The Lost Tycoon Read online

  Bryson was no fool. He knew this moment was beyond anything he’d ever experienced before. He knew when he had everything he could ever dream of.

  As he fell asleep that night with her in his arms, he knew that the rest of his life was going to be right.

  He just didn’t know that there might be a few bumps along the road.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  She’d assumed she’d be relieved to head back home, away from her brother and everyone else in the house. What if they knew exactly what she’d been doing under their impressive roof?

  They probably did; she couldn’t miss their knowing looks. Thankfully, no one had called her on it. She would have been mortified. So when it came time to leave for the airport, it was almost a relief — almost being the key word.

  No, saying goodbye wasn’t as easy as Misty had thought it would be.

  She couldn’t repress a few tears as she and Bryson pulled away; the sight of Joseph and Katherine, Damien, and Sierra with the baby all standing on the step waving made her heart ache in a way she hadn’t experienced before.

  For right now, they appeared to have embraced her as one of their own. If they still felt that way when the newness wore off, she’d be more than happy to be a part of their family.

  Family. That was something she’d never thought she’d have — and she certainly wasn’t going to throw it away.

  Soon the case would be over, and Jesse would be locked behind bars. She had to tell herself that. And then she’d grow more confident about the future. Then, her real life could begin.

  For now, she had Bryson at her side. He was there to keep her safe. He was there to make sure this man who had terrorized her for so long never got the chance to do it again.

  But she had a bigger fear than Jesse. Was she confusing love with something else? Bryson had been the one to show up and tell her Jesse wouldn’t be able to hurt her again; he’d been the one to show her how wonderful life could really be. He’d taken her to the edges of paradise and beyond and then slowly floated back down to earth with her.

  But did all that mean that she was falling in love with him, or was she actually just grateful to him? She hadn’t ever fallen in love before and had no idea what true love felt like. She knew what her heart felt, knew that the thought of being with him for the rest of her life sounded just about perfect, but she didn’t know if she could trust what she was feeling.

  Maybe the best way to judge the way she felt was if she were away from him for a while, even a few days. She’d been in this whirlwind relationship — if relationship was the right word — and she hadn’t had time to pause, hadn’t had a chance to really think.

  She’d gone straight from one situation to the next, each one new, each one a first in her life, and more exciting than the next. There had been fear, passion, excitement, and sadness. All of these emotions sent her whirling. She needed to land on solid ground again before she could properly assess what she felt beneath all the adrenaline.

  At the airport, Misty knew she was being unusually quiet, but there was so much on her mind. She wanted to speak to Bryson about it, share her feelings, but she certainly didn’t want to do it in public.

  He’d shared with her the night before, so she didn’t think the conversation was going to go badly. It was more that she was afraid of how she felt, not of how he felt. Still, he could be riding on the same emotions as she was, and also be confusing love with something else.

  Didn’t men confuse love and sex?

  Hadn’t she read magazines before that said if a woman wanted to keep her man, she needed to feed him well and give him great sex — something about being a lady during the day and a tramp during the night?

  Ahhh, she couldn’t remember. But if she could make him confuse the two things, would it be to her advantage? Or would everything crash and burn?

  The time passed quickly, and soon they were boarding the plane. Misty sat back in the comfortable first-class seat, and decided she’d drink a screwdriver. A bit of alcohol couldn’t hurt, though it wasn’t yet 5 p.m. Yeah, yeah, it was somewhere.

  She was trying to work up the courage to talk to him about these serious matters when the two of them weren’t naked or about to get naked. There was no chance of that happening while they were in flight, not unless she wanted to become a member of the mile-high club. And, no, she did not.

  The plane took off, and soon Bryson turned to her with a worried look in his eyes that didn’t reassure her.

  “I have something I really should have told you sooner, but…I just didn’t know how to say it,” he began.

  “You can tell me anything, Bryson,” she said, though her heart pounded.

  “It’s really not that big a deal…”

  “If it’s not that big a deal, why are you having such a difficult time saying whatever it is that you need to?”

  “Okay, here goes…” He took a long drink of his diet soda before continuing. “Joseph didn’t tell you how he found you, did he?”

  Misty was silent as she processed his words. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting. What did Joseph have to do with their feelings toward each other?

  “Um, no. I guess that should have been the first thing I asked. I was just in too much shock over the whole situation.”

  “Well, I’ve known Damien for quite some time. We’ve never been particularly close friends, but we see each other a few times a year. I knew he was looking for a sister. I also knew she would be about your age.”

  “Just tell me, Bryson. I don’t know what that has to do with anything.” So far, he hadn’t cleared anything up.

  “I took a glass from your house, had your DNA compared with Damien’s.” This time, the words rushed from his mouth before he lifted his glass again and drained the contents.

  “May I get you another drink, sir?” The flight attendant approached and Misty wanted to shout at her to go away.

  “Yes, please,” he replied, and Misty waited while the woman took his glass, then brought him a fresh drink.

  The more she thought about what he’d done, the more irritated she became. Why couldn’t he have just spoken to her about it? Told her his suspicions, said that he might know where her brother was? Why had he been so underhanded?

  “Isn’t that illegal?” she asked instead.

  “No. Well, stealing your glass is theft, but not testing your DNA. Once you discard something with your DNA on it, it’s fair game in most states,” he said.

  “So, should I press charges for theft?” She was only half kidding.

  “I supplied them for you,” he reminded her, and that just pissed her off more.

  “So you set me all up, and that means you get to do what you want?”

  “I know I should have told you what I was doing, but try to understand. I was doing what I thought best to protect you. I didn’t want your hopes to be raised if it turned out that he wasn’t your brother.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

  “Great. That’s what I need, Bryson. I need you to keep babying me. You told me you were falling in love with me, but how can you love me if I am this weak little girl who needs you to hold my hand at every moment of every day? This visit has finally given me some confidence, made me see that there’s so much I can do. What you did has knocked me back down a step, saying you’re the big, tough guy — the heroic FBI agent — who will just take care of everything for me. How is that caring about me? How is that protecting me?” she whispered furiously, not wanting the other passengers to overhear them but starting not to care.

  “I’m not trying to hold you back. If I could attach the wings to your back to help you fly, I would. I just wanted to take care of you, and I still do. Is that so wrong?” he demanded, his own temper flaring.

  “Yeah, Jesse just wanted to control me, too. That’s really what this is about, isn’t it? You are the man and I’m the meek little woman, so I need to just bow down and be grateful when you do something for me that you’ve decided is in my be
st interests?”

  “I’m done with this conversation, Misty. It all turned out well. I can’t believe you would even compare me to that man. He is a worthless piece of trash,” he said, fury flashing in his eyes.

  “Well, I’m done, too. I need to think about this, Bryson.” Misty didn’t like it at all that he was now telling her when a conversation was going to end.

  As the plane started its final descent into San Francisco, Misty wanted to break the awkward silence between the two of them, but she couldn’t seem to find the right words. She knew she was being unfair. Yes, the way he’d obtained her DNA was wrong. Yes, he should have trusted her more with the truth, but hadn’t she been a frightened woman when he’d found her? Hadn’t she trembled in his arms?

  She knew he’d done what he had with good intentions, even if he had gone about it all wrong. She just didn’t know how to call a truce.

  They had time.

  Then the plane ride was over and done with before she could come to any conclusions, and they were silently walking side by side as they left the terminal. Just when she was working up the courage to apologize, or at least to try to work this fight out, his phone rang.

  When he snarled into the device, they both stopped, and she turned his way anxiously.

  “Why in the hell not?” he thundered. His voice was normally more controlled, but between their fight and whatever was happening on the other end of the line, his mood appeared to be growing worse by the second.

  There was a long pause as the person on the other end of the call made some little speech or other, but whatever he or she was saying wasn’t making Bryson happy. Misty waited quietly for him to continue speaking.

  “Fine. I will be there, but heads are going to roll…” Another pause. “I said, I will be there. Send a unit to check Misty’s house.” Yet another pause. “No, not the damn marshals; they’ll be around later anyway. I want our guys.”

  Misty waited while he stopped and looked up at the sky in exasperation.

  “Good. Jackson is on his way? Okay. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

  Bryson hung up, his face now blank as he took a long breath. “I’m sorry, Misty, but I have another client — he’s just a kid, been really messed up. I can’t say anything about the case, but he ran off yesterday and they’re just now bothering to call me. Jackson, is going to make sure your house is secure. I should be back within a few hours.”

  “Don’t apologize for doing your job, Bryson. I think that’s the thing I respect about you most — how committed you are to your work. We will talk later,” she said, shifting on her feet. She couldn’t tell from his expression whether their talk later was going to be good or bad. Maybe he was finished with the drama of being with a woman like her.

  “I love my job, but right now isn’t the best time to leave,” he said, looking away from her as he focused on what he needed to do. She shrank inside just a little bit more. Was he thinking of the kid he needed to help, or was he pulling away from her?

  Usually, a fight meant the relationship was over, at least in her world. It was either over or she was about to get the hell beat out of her. She knew Bryson would never hurt her physically, but she’d almost rather suffer through that than go through the heartache of losing him. But she was going to stay strong right now.

  “You have to go. I’ll be fine,” she told him.

  “I could drop you off first,” he said, but from the anxious look on his face, she gathered that the boy had run off in the opposite direction.

  “I’ve managed to survive, even in some sticky situations, for a very long time. I assure you that I can get home.” She turned toward the line of cabs.

  “Here’s cab fare,” he said, stepping up after her.

  “I’ve got it, Bryson. I do have a job,” she reminded him, her back stiffening.

  “I know, but you’re not making much,” he said, holding the money out to her.

  “Believe it or not, it’s enough to survive.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you?”

  “Go right now, or I’m going to take back what I said about respecting you for being so dedicated to your job.”

  After a final look her way, a look that she couldn’t interpret, he turned and jogged off, toward where his SUV was parked. Misty watched him vanish into a sea of people, and she scoffed at herself when she felt a surge of anxiety.

  What they had was going to go one of two ways. It was either over — or it would truly begin. There was nothing she could do about it at the moment, so she needed to focus on what she could do. Right now, that was to get home. She had to work that night, so she would get only a few hours’ sleep, if she could sleep at all. Then, hopefully tomorrow, she and Bryson would talk.

  If the uneasiness in her chest would go away, she’d feel on top of the world after her visit with her brother, or at least as high as the Empire State Building. The fight with Bryson shouldn’t have affected her so much, not after the wonderful days she’d had in Seattle.

  The line for a taxi moved quickly, and soon she was on her way home. The sun dipped in the sky as she pulled up to her house.

  Home, sweet home — for now, at least. Misty paid the cab driver and stepped wearily from the car.

  It had been a lovely trip, but she was tired straight through her bones. Having a panic attack and then meeting her family had been overwhelming. Add to that not sleeping much because of certain nighttime activities, and the math was clear: not enough sleep. To end the trip with a fight, and she was done for.

  Stepping up to her door, she unlocked it and carried her bag in. “Nap time!” she said to the dark entryway as she dropped her bag and dragged herself down the hallway.

  When she stumbled over something, it took her a moment to realize it was a body. What? Who?

  It was too late by the time she knew she wasn’t alone, realized her skin was crawling, her heart was shouting to her to run. It was too late, because a hand holding a cloth came up and covered her mouth and nose, and then all she saw were dots before she lost consciousness.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Bryson was drained and ready to drop. Finding Ricky had been a lot more difficult than he’d thought, and the kid had been about to make a huge mistake with the lighter and the torch that he had on him. Yes, the kid wanted to get the gang who’d killed his mother, but he was only going to end up joining her in the ground if he didn’t let the law handle it instead of waging a futile vendetta of his own.

  She wouldn’t have wanted that for him. She’d loved her son and had taken him out of the embattled neighborhood they’d been living in so he wouldn’t grow up to be in a gang or to deal drugs. The people she’d left behind hadn’t been happy about her escape, and they’d found her. It was just one more nail in that gang’s coffin, since they were under surveillance for narcotics, murder, and various other major crimes.

  They would pay — Ricky just had to give the lawyers and Bryson time to do things the right way. After a lot of talking, Ricky had backed down and was now securely back at the safe house, where those worthless bastards couldn’t touch him.

  Bryson stopped at a gas station and stuck the nozzle into his tank, then went inside for coffee. After paying for his drink, he walked back outside and checked his messages. He was concerned to note several missed calls from Axel. He hadn’t heard the phone ring. Maybe he’d been too focused on Ricky.

  He quickly dialed Axel’s number.

  “Winchester, where in the hell have you been?” Axel yelled from the other end of the line.

  “I’ve been with Ricky. I’m tired, cranky and in need of a whole lot of sleep. Quit the yelling,” Bryson said as he took the nozzle from the tank and slipped into the driver’s seat.

  “He got away from surveillance!” Axel shouted, his voice higher than normal.

  Bryson’s muscles locked together and a cold sweat popped out on his brow. He didn’t want to ask the next question.

  “Who?”


  His voice was so quiet, he wasn’t sure whether Axel had heard him. After starting his motor, he had to sit there for a moment and wipe his palms on his trousers.

  “Jesse Marcus.”

  Bryson couldn’t get sound through his throat, couldn’t focus. He sat there for a moment, took a deep breath and tried to be rational. Jesse was in Montana — Misty in California. Even if the asshole had gotten away, he couldn’t reach Misty. Jesse could have no idea where she was.

  “She’s safe. Her house was checked before she went home tonight,” he said, trying not to panic. He was at least an hour from her place.

  “She’s not home, Bryson. The marshals have been by her place. There’s no sign of her, nothing. And no one has seen Jesse since yesterday. He’s had plenty of time to make it down there.”

  “But the house was checked,” Bryson repeated. He’d made sure.

  “They found the agent…dead,” Axel said.

  The breath rushed from Bryson’s lungs. Jesse might have her — he might have taken her anywhere. But how could he have found her? The records of her location were sealed.

  “He can’t know where she is!” Bryson shouted, more scared than he thought he could ever possibly be.

  “It doesn’t look good,” Axel told him. “This guy…he has connections, Bryson. I don’t know how or who, but I do know he gets his hands on information he has no business knowing. He gets away with stuff he never should have been able to get away with. As you well know, even this trial has had problems since the start, with evidence turning up missing, witnesses that should be protected ending up dead. I don’t know who’s helping him, but someone is, someone with a lot of power.”

  Yes, Bryson knew this — knew all of this, yet he’d still allowed her to go home alone. He’d been confident in the fact that Jesse was being watched, that they’d be warned if the man appeared to be getting even an inkling of where she was. He’d promised to protect her, sworn she wouldn’t get hurt.