Scent of Danger

Gloria's glass struck the table. "What?"

"It's not instead of CCTL," Sabrina hurried on to explain. "I'll be dividing my time." She went on, laying out the scenario she and Carson had discussed. "He's being flexible, which is good, since I'm not sure of the exact division of time and workload until I tackle both companies simultaneously."

"I take it you accepted the position?"

Studying her mother's face to determine her reaction, Sabrina nodded. "Yes. I did. I had to. Not only for Carson. For me." She waited, holding her breath.

She didn't have long to wait.

"Congratulations." Gloria reached across the table, covered Sabrina's hand with her own. "I think it's wonderful. And not only from one vantage point, from two. You'll have the opportunity to get to know your father, and you'll also have the professional chance of a lifetime. I'm so proud of you."

"You're not upset?"

"No." Thoughtfully, Gloria shook her head. "Quite the opposite, in fact. I've had two days to think about the idea of you having a father in your life. As I told you, I figured out years ago that Carson Brooks was the man I selected for the donor insemination. I truly believed I was doing the right thing keeping that information from you. I was wrong. I wish I'd had the benefit of knowing he planned to initiate a search to find you. That would have changed everything, including my decision to keep you in the dark. But it didn't happen that way. So, to answer your question, no, I'm not upset. I wish the poor man had never been shot. But I'm glad fate intervened where you two are concerned."

Relief surged through Sabrina. But there was another, more difficult audience to win over. "What about Grandmother and Grandfather? How do you think they'll react when I tell them about my becoming president of Ruisseau?"

Gloria turned up her palms in a who-knows gesture. "They could explode. Or they could see the prestigious aspect of things, scandal or not. The presidency of a thriving company—very posh, indeed." Her lips twitched.

Sabrina smiled back. "I see your point. And, if anyone can influence the way they view this, you can."

"Would you prefer I broke the news to them?"

"No. That's my responsibility. And if there's hell to pay, I'll pay it. However, I might need you to help do damage control—if it's needed." Sabrina's brow furrowed. "I think I'll wait until I can give them the whole story, after I'm sure about the way the medical situation is going to play out."

"I agree. They're expecting to hear from you when the blood test results come in. You can tell them everything then."

A sigh. "Selfishly, I'm relieved. The one-week reprieve will take some of the strain off me. I've got a few major hurdles to surmount between now and then. Starting with tomorrow. It's my first day on the job—as a management consultant, of course. My position as an officer of the company will stay under wraps until I'm ready to announce I'm Carson's daughter. And that won't happen without my first alerting Grandmother and Grandfather. Carson understands that completely. He's being very patient with me, letting me call the shots. He wants me to feel comfortable with my new role. Most of all, he just wants me to be happy."

"That's not a surprise." Gloria's eyes glittered with emotion. "Carson Brooks just found out what it means to be a father. A real father—not just in fact, but in essence."

11:30 P.M.

Greenwich Village

Jeannie had just fallen asleep when her phone rang. She fumbled for the lamp on her night table, then gave up and just groped around until her hand knocked over the telephone receiver.

She grabbed it and stuffed it under her ear. "Yeah?"

"Hey," Frank greeted her. "Wake up. We've got to get over to Queens."

"Are you nuts? I just shut my eyes for the first time since five this morning. Besides, that's not our district."

"I know. But there's been a homicide. A twenty-one-year-old kid. Russ Clark. He was stabbed to death in front of his apartment. In case you didn't memorize our list by now, he was an intern at Ruisseau."

By now, Jeannie was wide awake. She threw off her blanket and got out of bed. "What's the address?"

CHAPTER 17

Friday, September 9th, 8:05 A.M.

Ruisseau Fragrance Corporation

The elevator glided its way up to the twelfth floor.

Inside, Sabrina smoothed the blazer of her red silk suit. It was her mother's design—classic lines but with the distinctive Gloria Radcliffe flair, making it sophisticated enough to be corporate and high-styled enough to be contemporary. And the color—Sabrina smiled. She could almost hear her mother saying: Wise choice, Sabrina. Red. The ultimate power color.

She certainly hoped so. That was the look she'd gone for today. Even her hair, which she normally wore down, she'd brushed into a loose chignon, giving her a more vivid, businesslike appearance without being so severe it rendered her unapproachable.