Tempted By Scandal. Karen Booth

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СКАЧАТЬ seven million dollars. Payable now.”

      Teresa’s heart nearly stopped. What could Joshua have done that would get him into that deep a hole? “Joshua doesn’t have that kind of money.”

      “Which is why I went to the person who cares most about keeping him alive.”

      Teresa’s stomach lurched. “That’s preposterous. I don’t have that kind of money, either.”

      “Hunter Price invested in your company. He’s a wealthy man. Surely he gave you something to put away.”

      It truly terrified her that this man knew these details of her life. Her agreement with Hunter had been nothing but discreet. Yes, he had invested in Limitless, but those funds had gone right into the business, for office space, staffing and outfitting the entire operation. “I don’t have seven million dollars.”

      “Then come up with it.”

      “How, exactly?”

      “Not my problem. Just keep in mind that Joshua is running out of time.”

      “Don’t you dare hurt him.”

      The man laughed, a sickening sound that told her he was no stranger to harming people. Teresa couldn’t believe this nightmare was happening again. A cocktail of anger and guilt mixed inside her. She’d always been Joshua’s protector. She’d practically been his mother. Their own mother, Talisa, was scattered and overwhelmed by the world, although it was hard even now to blame her. She’d done her best as a single mom. Nothing had been right after Teresa and Joshua’s father, Nigel, died.

      “I’m a reasonable man. I won’t hurt him right away,” the man continued. “First, I air Joshua’s dirty laundry. See how badly that hurts your business. You work with some very wealthy, important people. I’m sure they’d love to learn what your little brother did in Vegas. Your brother that you practically raised. The brother you’re supposed to be guiding through life.”

      Teresa swallowed hard. Her eyes darted to the window, but the sight of the millions of gallons of water rushing over the rocky drop of Centennial Falls was no longer beautiful. It made her even queasier. None of this was fair. She’d worked hard to help Joshua on track. She’d only needed to see him in jail once before she’d become fully committed to keeping him out.

      But the truth was that since she’d started Limitless and moved back to Seattle, she’d been laser-focused on her career. She hadn’t been keeping close tabs on Joshua. Every time they’d spoken, Joshua assured her he was doing fine. Now she knew he wasn’t exactly keeping his nose clean. She should’ve been paying closer attention.

      “I’m sure your clients will be especially surprised to find out what his big sister did to make it go away.”

      Teresa’s pulse pounded. She quickly glanced at the meeting-room door. No sign of Matt Richmond and that was a good thing. Still, she did not want to risk him walking in while she was having this conversation. Her nerves were too frayed. “Look. I’m going to need time to figure this out. I don’t have that kind of cash available.” If nothing else, she needed to verify that this was actually true. A big part of her wanted to give Joshua the benefit of the doubt. “I need your number so I can get back to you. The call came through as ‘unknown.’”

      “That’s not how this works. You should know that by now. I’ll be in touch.” The line went dead.

      A tall, broad figure stepped into her peripheral vision. Oh, God. Matt Richmond. She took a deep breath, smiled and rose from her seat, only to be confronted by an image plucked from her past, a man she’d only dreamed of running into. Liam Christopher.

      For a moment, she and Liam stared at each other. He was even easier on the eyes now than the last time she’d seen him. Six years ago? Seven? His square jaw and the dark scruff along it suited him so well. His green eyes were as piercing as ever. Right now, they were almost too intense.

      “What are you doing here?” His voice boomed in the small space.

      He must not recognize her. That was the only reason his voice would be dripping with contempt. She stepped closer and offered her hand. “Liam. Hi. Teresa St. Claire. We’ve met a few times. Your father was my mentor when I was in business school.”

      He looked at her hand as if he couldn’t be any more repulsed by the idea of touching her. “You think I don’t know who you are? As if I could forget. Tell me what you’re doing here.”

      She didn’t understand the anger in his voice, but her first instinct was to tell him everything he wanted to know. Perhaps that would calm him down so she could figure out why he was so agitated. “I’m waiting for Matt Richmond. He and I have a meeting scheduled to take place in this room. I’m surprised to see you, but you two are close friends, aren’t you?”

      “What do you want with Matt?”

      Now her patience was wearing thin. There were too many unpleasant things coming out of Liam’s stunning mouth. “I’m sorry, but did I miss something? I haven’t seen you in six years? Seven? And you march into my meeting all angry?”

      “Your meeting? I have a meeting with Matt. And I can guarantee you that whatever it is that you think you’re going to be talking to him about, I’ll be putting a quick end to it.”

      Nobody messed with her and her business. She was not going to lose this event, especially not when she might have to come up with an exorbitant sum of money to save her brother again. “I don’t know why Mr. Richmond double-booked himself, but he’s not here, so we’re both going to have to wait. Perhaps you can take this time to tell me why you’re so upset with me.” She pulled back a chair from the conference table and offered it. “Here. Have a seat. Let’s talk.”

      Liam shook his head, his jaw visibly tighter. “Stop playing games.”

      Teresa felt her own anger about to eclipse Liam’s. “Games? I’m playing games? How about you tell me why you’re so mad at me.”

      Liam shook his head again, this time slowly and steadily. It felt as if his eyes might bore a hole right through her. “You know what you did. You ruined my father’s life.”

      * * *

      Liam Christopher had imagined many times what he might say to Teresa St. Claire if he ever ran into her, but he’d failed to take into account just how badly his temper would flare. He normally played things exceptionally close to the vest, but evidently all bets were off with Teresa.

      “Ruined his life? Your father was my mentor.” Her pleading tone only made her that much more unlikable. “I’ve always cared deeply about him. He helped me get my start in business. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

      “Don’t play coy with me. It’s insulting.” Tension spread across his shoulders and back like a sickness. Although it had been seven years since he last saw Teresa, he would never forget her. Not because she was beautiful, although she was regrettably gorgeous—tall and willowy with long blond hair and striking blue eyes. She was apparently the sort of woman his father had a weakness for. Teresa St. Claire had convinced his father to stray outside his marriage. She was the reason his parents split. She was the reason his mother’s heart had been irrevocably shattered.

      “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

      Teresa СКАЧАТЬ