The Bravo Billionaire Part 19

She grinned at him. "Much better. Now, tell me about your grandfather whose name was Jonas, right, just like you?"

"Right. My grandfather Jonas came here, to southern California . He invested in real estate. And he made a bundle. He built Angel's Crest. And he had two sons. The oldest, Harry..."

"Your father."

He nodded. "And four years later..."

Emma s.h.i.+vered. "The evil Blake."

"With whom we do not have to concern ourselves. He was dead in an apartment fire at the age of twenty-six."

"Blythe said he was really a terrible man. That he was a cheat and a thief from the time he was little. That he would have gone to prison for manslaughter because he killed some poor fella in a barroom brawl."

"That's right. He was out on bail when he died."

"And that was what just a few years before Russell was kidnapped?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. Two or three years, yes."

"Your poor father. No wonder he had a stroke. Too many awful things happened to him, in too short a time."

"Same for my mother. My father's death was the final straw for her. She withdrew to the inside of her own head."

"And that left you, didn't it Jonas? In all the ways that matter, for four years, you were all alone."

"There were people to take care of me."

"But in your heart, you felt alone."

He moved closer to her. She was so warm, so alive, and she smelled so good. "Kiss me, Emma..."

"Jonas, didn't you feel alone?"

"You won't give up until I admit it, will you?"

"Nope."

"And then will you kiss me?"

"You bet."

"All right. I admit it. I felt alone."

"You got used to things that way."

"Putting words in my mouth? I'd rather have your tongue there."

"Oh, you are so bad..."

"Do I get my kiss now?"

She lifted her mouth for him. He took it, reaching out, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her as close as he could possibly get her.

Eventually, he slept again straight through, that time, until dawn. If he had dreams, they were good ones. Because he woke to a feeling of lightness, a sense that, at that moment, in bed next to Emma early on a Monday morning, all was right with the world.

Jonas went on another business trip, to Dallas that time, on Tuesday. He was back by Thursday. He shared dinner with Emma that night in the small dining room and afterward, they went upstairs together, to Emma's bed.

They were asleep by eleven and the dream did not come for him. He woke at dawn, refreshed. That Sat.u.r.day, they took Mandy to Griffith Park . And the next Sat.u.r.day, they all flew to San Francisco , just for fun.

Those were lovely days, days that Emma stored in her heart, to treasure forever, the days after Jonas gave in and came to her bed to stay for the whole night.

Sometimes, in the mornings at the breakfast table, or in the evenings at dinner or on weekends, when they strolled the paths at Griffith Park or fed the seals at Fisherman's Wharf, it began to seem to Emma that they truly were a family, a married couple with a toddler, in love and blissfully happy with the life they had made.

Maybe she shouldn't have, but somehow she couldn't stop herself from hoping that someday soon Jonas would speak of love to her, that he would confess he had no intention of ending their marriage when the year was up.

But the wonderful days went by. He was open and loving with her, yet he did not say the words she longed to hear.

Then again, neither did she.

And maybe that was the best way, for now. To take this time as it came to them, take each day as a gift. There would be ample opportunity in the months to come to talk of what might happen when a year had pa.s.sed.

On Monday, the day after their return from San Francisco , at eleven-thirty in the morning, Jonas sent a car to pick Emma up at Pet-Ritz. He had two hours for lunch from twelve to two and she had arranged to take the same time off herself. They'd agreed to spend that time together, sharing a catered meal in his office. Emma rode to their rendezvous with a naughty feeling of antic.i.p.ation making her stomach all fluttery, causing her heart to beat just a little too fast.

She'd seen the way he looked at her the last time she visited him at Bravo, Incorporated. That had been before he agreed to sleep with her, when he was keeping hands off. Today, it would be different. They would lock the door and he would tell his secretary not to disturb them.

Anything could happen.

My, my, my. In an office penthouse suite, forty stories up. And it was such a big desk he had...

She had the driver let her out at the main entrance to the Bravo Building . She went in through the giant gla.s.s turnstile door, marched across the pale marble floor and right up to the high desk where two security guards were waiting.

"Mrs. Bravo," said one of the guards. His name was Bert McCandless. It said so on his nametag, which was pinned to the breast pocket of his very official-looking blue uniform. Bert was smiling, a big, welcoming smile. "I believe you are expected."

"I sure am, Officer McCandless."

"Call me Bert."

"Will do, Bert." She beamed at the other guard, sneaking a peak at his nametag, as well. "And how are you today, Todd?"

"Mrs. Bravo, I am just fine."

"Let me escort you up." Bert started to come out from behind the desk.

Emma waved him back. "Don't you bother yourself. I know the way." She started to turn for the elevators.

A hand brushed her left arm. "Excuse me. Mrs. Bravo? Mrs. Jonas Bravo?"

Emma turned toward the voice, saw that it belonged to a tall, lean man with wavy brown hair and the face of a poet or maybe a rock star a face that was somehow vaguely familiar.

The two guards had stiffened. Hands went to weapons. "Step away from Mrs. Bravo," Bert commanded.

Emma whirled on him. "Oh, stop that."

"Mrs. Bravo, please," Bert instructed in a warning tone. "Let us handle this guy."

Emma glared at him. "Bert, I am serious as liver failure here. Back off. This man is not plannin' to do me any harm." She sent a narrow-eyed glance at the man in question again. "Are you?"

The man was carrying a briefcase. He slid it between his legs on the floor and put up both hands, palms out. "No way," he said, somehow managing to sound both ironical and sincere.

And Emma knew. Right then, somehow, she knew. Though his eyes were brown, not deepest blue, though his chin didn't have the slightest hint of a cleft. A Bravo. Yes. There was something about him, something she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, or something in the shape of his face, or in the determined set of his strong jaw. Maybe it was a combination of those things. Whatever. Emma was certain that this man and Jonas shared a blood connection.

The man said, "I only want to talk to your husband. Last week, I called several times. No one would put me through to him and he never returned my calls. So I flew to Los Angeles . I came in here first thing this morning, hoping I might accomplish in person what I couldn't seem to do by phone. I was told to wait. I have waited. For about three hours now. Everyone keeps telling me I'll have to keep waiting. That Mr. Bravo is a very busy man. That-"

"Oh, put your hands down," Emma said. The man shrugged and lowered them to his sides, then bent to pick up the briefcase again.

Emma asked, "What's your name?""Marsh Bravo."Delighted, Emma clapped her hands together. "Oh, I knew it. You have that look."Marsh Bravo frowned.Emma explained, "You just ... you look like a Bravo, that's all.""I see," he said warily."Are you from Wyoming ?""No. Oklahoma .""Hmm." Emma couldn't remember either Blythe or Jonas mentioning that any of the Bravos had settled in Oklahoma , and this man had nothing of Oklahoma in his voice. "I'm a west Texas girl myself and you sound a lot like a Yankee to me." "I lived for several years in Chicago . I just moved back to my hometown a few months ago."

"Well, now. That would explain it, I guess." Emma rested an elbow on the desk. People went in and out of the turnstile door, got on the elevators, and got off. They all minded their own business, though well, except for Bert and Todd. The two guards were leaning on their side of the desk, looking from Emma to Marsh Bravo and back again, like spectators at a tennis match.

Emma said, "And you are a second cousin, of Jonas's?""No. A first cousin. My father and your husband's father were brothers."Emma couldn't quite believe what she'd just heard. "But ... Jonas's father only had one brother." "Right." "You are tryin' to tell me that Blake Bravo was your father?" "Yes. I'm afraid that's exactly what I'm telling you." He did not look particularly pleased to admit it. And Emma didn't see how it could be true. "But Blake ... well, he died a long time ago. And I do not believe that he had any children." That fine poet's face looked bleaker by the moment. "The truth is, Blake did have at least one child. Me." Emma just didn't get it. "At least? You don't know for certain if you're an only child?" "I've learned that I can never be sure of anything not if it involved my father. When I was growing up, he'd disappear for long periods of time. We never knew where he went. And when he came back, he certainly never told my mother or me what he'd been up to. He was ... mysterious, to put it mildly. So that's why I say that he might have had more children. I could have brothers and sisters I don't even know about."

It didn't add up. "Wait a minute. You said 'when you were growing up.' You make it sound like your father was there when you were a child."

"He was."

"But ... how old are you?"

"Twenty-eight."

"Well then, Mr. Marsh Bravo, you are a miracle baby for sure, because Blake Bravo has been dead for over thirty years."

"No, he hasn't," Marsh Bravo replied. "My father died five months ago, on the second of May."

Chapter 16.

E mma said, "Marsh Bravo, I think you're right. You need to have a nice, long talk with Jonas. And I'm takin' you to him right now."

Bert and Todd stopped leaning on the desk and snapped to attention. Bert announced, "Mrs. Bravo, we'll have to search this man first and have a look through that briefcase."

Todd chimed in, "It's policy. Uninvited, unknown visitors don't get past the first floor without submitting to a thorough search."

Emma frowned. "A thorough search for what?"

"Weapons, among other things."

Emma decided she didn't really need to know what "other things" they thought they might find. She gave Marsh a sheepish smile. "My husband is, well, he's a real bear about security. It probably doesn't help much to say this, but he does have his reasons."

"It's all right," said Marsh.

Something in his tone led Emma to believe that this new cousin of Jonas's knew about what had happened thirty years ago, that he understood the devastating effects the tragedy had had on Jonas's branch of the Bravo family. She asked, "Do you think you could just...?"

Marsh hefted the briefcase onto the counter. He worked the combination locks, popped the latches and took everything out of it himself. There were stacks of papers and something that looked like an old photo alb.u.m. Once white, it had yellowed with age.

Bert and Todd pawed through all of it, studying the papers, thumbing through the alb.u.m, which had the word "Surprise" on plain white paper, taped to the front of it.

It appeared to be some sort of sc.r.a.pbook. There were a lot of newspaper clippings inside. Emma caught sight of a few headlines as Bert turned the pages. She saw Blythe's name. And Jonas's.

A sc.r.a.pbook about the Bravo family, then?

The top of the briefcase contained a built-in accordion-style file pocket. "What's in that pocket there?" Bert demanded after he and Todd had inspected everything else.

Marsh unhooked the snap closure and pulled the pocket wide. There was nothing inside.

"Let's have a closer look at that." Bert started to reach for the case.Emma stepped forward. "Bert, it's all right.""Mrs. Bravo, I am under orders to-""You are not going to tear the poor man's briefcase apart, and that is that.""It's my responsibility to-""I'll take responsibility, so you can just let it go now."Bert and Todd exchanged a look. Then Todd announced, "We'll still have to do the body search before he goes upstairs."

Emma groaned.

Marsh said, "No problem." He had already piled everything back into the briefcase. He snapped it closed and spun the locks. "Mrs. Bravo, will you hold this for a minute?"

"I want you to call me Emma and I'll be happy too."

He handed it over.

Todd said, "Step back from the desk, please."

Marsh did as he'd been told. Todd emerged from behind the desk and performed the search.

Evidently, a body search wasn't all that common around the Bravo Building . It actually succeeded in drawing some attention from pa.s.sersby on their way to and from the elevators. More than one of them paused to frown and to stare.

But it was over in less than a minute. Todd nodded at Bert. "He's okay."

Emma sighed. The endless security precautions did get old. But she had to remember that the two men were only doing their jobs. She smiled at each of the guards. "Thank you, Todd, Bert."

The guards smiled back. Bert said, "You have a real nice afternoon, Mrs. Bravo."

Emma handed Marsh his briefcase. "Let's go."

* * * The secretary who sat at the desk not far from Jonas's door frowned as Emma and Marsh approached. Evidently, she'd gotten a call from the guards downstairs. "Mrs. Bravo-"