Wildest Hearts

penthouse, sir. It's your private number.”

    “Yes.” Oliver said nothing more. He couldn't think of anything to say. He watched Annie intently as he fought to deal with this new twist in a situation that was threatening to escalate out of control. “Did you recognize it, Annie?”

    “Yes, of course.”

    Bolt picked up the piece of paper. “Looks like we've got a problem with security, sir. Only members of the family have this number.”

    “I'm aware of that.” Oliver couldn't tear his gaze away from Annie's face.

    She was watching him just as intently, but although she still appeared worried, there was no fear or suspicion in her expressive eyes. She trusted him, he thought. In the face of all the damning evidence, she trusted him.

    “So how did Wally Thorpe get your private phone number?” she asked finally, breaking the silence.

    “An interesting question.” Oliver sat down again and picked up his teacup. “And one for which I don't have an answer.” He finally managed to wrench his gaze away from Annie. He looked at Bolt. “I believe we had better try to find Thorpe.”

    “Yes, sir.” Bolt took a swallow of his tea. “I'll see what I can do.”

    Annie crossed her legs and idly swung her foot. Her gaze switched back and forth between Bolt and Oliver. “I reached a couple of other conclusions while I was sitting on that ferry.”

    “Yes, Mrs. Rain?” Bolt asked politely.

    “We agree that someone wants me to believe that Oliver is up to no good,” Annie said slowly.

    Bolt flicked a searching glance at Oliver and then nodded. “Apparently so.”

    Oliver couldn't think of anything to add to that. He was too busy trying to control the talons of rage that were digging into him. Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to try to destroy Annie's trust in him.

    “We have to ask ourselves why anyone would do that.” Annie got to her feet and began to pace back and forth across the study. “There is only one obvious answer. Someone hopes I'll conclude that Oliver is behind my brother's disappearance. That same someone must want me to divorce Oliver so that he can no longer control Lyncroft Unlimited. But who would benefit from that?”

    “No one,” Oliver said grimly. “All the creditors and investors stand to gain if Lyncroft stays in one piece.”

    “There is a faint possibility that someone in the family might want vengeance against you, Mr. Rain,” Bolt said quietly. “She might see the destruction of Lyncroft as a way to achieve that goal.”

    Annie scowled. “You're talking about Sybil, aren't you? Forget it. The last thing she would do is hurt Oliver financially. It wouldn't be logical. She likes the Rain money.”

    Oliver's mouth curved ruefully. “Good point.”

    “People are not always logical when it comes to vengeance.” Bolt gazed impassively at Oliver. “There are other possibilities besides Sybil. An old business opponent such as Paul Shore might be looking for a way to avenge himself.”

    Oliver leaned back in his chair. “I've made my peace with Shore.” He glanced at Annie. “At least I think I have. In any event, this kind of thing isn't his style.”

    Bolt shrugged. “There may be others, sir, who do not wish you well.”

    Oliver looked at him. “Thanks for the testimonial to my ability to win friends and influence people. I'll admit that not everyone I've dealt with over the past fifteen years sends me Christmas cards, but I can't think of anyone who would do something like this to get revenge.”

    “Why not?” Annie asked with blunt curiosity.

    “Losing Lyncroft wouldn't hurt me very badly,” Oliver said, deciding to be equally blunt. “Granted, I'll make a nice profit along with everyone else if it stays whole, but the bottom line is that if Lyncroft goes under, it would only cause a minor blip on my financial screen.”

    Annie studied him closely. “I see. I hadn't realized it was that unimportant.”

    “I didn't say it wasn't important,” Oliver said quietly. “But the financial considerations are the minor ones. I told you in the beginning why I agreed to save Lyncroft.”

    She gave him a misty smile. “Because of Daniel.”

    “That was part of it.” Oliver turned back to Bolt. “I think we can discount the idea of a competitor who is out to get even for an old grievance.”

    Bolt processed that information. “There's another angle to consider. Don't forget that whoever called Annie and warned her off you may be