Eden’s eyes shimmered. “I withdrew what was left in my own bank account months ago. I couldn’t go to anyone. So I did what I had to do.”
Katy stared at her. “Please don’t tell me you’re the one who’s been skimming the restaurant accounts.”
“How did you know about that?”
“Never mind. Are you the one behind the embezzlement?”
Eden sighed deeply. “I had no choice. I fully intend to repay the money as soon as I get rid of Nate.”
“There are two major flaws in that plan,” Katy said. “The first is that you’re never going to get rid of Nate by paying him off. The second is that you’re working on borrowed time. Luke knows what’s going on at the restaurants. He’s tracking down the person responsible even as we speak.”
“He knows?” Eden looked terror-stricken. “But he can’t know. I’ve been very careful.”
“You may have been careful, but Luke is clever. He’ll find out you’re the one behind the embezzlement. It’s just a matter of time.”
“He’ll go straight to Justine. She’ll be furious.” Eden’s fingers were shaking. “There’s no telling what she’ll do. She’ll turn on all of us. Mother and Dad, Darren, all of us. My God, what have I done?”
Katy forced herself to think through the tangled web of impending disaster. “All right, we’ll take this one step at a time.”
“There is no first step,” Eden whispered. “We’re standing on a precipice.”
In spite of everything, Katy could not restrain a small smile. “We?”
“You’ve got to help me, Katy. I’m at the end of my rope.”
“All right. First we’ll do the obvious. We’ll go see Nate and tell him that if he doesn’t get out of your life and stay out, there will be hell to pay.”
Eden frowned. “But we don’t have anything we can use to threaten him.”
“Yes, we do.” Katy put down her empty latte cup and hitched the strap of her yellow purse higher on her shoulder. She thought of Luke closing in on the embezzler. “Let’s go. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Katy knew she had gotten over any lingering feelings she’d had for Nate Atwood a long time ago. Nevertheless, she was tense at the thought of having to see him again.
She had seen almost nothing of him during his marriage to Eden. Most of her memories of him went back to the time when she herself had been dating him.
On the surface Nate had been everything she thought she had wanted in a man. To her he had shown a sunny, open personality. His sense of humor had been quick and lively. He had been interested in her long-range plans to open a small take-out restaurant. He had befriended Matt. The fact that he was good looking, with chiseled features, hazel eyes, and sandy brown hair was a pleasant bonus.
But looking back on the whole thing, Katy knew that something in her had sensed the wrongness in Nate Atwood almost from the start. He was too good to be true, and deep down she had known it. It was why she had never gone to bed with him.
During those exciting weeks with Nate she had found herself constantly testing the waters, unconsciously searching for the flaw.
She had discovered it the evening she had walked in on Nate and Eden wrapped in each other’s arms in a poolside lounge chair at the mansion. Later she realized the damning scene had been orchestrated for her. Neither Nate nor Eden had wanted to tell her what was going on, so they had simply arranged for her to find out for herself. Everyone knew Katy swam nearly every day after work.
When she had recovered from the shock of the discovery Katy had experienced an even greater surprise. She had watched Nate Atwood change personalities before her eyes. He was no longer the easygoing, friendly man she had known. Instead, like some clever chameleon, he turned himself into a mysterious, exotic lover for Eden.
He hinted at a past that included work for the CIA. He dropped the names of famous gangsters and politicians. He arranged for Eden to awake in a bed strewn with fresh blood-red roses. He gave her a string of black pearls. He quarreled with her in front of a crowd when he found her dancing with another man.
The quarrel had ended passionately when he had swept Eden off the dance floor and into a waiting limousine. Eden told Katy later that he had made love to her in the back of the limo while the chauffeur drove aimlessly around the city.
Eden had been enthralled right up to the point at which she had eloped with Nate. Shortly after the wedding, however, the realization that she had made a mistake had started to show in her eyes. If there was one thing a Gilchrist understood, it was passion, and Eden had eventually recognized that Nate’s passion for her was not based on love. She had confided to Katy that she planned to get a divorce. Katy, recognizing the potential danger in Nate, had gone to Justine to get the best possible legal protection for Eden. It had paid off.
Until now.
“I thought Nate had an office in Seattle,” Katy said as Eden drove her black BMW onto the Mercer Island Bridge.
“He moved it to Bellevue after the divorce,” Eden said bitterly. “I wish he had moved it to the other side of the world. Katy, tell me how you think you can threaten him. I’m going crazy with worry. I can’t eat and I can’t sleep.”
“I’m going to threaten him with Luke,” Katy explained.
“Luke?” Eden was horrified. “You can’t bring Luke into this.”
“With any luck I won’t have to bring him into it,” Katy said wearily. She gazed out the windows at the wind-ruffled waters of Lake Washington. “I’m hoping that the threat alone will be sufficient.”
Eden shook her head. “I don’t think anything is going to work. Oh, God, Katy, what have I done? How could I ever have thought I was in love with Nate?”
“Beats me,” Katy said dryly. “But you were sure you were at the time.”
Eden gave her a piteous sidelong glance. “I was so wrong about him.”
“Hey, don’t keep beating yourself over the head because of it. I liked him a lot in the beginning, too.”
The offices of Atwood Investments were in a gleaming new high rise in Bellevue. Eden parked the BMW in the garage. Katy could see how anxious she was when she took the keys out of the ignition. The jangling sound disturbed Katy. It made her realize how tightly strung her own nerves were.
“How much have you given him to date?” Katy asked as they got into the elevator.
“I don’t even want to think about it. Thousands. I am absolutely desperate, Katy.”
They got out of the elevator and walked down the hall to Nate’s office.
“What will we do if he’s not here?” Eden asked.
“We’ll wait for him.”
Katy opened the office door and walked inside. Eden trailed after her. A young woman with an amazingly well-developed chest looked up inquiringly.
“May I help you?” Then the secretary saw Eden. Bright color flamed in her cheeks. Her eyes started to narrow. “Oh, hello, Miss Gilchrist.”
“Hello, Cynthia. Please tell your boss that I want to see him.”
“I’m afraid Mr. Atwood is busy at the moment,” Cynthia said with great satisfaction.
“I’m sure he’s not too busy to see us,” Katy said. She walked straight past Cynthia’s desk and opened the door of the inner office. Eden followed.
Nate was on the phone, one well-shod foot propped on his desk. He reclined in a swivel chair, his attention on the view of Lake Washington outside his window. He glanced around in obvious annoyance as Katy and Eden entered the room. His expression turned cold as he realized who his visitors were, but his voice was laced with warm camaraderie as he concluded his conversation.
“Look, Mike, I’m going to have to run. Something’s come up. I’ll catch you later. Think about the deal. It’s solid. You’ll make a killing.” Nate hung up the phone and leisurely sat forward. “Well, well, well. To what do I owe the honor of thi
s visit, ladies?”
Katy looked at him and wondered what she had ever seen in him. “I think you know the answer to that, Nate. Your little blackmailing scheme ends now. Today. This minute. Furthermore, you will repay the money you have taken from Eden.”
Nate studied her for a long, chilling moment. His eyes were filled with scorn. “You always were a little on the naive side.” Then he turned to Eden. “I warned you not to talk about our arrangement,” he said in a silky voice. “You’ve made me very angry, Eden. It’s going to cost you.”
Eden did not move. “It has to stop, Nate. I simply can’t get any more money for you.”
“You can get it. And you will. You’re a Gilchrist. You owe me. By rights I should have a chunk of the company. Since you managed to keep me from getting my share at the time of the divorce, I’ll get it any way I can.”
Eden shuddered. “You’ve taken enough. More than enough. I can’t give you any more.”
“You will. One way or another you will. We both know I’ll send those clippings about your mother to your grandmother. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Katy took a step forward. “You’re wrong,” she said quietly. “You have a great deal to lose. I’m here to warn you that if you don’t stop the blackmail right now and repay the money you’ve wrung out of Eden, you will be very sorry.”
“No shit.” Nate chuckled. “How are you going to make me sorry, Katy? Go to that old witch, Justine? Not a chance. You know what she’ll do to Eden and her family if she finds out about her daughter-in-law’s previous career as a dealer in forged art. She’ll disown the whole bunch.”
“That’s not true,” Katy said firmly.
Nate grinned. “Come on. Who are you trying to kid? I was a member of the family for a year. I know what Justine Gilchrist is like. I know exactly what she’ll do if she finds out about Maureen. Stay out of this. It’s between Eden and me. The Gilchrists owe me, and they’re going to pay.”
Katy steeled herself. She was going to have to make the counter threat sound good or it would not stand a chance of working. “You may not be aware of it, Nate, but Justine no longer runs Gilchrist, Inc. Her grandson Luke is in charge. If you don’t stop the blackmail, I’ll go straight to him.”
Nate’s smile never wavered. The look in his ice-blue eyes was derisive. “The Bastard? Don’t make me laugh. I know all about Luke Gilchrist. The man has a reputation. He’s hard as nails, and he won’t give a damn about Eden or her mother. He’ll let them all sink. No, you won’t run to him.”
“Don’t be too sure of that,” Katy said swiftly.
“Jesus. How stupid do you think I am?” Nate asked. “I know about Luke Gilchrist, remember? I was family. I know what Justine did to his parents.”
“That’s got nothing to do with this,” Katy said.
“The hell it doesn’t.” Nate leaned back in his chair. He smiled slowly. “I don’t deal in restaurants specifically, but I know real estate in general, and I know the major players in the Northwest financial community. Word travels in the investment world, and Gilchrist is well known. He doesn’t need Gilchrist, Inc. There’s only one reason he’d take it over. He wants revenge for what happened to his parents.”
Out of the corner of her eye Katy saw Eden start to cry. She concentrated on Nate. “You’re wrong.”
“The hell I am. I know his history, and I know Gilchrists. Luke Gilchrist is either going to destroy the company outright to punish Justine and everyone else in the family or to take it over completely and cut them all off. My personal guess is that he’ll crush the business and leave the family with the remains. I have to admit it won’t break my heart. But I intend to get a little more money out of it before it goes under.”
“Not another dime, Nate,” Katy said softly. “Luke will stop you. He won’t allow you to blackmail a member of the family.” Katy glanced at Eden. “Let’s go.”
“Go on, get out of here,” Nate muttered. He waited until Eden had walked into the outer office. “Katy?”
Surprised by something in his voice, Katy turned back. “What is it?”
“You’re wasting your time trying to save them all. Let them go to hell. They deserve it.”
“I can’t do that. I owe Justine. You know that.”
“You don’t owe her a damn thing. Dump the Gilchrists and get on with your life.”
“Since when did you start caring about what I did with my life?” Katy asked. She walked out the door before Nate could answer.
Eden said nothing until they were both in the elevator.
“It didn’t work,” Eden said, gazing straight ahead at the closed doors.
“No.”
“I knew it wouldn’t. What are we going to do now?”
“We have no choice,” Katy said grimly. “Nate called my bluff. That means I have to make good on the threat.”
Eden looked even more horrified than she had earlier. “Go to Luke? Ask him for help? You can’t do that.”
“I don’t have any choice. Stop worrying, Eden. Luke isn’t going to be thrilled when he finds out what’s going on, but he’ll take care of the problem for you.”
“No, he won’t,” Eden said in a voice dazed with shock. “He’ll use it to get his revenge. My God, I’ve ruined everything. Mother and Dad will suffer for my mistakes. And poor Darren. There’s no telling what Justine will do to him. She’ll probably fire him.”
Katy had had enough drama for the day. “You’ve got to have a little faith in family ties, Eden.”
“Family ties? Are you nuts? We’re talking about the Gilchrist family.”
“You’ve got a point.”
Her next move would have to be made with great care, Katy reflected. She needed time to think.
She needed a good swim.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
At ten o’clock that evening Katy resorted to the one form of stress release that she had come to depend upon during the past few years. She decided to take a swim in the mansion pool. She had not gotten back from Seattle until quite late. Instead of going directly home she had gone to the Dragon Bay Library to sit and think for a while.
It was Friday night. Her brother would not be home until twelve. She had the entire evening to herself, and thus far she had spent it pondering the right approach to take with Luke.
He was going to explode when she told him about Eden’s situation. Being a Gilchrist, the explosion would not be a wimpy little sputter and shower of sparks. Luke would undoubtedly reach critical mass the instant she tried to explain.
She noticed there were no lights on in his cottage as she walked past on her way up to the mansion. Just as well. She wasn’t ready to face him quite yet.
Katy did not bother to turn on the lights in the old conservatory as she let herself in with her key. The eerie blue glow of the underwater illumination was all she needed. She made her way through the jungle of palms and ferns. When she reached the pool she dropped her towel and robe on a lounge chair and slipped into the water.
She launched herself toward the far end of the pool with a sense of relief. As always, there was a blessed feeling of freedom to be found in the water. She stroked strongly and cleanly through the rippling blue world and forced herself to think about what she would say to Luke.
It was true he had come through in Darren’s case, but that was a much simpler sort of disaster. Darren had been the victim of a con. Blackmail and deliberate embezzlement, on the other hand, constituted a slightly more difficult problem. Katy understood that. But it was, nevertheless, a family problem.
She had to make Luke understand that the matter had to be dealt with tactfully. Eden had certainly never intended to hurt Gilchrist, Inc. or the family. She had been trying to protect people. There had to be a way to make Luke see that.
She would approach him delicately, she decided. Diplomatically. She would use sweet reason
and logic.
Katy reached the far end of the pool and executed an underwater turn that sent her soaring back toward the opposite end. She could feel her tension lessening already. There was nothing like a swim to relieve stress and make her feel free for at least a little while. She should have come here earlier, she thought.
She reached the pool wall and paused to take a deep breath. A dark figure moved in the shadows near a palm. Katy went still.
“Where the hell have you been all day?” Luke asked in a soft, dangerous voice.
Katy’s diplomatic intentions went up in smoke at the clear note of challenge in his words. She was under enough pressure as it was. She had been stressed out all day. She did not need any more Gilchrist nonsense tonight.
“I took the day off,” Katy said. Then she ducked back under the water and shot off toward the other end of the pool. When she ran out of room she turned and made her way back at a leisurely pace.
Luke was still standing in the shadows, waiting with a predator’s patience.
“I want to talk to you,” he said.
“Maybe later, when I’ve finished my swim.” Katy gripped the curving edge of the tile rim and prepared to launch herself back out of range. She could feel the smoldering anger in him. It was coming at her in waves.
This was definitely not an opportune time to bring up the latest Gilchrist family problems, she concluded.
“I said I want to talk to you. Now.” Luke took a couple of steps forward and sat down on the end of a lounge chair. The blue glow of the underwater lights revealed the fiercely elegant lines of his face. His eyes were gleaming with grim intent.
“Luke, can’t this wait until morning? It’s late.”
He ignored that. “Where were you all day? Why didn’t you pick up your messages?”
“I was busy. By the time I got home this evening it was too late to deal with any messages. I decided I’d wait until morning.”
“Where did you go today?”
“For heaven’s sake, Luke, that’s my business. Just because you and I are involved in some ways doesn’t give you the right to grill me every time I go off on my own.”