Mr. Hyde’s Assets Read online

  “I’m glad you asked that question. She is special, and I’ve been waiting for the right time to talk to you about her.”

  Uh-oh. Austin didn’t like the sound of that. Maybe he didn’t want to know about the infamous Mrs. Vanausdale after all. Jack was acting even more strangely than usual, and Austin’s instincts regarding his brother rarely failed him. Jack grinned, but Austin detected the telltale tic in his left cheek.

  Frissons of alarm lifted the hair on his arms. It reminded him of why he’d nicknamed Jack Dr. Jekyll in the first place. Jack, injecting the nanny’s food with his own brand of Spanish fly, just to see if anything would happen… For years afterward Austin had forced Jack to sample his food before he would touch it. And that was only one of many such incidents. Austin knew Jack didn’t do his experiments out of spite, yet sometimes he still felt like wringing his scrawny neck.

  “Well, it’s really sad what happened to Mrs. Vanausdale. Sad, sad story.” Jack shook his head.

  Austin slowly lowered the Coke to his knee, his gaze on Jack’s face. He couldn’t shake his bad feeling, and when Jack became redundant, it increased the feeling. Hell. “Go on.”

  Jack fiddled with his tie, twisting it around and around. “She and her husband were planning to have a baby, in vitro, which you know is the fertilization of the egg in a lab—”

  “I know. Go on.” Austin gritted his teeth, remembering the last time he’d wanted to beat the holy crap out of Jack. He was sixteen and suffering from incredible itching on the soles of his feet. It didn’t take him long to tie the affliction to Jack. Buckling under torture, Jack finally confessed to planting homemade itch powder in Austins socks—just to see if his recipe would work, of course.

  Given the kind of experimenting Jack had grown up to do, Austin feared this might be something a bit more serious.

  “Remember, this information is strictly confidential.” Jack frowned. “I shouldn’t even be telling you.” When Austin remained silent, he went on. “Anyway, they had begun the process, and we were about to check the potency of Mr. Vanausdale’s sperm—”

  Austin cleared his throat, never comfortable when Jack began rattling on about such things.

  “—when Howard’s plane went down over the Atlantic Ocean.”

  What a nasty break, Austin thought, ashamed of the relief he felt on hearing the news. She wasn’t married. Of course, she was still rich. And still pregnant. Shrugging, he said, “She looks young. She could remarry someday. Have babies with her next husband.”

  “She could.” Jack propped his feet on the desk and studied his shoes. “But she doesn’t have to. In fact, she told me she doesn’t intend to ever remarry. Howard’s been dead almost a year, but she went ahead with the in vitro three months ago. It was a successful venture.”

  “Using her husbands… ?” Of course she had. What a stupid question. Austin frowned as Jack began to twist his tie again.

  “Not exactly.” Jack laughed a little too heartily.

  Austin didn’t like the sound of that laugh. Not one bit. “What do you mean, not exactly?”

  Jack jumped up from the chair as if his pants had caught fire. With a nervous smile, he removed a newspaper from the neat stack on the corner of his desk and thrust it into Austin’s hands. “Look at that.” He tapped the front page for emphasis. “Ain’t she a beauty? Reminds me of an angel. Now, could you say no to a face like that?”

  Reluctant to tell Jack he’d met her in the flesh—and what flesh—Austin glanced at the black-and-white photo, scanning the caption. Candice Vanausdale, wealthy widow of deceased tycoon Howard Vanausdale, uses husband’s frozen sperm to keep inheritance.

  By the time he finished reading the article below the picture of the solemn-faced blonde, he discovered a very nasty taste in his mouth. He took a swig of the Coke and tossed the paper onto the desk.

  “She did it for the money?” Saying the words felt ugly. Austin didn’t care how beautiful Candice Vanausdale was, he couldn’t respect someone who brought a child into the world for the sake of money. Just as he couldn’t respect people who believed money could take the place of affection and good old-fashioned love.

  Jack felt that way, too. So why…

  “She’d planned to have a child anyway, Austin.” Jack replaced the newspaper in the pile and carefully realigned the edges. His gaze flitted nervously from Austin to the papers, then back to Austin. “You read the article. Howard’s family—his two greedy sons, in cahoots with an estranged uncle—is trying to take everything just because Candice didn’t produce an heir.”

  “Not enough reason to have a child,” Austin growled. “Hell, the fathers dead!”

  “Uh, no, he’s not.”

  Dumbfounded, Austin stood and leaned over the desk. Jack edged back in his seat, his face paling. Now Austin knew something was up. “I know you’re going to tell me where this is leading, little brother. I also know I’m not going to like it.” He lowered his voice another octave, signaling danger. “Am I?”

  Jack stared at the bulging muscles in Austin’s exposed forearms and visibly swallowed.

  That did it. Austin grabbed the lapels of Jack’s lab coat and lifted him out of the chair, bringing them nose to nose across the desk. “It’s been a long time since I beat the crap out of you.”

  “We’re grown men—”

  “One of us is,” Austin hissed. “What is it?” He shook Jack lightly, consciously leashing his strength despite his growing agitation. Adrenaline rushed into his veins, triggering his panic button. Jack—Jack Cruise was the only person in the world whose antics could make him afraid. “What did you do this time, Jack?”

  Jack’s voice came out in a croaking whisper, but Austin felt no compulsion to loosen his grip. “When I tested the old man’s specimen a few days before the first scheduled procedure—just before he died—the count wasn’t only low, it was nonexistent.”

  Austin frowned. Something wasn’t clicking, although he sensed it should be. He’d never paid much attention to the medical terms Jack spouted like poetry. Now he wished he had. “But you just said the operation was successful.”

  “It… it was.” Jack licked his lips. “She wanted a baby so desperately, you see, and I just couldn’t tell her the truth.”

  “The truth.” Austin knew he wasn’t making sense, but he seemed helpless to complete a sentence.

  Jack managed to nod. “Right.”

  Abruptly, Austin let go. Jack fell into the chair, gasping for breath. Overplaying it, Austin thought, refusing to feel guilty. He took a deep breath himself. “I hope you didn’t do what I think you did, Dr. Jekyll.”

  Jack shrugged helplessly. “I couldn’t help myself. I figured it wouldn’t do any harm, and who’s to know? As soon as I found out the in vitro was a success, I disposed of the evidence.” A note of desperation crept into his voice. “If you had been me, you wouldn’t have been able to look into those gorgeous, tragic—”

  “Cut the crap, Bozo,” Austin snapped, edgily running his fingers through his hair. “You could go to prison for this, you know. Have you thought of that? If anyone finds out you used another man’s specimen in place of Howard Vanausdales, you could go to jail.”

  How many times had he repeated this scare tactic to Jack since he’d began messing with his first chemistry set at the age of seven? He’d lost count. He blew out an exasperated breath that made Jack jump.

  “I know I should have thought it through. I’m sorry, Austin.”

  And how many times had that same pitiful response echoed back to him? An equal number of times. Austin glared at his brother, weary to the bone. “What if the baby doesn’t look anything like her husband and she gets suspicious? It scares the hell out of me to think I helped you with the freezing experiments when you first got this job at this godforsaken cloning clinic—”

  Jack whimpered. Whimpered.

  Austin froze in the act of pitching his empty Coke into the wastebasket. His incredulous gaze pinned Jack to the chair. “You didn
’t.”

  Jack whimpered again.

  “You didn’t. Say you didn’t. Tell me now!” The can fell to the floor with a clatter. “Tell me I’m wrong, tell me I’m crazy for thinking what I’m thinking.”

  He waited. Frozen, petrified, and almost positive he was going to have to kill Jack. When his half brother tried to shrink into the chair, he knew he was doomed.

  “I—I’m sorry, Austin. I—I doubt the baby will look anything like Mrs. Vanausdale’s late husband, because you don’t look anything like her husband.”

  Blood pounded in Austin’s ears until he thought it would deafen him.

  But no, it wasn’t his blood pounding; it was someone knocking on the door of Jack’s office. With angry, jerky steps, Austin stalked to the door. He didn’t care if it turned out to be the President; he’d get rid of whoever it was because he didn’t want anyone to witness the bloody scene that was about to occur.

  He yanked it open. “You’ll have to come—” he began.

  His stomach bottomed out in a sickening rush.

  He’d recognize those gorgeous cat’s eyes anywhere.

  Chapter Two

  It was her!

  Standing there with her hand poised to knock again was Candice Vanausdale, the rich widow of tycoon Howard Vanausdale—and, according to Jack, the mother of Austin’s baby.

  Austin thought he would croak. He was certain his heart actually stopped beating for the number of seconds it took her to speak. A quick glance behind him told him Jack had turned white, as if he had seen a ghost. And he—he probably looked like a man on the imminent verge of a heart attack, with a red, sweating face and round, terror-stricken eyes. No wonder she looked puzzled.

  The silence in the room drowned out the pounding in his ears.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  Same soft, husky voice, smooth as aged whisky—and just as deceptive. Austin stared, noticing a dimple in her chin and wondering—due to shock, he was certain—if their baby would inherit the trademark. It sure as hell wouldn’t inherit anything from Howard Vanausdale!

  Jack recovered first, jumping to his feet and racing around the desk, his nervousness seeming to vanish as his professional manner took over. Austin wished it was that simple for him. All he could do was gawk at her cat’s eyes and try to imagine her rocking a colicky baby in the middle of the night. Or, even less imaginable, changing a dirty diaper. Come to think of it, he couldn’t imagine himself doing any such thing, either.

  But wasn’t a mother supposed to, rather than hire a tight-lipped nanny who smiled when parents were around and pinched when they weren’t? He swallowed hard and gripped the doorknob until he was certain he left marks in the galvanized steel.

  “Mrs. Vanausdale! What brings you back?” Jack cried, coming forward to take her hand.

  When Jack passed him, Austin stopped himself from snarling out loud. Instead, he nearly twisted the doorknob off in an effort to keep his hands from circling Jack’s neck.

  “I can’t find my purse, and—”

  “Your purse!” Jack opened his mouth in mock horror.

  Austin wanted to shove his fist into it.

  “Of course! I found it right after you left and put it in a safe place. I was going to call, but a little something came up.” He risked another glance at Austin, openly pleading.

  Austin swallowed a snort. Oh, something came up all right, but it was hardly little. And it was going to get bigger. Much bigger. Like the knot he was going to put on Jack’s head.

  Mrs. Vanausdale swiped a nervous tongue over her bottom lip, looking distinctly uneasy, Austin thought. But then, a person would have to be both deaf and blind to miss the tension in the room. And if she hung around very long, she’d get a complimentary ticket to a violent wrestling match.

  When she settled her gaze on Jack again, a warm, spontaneous smile curved her full lips, causing a startling kick in Austins gut. He wanted her to smile at him that way.

  Well, hell, did he like her or not?

  He couldn’t decide, because he didn’t know the real Mrs. Vanausdale. Would the real Mrs. Vanausdale send a nanny to the hospital with her child for a tonsillectomy, just so she wouldn’t miss the first day of her cruise to the Bahamas? Would the real Mrs. Vanausdale hire an entire circus to host her son’s birthday party in the hopes he wouldn’t notice that she wasn’t there?

  That soft, enticing voice broke into his unpleasant memories.

  “The purse?” she reminded Jack hesitantly.

  Jack slapped his forehead and raced around his desk, jerking drawers open until he came to the last one. He pulled a white beaded bag out and, with a triumphant smile, brought it to her. “There you go! If you need anything else, just let me know.”

  She flashed him a grateful smile and took the purse. “Remember, if you think of anyone—”

  “I will, I will. Keep in touch, and don’t forget to call when the little miracle gets here!”

  “Yes, yes, I will, Dr. Jack.” She smiled again, darting a quick, shy glance at Austin.

  Jack shut the door on the retreating woman and hastily scurried to his chair behind the desk.

  Austin wondered if he was stupid enough to believe the sizable hunk of wood would protect him. Dr. Jack, indeed. Dr. Jekyll was more like it. This time, Jack had gone too far. “You can’t do this. It’s not only unethical, it’s illegal!”

  “It’s done.” Jack shrugged helplessly. “This isn’t like going to the store for a refund, Austin. Candice Vanausdale is pregnant, and she’s going to have the baby.”

  “My baby.” Austin returned to his chair and sat down abruptly, bending his head forward between his knees. He’d kill Jack, as soon as he was certain he wouldn’t pass out. This was impossible, wasn’t it? He was going to be a father, and he hadn’t even had sex with the woman!

  “Are you okay?” Concern made Jack momentarily forget his fear. “Austin… I’m sorry, I really am. I didn’t know you would get this upset, and—”

  Austin’s head shot up, stopping Jack’s words. Spots danced before his eyes. He took a deep, slow breath. In, out. Carefully. There, his head began to clear. At least he was spared the humiliation—and danger—of fainting in front of Jack. God knew what parts of his body might be missing when he came to.

  “This is insane,” he muttered, glaring at his brother. “I can’t believe you did this to me.”

  “I couldn’t help it, Aussy. She was so eager to have her baby, and I—I just did it. I replaced her husband’s specimen with yours before our doctor did the procedure.”

  “Without thinking it through.”

  “Without thinking it through. I should be shot, I know, but if you had been there—”

  “I would have said no,” Austin cut in harshly. “I would have told her the truth, just like you’re going to do.”

  Eyes wide, Jack began to shake his head. “No, no. I can’t tell her. As you said, I could go to prison, and—”

  “So?” Austin carefully rose from the chair. “You deserve it, you little weasel. We’ll give her time to get home, then you’re going to pick up the phone and call her.”

  “And tell her what? That she’s going to have my half brother’s baby? A stranger’s baby?” Jack laughed shakily. “She’d have my butt in jail so fast, my head would spin.”

  Good, Austin thought, because his was spinning. He felt no sympathy. True, he was a stranger to Mrs. Vanausdale; he didn’t think their brief encounter conferred familiarity—or warranted sharing a baby, as much as he admired her physically. But he couldn’t forget the things she might do for money. And he would not—would not—have his child raised in that environment. “You’re going to tell her.”

  “Austin, I—”

  “Jack.” He took a threatening step forward, and Jack hastily nodded.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll tell her.”

  Austin turned away, forcing his shaky legs to move in the direction of the door.

  “Where are you going?”

&nb
sp; “To the John. When I come back, you’d better have your story rehearsed.” Stalking out, Austin headed for the bathroom and some cold, reviving water.

  Dear Lord, how could this have happened? He felt hot all over, mostly from embarrassment. To think, that drop-dead gorgeous woman was at this moment carrying his child, and she didn’t even know it! Would she be disgusted to learn the father wasn’t a rich tycoon with Mayflower ancestors but an unemployed aspiring artist? Of course, he could always reassure her by showing her his bank account.

  But no, he wasn’t touching the ill-gotten money left to him by his father, not for her or anyone. It could sit in the bank and rot, for all he cared.

  He made it to the bathroom and stoppered the sink drain, letting the basin fill with cold water before he quickly doused his face and neck.

  She was rich, and he knew what rich women did with their children. They paid a nanny to take care of them, tuck them into bed, and soothe their aches and pains. Later, when they were old enough, they sent them to expensive boarding schools in Switzerland and promptly forgot about them.

  Austin knew. Hell, Jack knew it, too. As children, they had both sworn never to do the same to their own offspring. He grabbed a towel and mopped the water from his face. Jack knew how he felt, yet he had done this anyway. Well, he could just undo it.

  Wishing it were that simple, he returned to the office. Jack offered him a wavering smile. Austin scowled, doubting he’d ever forgive his brother for this latest stunt. “Well?”

  Jack evidently found the wall very interesting. “I’ll call her… and make an appointment, tell her we’ve got something important to talk to her about. I think you should be the one to tell her. Gently.” A quick glance at Austin’s clenched fists rushed him on. “This is going to be a shock, and—”

  “Oh, really?” Austin snarled sarcastically.

  “—and it could be harmful in her condition.”

  Austin hadn’t thought of that. Hell, he hadn’t thought of a single practical thing since Jack told him the alarming news. What, exactly, did he plan to do about the child.