He cut off Joanie’s anxious voice with a sharply raised hand without taking his eyes off Fabia’s face. ‘Don’t insult my intelligence with excuses, Miss Fletcher, and keep quiet. Do you understand?’ The last three words were a bark and now Fabia pushed Joanie to one side as she moved directly in front of him, glaring defiantly right up into his face, while a small part of her mind wondered at this change in him. There was no trace of the elegant, laconic man who had been present all evening. The cool charmer, the enigmatic philanderer, all the things that made up Alexander Cade had disappeared and in their place was a dangerously angry man with blazing eyes and a hard cruel mouth. Why hadn’t she noticed his mouth before? she thought faintly. Maybe that was more an indication of the real man than all the glossy camouflage? But no, she shook her head mentally. He was just mad at being made to look such a complete and utter fool. Which he was.
‘Why the little charade all evening?’ The grim voice was stiff now and she had the impression he was exercising great self-control in speaking quietly. ‘What was the point of all that?’
For a brief second she thought about trying to placate him, offer him an excuse that would be more acceptable than the bald truth, and then her spirit rebelled against the deception. He might be the king-pin in his world but not in hers! Oh, no, not in hers, she thought furiously.
‘Because I’m sick to death of your type of man, Mr Cade,’ she said clearly, her voice firm and strong. ‘You think your money can buy anything and anyone and you control your little empire like a big fat spider drawing people into your web. You are vain and you’re selfish and probably over-sexed too! What did it feel like to be the hunted for a change? To be backed into a corner by someone who repulsed you? Fun, was it?’
He listened to her angry tirade with narrowed eyes and folded arms and strangely, in view of the insults she had just hurled at him, seemed calmer when she had finished than when she had begun. ‘What was his name?’ he asked softly when she paused for breath.
‘What?’ Unconsciously she took a step backwards, her wide eyes darkening to midnight-blue and her breath catching in her throat. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘No?’ He was smiling now, a cruel hard calculating smile, a smile that robbed her of speech and seemed to strip her bare until she had the crazy notion he could read her mind. ‘I think you do. And I was his substitute, eh? A nice convenient deputy ready to hand whom you could vent your venom on and make a laughingstock of.’
‘Look, no one knows, Mr Cade.’ Joanie came back into the conversation after one glance at Fabia’s white, shocked face.
‘I know!’ The words were an explosion of the fury he was keeping in check and Fabia flinched instinctively as she took another step backwards. What had she done? What had she done? ‘You’re going to pay for this, my golden-haired little beauty.’
The words were low and soft but with such acrimony in their depths that she shuddered as a shiver snaked down her spine. He looked like one of the old Greek gods as he stood there in front of them, the harsh artificial light directly over his head catching the tawny gleam in his dark brown hair and turning his eyes to pure gold, his tanned skin and great height adding to the impression of a blazingly beautiful golden statue come to life with a mission of revenge and destruction. He was...terrifying.
‘Oh, I feel sick...’ As Joanie slumped against her Fabia’s arm instinctively reached out to support her. ‘I’ve got to get to a loo again, Fabia.’ She bowed her head helplessly.
‘I don’t believe this.’ Alexander Cade’s contemptuous voice bit through the air. ‘What game are we playing now?’
‘It’s no game.’ There was no mistaking the ring of truth in Fabia’s indignant voice as she cradled Joanie in her arms. ‘She’s been ill on and off all night. She’s a nurse, for goodness’ sake. Don’t you think when that man collapsed she would have helped if she hadn’t been... indisposed? She—’
‘All right, all right.’ He waved his hand irritably. ‘Help her to the ladies’ powder room but first...’ He pressed a bell on the wall and immediately a small middle-aged man opened the door leading out into the reception hall, making Fabia think he had been listening outside. ‘There you are, Swinton. Escort these...ladies to the powder room and then wait outside so they won’t get lost on the way back. OK?’ His voice was icily controlled.
‘OK, sir.’ The man gave a quick nod, the ghost of a smile touching his lips as he turned to Fabia.
‘And Swinton?’
‘Yes, sir?’
‘Tell the manager he can have his office back now. I won’t be needing it any longer. These ladies are going to return upstairs.’ The grim voice was chilling.
‘Very good, sir.’ Swinton gestured for them to follow him.
‘You can’t—’ Fabia’s furious voice was cut off as Joania moaned quietly by her side, her voice a soft whimper.
‘Please...’
‘OK, you’re all right, don’t worry.’ All her attention was concentrated on Joanie as they left t
he room and she didn’t even glance at the tall silent figure standing to one side of the doorway, his arms folded in silent scrutiny.
‘Quick, Fabia!’ As the door of the large and very luxurious powderroom closed behind them Joanie jerked herself off Fabia’s arm and pulled her over to the row of pink shell-shaped washbasins lining one velvet-embossed wall. ‘Come on.’
As Joanie lifted the hem of her shiny, sweetie-paper-style evening dress, exposing two rounded plump knees, Fabia stared at her in amazement.
‘What on earth—?’
‘Come on, you idiot! We haven’t got much time.’ With an agility that belied her stout build, her friend had climbed on to the veneered wood that supported the vanity unit before Fabia could blink, reaching up and loosening the catch to the narrow frosted window and peering outside carefully. ‘I thought so. This leads into the yard where they keep the dustbins and there’s a side door at one end into the street. Come on, Fabia!’
‘You aren’t seriously thinking of climbing through that little thing, are you?’ Fabia looked up into Joanie’s flushed face in horror. ‘And I thought you felt ill?’
‘And I thought I was supposed to be the dim one,’ Joanie muttered irritably. ‘Face facts, Fabia. There’s a man out there who’s loaded like a lethal weapon and he’s definitely gunning for you. Now you can try sweet reason on him but I wouldn’t give much for your chances.’ Fabia pictured the narrowed cat-like eyes and cruel mouth and nodded slowly. ‘The only other alternative as I see it is to remove the target from the firing-range.’
‘You mean run away,’ Fabia said flatly.