Buch lesen: «Vieri's Convenient Vows»

CHAPTER ONE

HARPER MCDONALD GAZED at the mass of bodies writhing on the dance floor. With green and blue laser lights playing over their jerky movements they somehow produced a mesmerising whole, like a choppy sea. A DJ was performing on the elevated stage, the pulsing music so invasive that Harper could feel it reverberating through her body, defying her to stand still. She had never witnessed anything so hedonistic, so tribal. Even the air felt different, heavy with the scent of luxury and indulgence and wealth.

As another impossibly glamorous couple swept past her, Harper pulled in a breath, trying to ignore the way her stomach was knotting inside her. She felt so out of place she might as well have had a pair of antlers on her head. But she wasn’t here to blend in or to dance or to schmooze with the beautiful people. She was here for one reason only. To find her sister.

Descending the stairs, she tentatively started to skirt the edge of the dance floor, looking for someone who might be able to help her. Somebody here had to have some information, had to know what had happened to Leah. But she had only gone a few steps when she was physically halted. With a shriek of terror she found herself airborne, both arms grabbed in a vice-like grip, the hold so powerful that her feet were lifted clean off the ground.

‘Get off me! Put me down!’ Frantically turning her head, she saw a pair of giant, suited men, their wide, impassive faces eerily shadowed by the coloured lights, giving nothing away. With a surge of adrenaline she tried to twist inside their grasp but this only made their brutish hands tighten further. Panic washed over her.

‘I insist that you put me down.’ She tried again, raising her voice over the incessant throb of noise, kicking her legs beneath her. ‘You’re hurting me.’

‘Then stop squirmin’.’

Offering no more than this one piece of advice, the pair of man beasts continued to move forward, Harper trapped between them like the filling of a sandwich. The crowd of revellers parted to let them through with surprisingly little interest in her plight. No one seemed remotely interested in helping her.

‘Stop this!’ She battled to halt the hysteria that was rising in her throat. She didn’t have a clue who these thugs were, only that she was being forcibly escorted against her will. And not even towards the entrance where the idea of being evicted into the chill of the night suddenly seemed all too inviting. No, she was being propelled in the opposite direction, further into the mysterious depths of this dark and dangerous place. A series of terrifying images flashed through her mind—abduction, murder, rape. And then the worst dread of all—was this what had happened to Leah?

Well, there was no way she would let herself be taken. She would fight with everything she had to save herself and her sister. ‘I’m warning you.’ She kicked her legs wildly beneath her once more. ‘If you don’t put me down right now I will scream so loud I will burst your eardrums.’

‘I wouldn’t advise that,’ a low voice growled in her ear. ‘If I were you I’d keep nice an’ quiet. When you’ve done what you’ve done you’ve gotta expect consequences. Makin’ a fuss ain’t gonna help nothing.’

Done? What had she done? Surely they weren’t talking about her fooling the security at the door?

Gaining entrance to this exclusive, members’ only nightclub had proved to be surprisingly easy. Sidling up to the bouncer, she had been prepared for trouble, deciding she would have to throw herself on his mercy and explain why she was here. But no explanation had been necessary. The guy had moved aside and waved her straight in, uttering, ‘Nice of you to join us again,’ in a deep, mocking voice. Because of course he had thought she was her sister. He had thought she was Leah.

The last Harper had heard from her twin had been over a month ago, a drunken phone call in the wee small hours, Leah never having had any respect for the time difference between Scotland and New York. Harper’s sleep-fuddled brain had struggled to understand what Leah was telling her—something about having met a man who was going to make her rich, how the family would never have to worry about money again.

And then nothing. As time had gone on the creeping concern that something was wrong had quickly escalated into a full-blown panic that a dreadful fate must have befallen her sister. Enough to see Harper maxing out her credit card to fly to New York and make her way to this alien venue, deep in the heart of Manhattan. Spectrum nightclub, where Leah had been working as a hostess since she’d left their home in Scotland six months ago. The last place she had been seen before she had disappeared and the only place Harper could think of to start looking for her.

Now, as she was physically propelled forward by these fearsome man beasts towards God knew what end, Harper couldn’t help but panic that in coming to try and save her sister, she was about to suffer the same unknown fate.

At the back of the club, she found herself being bundled through a concealed door behind the stage and into a dark passageway. It was so narrow that the trio had to go in single file, her minders finally letting go of her arms but positioning themselves in front of and behind her, so close that she could feel the heat coming off them, smell the sweat. They ascended a dimly lit flight of stairs until they reached a door at the top and they moved beside her again. One of them rapped his knuckles against the matte black paint.

‘Enter.’

Harper was shoved into a small, square office, lit by a single florescent strip light. A dark-haired man sat at a desk facing the door, his head bent, his fingers rapidly tapping at the keys of a computer. Behind him, a long rectangle of glass, a two-way mirror, gave an uninterrupted view of the undulating mass below.

‘Thanks, guys.’ Still he didn’t look up. Harper noticed the way the light shone blue-black on the thick waves of his hair. ‘You may go.’

With subservient grunts the pair shuffled out, closing the door behind them.

Harper desperately tried to steady her heart rate, to think clearly. Her eyes flitted around the room to see if there was any means of escape. It was almost totally silent in here, she realised. The pulsating beat that had been with her ever since she had entered the nightclub had gone, replaced by the roaring of blood in her ears and the gentle tap of the laptop keyboard.

She stared at the man before her. Even though he was seated and steadfastly ignoring her, she could sense the power of him. But there was something else, something worse, an enmity that was radiating from him like a palpable force. Suddenly being left alone with this silent, formidable figure was worse than being manhandled by those gorillas. She was almost tempted to run after them, ask them to take her with them.

‘So.’ Still he refused to look at her. ‘The wanderer returns.’

‘No!’ With a rush of breath, Harper hurried to put him right. ‘You don’t understand...’

‘Spare me the excuses.’ Finally closing his laptop, the dark figure rose gracefully to his feet and Harper realised with a gulp how tall he was, how handsome, how effortlessly cool. ‘I’m really not interested.’ Still refusing to look her in the eye, he strolled casually to the door behind her. She heard him turn a key in the lock before slipping the key into his trouser pocket as he returned to his desk.

‘W...what are you doing?’

‘What does it look like I’m doing?’ He stood by his seat. ‘I’m making sure you don’t escape. Again.’

‘No.’ Harper tried again. ‘You’re making a mistake. I’m not—’

‘Sit down.’ He barked the order, gesturing to the chair opposite his. ‘There is no point in making this any harder than it already is.’

Harper edged forward and did as she was told. She felt as if she had fallen into some sort of rabbit hole. That none of this was real.

Seating himself, her captor folded his arms across his chest, his eyes finally meeting hers for the first time. And only then did his icy composure slip.

* * *

Che diavolo? What the hell? Vieri Romano ground down on his jaw. It was the wrong damned woman! A surge of frustration went through him as he clenched his fists. The person before him looked like Leah McDonald and she sounded like Leah McDonald, with that soft, lilting Scottish accent. But now that he was glaring at her beneath the harsh overhead light he knew with irritating certainty that she was not Leah McDonald.

Hell. He raked a hand through his hair as he continued to stare at this imposter. They were certainly very alike, obviously twins, but the subtle differences were now clear to see. This young woman’s eyes were wider apart, the lips fuller, the nose a tad longer. Her hair was different too, falling in careless auburn waves compared to Leah’s more styled tresses. But even without these differences, Vieri would have known this wasn’t Leah, simply by her manner.

The woman before him was all serious determination. There was no sign of Leah’s flirty confidence—something that Vieri suspected Leah would be trying to use right now to get herself out of trouble, had he managed to get the correct sister in front of him. Leah was well aware of her assets and knew how to use them, whereas her sister appeared uncomfortable beneath his scrutiny, wrapping her arms around herself to cover up her slender but shapely figure. And if Leah’s eyes would have been batting seductively by now, her sister’s glared at him, full of fire. She reminded Vieri of a cornered animal, one that was most definitely not going to give up without a fight.

But then neither did he. Vieri ran a hand over his jaw, rapidly assessing this new situation. Maybe they were in it together, this pair of Celtic beauties. He wouldn’t put it past them. Perhaps this one had been sent as backup. They might just be dumb enough to think they could get away with it. Although dumb was not a word he would use to describe the woman sitting across from him now. There was something about her that suggested a sharp intelligence. If nothing else, it was possible she might be able to lead him to her double-crossing sister. One thing was for sure, she wouldn’t be leaving here until she had been thoroughly interrogated.

‘Name?’ He barked the question at her.

‘Harper.’ She shifted in her seat. ‘Harper McDonald.’

When he didn’t immediately reply she tipped her chin in a show of defiance. ‘And you are?’

Vieri’s brows snapped together. He wasn’t accustomed to being asked who he was. Least of all in one of his own establishments.

‘Vieri Romano.’ He kept his tone steady. ‘Owner of Spectrum nightclub.’

‘Oh.’ He watched her full pink lips purse closed as realisation dawned. ‘Then I should like to formally complain about the way I have been treated here. You have absolutely no right to—’

‘Where is your sister, Ms McDonald?’ Raising his voice, Vieri cut short her futile protests. He had no time to listen to her pathetic accusations.

She bit down on her lip, nipping the soft flesh with her front teeth, the action engaging Vieri more than it should. ‘I don’t know.’ He could hear the panic in her voice. ‘That’s why I’m here, to try and find her. I haven’t heard from her in over a month.’

Pulling his eyes away from her seductive mouth, Vieri let out a derisive grunt. ‘Well, that makes two of us.’

‘So she’s not here?’ The panic escalated. ‘She quit her job?’

‘She has walked out, if that’s what you mean. Along with my bar manager, Max Rodriguez.’

‘Walked out?’

‘Si. Disappeared without a trace.’

‘Oh, God.’ Harper reached forward to grip the edge of the desk with hands that visibly shook. ‘Where has she gone?’

Vieri shrugged his lack of knowledge, watching her reaction closely.

‘You have no idea what might have happened to her?’

‘Not yet.’ He picked up some papers on his desk, tidying them into a pile. ‘But I intend to find out. And when I do, her troubles will be just beginning.’

‘Wh...what do you mean by that?’ Harper’s remarkable green-brown eyes widened.

‘I mean that I don’t take kindly to my employees disappearing off the face of the earth. Especially with thirty thousand dollars of my money.’

‘Thirty thousand dollars?’ Her hands flew to her mouth. ‘You mean Leah and this Max guy have stolen money from you?’

‘Your sister and I had a business arrangement, or so I thought. I made the mistake of paying her the first instalment up front. She has absconded with the money.’

‘No! Oh, I’m so sorry!’

She looked suitably shocked, enough to convince Vieri that she knew nothing about it, but he noted with interest that she didn’t challenge the facts.

‘She will be too, believe me.’

He leant back in his chair. Much as he blamed Leah for her devious deceit, most of his fury was directed at himself. How could he have been so stupid as to fall for her sob story and give her the payment in advance? All that garbage about needing the money straight away to send back home to her family, for her father who was struggling to keep his job. It smarted like a smack in the face. Not the thirty thousand dollars—he didn’t give a damn about that. If she had had the guts to ask him outright for the money he might well have given it to her. But the fact was that he, Vieri Romano, billionaire businessman, international tycoon, a man both revered and feared in the corporate world, had been taken for a fool. By a woman. Something he had sworn would never happen again.

But Leah McDonald had caught him at a low point, when his defences had been down. And what had seemed like a good idea at the time, the ideal solution in fact, had now spectacularly backfired.

He had been drinking in the club one evening, uncharacteristically feeling the need to drown his sorrows after the news he had received earlier that day. Leah had been his waitress. She had been attentive but discreet, just the way he liked his staff to be. On another night he might have made a mental note to congratulate the management on their staff training. But tonight, to his surprise, he found he just wanted to talk. And so he had, sharing a quiet booth and a bottle of Scotch, appropriately enough, with this bright-eyed Scottish woman. With her soothing encouragement he had told her about his godfather, the man who meant more to Vieri than anyone else in the world. The only person who meant anything to him. How he had received an email from the man that morning, confirming Vieri’s worst fears. His godfather was dying. It was just a matter of time.

Had he left it there no harm would have been done. He would have gone home to continue his drinking and Leah would have pocketed a handsome tip, just another night and another guy offloading his troubles. Even if this time the guy was the boss. But something about her gentle voice had drawn him in, made him go further, and he had found himself telling her about the last time he had seen his godfather, the heart-to-heart they had had. How Alfonso had revealed to him what he had suspected at the time and now knew for sure, his dying wish. To see Vieri settled. With a wife. A family. The one thing Vieri had never had. Nor ever would have.

And Leah’s response had been remarkably practical. If that was his godfather’s last wish then it had to be accomplished. It was Vieri’s duty. She had been quite adamant about it. If there were no genuine contenders for the role of fiancée, then he would have to find somebody, pay someone if necessary. Anything to make his godfather happy.

And to Vieri’s surprise he found himself wondering if maybe this young woman was right. Maybe that was the solution. He had always made his godfather proud, he didn’t doubt that, but this was different. This was about happiness. Something that for all his wealth and success Vieri had never fully understood. But he did know that if there was any way of fulfilling his godfather’s dying wish, he would give it a go. Even if it meant a bit of subterfuge.

And so, by the time he had savoured the last of the peaty whisky at the bottom of his glass, the deal had been struck. Leah needed money and he needed a fake fiancée. In return for a down payment of thirty thousand dollars, Leah would pretend to be engaged to him for a couple of months, or for as long as it took. At the time, his alcohol-soaked brain had thought it the ideal solution. A way of making his godfather happy that didn’t involve messy emotions. The potentially insoluble problem had suddenly shaped into something that he could control, something he understood better than anything else—a business deal.

But that was then. No sooner had Vieri paid the money into Leah’s account than she had absconded. But, crucially, not before he had announced to his delighted godfather that he had taken his advice. That his wish had been granted and Vieri would be introducing him to his fiancée in the very near future.

Now he was left with a problem. When security had alerted him that Leah was back he had made the short journey from his offices in Midtown Manhattan, determined to have it out with her, to make her honour the deal. But the defiant young woman perched on the seat before him wasn’t Leah McDonald and he was no closer to solving the infuriating situation.

Or was he? Harper McDonald said she had no idea where Leah was and he believed her. But maybe she could help him in another way.

Vieri coldly assessed the twin sister in front of him, his eyes narrowing as he waited for common sense to veto the crazy idea that had popped into his mind. Because it was crazy, wasn’t it?

‘So what do you intend to do?’ Harper’s anxious voice cut through his thoughts. ‘About Leah, I mean. Have you involved the police?’

‘Not yet. I prefer to deal with these things in my own way. For the time being at least.’ He drummed his fingers meaningfully on the desk.

It had the desired effect. He saw her swallow hard, her imagination no doubt running away with her. Well, he wasn’t going to try and stop it. For the time being it would suit his purposes to let her fear him. The fact that he abhorred physical violence and had striven to eradicate any organised crime from his establishments was of no consequence.

‘Look, I can help you find her.’ Like a fish on a hook, Harper squirmed about, trying to come up with something that would appease him. ‘And I’ll pay the money back myself if I have to. All of it.’

‘And how exactly will you do that?’ Vieri regarded her coolly. ‘From what Leah tells me, your family are destitute.’

He saw the flush creep up her neck. ‘She had no right to say such a thing!’

‘So it’s not true? Paying back thirty thousand dollars won’t be a problem?’

‘Well, of course it will a problem, the same as it would be for any normal family. But that doesn’t mean I won’t do it.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, really.’ She pushed her hair away from her heated face. ‘I could work here, for example, for free, I mean.’

‘I think one McDonald sister working in this establishment was more than enough, thank you.’ Sarcasm scored his words.

‘Well, some other job, then. I’m practical and capable and a fast learner. I’ll do anything. I just need a bit of time and the chance to try and find Leah myself.’

‘Anything, you say?’

‘Yes.’ Sheer determination was written all over her pretty face.

‘In that case maybe there is something you could help me with.’ He deliberately held her gaze. ‘You could honour the commitment made by your sister.’

‘Yes, of course.’ She blinked, thick lashes sweeping low over those wide hazel eyes. ‘What is it?’

A beat of silence hung in the air.

‘To become my fiancée.’