The Counterfeit Bride

  What happened to keeping his distance from her? She was a con-artist. He had to regain control. He was going to marry her cousin. He was going to salvage this deal. Too many people, too many lives, depended on him doing what was right, not what he wanted.

  “We must talk,” he said through gritted teeth.

  He sounded fierce. Where was the polite gentleman who had sat at the bar all night? “We can talk tomorrow.”

  “This cannot wait. We must talk tonight.” If he clenched his teeth any tighter they might crack. “You must retract your allegations. It is imperative that Cassiopeia and I marry as soon as possible.”

  “You cannot marry Cassiopeia, because that is me and you have never proposed to me. If you really want to marry my cousin Julia, go ahead. You just have to convince her to use her real name. She can’t go through the rest of her life pretending to be me.”

  Cassidy felt the waves of animosity pouring from his body, but she also felt his erection become even more prominent. Her lips were practically touching the skin at his neck. She was so tempted to kiss his skin. The urge to lick it swept through her. She wanted to savor his taste.

  She wanted him. She wanted him so badly she was ready to rip her cousin’s face off to keep her away from him. Cassidy couldn’t trust herself this close to him. She pushed herself out of his arms and fled to her office. She left him standing alone in the middle of the dance floor, with a raging hard on, and discretion was very low on her list of priorities.

  Chapter 9

  Cassidy pressed the clicker one more time. She was too exhausted to find anything funny about this situation. Her baby was crying in the back seat, and now the stupid security gate wouldn’t open.

  If this was a movie she would be afraid to get out of the truck to open the gate manually, but this was Texas, not a silly movie where an alien creature would devour her or a serial rapist would grab her.

  The full moon cast a weird glow and added to the lunacy of her thoughts. This was real life and she was on her own property, in this very expensive pick up truck. She couldn’t really afford to spend the money on this truck, but it was worth every penny knowing that Zio was safe riding in it.

  They were safe here, at the ranch. And she had a cranky baby who smelled like he had just filled his diaper. Just get out of the truck and open the damn gate, she told herself.

  She cringed as the gravel on the shoulder of the road bit into her bare feet. She should have put her boots back on before she stepped out of the car, but her feet hurt from being on them all night. She dreaded the thought of having to wear them again tomorrow. Just for one night she would like to show up in comfortable sneakers, like everyone else. Lost in her own thoughts, Cassidy didn’t hear the footstep behind her until it was too late. Bulky arms enclosed her in a bear hug. As she struggled another hand placed a smelly cloth over her nose and mouth. She fought and struggled, all her training for naught in this situation. Her only thoughts were for the baby left alone in the car. What would these animals do with her precious Enzio?

  My baby, her mind sobbed as the world went black. Please, don’t hurt my baby.

  Chapter 10

  “Sir? There is a truck in the road up ahead,” the hired driver said over his shoulder.

  “What is the truck doing?” Theron asked.

  “It’s just sitting there, with the motor running. The driver’s door is open, but I can’t see anyone in the vehicle,” the driver replied.

  “Perhaps it is someone who needed to relieve himself,” Theron said.

  “I don’t see anyone and most people would close the door so someone flying down the road wouldn’t hit it,” the driver stated. “Besides, my headlights caught a coyote jumping out of the open door.”

  “It sounds like a trap, sir. We should go around it and get off this road as quickly as possible,” Luca pointed out.

  “Nobody knew we would be coming this way,” Theron said. “And I don’t know of anyone who would use a coyote to lure me into a trap.”

  “No, but that investigator gave you these directions and knew you would be coming here sooner or later. I do not trust him,” Luca said forcefully.

  A wave of unease rippled through Theron. He barely suppressed a shutter. “Where are we in conjunction with Cassidy’s property?

  “According to the directions the truck is in front of her gate,” the driver answered.

  “Then it is possible that it is her truck and she may be in trouble?” Theron said.

  “Yes, sir,” Luca said.

  “Stop the vehicle.” The SUV limo slid to a smooth stop inches from the large pick-up’s rear bumper. The road was narrow and did not allow much space on it. Theron reached for the door handle as Luca reached out to stop him.

  “It is not safe for you to leave the vehicle. Let my men do their jobs.”

  Theron wanted to get out and help. The intuition that served him well in business now told him it was Cassidy’s vehicle and she was in trouble. He had to be the one to find her. He agreed to let his men assess the situation before he joined them. He waited through hours of agony, even though his men were gone less than five minutes. When they returned one of the men had a squalling baby in his arms.

  “What is that?” Theron asked.

  “The truck has been deserted. It was left running with the lights on and the door open. The baby was alone in the rear seat,” Luca reported.

  “Where is the driver?”

  “Not here. Someone tampered with the gate’s opening mechanism. We found signs of a struggle and this. Luca held a blood stained cloth in one hand. “It still smells of chloroform.”

  “The vehicle belongs to a friend of Cassidy?” Theron was still trying to hold on to hope. If anything had happened to the girl it would be his fault. He should have gone along with Dolmides plans and married Cassiopeia elsewhere.

  “No, sir, it belongs to Miss Flynn,” Luca said quietly, “and so does the baby.”

  The baby was hers? No wonder she fought so hard to gain recognition as a Dolmides heir. She had a child’s future to consider, it wasn’t just her own greed. If he had kept his doubts to himself regarding the girl’s claim, if he had held firm that there was no merit to her story, perhaps she would now be safe in her own bed. Her child comforted by her arms. Who could have perpetrated this monstrous act? Did Cassidy have enemies besides the Dolmides?

  Of course she did. Every Doldmides did. Someone had a lot to gain by being the Dolmides’ heiress and his wife. Could it have been one of his enemies? One of Dolmides’ enemies? Dolmides himself?

  Theron had one last hope. “You are sure Cassidy did not walk to the house to open the gate?”

  “She left her boots in the truck. The terrain is rough, the road unpaved, and there are poisonous snakes. I don’t think she would have walked off barefooted nor would she have left her baby alone on the open road, in an open vehicle,” Luca shattered Theron’s last hope with a few simple statements.

  “Get all her personal belongings out of the vehicle. Get whatever belongs to the baby and let’s get out of here. We must find her quickly before she is hurt or made to disappear forever. He pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket and gave orders in rapid Greek. While he was still engaged in an animated conversation with his PA an odoriferous bundle was placed on his lap. He looked up at Luca standing just beyond the limo door. “What is this?”

  “That is a baby,” Luca said.

  “I can clearly see that. What it is doing on me?” Theron grimaced.

  “My men are stretched thin. They must protect you, collect what is needed from the car, and try to find some clue as to who took the woman and where. They cannot tend to the child, too.” Luca’s phone rang and he stepped away from the limo to answer it, leaving the smelly baby on Theron’s lap. His PA’s voice brought him back to his own conversation. He gave a few pithy orders to his PA while his hand rubbed the baby’s back in a soothing manner. He was surprised to find himself doing it.

  The baby stopped c
rying and stared at Theron with a lost expression in its deep brown eyes. “Don’t worry, little one, we will find your mitera. Your Mama will be with you soon.”

  Theron tried to ignore the noxious odor emanating from the child. He had grown up on the docks where bad smells were the norm, but this tiny human being had his bent nose twitching at the smell. He moved his foot, hoping the child would be out of nose range and kicked a shoulder bag on the floor. He used his free hand to pick it up and found baby toys sticking out of the top.

  No.

  He would not change a diaper. Changing a diaper was not a job for a man worth billions of dollars. Changing diapers was a job for a woman, either a mother or a nanny, it mattered not to him which, as long as it was not him.

  His phone rang. He put the bag down and pulled the phone out of his pocket again. The baby placed a plump thumb in its mouth and sucked; sad eyes glued to Theron’s face. The phone shrilled in Theron’s hand again before he pushed the button. He did not look at the caller ID, the baby commandeered his eye contact. “Yes?” He snapped.

  “Ah, Theron, I finally have good news. I have heard from my sources that the confidence woman is ready too withdraw her suit and the marriage between you and Cassiopeia can go forward as planned.”

  The woman he had been observing all night ran the bar with an iron fist covered in a velvet glove. She expected her employees to keep the high standards she had set, and they did. She didn’t sell inferior liquor, she poured an honest drink, and she made sure nobody was shortchanged, no matter how inebriated. He was convinced Cassidy was the real Cassiopeia. That woman would never capitulate.

  Unless she was tortured or terrified for a child left alone is a vehicle. Unless they showed her film of the coyote in the front cab of the truck with the baby in the back seat. Were they even now under surveillance?

  Costas was a braggart. If Theron handled him carefully he could be quite illuminating. “I’m impressed, Costa. I did not believe you would be able to break her so soon. How did you get her to sign off so quickly?”

  “She is in the process right now. Her father found her in some small nowhere town in Texas. He has explained how you and my Cassiopeia want to be married as soon as possible. He has convinced her of the error of her ways.”

  “If she cared so much for how her family felt about the wedding, why did she stop it in the first place?

  “She has always been jealous of all the extras I have supplied for my daughter. Over the years she felt as if she were entitled to everything my darling daughter had been given. She wanted to hurt my sweet Cassiopeia. My daughter is tall, slim, and beautiful, the con woman is short, chunky, and not very attractive.”

  Had Costas seen the same woman Theron had?

  The baby whimpered. Theron had squeezed it a little too tight. The old man must be blind if he believed the simpering redhead in Athens was more attractive than Cassidy, the flame haired goddess. His Cassidy might be height challenged but she had a spirit which more than made up for it. She had an hourglass figure that made grown men drop to their knees, and a face even more beautiful than Titian’s La Flora. He had fallen in love with the painting the first time he saw it and purchased it once he could afford to. He suddenly realized Cassidy could have posed for the painting five hundred years ago and that was one of the reasons the woman had struck such a cord with him.

  Costas’ droning voice brought Theron back to the conversation rattling in his ear. “Jealousy is very unattractive in a woman. It is a good thing my daughter does not show any tendency in that area. Huh, Theron?” Costas laughed heartily. “A young man does not need a harridan for a wife when he wishes to spend time in other pursuits.” Costas chuckled, “Isn’t that so?”

  A disgusted shutter ran through Theron at the implications that his future wife would turn a blind eye to any infidelity. Or did he shutter at the prospect of who was to be his future wife? In the last week the only female he could picture under him was the pyrotechnia mikros. He had wanted her from his first glimpse of her violet eyes and fiery red hair. There was something about her that had touched more than his libido. It took a lot of courage to walk into a cathedral filled with hundreds of strangers, in a foreign country, and declare the wedding a farce. Sure she had a couple of big tattooed thugs with her, but she was still alone facing down two of the richest men in the world, in a church, filled with some of the most powerful people in the world.

  She had been fortunate to get out of the church without being arrested. Her departure from Greece had been unheralded, unlike the fanfare her entrance into the church had drawn. Nobody had seen her leave her hotel. Not even the men he and Costas had each appointed to watch her. Of course, the watchers were found bound together on her hotel bed with their own handkerchiefs stuffed in their mouths and cheap neckties fastened around their eyes. It was no wonder he had not been apprised of her sudden decampment.

  Once again the baby squirmed on Theron’s lap. This time something warm and wet oozed onto his leg. Big brown eyes flooded with tears, just waiting for the worst possible moment to explode. Tiny lips trembled around the thumb they were fastened to. Theron had no experience with babies, but he was sure these were all dire signs.

  “I have another call I must take, Costa. We will talk again soon,” Theron promised. If so much did not weigh upon the merger of the two companies, Theron would never speak to any of the Dolmides family again.

  “Now it is your turn, baby. What must I do to keep you from crying?”

  The poor little thing tightened every muscle. Its spine curved to such an extent Theron was sure it was not natural and would do permanent damage to the child. Beads of sweat broke out on Theron’s forehead and moisture ran down his back. Under his arms grew clammy, his silk shirt clung to him. He tried not to breathe too deeply. The stench coming off the baby made Theron consider air unnecessary to survival.

  Would Cassidy survive whatever Joe Jenkins had planned for her? He had seen something evil in the man’s eyes every time her name was mentioned. It was evident he wished to harm her for interfering with the wedding, but Theron could have sworn he had seen lust there as well. He had shrugged the idea off when Patsy proclaimed the girl her daughter. Now he feared his initial thoughts were the correct ones. This did not bode well for Cassiopeia. Not if his men had read the signs correctly, and his men were the best in the business, so he knew they had read the situation right.

  The blame was his. Cassidy had been taken by force and her child abandoned by the side of the road because he had failed to act earlier. He was a decisive man. A man accustomed to making life and death decisions on the spur of the moment. This time he had hesitated out of fear. Fear that this woman had the power to change him, his life, his goals.

  He feared she was the one woman he would not be able to control. The one woman he would not be able to walk away from with a kiss and a diamond necklace. There was no room in his life for a woman like that.

  He had to find her.

  He had to give her back her baby. Who could have guessed that beautiful body had given birth so recently?

  Theron would return to Greece and he would never think of her again.

  He flinched as pain ran down his cheekbone. Something hard had hit him in the face. He looked around. The doors were closed and locked. The windows were sealed shut.

  The baby squirming on his lap was the only living thing near him. Clutched in the baby’s sticky little hand was a mobile phone. As the baby flailed his arm he hit Theron’s chin. “This behavior will not do. Give me the phone and we shall both be happier.”

  The only response the baby offered was to put the corner of the phone in its mouth and gnaw on it. Streams of saliva flowed out of its mouth and down the child’s chest until it pooled on Theron’s leg. It mixed with the baby’s other noxious body fluids. The suit would have to be thrown away. He doubted his dry cleaner would be able to get the smell out.

  “I do not believe that phone is good for your health, child of Cassiopeia. You
must give it to me now,” Theron used his most commanding voice, although he had never felt less in command in his life. He held out his hand. The child used his free hand to slap Theron’s and giggled around the mobile phone.

  Theron realized he would have to physically take it away. It also occurred to Theron that the baby had stopped crying as soon as the phone went in its mouth. A diversion would be needed; he could not endure any more screaming and crying from this miniature human. With one hand still holding the child on his now very wet leg, he used the other to dig into Cassidy’s large bag. A small blanket first came to hand. He placed it on the seat and continued his search. He pulled out several folded things. They had plastic liners on the outside and seemed to have some kind of cushioning in the middle. They joined the blanket on the seat. The next thing his hand encountered was a rectangular hard plastic box with a lid within the center of a larger lid. It contained wet naps. He had hoped for a genie to take the baby away, but at least he would be able to wipe off his phone and sponge off his trouser leg.

  That is if he ever got his phone back. He put this new find on the seat with the mystery cushions. At the bottom of the bag he found some more toys, a bottle of sunscreen, a tube, and, thank the Gods, a baby bottle filled with milk. Finally he had a way to quiet the baby down.

  There was a lid over the top, it took a few moments but he found a way to snap it off and revealed the rubber nipple underneath. Theron, the man considered a genius of business by every major player in the world, the man who was always at the top of everyone’s list of innovative business leaders, felt inordinately proud of this new accomplishment.

  Upon sight of the bottle the child flung the mobile phone. It whizzed past Theron’s head on the way to being shattered against the bulletproof window in back of him. Flying shrapnel hit the back of Theron’s head, but at that moment, as he sheltered the small human being with his own body, he didn’t care about his head or his phone, he was only relieved to get something that could be toxic away from the child.