Wild and Wanton (16 page)

‘Even if I had been, it wouldn't be more than you're worth. But actually it's a collective effort.'

‘I hope I won't be expected to make a speech,' she said, filled with alarm as the horror of that struck her.

‘I have an idea that it will be expected of you. But you'll do it beautifully.'

It wasn't as bad as Lindsay had anticipated. Her present was a bracelet watch. As he fastened it on her wrist, Jim Bourne quipped that it wasn't a reflection on her timekeeping.
Although
he kept his speech short, his praise of Lindsay was high. She responded by saying that he had been a pleasure to work for and said some equally nice things about her colleagues, then stepped down to applause, after which everyone crowded round to admire her gift.

It was quite some time before she managed to get Greg Hammond on his own. Some of the guests had left by then, and the tempo of the party had slowed. Several couples, among them Cathy, partnered by Jim Bourne, were dancing to the dreamy beat of the record on the stereo.

‘Greg?' Lindsay queried, tugging his arm. ‘Can I get you in a quiet corner for a moment?'

His mouth curled up in a typical male reaction. ‘Anytime.'

She didn't really believe that he'd put that sort of implication on her request. He was just fooling, but she went along with him and playfully slapped his hand. ‘I want to talk to you. There's something I must ask you. Perhaps it would be best if we went into Jim's study. In the circumstances, I don't think he'd mind.'

‘This sounds intriguing,' Greg said as he allowed himself to be led out.

Lindsay wondered if anyone had observed their departure, anyone named Nick Farraday.

Greg waited until they were both seated,
then
said, ‘Okay.' The soberness of his tone told her that he'd tuned into something in her expression and wasn't looking forward to this. ‘What do you want to know?'

‘Before I ask you anything, there's something I must tell you. I've already told Nick. Phil Cooper was my brother.'

A look of resigned forbearance came to his face. ‘I thought he might have been, or at least have been related to you in some way. You had a deep grievance against Nick. I recalled that Phil's last name had also been Cooper. It was reasonable to deduce that there might be a connection.'

His deductions made it easier for Lindsay, even though she still gleaned something a bit scary in his manner. But having made it this far she had to go on. ‘I want to know why Phil was fired.'

‘Are you sure?'

‘I wouldn't ask if I wasn't.'

‘No. Silly question.'

‘Please, Greg,' she urged.

‘How do I start? Believe me, Lindsay, the last thing I want to do is hurt you. And Phil was my buddy.'

‘I'm glad about that. It means I won't get a one-sided version.'

‘That's the point I wanted to make. You know how much he admired Nick?'

‘Yes, his letters were full of him. And because he thought so highly of his hero I
thought
it was cruel of Nick to let Phil down.'

‘Nick never let anyone down in his life. Hero worship does no harm; unfortunately, it didn't stop there. Phil was jealous of Nick. He found it hard to reconcile himself to the thought of one man having so much. He couldn't see that Nick had worked damned hard for his luck.'

‘I know that Phil tried to pattern himself on Nick. Cathy told me that.'

‘I'd love to hear Cathy's version. Or perhaps I wouldn't. She's a stupid, embittered woman who won't admit to the truth.'

Suspicious of his vehemence, wondering if he'd allowed personal feelings to creep in, she said, ‘At one time I thought that you and Cathy might make a go of it. She told me you had a row. Is that why you're angry?'

‘I'm not angry, just frustrated. And there was never anything like that between us. Neither of us had those sorts of feelings. I tried to befriend her because . . . if you must know, Nick thought she needed someone. I was following instructions.'

‘Why didn't Nick befriend her himself?'

‘He asked me to do it because I was Phil's friend, and he thought I would be able to get closer to Cathy and offer help better than he could.'

‘Umph! Some friend.'

‘This isn't easy for me, Lindsay.'

‘I know,' she admitted grudgingly. ‘Go on.'

‘Phil
didn't just aim to be like Nick.' Greg's eyes never left her face, and a curious feeling pinched Lindsay's stomach. ‘Your brother passed himself off as Nick . . . to make it.'

‘Make it?'

‘Come on, Lindsay, you can't be that naive! How does a guy make it? With women, of course! Phil had access to Nick's cars, his private plane, his homes. Besides his apartment here in London, he has one in New York, a house in Paris, and a villa in the South of France. Phil knew Nick's travel schedule so it was easy for him to make use of them.'

‘You're saying that Phil took advantage of his position and used Nick's establishments as love nests?'

‘I'm sorry, Lindsay, truly I am, but that's the truth of it.'

‘I don't believe you. Phil and Cathy were the perfect couple. He wouldn't have looked at another woman. And another thing, this isn't fair, because my brother isn't here to defend himself. If he were he'd tear down this pack of lies.'

‘Every word I've spoken is the truth.'

‘You might think so, Greg. I don't doubt your sincerity, but if things had been that way I would have had a whiff of something.'

‘There was no cover-up, if that's what you're getting at, except to protect Phil's family, particularly the kid. Nick went to a lot of trouble to save her from unnecessary suffering
later
on in life. He didn't want anything that wasn't her fault to catch up with her. You know how people like digging things up, the way their minds work. Like father, like son, or in this case, daughter.'

‘What do you mean by cover-up?'

‘I've said too much already. Nick will kill me if he finds out.'

‘If you don't tell me, Nick won't get the chance, because I'll have done it.'

‘I guess you're right. I can't stop now. So . . . Phil was getting away with it nicely. It all blew up in his face when one of his girlfriends slapped a paternity suit on Nick. At first Nick didn't take a lot of notice. He knew two things, that he was innocent, and that a man in his position is prey to that sort of thing, along with kidnap bids and the like. There's always someone on the look-out for a way to make a fast buck. The suit was handed to his lawyer to be dealt with in the usual way. Routine, inquiries turned up the fact that the man in question wasn't Nick, but Phil.'

‘No! This is preposterous. Stephanie is the only child Phil has fathered.'

‘I don't know about that. Nick fought this particular case, and it was proved that Phil couldn't possibly be the father, so the suit was dropped. As I said just now, hush money was paid to keep it under cover, because that sort of information sticks. But it was curtains for Phil. Nick stood by him until he got him
absolved,
but then he kicked him out. You can't blame him for that, because he wouldn't have been able to put his trust in Phil again.'

‘I wouldn't blame him if I thought there was a shred of truth in any of this. I suppose this is a sample of the lies you told Cathy.'

‘I didn't have to tell Cathy a thing. She already knew. It couldn't be kept from her. I merely tried to point out to her that until she admitted the facts and found it in her heart to forgive, she was never going to rid herself of her bitterness, and that it would go on eating her up and ruining her life.'

‘No, Greg. You're the one who's wrong. Your loyalty to Nick and the admiration you feel for him for what he's made of himself have blinded you to the truth. Phil couldn't have done what you say,' she sobbed, almost beside herself.

‘No! It's exactly as I told you. I didn't want to tell you, remember; you made me.'

She turned her head, unmoved by the entreaty in his eyes. He grabbed her by the shoulders, as if he felt the need to shake her to make her see reason. She pulled away, and he dragged her back.

‘Let me go!'

‘Not in the state you're in. You're distraught, Lindsay. I know it's been a shock to you, but you've got to pull yourself together. Calm down and then I'll let—'

‘Take your hands off me,' she screamed.
She
heard the click of the door opening before she spoke, but not soon enough for her brain to signal her mouth to close. Her startled eyes saw Nick bearing down on them.

‘You heard what she said!' Nick bellowed, eyes blazing as he reached out to hoist Greg to his feet.

Greg didn't have the physique to fight back even if he'd wanted to. He submitted, pleading plaintively, ‘You've got it wrong, Nick. I swear it. We were talking, and things got a bit overheated, but it's not what you think. I wasn't making a pass.'

Letting him go with a force that sent Greg reeling across the room, Nick commanded, ‘Get out while you can. I want to hear what Lindsay has to say, and if it isn't to my liking it will be in your best interest not to be around for a while. Don't think you're getting away with anything. I intend to deal with you later when I feel more rational.'

‘Yes, Nick, just as you say.' Casting a look at Lindsay, the faintest gleam of apology in his eyes for leaving her to deal with Nick's anger, Greg left the room.

Nick moved; two long strides brought him directly in front of her. Even when she was standing he towered over her, and now that she was sitting on the sofa his height seemed especially intimidating. She wanted to cover her eyes and cry. She couldn't take any more; she felt as if she were sinking under the weight
of
her own tumultuous emotions. Whichever way she went, a man dear to her was going to be discredited. She couldn't believe those dreadful things of Phil. But it was equally inconceivable to imagine that Nick had used her brother as a scapegoat, which was the only alternative. Logic told her that this wasn't possible, yet she wasn't ready to admit to herself that Phil had been disloyal to the man who had elevated him to a position of importance in his organization, paying him a more than generous salary. Furthermore, she couldn't believe that Phil had been unfaithful to the wife he'd professed to love. It was a mire of horror.

To add to her confusion and chilling dismay was the cool violence in Nick's restrained voice as he said, ‘I sent Greg packing because I didn't want him to hear what I have to say to you. I saw what was going on between you two before you lured him out. What the devil do you think you're doing?'

As cowardly as it had seemed, Greg's getting out while the going was good was understandable. She couldn't imagine anyone attempting to stand up to this implacable stranger who was a million times removed from the passionate lover who had held her in his arms.

Her teeth almost chattered as she said, ‘What are you talking about? I didn't lure him out.'

‘You
mean it was Greg's idea for you to sneak in here together?'

‘No, it wasn't. I asked him to come in here with me. But there was nothing sneaky about it. I had something to ask him.'

‘What?'

‘Stop trying to browbeat me! Give me one good reason why I should tell you!'

Lindsay wanted to tell him to go to the devil, that she didn't have to explain a thing to him and that she wasn't going to. She wanted to be cool and aloof and sweep out of the room in disdain, but didn't for two reasons. She didn't think her legs would carry her, and if somehow she could manage to conjure up the strength, she didn't think she'd be allowed to get very far.

‘I am not trying to beat you down.'

‘I should think I'm the best judge of that.'

‘Lindsay, I'm a patient man. Where you're concerned I surprise myself at the amount of forbearance I can command, but don't press your luck too far. You can't stall indefinitely. I'll get it out of you no matter what means I have to resort to.'

Would he really resort to physical violence, which was what he was threatening? She decided not to put him to the test.

‘I had to ask Greg about Phil. I wanted to know the truth.'

‘And he told you?'

Lindsay was quite proud of the way she met
that
steely gaze. ‘He told me quite a lot. I've yet to work it out in my mind whether I think it was the truth or not.'

‘I see.' His tone, sounding suddenly brimful of the patience he claimed to have, gave no clue of what he was thinking. ‘And if, in your estimation, Greg lied to you, what do you think the truth is?'

He was certainly blunt. She had an answer, but did she dare to tell him? It had taken her forever to figure it out, but now she knew: If Phil hadn't been at fault, then he'd been used to cover up someone else's wild carryings-on.

With that someone staring morosely down at her, a storm warning in his tropical blue eyes, it was difficult for her to speak, but she managed it.

‘You were pretty quick to befriend Cathy, or at least your minion was, under your instructions.' She felt cheap referring to Greg as a minion, but it had more impact that way. ‘Was it to salve a guilty conscience, Nick? It would have been easy to shift the blame onto Phil for something you did.'

She knew that she had gone too far in saying that. Why she'd said it she didn't know. Something had goaded her into it, despite the fact that she didn't really believe it.

She'd pushed him too far, and she expected some retaliation. She wouldn't have thought much of Nick if he'd let it go. It took a lot of steel for her not to flinch at the anger that
flashed
across his face. Even worse was the cold contempt that replaced it.