man has come up with a new plan. Whoever gets married and produces a child first gets to be CEO of Barnes Pharmaceuticals and gets the biggest piece of the inheritance pie. It’s that simple. And stupid,” he added.
“Seems like Grandpa Barnes is tired of his progeny acting like spoiled dilettantes and he wants them to settle down and act like responsible adults, which to his mind means marriage and family. There’re four children and three of them are married but they prefer living the high life instead of popping out some babies. And Trevor is just buck wild. He’s got women all over the place and no wife in sight. So Grandpa thinks that this is going to make them toe the line,” Royce said dryly.
“Well, his siblings are back in L.A. humping like rabbits trying to produce an heir first. So Trevor gets this brilliant idea—he’s going to marry you and bring Sydney home to the old man because that will make him first and he’ll have it all without lifting a finger. See, no one knows about you and Sydney. Because you never asked him for anything, he never had to own up to the fact that he’s a father and he’s trying to use that to his advantage.”
Alexis had returned to the living room by then, and the look on her face was priceless. “So why is he being so greedy? He’s this big-time attorney, so why is he trying so hard to get the promise of an inheritance?”
Royce gave her a crooked grin and said, “Sherri hasn’t had a chance to give you all the dirt. Trevor is not a practicing attorney. As I told her today, we went to law school together and he was at the bottom of our class. He has a law degree, but he hasn’t managed to pass the bar yet. Right now he sells used luxury cars in Pomona and, as you can imagine, the market isn’t too good for them right now. Not only that, he’s in debt up to the top of his head. He owes money to everybody, including the IRS and a couple of loan sharks. From what I can gather, he’s in deep, deep financial trouble and he’s grasping at any straw he can, which is why he suddenly showed up talking about marriage and family. He’s a desperate man and judging by his actions today, a potentially dangerous one.”
Jared spoke for the first time and he didn’t sound happy. “What actions today? What did he do?”
Sherri took a deep breath and explained the situation as succinctly as possible. Jared’s neck turned a deep red then spread to his face.
“Oh, hell no,” he growled. “Do we need to go have a talk with him? Because he’s gonna have to stay clear of Sherri and Sydney if he wants to live.”
“The restraining order should be enough to keep him at bay,” Royce said, “but I’d suggest that Sherri take extra precautions until he gets out of town. He’s not in any position to try to get custody or visitation, but he’s determined so I think that Sherri should consider getting an escort until this is over. He obviously knows your schedule and your locations, so just to be on the safe side, a bodyguard wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Lucas spoke in a low, lethal voice. “She doesn’t need one—she has me.”
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Lucas would protect her to the death, but Royce had one more suggestion. “If it’s possible, I’d take Sydney out of daycare for a few days. Is there somewhere else she can go, someplace that he wouldn’t know about?”
Lucas spoke again. “Absolutely. My folks will be up here tomorrow to pick her up and take her to their place on Hilton Head Island. Not a problem.”
Sherri looked at him in surprise while Royce nodded his approval.
“That’s a great idea. My feeling is that Trevor’s not going to be able to obey a restraining order, and he’ll be in custody before long. It sounds cold, but it’s probably the best thing for him. His family can cite extenuating circumstances and get him back to California for some much-needed treatment, and he might be able to salvage the rest of his life. In the meantime, I know it’s probably going to be annoying, Sherri, but you don’t need to go anywhere by yourself.”
Lucas’s eyes had darkened until they looked almost black instead of their normal green. “Don’t worry. She