The Tycoon's Temporary Bride: Book Four (33 page)

“Mr. Andreas.” Noelle’s enthusiastic voice
pulled him into the present.

Adam shook his head to clear his thoughts. He
could not contain the big grin that splashed across his face.

“Congratulations, sir. This is the best-kept
secret of the century. I wish you and your bride a long and happy
life together.”

“Thank you, Ms. Jenkins.” His eyes followed
hers to his ring-less finger. He’d opted not to wear his wedding
band in public to keep curious minds at bay. However, there was no
reason for Tashi not to wear hers since no one but Pastor and Mrs.
Kelly, and his three friends knew who she was, and to whom she was
married.

Noelle’s brows furrowed. “Do I know her,
sir?”

“Um—no. She’s not from around here, but when
the time is right, you will meet her.” And that was all he was
prepared to say about his wife. It wasn’t just the threat from New
York he had to worry about. Tashi had made an appointment to see
Samantha this morning, then she was having lunch in public with the
other wives. He didn’t want the local paparazzi harassing her,
chasing her around Granite Falls and taking pictures of her to be
plastered around the world. He had four more days before he had to
officially file their marriage certificate, after which he would
have no control over who knew what. He wanted those four days to be
as pleasant and stress-free as possible for Tashi.

“Remember, not a word to anyone. But if my
wife calls for me, you are to put her through immediately. Also, if
anyone else calls, or shows up with information or questions about
her, you are to buzz me directly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Adam proceeded to give Noelle a list of
duties he needed performed immediately, which included arranging
meetings—both in person and via satellite, organizing travel
arrangements, and preparing correspondence to various heads of
Andreas International departments, both domestic and abroad, and
further researching the Neighborhood Winery in California. He was
just about finished with his instructions when the elevator that
led directly from the underground garage to his office chimed,
indicating that his first meeting for the day was on the way
up.

“That will be all, Ms. Jenkins. I think you
have enough to keep you busy for the rest of the day. And, I’m not
to be disturbed for the next hour or so.”

“Yes, Mr. Andreas. I will see that you’re
not, and I will get going on these right away.” She pointed to her
tablet as she stood to her feet. Knowing better than to question
him about his unmentioned appointment, she immediately left,
closing the door behind her.

Adam stood and stepped to the elevator,
reaching it at the moment it stopped. Three men, dressed in dark
business suits, filed off the elevator, each greeting him with a
hug and a slap on the back and another round of congratulations on
his recent marriage.

“So why this early meeting?” Massimo asked
with a grin. “Has your bride flown the coop? Is she a fugitive,
already?”

If his cousin’s questions didn’t elucidate
the reason for the meeting so accurately, Adam would join the
laughter.

“Is she reluctant, buddy?” Bryce gave his
shoulder a commiserative squeeze.

“Well, we know she isn’t a secret.” Erik
punched his arm, playfully.

“Ha-ha,” Adam said in mock humor.

“All joking aside, Tashi seems very sweet,”
Bryce said. “I’m happy for you, brother.”

“Me, too,” Erik added. “I’m glad you have a
wife so you can stop using your goddaughter to pick up women. You
think Michelle and I don’t know what you’ve been doing with our
sweet little angel?”

Adam chuckled. “Using!” he declared in an
affronted tone. “I love Tiff as if she were my own daughter. I
enjoy spending time with her.”

“You’ve always wanted children,” Massimo
stated. “So perhaps you and Tashi should start a family right away.
It would make Uncle Alessandro happy, and besides, Aria needs a
little cousin to play with.”

Adam smiled as he recalled the fond memories
of himself and Mass playing together, and fighting each other as
children. “I would love nothing more than to be holding my son or
my daughter in my arms, nine months from now,” he said, his heart
jolting at the thought. “But I have to keep my wife safe and alive
before I can enjoy that blessing.”

“What?” The men looked at him with puzzled
frowns.

“Is Tashi in some kind of trouble, Adam?”
Massimo asked. “You know I had my share of problems with Eddie’s
threats against Shaina and Cameron. What’s going on, and how can we
help?”

“Yeah, buddy. I can only imagine the gravity
of the situation since Tashi was afraid to go to the hospital when
she became ill.”

“When was Tashi sick?” Bryce gave Erik a
black look. “Wait a minute, you knew about Tashi all along?”

Adam exchanged a confederate glance with
Erik. “Yes, Erik knew. I called him. Tashi needed a doctor, and he
was the only one I could trust.”

All eyes turned on Erik. “That’s why you
tried to talk us out of visiting him last Friday,” Massimo stated
in exasperation. “Why didn’t you just tell us the truth? We would
have understood.”

“He couldn’t.” Adam spoke up in defense of
his friend. “I had sworn him to secrecy.”

“Against us? I thought we were a team and
that we shared everything.” Massimo’s blue eyes pierced Adam’s. “I
guess I was mistaken.”

“Come on, guys.” Erik glanced from one to the
other. “Why don’t you just hear Adam out? You should be more
concerned about why he kept Tashi a secret rather than the fact
that he did.” He shrugged impatiently. “I don’t even know why. He
never shared his reason with me.”

“Erik’s right. We’ve all kept secrets from
each other for various reasons, but we do share when we’re ready.”
Massimo gave Adam a twisted smile of apology.

“Especially you, Mass,” Bryce stated. “You
only recently told us how you and Shaina really met.” He turned to
Adam. “If you’re ready to talk, buddy, we’re here to listen.”

Adam expelled a heavy breath, thankful for
his friends’ concern, but piqued that he had to repeat the details
of that night. He’d convinced Tashi that it was best the gang knew
about New York, so that they could all look out for her until the
threat to her life—their lives—had been eliminated.

“I think we need to sit for this.” The men
followed him across the office to a cluster of chairs near the
glass wall that overlooked Crystal Lake. “Coffee or espresso for
anyone?” he asked, glancing at the bar that separated the chairs
from a long conference table with more chairs arranged around
it.

“No, we’re good,” Bryce responded for all.
“Just tell us what’s going on, Adam.”

Adam waited until they were seated. “You
already know how I met Tashi at Mountainview Café,” he said diving
right in. “But what you don’t know is that three days later, I got
a panicked call from her at two thirty in the morning. She’d been
sick for three days with salmonella poisoning. When I got to her
apartment, she was too weak to go to the door and let me in. I had
to climb through her bedroom window to rescue her.”

“So why didn’t she go to the hospital?” Bryce
repeated the question he’d asked a few minutes ago, in a tone laced
with concern and curiosity rather than agitation.

“Didn’t she have any friends or family, a
neighbor who could have helped her, at least given her a ride to
the emergency room?” Massimo brushed his fingers through his
shoulder-length hair.

A chill rushed through Adam as the image of
Tashi on the bed flashed across his mind. Never will she ever be in
that condition again, he vowed. “No,” he said blandly. “Tashi
has—had no one.” She had him now, and hopefully, his friends as
well after he brought them up to date. “Tashi couldn’t go to the
hospital because she’s on the lam.”

“From whom, the authorities?” Bryce
asked.

“Possibly,” Adam replied on a nod of his
head. “But other people are also looking for her. Bad people who
want to kill her, and who would probably kill anyone who stood
between her and them.”

Adam shuddered at the look of horror on his
friends’ faces as their bodies jerked forward in the chairs. It got
so quiet in the room, he swore he could hear Noelle typing away on
her keyboard on the other side of the building.

Finally, Massimo asked the questions, no one
else wanted to. “Are our wives in danger for hanging out with
yours, Adam?”

“Possibly,” he said on another nod.

“But they’re supposed to have lunch together
today.” Bryce reached for his phone. “Perhaps I should call
Kaya—”

“I should call Michelle.” Erik reached for
his.

“There’s no need, guys.” Adam stopped them
with a swipe of his hand when his cousin reached into his pocket.
If he were in their places, he would be doing the same damn thing.
What good was a husband, a father, if he didn’t worry about his
family’s safety and protection? “They’re all safe for today. I’ve
hired a team of armed bodyguards, eight ex-marines to follow Tashi
around. She met them this morning, and knows she’s being followed,
and that she will always be within sight of at least two of them,
although they are to remain totally inconspicuous to everyone else.
I’ve cautioned her not to alert your wives. I think the fewer
people who know what’s going on, the better.”

Massimo nodded. “I agree. No need to cause
them undue stress. But, who are these people, Adam?”

“And why do they want Tashi dead? What did
she do to them?” Erik picked up.

And so, as calmly and precisely as he could,
Adam repeated the story Tashi had relayed to him three days ago.
Beginning with her conversation with his parents, he gave them
everything except for one tiny little detail—well two.

“
Dio
!” Massimo exclaimed, slapping his
hand against his forehead. “This makes Shaina’s problems look like
a Sunday afternoon picnic.”

“No wonder the poor girl was afraid to seek
medical attention,” Erik said.

“How can you protect her from such evil?”
Bryce leaned forward in his seat again.

Adam’s eyes darted from one to the other as
he anticipated their reaction to what he was about to reveal—the
details he’d previously omitted. “The thing is, I never gave you
the name of the FBI agent who helped Tashi escape, and I never told
you how and why she ended up in Granite Falls.” He paused on a deep
breath. “It was Paul. Paul Dawson. He sent Tashi here to us, to me.
He asked that I marry her, make her my temporary bride and give her
the protection of the Andreas name.”

Their mouths dropped open and their eyes
bulged in their sockets.

“Are you saying that Paul is dead?” Mass shot
to his feet and began to pace.

“I hope not.” Adam followed him up. “But
this—this thing happened last year around the same time you were
trying to reach him, Mass.”

“
Dio
,
mio
!” They told me he was
unavailable. Not that he was dead.”

“Did he say anything to you that could
indicate what was going on in his life before he disappeared?” Adam
stood in front of his cousin, forcing him to cease his pacing.

Massimo narrowed his eyes. “Well, when we
spoke, he said he was working on a top-priority case. He said it
was personal, and serious, I think. He’d promised to clue me in
later, but as we know, later never came.”

“Did he say anything else? Drop any other
clue about this case?” Adam asked, his heart hammering in his
chest.

Massimo placed his hands on Adam’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry, cousin, but that’s all I have.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Erik asked, coming to
stand beside them, Bryce following in his wake. “You want Massimo
to confirm what you already suspect.”

Massimo stared at Erik. “And what’s
that?”

Erik spread his hands. “Tashi might be Paul’s
daughter.”

Adam closed his eyes as the words sank into
his gut. He’d suspected it. Had felt it, ever since Tashi had told
him about the sacrifice Paul had made for her. Very few men would
go to such lengths to protect another person, unless it was a loved
one. Adam just hadn’t wanted to believe it, and so he’d allowed his
desire for Tashi to overwhelm his logic, the honor and trust Paul
had put in him to keep his daughter safe and probably still
intact.

“You must have suspected, Adam,” Bryce said,
pulling him out of his trance. “I mean, Tashi’s biracial, like
Kaya. Is her mother white?”

Adam nodded. “She inherited her mother’s
auburn hair and emerald eyes.”

“Then her father must be black or of some
other non-Caucasian ethnicity. Paul is black. And he risked his
life for her. His actions supersede those of an FBI agent doing his
job. That’s the behavior of a father or a husband. I would have
done the same for Kaya and any of my five children.”

“He must not have known about Tashi,” Erik
offered his opinion. “Or else he would have told us about her.
Paul’s not the kind of man who would walk away from his
responsibilities. He would not have walked away from his
child.”

“He’d probably just found out about her when
we spoke last year. God, I can’t imagine discovering that I had a
kid twenty-odd years ago, and then lost her before I had the chance
to get to know her. He obviously didn’t get a chance to tell her
that he was her father before that night. He was probably just
working up to it.” Massimo paused and his lips twisted in thought.
“Are you guys forgetting that Paul had a younger brother?”

“Yeah,” Bryce replied. “He was a New York
City fireman. He died in the Twin Towers. Tashi could be George’s
daughter, which would make her Paul’s niece.”

“It’s possible,” Erik concurred.

“Paul and George did not get along. They
hadn’t spoken in years,” Adam said. “Even up to the day he
died—something Paul told me he would always regret. So if Tashi is
his niece, I could understand why he would put his life in danger
for her. She’s family.”