Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LUCIEN
I snort. Fucking idiot. Typical of him to show up out of the blue.
“Same old same old.” Daniel reaches him first and gives him a quick hug on his way out. “I’ll let Lucien fill you in on the gruesome details. I’m on a mission.”
“What’s going on?” Roman gestures after the departing Daniel before coming in for my hug. “Where’s he off to?”
I don’t answer for a minute. God knows I’m not the type to get sentimental, especially when it comes to my annoying younger brother. But it’s good to see him. I’m grateful for the backup, frankly. So I hug him a little longer than I normally would before turning away and heading back to my seat behind the desk.
“Ravenna is staying at the inn.” I sound gruffer than I expected, but emotions are running high around here just now. “He’s taking her some funds to keep her going pending the divorce.”
Roman drops into a chair looking as shell-shocked as I’ve been feeling for the past several days. “I can’t believe she’s still alive.”
“No shit.”
“Catch me up to speed.”
I called Roman the other day and filled him in on the big news while I was sitting around at the hospital as they checked Ravenna out, so I home in on the latest. “I kicked her out last night.”
He gapes at me. “What? Why? I thought the plan was for her to stay here and recuperate.”
“It was. Until she pulled a stunt last night.”
I tell him everything while Roman looks more and more incredulous. By the time I get to the part about Ravenna fleeing in her robe and Winwood getting her settled at the inn, Roman’s lower jaw is resting comfortably in his lap. After that, it takes him a beat or two to get his mouth working properly again.
“Unbelievable. This whole story. I knew the two of you had some issues, but I never thought she was, I don’t know…”
“Batshit crazy?” I say.
“Well, yeah.”
My face heats up. This isn’t easy stuff to admit to your kid brother, especially since we’re in the habit of giving each other shit at all times. “I didn’t want you to know.”
He nods, and the two of us drop our gazes by some silent mutual agreement. I don’t want him to see my shame, and he’s kind enough to pretend that he doesn’t.
“But where’s she been this whole time?” he says after a lengthy pause. “That’s the thing I don’t get.”
“Hell if I know. I’ve been trying to find out. The police are no help.”
“You called in our investigators?”
“Of course. I was on the line with them first thing this morning.”
“With abject apologies for not finding her for you back when she first disappeared, I hope. Actually, why not fire the whole outfit and start fresh with people who are competent?”
We exchange a look of grim and perfect understanding. “Let’s just say that I had words with them and let them know what I expect this time if they don’t want us to take our business elsewhere. They’re now highly motivated to keep us happy.”
“Let’s hope.”
“I’m not sure I blame them for anything, though.” I catch myself absently drumming my fingers on my blotter and force myself to stop. “Ravenna is devious. I’ve never been able to catch her outright. Why should they?”
“Because they’re professionals?”
I shake my head. “They think she must’ve had a fake ID, for a start. I agree. And we know she had cash from me. Maybe some offshore accounts from her mother’s estate. That would’ve been enough to keep her going in style for a couple of years at least. Certainly enough for her to pay hush money to whoever helped her. We just need to figure out who that was.”
He looks aghast. “You don’t see any scenario where she, I don’t know, really did have a serious boating accident and was rescued by someone? Maybe taken in by a nice family and nursed back to health or…?”
The absurdity of the suggestion makes me laugh, but of course he doesn’t know Ravenna like I do. “No,” I say flatly.
“It’s quite a scheme,” he says, eyebrows up. “Are the police looking at charging her with fraud?”
The idea thrills me. I can only hope. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m just glad the press hasn’t got wind of this yet. I’m grateful for the time to get my ducks in a row. And now that she’s got a phone, I wouldn’t put it past Ravenna to call the press with a tip about being alive and injured and her cruel husband trying to get rid of her.”
His expression turns grave. “I hate to tell you this, but your luck just ran out. I saw a satellite truck pulling up to the gate when I came in.”
That’s just what I need to hear. “Fuck. Well, I already put in a call to the PR team for damage control. Guess they’ll have to work a little faster.”
“Guess so. Good thing our closing got pushed off, eh?”
The two of us have been working on closing the Vanderbilt deal for the past month or so. I spent a lot of time on it while on the cruise with Tamsyn. While I’m generally not in favor of deals falling apart because of the other side’s financing issues, the idea of trying to work on that with everything else going on at the moment makes me nauseated. “Absolutely.”
Roman eyes me speculatively. “So…you’re divorcing her? How’s that going?”
“I’ve made a generous offer. I’ll give her a couple of days to think it over before I have my lawyer reach out and follow up.”
“Good,” he says, but he’s now wearing the shifty look I’ve come to know and dread over the years. “I need to tell you something.”
“Okay…?” I say, my hackles already up.
“It’s about Ravenna.”
Now I’m gritting my teeth. “Yeah…?”
He hesitates, which only makes it worse. “She came on to me.”
I stiffen. Of course she did. It’s not even a surprise. “When?”
“At the New Year’s Eve party the year before she disappeared.” He stares off in the distance, his gaze sliding out of focus as he remembers. “I’d been getting a weird vibe from her all night. And then she cornered me in the library at the end of the evening when I went to grab my coat.”
I glare at him. Unfair, I know, especially given how not surprised I am. But my wounded ego and pride still want me to smash something. “Thanks for this incredibly tardy information.”
“Don’t look at me like that. Nothing happened.”
“I don’t consider your keeping a secret like that from me for years to be nothing . Why didn’t you tell me?”
Incredulous snort from Roman. “Because I didn’t want you to rip my face off.”
“You’re my brother,” I bark. “I expect more from you.”
“Maybe, but you wouldn’t have believed me, and we both know it.”
That shuts me up because he’s probably right. As twisted up as I was about her back then? The way she gaslit me? The way I wanted to believe in my wife yet couldn’t fight the growing feeling that I wasn’t enough for her? If Roman had said one word to me about this, I probably would have accused him of forcing himself on Ravenna and then scraped the floor with his face.
“You’re right,” I say gruffly, easing down. “I don’t blame you.”
“Thank God.” He seems to choose his next words carefully. “What’s up with this new woman you mentioned? That’s part of why I’m here. You’ve never brought anyone to the house since Ravenna ‘died.’”
It takes everything I’ve got to wrestle my would-be smile into submission. That’s what even the merest mention of Tamsyn does to me. “I told you. I met someone.”
He cocks his head and studies me as though he’s caught me cruising for engagement rings at Harry Winston. “You mean you’re getting to know someone?”
I’m so far beyond that that I don’t even bother trying to hide it. “I mean I found someone.” I’ve got the smile mostly under wraps, but I’m sure I can’t stop some of my overwhelming joy from seeping through. Especially when I think about Tamsyn’s sweetness and light. Her smile. Her humor and loyalty. The night we just spent together. I love you too, Lucien . Those exact words came out of her mouth. Since she’s not the type of woman to lie about something like that, that makes me the luckiest SOB in the world. Batshit-crazy wife notwithstanding. “Her name is Tamsyn.”
Roman eyes me with increasing concern. “Isn’t this a little fast?”
I remember that look. It’s the exact look he gave me back when I announced that Ravenna and I were engaged. Our courtship was a little too whirlwind for him, even though she and I had moved in the same boarding school and college circles for years. I hated the look then and I hate it worse now. Especially because I know there are no parallels between the way I felt about Ravenna and the way I feel about Tamsyn.
“Don’t worry about it,” I tell him.
Aggrieved sigh from Roman. “I’m just going to plow ahead and say this, okay? You can kick my ass after if you want to.”
“Roman…”
“You don’t have whatever part of the brain it is that moderates things, Lucien. Not when it comes to relationships. It’s full steam ahead.”
He’s not wrong. Have I had extreme reactions to these two very different women? Yeah. But instead of being addicted to Ravenna’s cat-and-mouse routine and the push-pull drama of a love–hate relationship where we both wanted to conquer each other, this time I’m addicted to Tamsyn’s steady warmth and quiet strength. Her humor and moral compass. Her goodness.
“Maybe take it slower this time,” Roman says. “Be smart.”
Well, there it is. Nothing I haven’t told myself. A million times. But I’m not in control here. Smart has nothing to do with it. Like I told Tamsyn, this thing already is what it is. End of story. “It’s good advice. But this train is already rolling down the tracks.”
“Yeah, but you get obsessive, Lucien,” he says, frustration making him louder. “It’s not healthy.”
“This conversation is over,” I say, starting to heat up. I know he only wants the best for me, but I’m a grown man. I don’t need all this judgment and armchair psychology. “You don’t know one fucking thing about Tamsyn and me?—”
“Hate to interrupt,” comes Tamsyn’s voice from the doorway, startling us both. “But this seems like a good time for me to introduce myself.”
Oh, shit.
Roman and I quickly stand and exchange guilty sidelong looks. Then I hurry out from behind the desk and take Tamsyn’s hand to pull her all the way into the room. Rarely have I been simultaneously so thrilled and dismayed to see someone. She looks great as always, freshly showered with her damp hair falling in waves around her face and her usual minimal makeup in place. She’s wearing a pale blue linen dress with sandals today. She’s summer sunshine in human form, and I love her so fucking much I can’t breathe with it. I love that I woke up with her fragrant body pressed up against mine. I love that she has the run of the house now that Ravenna’s gone. I love the idea of showing her everything that Ackerley and I have to offer and convincing her to stay with us. We can eat dinner together later. Snuggle up on the sofa and watch a movie. Go to bed together and do it all again tomorrow. There’s nothing stopping us now that we know we love each other—not even Ravenna; she can try but she won’t succeed for long—and I love that most of all.
“Hi,” I say, kissing her on the cheek. As always, my voice softens when I speak to her. Nothing I can do about that. “Did you hear all that?”
“I heard enough,” she says, her wry smile swinging between me and Roman.
“Ignore Roman and his opinions.” I shoot him a glare. “He’s an idiot. That’s the only thing you’ll ever need to know about him.”
“An idiot,” she says, extending a hand to Roman. “Noted. I’m Tamsyn Scott.”
Roman looks a little dazzled as he shakes her hand. My mood sours, especially given what he just told me about Ravenna coming on to him. I may not know much, but I know that I will tear this entire house down from the roof to the studs if I catch any whiff of a flirtation between Roman and Tamsyn. To make my point, I edge closer to her, wrapping my arm around her waist while also giving Roman the most targeted death stare.
His gaze flickers to me, and his sudden gleam of amusement tells me he gets it. Which is good. Unbeknownst to him, I’ve just communed his capital punishment. On the other hand, he now knows exactly how much she means to me, which means he’s come face to face with my greatest vulnerability. But, like I keep saying, it is what it is.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tamsyn Scott,” he says. “I’ll be sticking around for a few days. I look forward to getting to know you better.”