The Tycoon's Secret Affair (The Anetakis Tycoons #3)(44)

“What are you talking about?”

Kirk made a sound of disgust. “From the time her parents died when she was barely older than a toddler, she was shuttled from one foster family to another. The first few were merely temporaries as the state tried to place her in a more permanent environment. The first was a real gem of a family. The oldest son tried to abuse her. She told her caseworker, who thankfully believed her. So she was placed in another home, this time with another foster child, a girl about her age. What Jewel didn’t know was that the family never had any intention of taking both girls. They took two so they could choose. And it wasn’t Jewel they chose. So she lost a family she’d grown to trust and a sister she loved.”

“Theos,” Piers said through tight lips.

“Things started looking up when a couple who couldn’t have children decided they wanted to adopt Jewel. She went to live with them. The adoption was nearly final when the mother discovered she was pregnant. After years of infertility, she’d stopped trying and now she was suddenly pregnant. They couldn’t afford more than one child, and you can imagine which one they chose. Once again, Jewel was rejected.”

Piers closed his eyes. Just as he’d rejected her and her baby.

“After that, she didn’t believe in happy endings any longer. You might say she grew up fast. She went through the motions of the system until she was old enough to be out on her own. Since then she’s moved around constantly, never settling in one place, never forging ties with people. Never having a home. She simply doesn’t believe she deserves one.”

Kirk stared hard at Piers. “You’ve taken the one thing from her guaranteed to hurt her the most. If you find her, don’t expect her to welcome you back with open arms.”

Piers stared back at the other man, his stomach churning. “If she contacts you will you let me know immediately? She’s pregnant and alone. I need to find her so I can make this right.”

Kirk studied him for a long moment before finally nodding. Piers handed him his card.

“Call me day or night. It doesn’t matter.”

Kirk nodded and Piers rose to leave.

“Where will you go now?” Kirk asked when he saw Piers to the door.

“To New York to see my brothers. Something I should have done already,” Piers said grimly.

Piers knocked on his brother’s door and waited with dread for it to open. He didn’t like facing his brothers with his mistakes, and he liked asking for their help even less, but if it would get Jewel back, he’d do anything.

“Piers? What the devil are you doing here? Why didn’t you call to let us know you were coming? And where’s Jewel?”

Piers looked up, wincing at the barrage of questions coming from Theron.

“Can I come in?”

Theron stepped to the side. “Of course. We were just about to sit down for dinner. I have to say, you look awful.”

“Thanks,” Piers said dryly.

They walked into the formal dining room, and Chrysander, Marley and Bella all looked up. Only Chrysander seemed surprised. The two women were more subdued.

Chrysander’s sharp gaze found him. “What’s happened?” he asked bluntly.

“Jewel left me,” he said bleakly.

Theron and Chrysander both began talking at once while the women merely exchanged glances and remained silent.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Chrysander said. “Not after she spent all that time—”

Marley cut him off with a sharp elbow to his gut. Then she frowned at him and shook her head. Chrysander gave her a curious look but remained silent.

Bella stood, her hands on her hips. “Why did she leave you, Piers?”

Her voice was deceptively soft. It reminded Piers of the reason men feared women so much to begin with.

“Bella, perhaps Piers would prefer not to tell us such private things,” Theron suggested.

Marley raised an eyebrow. “He’s here isn’t he? He obviously wants our help. We deserve to know if he deserves it or not.”

Piers winced. “If you want to know the truth, no, I don’t deserve your help, but I’m asking for it anyway.”

“Why?” Bella demanded.

Piers looked at both women. “Because I love her, and I made a terrible mistake.”

“So you called the stupid lab and they figured out it was all a mistake then?” Marley said furiously.

Chrysander and Theron turned to Marley and Bella. Marley flushed and cast an apologetic look at Bella, who merely shrugged.

“I haven’t called the lab. I don’t care about the bloody results. I love her and our child. I don’t give a rat’s ass who the biological father is. She’s my daughter, and I don’t plan to give her or Jewel up.”

“Why do I get the impression that we’re the only two without the faintest clue what the devil is going on?” Theron said to Chrysander.

“No, but I bet our lovely wives could fill us in,” Chrysander said as he rounded on Bella and Marley.

Both women crossed their arms over their chests and pressed their lips together.

Frustration beat at Piers’s temples. He walked past his brothers to stand in front of Marley and Bella.

“Please, if you know where she is, tell me. I have to make this right with her. I love her.”