Читать книгу Falling For Her Italian Billionaire - Annie Claydon - Страница 10

GABRIEL HAD BEEN silent for the rest of the drive back to his house. When they drew up outside the three-storey town house, situated in one of London’s most exclusive Georgian terraces, Gabriel moved to get out of the car, and Clara stopped him, laying her hand on his arm.

‘I’d like you to stay here for a moment while Ian and the other members of my team check the house.’ She indicated the car parked across the street, containing four more security officers. ‘Is that okay?’

She felt the muscles of his arm flex under her fingers as his hand clenched into a fist. Then Gabriel puffed out a breath, reaching for his keys and handing them to Ian. ‘All right. When we do get inside you’ll have some questions to answer...’

Clara knew that. Ian flashed her the briefest of looks, which said that he wouldn’t want to be in her shoes, and got out of the car.

Her team knew what they were doing, and they didn’t have to wait long before an all-clear was signalled to Clara. Gabriel was stony-faced as she accompanied him up the front steps and through the panelled front door into a large, bright hallway.

‘You’ll join me for a cup of tea.’ That didn’t sound like an invitation but an order. Clara followed him through to the kitchen.

The room was obviously designed with some serious cooking in mind. A large double hob with pans of all shapes and sizes hanging to one side, all of them well used. An array of herbs and spices was contained in a rack full of jars, and a wine cooler was well stocked with bottles. At the far end, a breakfast table stood in a semi-circular bay and Gabriel strode towards it, drawing the blinds against the sunlight that streamed in through the French doors. Turning to inspect the supermarket bag that her team had left on the counter, he raised an eyebrow.

‘What’s this?’

‘Since we don’t know where the flunitrazepam came from, it’s wise to view your existing food stocks as suspect for the time being.’

He shook his head, taking teabags and milk from the bag and making the tea. When he put the two mugs on the table, sitting down opposite her, she found herself shivering in the heat of his dark gaze.

‘There’s one thing I want to get straight.’

‘Of course.’

‘You’re managing me. You’re very good at it, and I appreciate that you might find it necessary in a lot of the situations that you encounter, but I want you to stop.’

Clara swallowed hard. His file hadn’t prepared her for this. Gabriel DeMarco was the son of a man who was so rich that most people couldn’t get their heads around the scale of his wealth. Gabriel ran a medical charity, which no doubt gave him the sense that he was doing something useful, and the rest of the time he did what he pleased. He was undoubtedly charming, and the file had hinted that he used his not inconsiderable talent for seduction on a regular basis. Nothing...nothing had prepared her for his incisive mind and his determination.

But she could adapt. ‘Yes, I am managing you. This is a...sensitive situation.’

‘I understand that. But if we’re to have any kind of relationship, I want all the facts. Even the ones you think I can’t handle.’

‘Very well. I’ll tell you everything.’

‘Good.’ Gabriel leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples. ‘Go on, then...’

Clara puffed out a breath. This felt like some kind of test, and she was pretty sure that if she left anything out now, she was going to fail it.

‘Yesterday evening you went to Dr and Mrs Goodman’s house for dinner. You collapsed shortly after you arrived. Dr Goodman recognised your symptoms as being drug related and took the appropriate action.’

‘And what prompted your involvement?’

‘Mrs Goodman knows your father, I believe.’

Gabriel rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, they’ve stayed with us in Italy. Sara called him, didn’t she?’

‘Yes, she did, and that turned out to have been a very wise move. It appears there have been other incidents involving your family...’

His brow darkened suddenly. ‘Other incidents? Is my mother all right?’

‘Your mother’s fine, nothing’s been directed at her. Although she’s naturally concerned about you, and we’ve been in constant contact with your parents to put their minds at rest.’

‘Thank you.’ His gaze was searching her face. ‘You should know that my older brother died in an accident when he was seventeen. My mother wouldn’t be human if she didn’t worry a little too much about me sometimes.’

‘Mr Sullivan told me. I was chosen for this assignment because I can be tactful and discreet. And I know how to reassure the people I work with.’

‘In that case, I’d be grateful if you could employ your ability to reassure to its fullest extent when you deal with my parents.’

‘But not with you?’

‘No. Not with me.’ Lines of worry and exhaustion etched themselves on his face, and for a moment all Clara wanted to do was soothe them away. ‘Why would anyone want to do this? I can’t imagine you don’t have a theory.’

‘You must know about the new drug your father’s company has developed.’ Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he just took the money and didn’t take much interest in the way it was made.

‘Yes, of course I do. It’s one of the new generation of HIV drugs and because of the low cost of manufacture it has huge potential in developing countries.’ Gabriel frowned. ‘I know that there have been some questions in the press about our manufacturing capabilities and distribution policies. When a new drug is developed, everyone else wants to get their hands on it and it’s not unusual to find a bit of pressure being applied to the company that holds the rights.’

‘Well, it may be that someone’s taken that application of pressure a step further. There have been moves to put your father under investigation for financial irregularities...’

‘What?’ Gabriel gave a harsh laugh. ‘I hadn’t heard about that, but whoever suggested it doesn’t know him very well. My father’s an absolute stickler for things being done properly as far as money’s concerned.’

‘So I gather. But you must know that getting the relevant distribution licences for a drug with this much potential is a demanding process. Any hint of scandal has to be avoided, and since it’s common knowledge that you’ll be having a greater involvement with the company when your father retires, that extends to you.’

Gabriel thought for a moment. ‘Okay... I get the financial allegations, they’re a direct attack on the company’s suitability to develop an important drug properly. The PR department will deal with that. But I don’t see the connection between that and what’s happened to me.’

‘Timing...’ Clara counted out her points on her fingers. ‘Ingestion of a form of flunitrazepam that isn’t available on the open market... Mrs Goodman’s emphatic assertion that you’re not a drug user...correct me if she’s wrong about that.’

‘Sara’s right. I don’t touch drugs.’

He was quiet for a moment, his face grave. Clara could almost see his life crumbling around him, and the thought that she’d been the one to tell him all of this made her feel sick.

‘I’m sorry, Gabriel. This can’t be easy to hear.’

‘That’s all right. I appreciate your honesty.’ He looked up at her, and suddenly she was on unsteady ground, falling into the warmth of his dark eyes. ‘Look, I really need to sleep for a few hours. Can I give you a call this afternoon, and we’ll talk a bit more?’

The after-effects of the drug were hitting him hard. Gabriel had kept it together for longer than most would have done, but now he could hardly keep his eyes open.

‘I’ll stay here, with my team.’

He looked around, as if he’d forgotten that they weren’t alone in the house. That was exactly what Clara wanted. Her team did their jobs quietly and inconspicuously and a client didn’t need to know the nuts and bolts of it. All Gabriel needed to know was that they were there and he was safe.

‘Uh... Okay. Help yourself to...’ He gestured towards the fridge and then seemed to think better of it and shrugged.

This was how it started. Gabriel was the kind of man who was sure of his place in the world, but gradually he was beginning to question the safety of everything around him. Clara had seen it happen before, and knew that it would be a difficult challenge for him to face.

‘Take some water with you.’ She got to her feet, pulling a bottle of water from the supermarket bag and giving it to him. ‘I have to call your father to give him an update. Or would you prefer to do that?’

Gabriel shook his head, wincing in sudden pain. ‘No. This is a company matter, he’ll want a report from you, not me. Tell him I said hello if you like, and that I’ll call him later.’

He turned, walking slowly out of the room. Clara saw his hand shake as he reached for the door handle and wondered if he’d make it up the stairs on his own. But instinct told her that crowding him would be the wrong thing to do at the moment, so she listened for his unsteady footsteps, relaxing only when she heard the sound of a door closing upstairs.

She’d watched over Gabriel’s handsome, sleeping face since the early hours of this morning. Stared at it, unable to believe that anyone could look quite so perfect...

But now wasn’t the time to think about his perfections. It was the vulnerabilities that she had to deal with, the worries and the flaws that came out when a person was in a difficult situation and under pressure. And although Gabriel wasn’t ready to admit it yet, he was in a very difficult situation.