Maximum Risk, Page 8

  Pride almost made Tara retort that Max seemed quite satisfied with her size-B breasts last night, but she held her tongue. At this point, the less said to Maddy the better. “Thanks for the offer, Maddy, but I’m fine. Really. And I don’t want to meet Max’s mother. Please, drop me off anywhere around here. I’ll find my own way back.”

  Without letting go of her hand, Maddy turned, pleading again. “You have to come with me. You’re the only person who could do this. There are so many stories going around about Aunt Patrice. I don’t know what to believe. When I’m there, she’s nice. She talks about how much she loves her sons. I can’t believe what others say about her could be true. I need an unbiased opinion. Please. Just go with me and tell me what you see when you look at her. We’ll make it a short visit. I promise.”

  “And then we’re done.”

  Maddy nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll never ask you for anything else.”

  Tara’s phone buzzed, announcing a text message. She turned it off without removing it from her coat pocket. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone, about anything.

  Not yet.

  ***

  Max went for an early evening run in Central Park to clear his head. His mood began to improve as he pushed his body to keep going. Running always cleared his mind.

  He’d been in a foul mood since he’d woken up alone this afternoon. It had taken a further downward turn when he’d read Tara’s note.

  Everything was great. Lock the door as you leave. Tara

  Women didn’t leave while he slept. He left while they slept. No woman, not even in high school, had ever brushed him off with a cold note.

  He didn’t like it.

  Although he had to admit it raised the stakes of their game, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, and that was something he wasn’t used to feeling about anyone. Her smile haunted him. Every time he told himself he didn’t care if he ever saw her again, he remembered Tara’s laugh and how her eyes danced when she told the punch line of one of her stories. He wanted her in his bed, but a more unsettling realization was he also wanted to sit across from her again and spend an evening laughing with her.

  He needed to see her again. And he would.

  He’d sent her a text, but she hadn’t responded. After their intimate encounter earlier in the day, she could no longer deny she was attracted to him. Which made the pursuit even more exciting.

  Max stopped running just outside his hotel and bent over to catch his breath. He was sweaty and sore, but he felt good. A long run always left him feeling empowered.

  He knew as soon as the perfectly shined Ferragamos came into view that his mood was about to take a dive. He straightened slowly and met the eyes of his oldest brother. “Gio, this is a surprise.”

  Gio didn’t smile at his greeting, but Max didn’t expect him to. Gio always took himself and everything else a tad too seriously. “We need to talk.”

  “Of course we do,” Max said and led the way into his hotel, accepting a towel from one of his staff. They rode up the private elevator together. Gio kept his stern silence. Max dried himself, deliberately ignoring his brother’s mood.

  Once inside his hotel suite, Max walked to the bar and poured himself a large glass of water. Gio stood in the middle of the living room, waiting for Max. Max lingered near the bar and hoped whatever had brought Gio out of his castle for the day could be said briefly.

  “I love you,” Gio said succinctly.

  Max dropped his glass to the floor. It bounced on the carpeting, spraying cold water up his leg. “Are you having some sort of breakdown, Gio?”

  Gio paced back and forth in front of the couch. “I know I don’t call you. I don’t go to the opening of your projects. I’m not like Luke, but I do care. My secretary has always kept me up to date on your achievements.”

  A sinking feeling came along with a quick list of dark possibilities why Gio was acting oddly. “Have you been diagnosed with something terminal?”

  Gio stopped and ran his hand through his hair. “I want you at the family dinner tomorrow night.”

  Max let out a relieved bark of laughter and leaned back against the bar. “This is about the dinner? Shit, you scared me for a minute there.”

  “Will you be there?” Gio demanded, sounding like he was in a boardroom issuing commands to his staff.

  “What do you really want, Gio? I have a hard time believing one dinner is that important to you.”

  “It is.”

  Max pushed off the bar. “Oh, I get it. You want to show your fiancée we’re one big happy family. From what I remember about Julia, you don’t have to try so hard. She saw us at our worst and still agreed to marry you.”

  “Julia knows exactly how bad things are between us, but she believes we can move past that.” Gio sat down on the couch, dangling his hands between his knees.

  Max gripped the back of one of the chairs. “I don’t need this. My life is exactly how I want it. I’m not angry anymore, and I don’t want the drama that comes with our family.”

  Gio took out his cell phone. “You leave me no choice.” He dialed a number and said curtly, “Come up.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Gio?”

  Gio laced his fingers and stared straight ahead. A few moments later there was a knock on the door.

  “Who did you bring with you?” Max asked, but Gio didn’t answer. Shaking his head, Max opened the door to his penthouse. Standing in the doorway, side by side, were his other two brothers. “You’ve got to be kidding.” He stood back and let them in.

  Nick grinned as he entered. Luke gave Max a sympathetic smile as he passed.

  Gio stood and addressed them in his usual gruff tone. “He said no.”

  Nick dropped into one of the chairs and propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of it. “Well, this should be entertaining. Luke, work your magic.”

  Luke took a moment to assess each of his brothers’ expressions, then said, “Why don’t we all sit down?”

  Max referenced his workout clothing. “I’d rather not. Can we get this over with so I can shower?”

  Gio returned to his spot on the couch and Luke sat in the chair to the side of it. “None of us are leaving until you agree to come to Gio’s tomorrow night,” Luke said.

  Max shook his head in confusion. “Is this some kind of joke?”

  Nick slapped a hand on the arm of his chair. “Oh no, he’s serious. I canceled a Saturday date with Rena for this.”

  Luke leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “We wouldn’t all be here if this wasn’t important. If you don’t come to dinner tomorrow, you’re clearly not going to be in Gio’s wedding.”

  Max gripped the chair tighter. “Which is something else we’ve already discussed. I could not have made my decision more clear.”

  Luke looked at Gio. “Did you tell him how important it is to you?”

  “Yes,” Gio answered abruptly.

  Luke turned back to Max. “Max, we love you . . .”

  Max poured himself a scotch and downed it. “I can’t handle this.”

  Nick chirped in, “If I still drank, I’d be having one myself, so have one for me.”

  “Nick, you said you’d help,” Luke chastised.

  Nick stood and crossed over to stand beside Max. “Make it easy on yourself, Max, and say yes now.”

  Max took a deep calming breath. Emotions, both good and bad, nipped at his heels, but he fought them back. “Not going to happen. This scene is exactly why I spend as little time in New York as possible.”

  Gio stood, his face tight. “Then why are you here, Max?”

  “You might think you came back just to see Maddy’s friend, but you wanted to be here. Admit it,” Luke pushed.

  Nick jumped on the reference. “There’s something between you and Tara? No wonder you wanted to take my place last night at dinner.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “How did it go?”

  Heat warmed Max’s neck. He glared at Nick. “I don’t want to talk a
bout it.”

  Luke gave Max a pat on the back. “You went to dinner with her? That’s great. Are you going to see her again?”

  There was no way Max was going to tell his brothers that Tara was presently not answering his texts. “I don’t know.”

  Gio approached. “I met Tara. She seemed like a very nice woman.”

  Max rubbed his hands down his face in frustration. “I don’t care what you think of her.”

  Luke squeezed Max’s shoulder in support. “Did the date go badly?”

  “No, it went really well. Too fucking well. Happy?” Max shrugged off Luke’s hand.

  Nick rubbed his chin and smiled. “Too well? That’s so cute.”

  “I’m going to wipe that stupid smile off your face with my fist in a minute, Nick,” Max growled.

  Luke nodded in approval. “Good. It’s healthy to let your feelings out, Max. Get angry. Tell us off. Let’s work through this.”

  “I’m not angry,” Max said through gritted teeth. “Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d all get the hell out of here.”

  Gio threw a hand up in the air. “I told you coming here would be a waste of time.”

  Nick gave Max a sideward glance and said, “Gio, didn’t you say Maddy asked if she could bring Tara to the dinner tomorrow?”

  “I did,” Gio answered curtly.

  “And aren’t you having other guests, also? The Corisis and some of your other friends?” Nick continued.

  “Yes.”

  “Any single men?” Nick asked in a tone that grated on Max. It was clear Nick was trying to get a rise of out Max, and it was working.

  Gio nodded. “A few.”

  Nick shook his head in a mockery of concern. “Rich eligible bachelors. I wouldn’t send a woman I was interested in off to a dinner like that alone. But maybe Max doesn’t care. In that case, it won’t matter who Tara leaves with.”

  Max slammed a hand down on the back of the chair. “You win. I’ll go.”

  Gio smiled for the first time. “Good.”

  Luke said, “It would have been better if he’d agreed to come because we’d talked things through.”

  Nick shrugged. “We don’t need to talk it out. We all know what’s wrong with us. We are a seriously fucked-up family. Max, you’re right, life is easier without us, but we’re not going anywhere. We’re your brothers.” He pulled Max to him for an exaggerated hug. “And we love you, man.”

  Max shoved Nick off him. He looked around the room, and an unexpected feeling welled up in him. No matter how he tried to deny it, it rose within him—hope. “I am deeply worried about the three of you.”

  Gio walked over until he was close enough Max worried he was about to hug him also. “I’m glad you changed your mind, Max.”

  The sincerity in Gio’s expression made Max uncomfortable. “I’m not agreeing to more than dinner.”

  Gio held his eyes. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, Max. I don’t deny that. But Julia is close to her family, and I want to be close with mine.”

  Max made a face. “Please don’t hug me.”

  Gio smiled again, but there was a hint of sadness in the gesture. “Come to dinner with an open mind, Max. That’s all I ask. Give us a chance to get it right this time.”

  “I’ll be there,” Max said. He thought back to how hopeful he’d been when the four of them had attended Stephan’s wedding. Their truce had lasted only a few days after their return. He swore he wouldn’t get pulled back in again, but his emotions were a tangle of frustration and hope.

  Nick slapped Luke on the back. “See, a little blackmail, a little humor—it’s a combination that always works.”

  Luke studied Max’s face. “You were lucky. It was only effective because he really likes her.”

  Max denied the claim. “I don’t. I realized you were serious about your threat to stay until I agreed to go.”

  Nick chuckled. “I’ve never seen Max smitten with a woman before. I can’t wait to meet her. She must be something special.”

  Max walked to the door and held it open. “Get out.”

  Nick walked through the door first. “Don’t try to back out of tomorrow night. If you do, I will find you.”

  Standing beside the open door, Max said, “I’m going. I said it, and I meant it.”

  Luke gave him a pat on the arm as he walked past Max and out the door. “You’ll thank me one day for making sure you didn’t miss out on this.”

  Max made a doubtful face but admitted, “I know you believe that, Luke.”

  Gio stopped in front of him and said, “I believe it, too. I’ll make sure you’re seated next to Tara at dinner.”

  “I don’t care—,” Max started to say, but when all three of his brothers gave him a knowing smile, he said, “Thank you,” then closed the door.

  He headed off to the bathroom. As he stripped for the shower, he caught his expression in the mirror. He was smiling.

  All this about a dinner.

  My family is nuts.

  But they’re right: I am smitten.

  Avoid me all you want today, Tara.

  Tomorrow you’ll be mine again.

  Chapter Eight

  Patrice Stanfield sat back in her chair and folded her hands on her lap. The simple but elegant beige dress she wore hung loosely on her thin frame. Her white hair was swept up in an elegant, loose bun. She wasn’t an old woman, but her health issues had certainly aged her. The butler who had greeted Maddy and Tara and led them to this sitting room had disappeared along with the woman who had served them tea.

  Tara placed her empty cup and saucer back on the tray between them and tried not to be obvious about studying Patrice. Maddy had shared several stories with her on the ride over that didn’t seem believable. This soft-spoken woman had tried to buy off Gio’s fiancée? She had threatened Nick’s?

  Patrice’s hands shook as she raised her teacup to her lips. She looked too frail to intimidate anyone. “It’s so nice to have company,” Patrice said with a small smile. “You haven’t come by to see me in a while, Maddy.”

  Maddy gave her aunt a pained smile. “I’ve been busy, but I wanted you to meet my friend Tara.”

  Patrice’s smile didn’t reach her eyes when she looked Tara over. She nodded in her direction then turned her attention back to Maddy. “Friends are so important, aren’t they? Appreciate them while you have them. As you get older you’ll find yourself with fewer and fewer until you don’t even remember what it was like not to be lonely.”

  Maddy’s eyes misted a bit. Tara wasn’t as moved by the comment. It seemed orchestrated to do exactly what it had done. “I would have come by sooner, but . . .”

  “But?” Patrice asked.

  A heavy silence hung between them. Tara knew why Maddy hadn’t visited Patrice, but Patrice obviously didn’t.

  Maddy wrung her hands together. “My father asked me not to.”

  “Really?” The expression in Patrice’s eyes was dark and cold even as she continued to smile at Maddy. “It’s no secret Alessandro never liked me.”

  Maddy leaned forward. “Why, Aunt Patrice? What happened between you and my father? Tell me; maybe I can help.”

  Patrice’s eyes glittered with an emotion that sent a shiver down Tara’s back. Oh, Maddy, how can you not see the hate in her eyes? This is Max’s mother? No wonder he doesn’t like to come home. I’d want to run as far and as fast as I could from her.

  Patrice took another sip of her tea. “It’s ancient history, Maddy. I’m happy, though, that you didn’t let him poison your opinion of me.”

  Maddy’s chin rose. “He may not want me here, but he has never said a bad word about you.”

  “I find that difficult to believe,” Patrice said coldly. Her lips thinned in an attempt at another smile. “Let’s talk about something happier. How are my sons?”

  “They haven’t come to see you?” Maddy asked.

  “Would I be asking you about them if they had?” Patrice snapped, then instantly softened her ex
pression. “I’m sorry, my medication makes me emotional. That’s probably why it’s difficult for my sons to be around me right now. They can’t bear to see me ill.”

  Oh, I’m sure that’s it, Tara thought, but kept it to herself. It’s not your personality, or creepy smile.

  “When I see them tomorrow I’ll encourage them to come by. They’re all so busy, I’m sure they didn’t mean for so much time to go by.” Maddy picked up a scone, then placed it back on her plate without tasting it.

  “When you see them where?” Patrice asked as casually as if inquiring about the weather.

  Maddy answered instantly. “Gio is hosting a big dinner party. Well, he and Julia are. We’re going to plan their wedding. Everyone will be there. I heard even Julia’s father is coming in for it.”

  Patrice folded her hands on her lap again. “I don’t recall receiving an invitation.”

  Tara sucked in an audible breath. Awkward.

  Maddy leaned forward and placed her hand on Patrice’s. “I’m sure you did. Would you like to come with me? I can swing by and pick you up.”

  Patrice laid her other hand on top of Maddy’s in what should have been a warm gesture, but Tara was sure what Patrice really wanted to do was remove Maddy’s hand from hers. “You’re so sweet, Maddy. If my health were better I would take you up on that offer.” The cold expression Tara had seen earlier returned to Patrice’s eyes. “Tell me, is Nick going?”

  Maddy nodded happily. “Yes. He and Gio have gotten really close since they’ve been working together. It’s heartwarming to see.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Patrice answered and moved, breaking the connection to Maddy. “Is he still with that Rena?”

  “Yes, and it looks like they’ll be getting married also.”