Trust Me

pointing out one possible route by which Tony could have learned about ARCANE. There are others. A lot of your people have been in and out of this house. They know the layout. Tony could have learned about it from any of your staff.”
    “But why would Tony want to steal your stupid project?” Desdemona raged.
    “Two reasons,” Stark said coldly. “The first is that it’s worth a great deal of money to certain parties, and Kyle mentioned that your stepbrother just happens to be looking for a bundle of cash to finance his play.”
    “Every playwright who does a script wants money to finance his play. That doesn’t mean he’d steal in order to get it staged. What’s the second reason?”
    “Revenge,” Stark said simply.
    Desdemona’s mouth fell open. “Revenge? Against whom?”
    “Me.”
    “But, why?”
    “Because he wants you, and I’ve got you.”
    Desdemona was speechless. “Of all the – “
    Stark leaned forward and planted his big hands on the desk. “Listen to me, Desdemona. Because Tony is your stepbrother and because I have no actual proof that he made an attempt to steal ARCANE, I’m going to let this die here tonight.”
    A tiny flicker of hope came to life in Desdemona. “You will?”
    “Yes. But there will be no second chances. Tell Tony that, Desdemona. Tell him if I ever again have any reason to suspect that he’s trying to steal from me, I’ll nail him to the wall.”
    “Stark, listen to me – “
    “I can do it, Desdemona.”
    She believed him. There was something very cold and hard and relentless in his face. This was not the man she thought she knew. This was not the man with whom she had fallen in love.
    Desdemona took a step back. “I’m going to find Tony. I want to hear what he has to say.”
    She whirled around and ran for the door. She raced downstairs and nearly collided with Vernon on the floor of the atrium. He reached out to steady her.
    “Whoa. Take it easy, Miss Wainwright.” Vernon peered anxiously at her face. “Are you okay?”
    “No. Where’s Tony?”
    “In the kitchen.”
    “Excuse me, Vernon.” Desdemona freed herself and dashed into the kitchen.
    Tony looked up from where he was repacking glassware when Desdemona burst into the kitchen. He frowned when he saw her expression. “What’s wrong?”
    She came to a halt in front of him. “Tony, tell me the truth. Were you in Stark’s study earlier this evening?”
    “Hell, no. Why would I go in there? It’s locked, anyway, isn’t it?”
    “How did you know that?”
    “Macbeth said one of Stark’s brothers mentioned that it’s got a special security code lock on the door.”
    Bess, Augustus, and Juliet stopped what they were doing and gathered anxiously around Tony and Desdemona. Vernon walked into the kitchen and stood to one side with a helpless expression.
    “What’s going on?” Bess demanded.
    “Stark claims that someone tried to steal the hard disk in his computer this evening.” Desdemona did not look away from Tony. “He thinks Tony is guilty.”
    “Son-of-a-bitch,” Tony muttered. “And you believe him, dont you?”
    “No, I think he’s wrong,” Desdemona said fiercely. “And I want you to confirm it. Tell me you didn’t try to steal that damned hard disk tonight, Tony.”
    “I didn’t try to steal anything from that bastard.” Tony glanced past her. His expression hardened. “I swear it, kid. But I can’t prove it.”
    “No, you can’t,” Stark said from the kitchen doorway. “Just as I can’t prove that you did try to steal it. But that won’t stop me if you try anything like this again, Wainwright. I’ll find a way to deal with you. Trust me.”
    Tony stiffened. “Who are you going to believe, Desdemona? Your brother or this son-of-a-bitch?”
    “I think Stark is mistaken,” Desdemona said desperately.
    “Mistaken?” Tony smiled humorlessly. “I think he’s lying. I think he’s concocted this whole damn story just to turn you against me.”
    “No,” Desdemona whispered. “That’s not true. Why would he do such a thing?”
    “To get me out of the picture.” Tony kept his gaze on Stark. “Don’t you see? He knows that you and I have a special kind of relationship, and he can’t stand knowing that. He’s the possessive type.”
    “That’s not true,” Desdemona said.
    “Sure it is,” Tony insisted softly. “He wants you all to himself. For a while. When he’s through with you, he’ll chuck you out fast enough, but in the meantime