Expecting His Secret Heir(26)

Wanting what? And why was this stranger texting about him?

The mere use of his name gave Zach the right to pick up that phone, in  his opinion. And right now, his was the only opinion that mattered. He  swiped his thumb over the screen. Zach only wished he could honestly say  he didn't know Sadie's combination to unlock the screen. Unfortunately,  it was a connect-the-dots picture that he'd watched her swipe in many  times. The order of the combination played out in his mind's eye with  ease.

He didn't even hesitate.

As a soldier, Zach knew that doing ugly things was sometimes necessary  to get the job done. Right now, breaking into Sadie's phone was one of  those necessary things. Regardless of how other people would see it.

A violation of her privacy? Sure. Overstepping his boundaries? Definitely. A decision he'd regret in time? Absolutely not.

Zach would rather know the truth than live in a fantasy world. The phone  blinked its notice that Sadie had a text message at the bottom. He  clicked on it and saw the truth in full color.

At the top of the screen, there was a text from Sadie in a white bubble: I will call soon.

Then a blue bubble from Beddingfield: If you don't call me within the  hour, this is gonna get really ugly. I want this over. Do you hear me?

Followed by Sadie's response: Don't you care at all what happens to Zach? I'm trying very hard to do the right thing.

Hell no, I don't care what happens to Zach Gatlin, as long as he doesn't  show up here wanting our father's money. You said you would dig up the  dirt and I want it now. If you have to lie to disqualify him, that's  what you'll do. I make the rules here. You simply obey me.

Deep in Zach's chest, coldness bloomed, then spread. Questions whirled  in his brain. First and foremost: Who was this person? And what did he  mean by "our father"? Was Victor Sadie's brother, talking about the two  of them when he said "our"? But they had different last names.

Or was he Zach's brother?

Zach didn't know his father, so half or stepbrothers were definitely a  possibility. Though the fact that his father would want to have other  children when he couldn't be bothered to care for the one he already had  was hard to take.

The second line of thought was the more painful one. He didn't even want  to think about it. Didn't want to form the words that would rip apart  the foundation he'd thought he was standing on for the last two months.  But as the water shut off in the bathroom, he knew the detonation was  coming.

The phone was still in his hand. He didn't bother to put it down, didn't  bother to move. By the time Sadie came through the door, he'd even  stopped breathing. That cold, cold part of him wanted to thaw, wanted to  go to her.

Her long auburn hair was piled in a messy bun atop her head. She looked  tired, her features slightly drawn. Her naked body was wrapped in one of  the fluffy towels he'd often used to dry her. When she saw him, her  eyes widened, but then she produced a small smile.

"Zach, you startled me," she said. "I didn't know you were coming."

Before he could speak, the phone in his hand rang. Her gaze flicked down  to it, alarm invading her expression when she saw it in his hand. It  played through an entire ringtone, then went silent. Zach's fingers  tightened. Almost immediately the ringing started again.

Zach reached out, offering the phone to her. "Beddingfield wants an  answer to his question," he said. "Don't you think you should take his  call?"





Fifteen

The fact that she could take the phone from Zach's hand and switch it to  mute actually amazed Sadie. Her body shook so hard she wouldn't have  thought the move was even possible.                       
       
           



       

But she did it. Because she had to-because she deserved whatever Zach was about to dish out.

But she'd rather not do it in just a towel.

Turning away, she dropped the phone on the bed and reached for her robe.  She hadn't even gotten it over her shoulders before Zach's questions  started. She was actually surprised he'd waited at all.

"Who is Victor Beddingfield? Your brother? Your lover? Your what? Employer?"

Sadie's stomach turned, this time from more than just the pregnancy  she'd confirmed after a stop at the drugstore last night. She couldn't  think of that now. Luckily, she hadn't eaten, so there wasn't anything  to come up.

"Tell me now, Sadie."

She absorbed the blow of the staccato words as she tied the robe's belt  around her waist. Then she faced Zach, attempting to keep her expression  blank.

"Victor is my current-temporary-employer."

As if her calm answer infuriated him, Zach spoke next through gritted teeth. "And what the hell does he have to do with me?"

She slowly drew in a breath before answering. "He's your half brother."

Should she say more? This was one reason why she'd put off this  moment-there were no guidelines telling her how much or how little  information she should give to the man that she'd lied to for two  months...no, five years.

"That doesn't tell me what he wants with me." Zach's harsh expression  didn't give her any clues or guidance as to how to proceed.

Okay, here goes... "Your father recently passed away." She paused to  give him a moment to absorb that, but his expression only grew harder.  "There is a rather, um, large inheritance."

"Then this Beddingfield should take it and leave me alone. My father  never wanted anything to do with me. Why would I want his money now?"

That wasn't technically true, but Sadie wasn't going to explain that his father had sent her before. At least, not now.

"It isn't that easy," she said instead. "Victor can't inherit your father's estate because it has been willed to you."

Zach frowned, but didn't say anything.

"On one condition."

Then his gaze flipped to her phone on the bed before returning to her face. "The dirt?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "You've been selected to receive the bulk of  your father's estate, provided you haven't been immoral or corrupt in  any way. There can be no arrests, convictions, scandals or incidents  showing distinct lack of character in your-" she had to swallow  "-history. Your father wanted to reward you for being a better man than  he was."

"That's ridiculous."

Sadie shrugged. "Mr. Beddingfield played by his own set of rules."

"So you're, what, here to spy on me?"

Leave it to Zach to get to the heart of the matter.

"Wait. Were you here to spy on me before, too?"

Straight to the heart. "Yes." Why prevaricate? He was going to hate her  anyway. She might as well cut the ties cleanly, even if the frost  encasing her heart was starting to bite. "Your father sent me the first  time." She could go into details later, if necessary. "Victor sent me  this time-"

"To find out the truth? Or to make up some plausible lies?"

"Victor doesn't really care either way."

"He made that clear."

"But I can assure you, I'll be telling your father's lawyer the truth."

She couldn't stop herself from flinching as Zach stalked to her. He  seemed to grow larger and more menacing as rage lit his features. "You  know nothing about the truth. You've lied to me from the beginning,  haven't you?"

"Not about the things that matter."

Rage mutated into disgust. "I doubt you have any idea what matters to me. None at all."

Oh, but she did. He valued family, loyalty, honesty, compassion, helping  hands and going the extra mile. He was everything Victor wasn't. With  each thing she'd learned about Zach, Sadie had known she fought a losing  battle for his heart.

Because the core of her mission was the opposite of everything he held dear.

Only she couldn't turn away from these few weeks of pure bliss. That had  been selfish on her part-indecisive, too. But she couldn't change  it-not her choices, nor what had pushed her into those choices.

But she wasn't making excuses or asking forgiveness. She didn't deserve it.

"I'm sorry, Zach." It was as far as she could let herself go. Anything  more and she'd fall to her knees right here, begging for the one thing  he would never give her now: his love.                       
       
           



       

She expected him to let loose that rage on her. To rant or throw things  or scream. His father would have. His half brother certainly would have.

Zach did none of that.

Instead he turned and stalked to the door. He was probably done with  her. But despite her resolutions, she found she couldn't keep one thing  inside. The one thing he deserved to know.

"But I do have one last thing to say, Zach. And I mean it with everything in me. That you are a good man."

He paused before the door but didn't turn around, didn't grant her one  last glimpse of a face carved in stone. Instead he said, "Pardon me if  that offers very little consolation."