Chapter 62

CHAPTER

SIXTY-TWO

Maddie knew exactly who the voice belonged to.

Adrienne.

She didn't dare move. She couldn't chance setting the woman off.

"What are you doing?" Josh demanded, an air of entitlement to his voice.

Maddie hoped his sharp words didn't get them both killed.

"I'm doing what's only fair."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Josh asked. "What's fair about you holding me and Madison at gunpoint?"

"She hates the name Madison. It's Maddie, you idiot! And you really don't have any idea what's going on, do you?"

"I'm pretty sure you've lost your mind, but that's not what you're referring to, is it?"

Maddie pressed her eyes shut. "Josh . . ."

Didn't he have more sense than this? This was no time to set Adrienne off.

"No, let him ask questions," Adrienne said. "I would be more than happy to explain things."

"I'm all ears," Josh said.

"Yes, you kind of are, aren't you?" Amusement lilted in Adrienne's voice. "I think you got those from your dad."

His gaze darkened. "Did you bring us all the way out here so you could insult me?"

"No, I didn't. But isn't it kind of funny that we have the same ears?"

"What?" Josh's forehead wrinkled.

Maddie sucked in a breath. What was she talking about? Was she implying . . . ?

She shifted and glanced over her shoulder.

The woman still had the gun raised, but with her other hand, she touched a ruby necklace at her throat.

"Adrienne?" The word croaked from Maddie.

All the amusement left her gaze. "I don't expect you to understand because you weren't a part of this whole mess. You were just a bystander here."

"You've lost your mind," Josh said. "You need to let us go."

Maddie really wished he would stop saying things like that.

"Thirty years ago, your dad fell in love with a beautiful woman named Cecilia who worked in a department store in New York City."

"No, you're wrong. He married my mom thirty years ago."

"Exactly. That was part of the problem."

Maddie glanced at Josh and saw some of the cockiness disappear from his face, replaced by surprise.

"I don't understand."

"Of course, you don't," Adrienne snapped. "You've never been as smart as your dad, and you know it."

"I'll have you know, I graduated at the top of my class from MIT."

"Maybe. But that still doesn't make you your dad. I think you know that. You knew you were at risk of not taking over his company because you weren't good enough."

"I'm so confused," Maddie said. "Some woman named Cecilia dated Joshua's dad thirty years ago." Then the realization hit. "Wait . . . is Cecilia your mom?"

She grinned.

"In other words, his dad had an affair," Maddie continued. "You're Josh's half-sister, aren't you?"

"Bingo!" Adrienne nodded. "Finally, somebody gets it."

"You're my half-sister?" Josh repeated, practically gawking.

"Look at him. He had no idea. Go figure. Not very astute, are you? I told you that you weren't that smart."

Now that Adrienne mentioned it, Maddie could see a slight resemblance.

"Okay," Josh said. "So you're my sister. I had no idea that you existed. It's not as if I was trying to ignore you or pretend we weren't related. I didn't know."

"I know. I don't really care about any kind of relationship with you. Don't be ridiculous. You're so pretentious that being around you is worse than being stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean full of people with the runs."

In other circumstances, Maddie might laugh at that. But not now. Not with her life and Josh's life on the line.

"So why are we here?" Josh asked.

"Because I'm the oldest child," Adrienne said. "And guess who is supposed to be first in line for Dad's company? Me."

Joshua's face went paler. "There's no way you are going to get that job. There are clauses in the contract. My dad wasn't just going to hand this over to someone who wasn't qualified. He was too savvy for that."

"You mean our dad? Either way, I'll never stand a chance if you're still in my way. That company belongs to me."

"Why in the world would you even say that?"

"You never had Dad's smarts, but I do. I know your new product is going to fail."

"No, it's not!" Josh insisted.

"It's why you've looked so nervous all week. This is the big launch, but it has a lot of problems. A battery that doesn't need to be recharged or replaced for three years is a brilliant idea. But I know in tests you've had problems—problems you've tried to cover up. That battery also explodes."

Maddie's eyes widened.

Was Adrienne correct?

Josh didn't argue her point.

"Is that true?" Maddie asked. "You were launching a faulty product, and you didn't say anything so you could be promoted? What if it hurt someone?"

"We just had a few bugs to work out!"

"Josh . . ."

"You have no idea how much pressure was on me! Without this new battery, we would have lost our investors. I would have been out at the company. I had to do whatever was necessary to see that it succeeds."

"You've always been entitled, though, haven't you?" Adrienne continued. "This project is no different. You liked the prestige and the luxury of the company our father started. I know all about your extravagant lifestyle. Then there was me and my mom. We lived in a two-bedroom house with my grandma. My mom and I had to share a room, and we barely scraped by."

"I'm sure if my dad knew he would have helped."

"No!" Spittle flew from Adrienne's mouth as she said the word. "Father had no interest. He pretended like he didn't know my mom. Pretended like I didn't exist."

"Then why didn't you go to court and fight him?"

"Because my mom believed that life would be better without him attached to us. Once she saw his true colors, she wanted nothing to do with him."

"That's not my fault." Josh raised his hands. "I still had nothing to do with this."

"My mom was too nice of a woman to fight for what she deserved. She died two years ago of cancer. If she had been married to your father, I'm sure she could have gone to all of the best treatment centers out there. Maybe she could have even been cured. But we didn't have that kind of money or resources."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Josh said.

"Don't be sorry for my loss. Be sorry for yourself!" Her voice cracked with anger.

"What are you going to do with us out here, Adrianne?" Maddie asked.

Adrienne pointed her gun at Josh. "Walk."

He looked behind him, and his eyes widened. "I have nowhere to go. There's a cliff right here with a thirty-foot drop into the ocean."

Adrienne's eyes lit with malice. "Exactly."