi asked.

“Extortion.” Carter straightened his tie and looked at Luke. “Thank you for finding out she was faking it.”

“She miscarried,” Luke corrected him.

Carter threw him a dark look. “Then she faked it.”

“She did love Greg,” Andi said.

“Yeah, let’s all feel bad for poor Mimi,” Carter snapped. “Where the fuck are the Carreras?”

Carter’s words were still floating in the air when the elevator bell sounded again. Andi stiffened her spine, and two minutes later Blake Carrera strode through the door. Carter, already on his feet, strode the distance between them and stuck out his hand, a welcoming smile on his face.

“Sorry I’m late,” Blake said without any emotion.

“And your brother?”

“Ran into car trouble. Can’t make it. No problem. I can handle everything.” His eyes skimmed across the table to Andi and Luke, then back to Carter. “Where’s your sister?”

“She had to leave. Something came up.”

One dark eyebrow cocked and Blake’s scar became more visible. “What?”

“Personal stuff. Come on in, sit down.” Carter was pulling out a chair for him.

“Don’t bother,” Andi said. Despite her innate fear of the man, she screwed up her courage. “Nothing’s changed. Emma and I aren’t going to sign any papers today or any other day. We’ve decided it would be in Wren’s best interests to forge ahead on our own.”

Carrera regarded her silently as Carter started to bluster, but Andi went on, “No amount of coercing or bribing or threatening is going to change our minds. You can’t intimidate me or Emma. She told us you called her and tried to strong-arm her some way.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he asked, his eyes cold.

“We’re not doing business with you,” Andi assured him with a lot more confidence than she felt.

“Andi,” Carter warned, “we should listen to what Mr. Carrera has to say.”

“He’ll be wasting his breath. And my time.” Despite the fact that her heart was pounding with trepidation and her hands were clammy, she rained a cool smile on the big man. “Maybe you should go help your brother.”

Blake turned back to Carter. “I thought you said you’d take care of this. Of her.”

“I will.”

“Gentlemen, I think we’re done here. You heard Mrs. Wren,” Luke said.

Carter looked at him. “Who’s running this meeting, Denton?”

Luke didn’t respond, didn’t need to. He and Carrera had locked eyes and the air in the room crackled with words unsaid. Andi threw Luke a worried look, but he held Carrera’s gaze.

Blake said, “I heard you were hooking up with Greg Wren’s widow. And I thought
Nah, not Denton, not the guy who was all on the side of might and right when it came to his ex-partner, Bolchoy
. But look at you now, huh? You’ve finally figured out who the winning team is. Comforting a rich widow is a smart move. I admire that.” He smirked, and Luke’s fists curled into fists.

“You know where the door is,” Luke said, his lips barely moving.

“Wait a minute now.” Carter stepped between the two men.

Panicked that an actual fight might break out, Andi jumped to her feet and took hold of Luke’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“Stop!” Carter ordered. “You can’t just walk out of here.” He turned to Blake. “I’ll talk to Emma. I said I would, didn’t I? She’ll come around.”

“He’s lying to you,” Andi told Blake as she tugged Luke after her and headed for the door. “My sister-in-law and I are in total agreement. No deal. We’ve told Carter. Said it over and over.”

Luke reluctantly followed her into the hall.

Blake called after them, “We’re busy, y’know. Me and Brian. And we can’t keep wasting time over this with you Wrens. If you want a battle, okay, you’ve got one. Meanwhile, I’ve got other things to do. You’re not the only fish in the sea,” he added loudly as Andi stabbed the button for the elevator. “Or should I say
little birds
?”

Her head whipped around at that one, but Luke stayed calm.

“Did you hear what he said?” she whispered as the elevator doors closed behind them.

“Every word.”

“Should we have asked him about the card? About Trini?”

He slid her a glance as they exited the elevator, crossed the building foyer, and headed outside into a brisk wind that was whipping leaves in a furious eddy in the center of the parking lot.

At her Tucson he said, “I want to wait on that.”

She climbed behind the wheel and started the engine. “Do you think the Carerras are behind Trini’s murder? Why would they kill her? Because she’s a
bird
?”

“That just doesn’t hang together,” he admitted. “There’s always a financial purpose to what they do. Their aim is money, first, last, and always.”

“Well, then, what’s all the
little bird
stuff?” She could hear her voice rising and her hands were clenched on the wheel. She had to force herself to relax.

“I don’t know.”

“I made the mistake of calling myself a little bird to them before so . . . maybe they’re just trying to make fun of me, turn my words around, find a new way to psych me out.”