Antonio opened his briefcase, tossed papers on the table. The brothers looked at each other, then reached for the papers There was another silence, and then Cade looked up, his handsome face white with barely suppressed rage.
“What kind of crap is this, del Rey?”
“It is exactly what it seems to be, Señor Landon,” Antonio said coldly. “Landon Enterprises owes money to a number of banks. It is unfortunate that they have all chosen to call in their loans at the same time.”
“They can’t do that,” Zach growled.
Antonio shrugged. “Perhaps, and perhaps not. But while your attorneys and theirs argue over the details, word will get out that Landon Enterprises is on the brink of financial collapse.”
“This is a holdup,” Grant snarled. “You son of a bitch, you know you can’t get away with this!”
“I know that you will not be able to sell the company for a dime on the dollar, once people begin to talk.” Antonio smiled. “My offer will look more than acceptable to you then, gentlemen, but it will not exist.” His smile faded. “I will be at the Hilton until this time tomorrow. You have twenty-four hours to reach a decision.”
It was Cade who went for him first, launching himself over the table with both hands extended. Zach and Grant grabbed him and wrestled him back.
“Don’t,” Grant said, his face white and his eyes on Antonio’s. “The bastard isn’t worth it.”
“Why?” Zach said as Antonio picked up his briefcase and strode to the boardroom door. “Just tell us why, dammit!”
Antonio looked at him, his face expressionless.
“Why not?”
Zach shook his head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was some kind of vendetta.” He scowled. “Is it? Did you have dealings with our father in the past? Is that what this is all about?”
It was, Antonio knew, the perfect moment. And he made the most of it; he took his time answering, looking from one furious face to the other, and then he smiled.
“Be sure and tell your sister that Antonio Rodrigo Cordoba del Rey sends his regards.”
Antonio stepped into the hall and let the door swing shut after him.
They decided to tell Kyra nothing. She wasn’t involved in the business end of things, Zach said. Why should they drag her into such a sleazy mess?
Cade agreed. As for the money—it wasn’t as if they needed it personally. It was all going to charity anyway; they’d agreed on that months ago.
Grant said they were both right. Hell, they could give Landon’s away, for all it mattered. It was just the principle of the thing, the del Rey guy coming to see him in New York like a perfectly sane human being and then turning out to be evil incarnate.
The brothers looked at each other. As for that last crack about Kyra…How could del Rey have known her? Where could he have…? Could this be the guy who…?
No. No, their little sister would never have fallen for such a coldhearted bastard. Whatever del Rey had meant by that remark wasn’t worth thinking about. Their first reaction was the right one; they would not mention Antonio del Rey to her. Why upset their baby sister?
That decision lasted as long as it took to drive to the mansion. By the time Grant flung the door open, the Landons were three sticks of dynamite with a short fuse.
Kyra was in the entry hall, arranging the first of the season’s white daffodils in a vase.
“Hi,” she said, looking up. “How’d it go? Did you guys sell—”
“Who in hell is Antonio del Rey?” Cade demanded, while Zach and Grant glowered at her.
Kyra stared at her brothers blankly. “What?”
“You heard what he said!” Zach stalked forward, his arms crossed over his chest. “What have you got to do with some two-bit Latin bastard named Antonio del Rey?”
“I don’t—I don’t understand.”
“He’s our buyer,” Grant said tightly. “Or he’d like to be. But we’d rather give the company away than sell to that son of a bitch.”
Kyra felt behind her for support. Her hand closed on the edge of the hall table.
“Antonio wants to buy Landon’s?” she said shakily.
The brothers shot knowing looks at each other. Antonio, she’d called that bastard. Antonio!
“Who is he?” Cade said. “And how does he know you?”
Kyra moistened her lips. Could her brothers hear her heart pounding? Could they tell that her legs might give out and drop her to the floor at any minute?
“Antonio is—is here? In Denver?”
“He’s at the Hilton, offering to slice out our hearts while he sends you his regards.” Grant’s eyes fixed on hers. “And we want to know why.”
“He’s a…” Kyra’s gaze swept desperately over the three angry male faces. “He’s—he’s a man, that’s all.”
“A man.” Zach laughed coldly as he looked at his brothers. “He’s a man, she says. He hates our guts, he tells us to give our little sister a hug and a kiss, and she says he’s—”
“What—what exactly did he say? About—about me?”
“It wasn’t what he said. It was the way he said it.” Grant’s mouth twisted. “Did you meet him on that cruise you took?”
“The cruise you never thought of mentioning to us until it was over,” Cade snapped.
“Yeah,” Zach said, “that cruise you went off on without a damned word. Is that where you picked him up?”
Kyra’s spine stiffened. “I didn’t pick him up.”
“What did you do, then? Because it doesn’t take a genius to tell the guy hates you big time!”
Take it easy, Kyra told herself, just take it easy. Take
deep breaths. Good. Good.
“We’re waiting, Kyra. Why’s he got it in for you?”
“I—I suppose you could say we’re not—we’re not each other’s favorite human beings,” she ventured cautiously.
“Yeah,” Cade retorted, “we figured that Now we want to know the reason.”
Kyra’s chin lifted. “It’s none of your business.”
Cade’s brows shot to his hairline. “What do you mean, it’s none of our business? Everything about you is our business. Father’s gone now. Who’ll watch out for you if not us?”
“I’ll watch out for me!”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“An honest one.”
“Listen here, Squirt—”
“I’m tired of listening! And don’t call me Squirt!”
“Cade. Zach.” Grant stepped forward and put a hand on each of his brother’s shoulders. “Let me talk to her alone.”
Both brothers blew out their breaths, glared at Kyra one last time, and stalked from the room Grant waited until the door shut, and then he turned to his sister with a smile that set her teeth on edge.
“Kyra, dear…”
“Oh, for pity’s sake, Grant!” Kyra flung her hands onto her hips. “Don’t start treating me as if I were five years old! And don’t waste your breath. I am not telling you anything.”
“I certainly have the right to ask if this man is a danger to you.” Grant said sharply.
“No,” she said, “he’s no danger to me.”
“But you were…involved with him?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Grant nodded, too. “He’s the one, isn’t he?”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. The seconds flew by and then she gave a deep, deep sigh.
“Yes,” she said, “he’s the one.”
She saw Grant’s hands knot into fists and she sprang forward and clutched his forearms. The muscles were knotted, hard as rocks under her fingers.
“You’re to stay out of this,” she said.
“Stay out of it? Your pal dragged us into it!”