“Any chance of catching a cab at this hour?” she asked.
“Not a problem, ma’am. Lemme call you one.”
She didn’t have to wait long. She slid inside the taxi and let out a breath. Spend an entire night at a boyfriend’s—or lover’s—place? Hadn’t happened yet, and probably never would. She preferred to keep things at a proper distance and didn’t plan on changing her ways, especially not for Ethan. She knew she’d been right to peg him as being unmanageable. When dealing with such men, it was even more imperative to stick to her rules: don’t get too attached; don’t give them any power over you; keep things in perspective. Rules that ensured nobody could ever hurt her again.
*
“Anyway, Jacob’s missing. His stripper wife too. They—”
“Wait, what?” Ethan blinked. “Catherine’s become a stripper?”
“No, no. He apparently married some Vegas bimbo years ago. Some spur of the moment thing, but she showed up in Houston last week demanding to see him.”
“What, at his house? Was Catherine there?”
“No, thank god. At our office. But Catherine, ah, well…she’s not, ah, married to Jacob anymore. Technically speaking.” Simon Caldwell, an executive from The Lloyds Development, cleared his throat. “Actually, she was never his wife. He married this other woman before he met Catherine, and he didn’t, ah, resolve that union. So Catherine and Jacob’s marriage was never valid in the first place.”
Ethan swore and kicked. His wheeled chair spun lazily.
“Look, Ethan. We’re up against Sterling & Wilson on another critical bid, and there’s nobody here to steer TLD.”
Ethan knew what that meant. Jacob was apparently MIA, and his family didn’t believe in letting strangers control their company; too many Lloyds depended on the dividends to maintain their lifestyles.
“You haven’t been involved in running the company, but you’re next in line,” Simon continued.
Ethan put his foot down, stopping the chair, and stared out the giant floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The neighborhood sparkled with night lights and traffic on I-66 flowing in and out of Washington DC. The oldest of the Lloyd siblings, Jacob had made sure his brothers and sister weren’t welcome in the family business. Ethan had joined the company after graduating from college, but left within two years when Jacob had made it clear Ethan’s presence was unwanted. It had been easier to step aside and avoid unnecessary conflict. Jacob could not only be stubborn but hot-tempered as well. There hadn’t been any reason to provoke him, especially when the business was doing well.
“It’s not the first time TLD has gone up against Sterling & Wilson, so it’s not like you don’t know what needs to be done. I’m not free at the moment to devote much time to a new project,” Ethan said, thinking of Global Strategies and glancing briefly at the wall adjacent to his bedroom.
“I know, but you’re the second oldest and have the experience and business savvy. It makes sense that you take over until Jacob comes back.”
Ethan tapped the arm of his chair with his index finger. What would they have done if he’d remained overseas? He’d been in charge of European operations at Global Strategies and worked out of its London office until a few months ago. There was always Gavin, his youngest brother, but he didn’t seem to get along with Jacob…or Catherine, for that matter. Gavin wouldn’t want to deal with TLD if Catherine remained in Houston or on the TLD board.
“Have you tried Jacob’s cell or email?” Ethan asked.
“We’ve tried everything. Messages go straight to voice mail. Email has so far been unanswered. We couldn’t locate him by the GPS on his car either. He left it at a motel in Louisiana. Probably using the stripper’s car now.”
A stripper. From Vegas. What a cliché.
Ethan rubbed his face, suddenly weary. “Catherine knows everything?” He needed to tell her if she didn’t. He didn’t like her much, but he didn’t relish having to give her the bad news.
“I believe he texted her, so yes.”
Ethan sighed, both disappointed and furious with his brother. A text? Jacob should’ve talked to her in person. That was the least she deserved after four years of marriage, even though it was no secret she was a gold-digger. Jacob hadn’t cared so long as he had a beautiful, well-bred wife to grace his home. And Catherine certainly did fit that particular bill.
“How about Mother?”
“I imagine Mrs. Lloyd has been informed by now,” Simon said carefully.
And she would be upset. The Lloyd family matriarch put the well-being of the family over everything else. Ethan’s hand clenched. He hated it that he wasn’t going to be able to shield his mother from the taint of the scandal. People would talk, that was inevitable. And there was nothing good about the situation, no way to put a better spin on it.
Damn it, Jacob.
Ethan turned his chair away from the glass wall and back to his desk. “Okay,” he said. “Let me see what I can do.”
He hung up, thinking quickly. Clearly, there needed to be a shift in his priorities. Delegate some tasks at Global Strategies and let Alex know he might need some time to look into the family business. It shouldn’t be that difficult. The Lloyds Development was solid, with a good balance sheet and strong cash flow. He just needed to establish systems so that it would run without him, then check on it every quarter or so to make sure the company was on the right track. The family would be taken care of regardless of who was nominally in charge at TLD.
Meanwhile, he also needed to get in touch with Pattington. He was the owner of a large PI firm on retainer with the Lloyds to handle everything the family needed, and they paid a premium for both excellent service and absolute discretion. Pattington would be able to locate Jacob. His brother liked money and the kind of lifestyle it afforded him. It wouldn’t be long before he accessed his accounts or used his credit cards, and Pattington was excellent at locating missing people and hidden information. If it hadn’t been for his efforts fifteen years earlier, Ethan himself might have been one of those who were cleared by law but guilty in everyone’s eyes.