Defending the Heiress Read online

  “I’ll need to insert myself into both your business and personal life on a continuous basis.”

  Daria’s eyes widened, reflecting curiosity and a startled wariness. “Excuse me?”

  “If the Shey Group takes you on as a client, I’ll be with you 24/7. You said you were hiring an accountant. That could be me.”

  She frowned, her eyebrows drawing downward. “But I wouldn’t give my accountant the right to stay in my home. You did say twenty-four hours a day?”

  Ryker grinned at her, suddenly pleased with his idea. Spending days and nights with this woman had an intimate appeal that intrigued him. All his life he’d been the boy from the bad part of town who had kept his distance, respected that certain lines were never crossed, but now he’d get to step across the line and see firsthand how the other half lived.

  “You’re going to take a romantic interest in your new accounatant.”

  Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

  Spring is in the air…and so is mystery. And just as always, Harlequin Intrigue has a spectacular lineup of breathtaking romantic suspense for you to enjoy.

  Continuing her oh-so-sexy HEROES INC. trilogy, Susan Kearney brings us Defending the Heiress—which should say it all. As if anyone wouldn’t want to be personally protected by a hunk!

  Veteran Harlequin Intrigue author Caroline Burnes has crafted a super Southern gothic miniseries. THE LEGEND OF BLACKTHORN has everything—skeletons in the closet, a cast of unique characters and even a handsome masked phantom who rides a black stallion. And can he kiss! Rider in the Mist is the first of two classic tales.

  The Cradle Mission by Rita Herron is another installment in her NIGHTHAWK ISLAND series. This time a cop has to protect his dead brother’s baby and the beautiful woman left to care for the child. But why is someone dead set on rocking the cradle…?

  Finally, Sylvie Kurtz leads us down into one woman’s horror—so deep, she’s all but unreachable…until she meets and trusts one man to lead her out of the darkness in Under Lock and Key.

  We hope you savor all four titles and return again next month for more exciting stories.

  Sincerely,

  Denise O’Sullivan

  Senior Editor

  Harlequin Intrigue

  DEFENDING THE HEIRESS

  SUSAN KEARNEY

  For Patricia Smith, an editor whose wise guidance

  is much appreciated. Thanks, Patricia!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Susan Kearney used to set herself on fire four times a day. Now she does something really hot—she writes romantic suspense. While she no longer performs her signature fire dive (she’s taken up figure skating), she never runs out of ideas for characters and plots. A business graduate from the University of Michigan, Susan is working on her next novel and writes full-time. She resides in a small town outside Tampa, Florida, with her husband and children and a spoiled Boston terrier. Visit her at http://www.SusanKearney.com.

  Books by Susan Kearney

  HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

  340—TARA’S CHILD

  378—A BABY TO LOVE

  410—LULLABY DECEPTION

  428—SWEET DECEPTION

  456—DECEIVING DADDY

  478—PRIORITY MALE

  552—A NIGHT WITHOUT END

  586—CRADLE WILL ROCK*

  590—LITTLE BOYS BLUE*

  594—LULLABY AND GOODNIGHT*

  636—THE HIDDEN YEARS†

  640—HIDDEN HEARTS†

  644—LOVERS IN HIDING†

  682—ROYAL TARGET**

  686—ROYAL RANSOM**

  690—ROYAL PURSUIT**

  705—DADDY TO THE RESCUE††

  709—DEFENDING THE HEIRESS††

  CLASSIFIED

  For Your Information.

  Read and Destroy:

  The SHEY GROUP is a private paramilitary organization whose purpose is to take on high-risk, high-stakes missions in accord with U.S. government policy. All members are former CIA, FBI or military with top-level clearances and specialized skills. Members maintain close ties to the intelligence community and conduct high-level behind-the-scenes operations for the government as well as for private individuals and corporations.

  The U.S. government will deny any connection with this group.

  Employ at your own risk.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Daria Harrington—The heiress and CEO of a successful floral boutique business stands accused of murder. Desperate to prove her innocence, she hires a member of the mysterious Shey Group.

  Ryker Stevens—Ex-Special Forces soldier with an MBA, Ryker has been assigned by the Shey Group’s legendary founder, Logan Kincaid, to protect Daria and find out who is trying to destroy her.

  Rudy Harrington—Daria’s father, a business tycoon who thinks women should be wives and mothers. He’s determined to turn over his empire to his only son.

  Shandra Harrington—Daria’s frivolous stepmother. Her main goal in life is to please her husband. But is she as harmless as she appears?

  Peter Harrington—Daria’s brother, the heir apparent to the Harrington empire. He doesn’t intend to let anything stand in his way.

  Elizabeth Hinze—Daria’s friend and manager of the Fifth Avenue store. She’s keeping a deadly secret.

  Mike Brannigan—Daria’s wealthy ex-boyfriend. He’s been trying to buy her out for months and is getting more and more desperate. How far will he go to get what he wants?

  Dear Reader,

  Defending the Heiress is the second book in my HEROES, INC. miniseries. After stranding my characters in Daddy to the Rescue (HI #705) in the mountains, I was ready to move to the city. So this story takes place in the heart of Manhattan.

  Daria Harrington is my kind of heroine, successful and intelligent and in trouble up to her beautiful neck. I matched her with Ryker Stevens, a man from the rough side of the tracks who now works for the Shey Group. His business savvy and computer skills may save Daria from jail, and he may eventually find the villain, but he’s never before come up against a woman like Daria.

  I hope you enjoy my efforts. I always look forward to hearing from readers, so please feel free to stop by my Web site and visit: www.SusanKearney.com. Best wishes!

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “We need to slow down, delay the expansion,” Daria Harrington told her twin sister Fallon with a touch of impatience.

  Neither the full blush of white amaryllis in a striking cachepot on Daria’s desk, nor the blooms’ soothing fragrance, calmed her. The peaceful Warden serigraph depicting a cottage with warm lighted windows that her sister had recently purchased for her didn’t ease Daria’s agitation either.

  “The meeting in Tokyo is set for next week,” Fallon argued.

  “Cancel it.”

  “Why?”

  Daria forced her gaze from her slice of the New York skyline outside her office window to her sister, sitting in a guest chair beside her husband, Harry. “Growing our business with skyrocketing speed hasn’t allowed enough time to build a proper foundation.”

  While Daria enjoyed staying in the city, putting down roots and tending the business, her more reckless vagabond sister preferred new adventures while traipsing around the world. Together they’d made a great team, opening their signature floral boutiques and expanding at a record pa
ce. The partnership they’d started just out of college had succeeded beyond either of their most imaginative dreams.

  But this time Daria would insist on delaying the new expansion into the Asian markets until they dealt with some pressing business issues here at home. She thrummed her fingers on the antique desk she’d purchased during college. Even back then she’d known she wanted a home with beautiful objects, and she’d started collecting on a meager budget. Now she no longer had to let price determine whether or not she could acquire Tarkay’s newest painting or an antique emerald ring, but she no longer had the time to shop—for groceries, much less estate sales.

  “Must I remind you that you wanted to delay opening Harrington Bouquet’s London branch?” Fallon challenged her. “And London is now one of our best success stories.”

  Fallon swiped a lock of hair behind her ear, exchanged glances with her silent husband, Harry Levine, who simply shrugged. Daria thought Harry the perfect brother-in-law. Fully supportive of her sister and confident in his own abilities, he never interfered in the business. So far as she knew, he hadn’t even muttered one protest after the wedding when Fallon had insisted on keeping her maiden name, Harrington. Intelligent and always alert, Harry spoke at least a dozen languages and enjoyed accompanying her sister in her gypsy lifestyle.

  The problem wasn’t Harry, but Fallon. Her sister wouldn’t sit still and listen. Fallon never stayed in one place long enough to comprehend a problem, never mind help solve the underlying difficulties.

  Fallon smiled at Daria. “We must grow with the market or risk becoming stagnant. With low interest rates and the worldwide economy strong, the time is ripe for expansion.”

  Fallon could talk the talk, but Daria didn’t buy into the innocent smile or her sister’s theory, no matter what spin she put on it. Daria simply had to find the words to convince her stubborn twin, who—already restless—stood and paced, making an elegant picture from the top of her neatly coiffed off-the-shoulder chestnut hair to her Dolce and Gabana dress and custom-made Italian pumps.

  Daria tried again. “We have a lot to lose, Fallon. We aren’t kids anymore. Due to Grandma Harrington’s trust fund, and our ingenuity, we’re successful.”

  “Thanks to our recent expansions in London, Paris, Milan and Sydney. What’s wrong with opening more stores?”

  “Because while you’re off gallivanting around the world, I’m stuck in the New York office dealing with suppliers, shipping and legalese.”

  “Stuck?” Fallon spun and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re stuck because you refuse to leave. How many times have I invited you overseas, but you always make up excuses to stay in that stifling penthouse you call home.”

  Daria wouldn’t let her sister sidetrack her with her critique of the fashionable penthouse Daria had turned into her personal haven. Despite Fallon’s propensity for fine clothing and makeup, she didn’t care if she lived out of the back of a bus. Daria appreciated her creature comforts, which included clean sheets, a hot soak in her tub and her cats.

  “My running the corporation wasn’t our deal, remember? You were going to share the paperwork—”

  “But you’re so good at it.” Fallon tried flattery, but Daria simply raised an eyebrow that needed shaping since she’d had to cancel her last three waxing appointments in order to deal with pressing business.

  “I’m good at the paperwork because I do it.”

  “And I’m good at opening stores. Let me do my job.”

  “That’s what I’m telling you.” Daria released an exasperated sigh. “Right now your job needs to be here in New York. With me. The paperwork is too much for one person.”

  “You need a man in your life to distract you.”

  “That might be nice,” Daria replied. “I don’t have time to go out on dates. I don’t leave here until after eleven and fall asleep exhausted, then get up at five and start all over again. And why am I working so hard? Because you keep opening new stores and creating more paperwork. It’s time to assess our company, enjoy life a little.”

  “I’m enjoying life,” Fallon answered.

  “But I’m working too hard. I can barely find time for the Big Sister program. I want a change.”

  Fallon stared at her, no doubt assessing Daria’s determination. Unlike her sister, Daria didn’t enjoy conflict, but she wasn’t giving in—not this time.

  Daria liked life to run smoothly, so usually she let Fallon have her way. But not this time. No matter how much her stomach clenched into a hard knot from having to deal with the conflict, she would win.

  As children, the sisters had reacted differently to their wealthy but cold and demanding father, who had remarried shortly after their parents’ divorce. They had lived with their mother for one year until her death, then returned to live with their father and his new wife.

  Shuffled from nanny to boarding school to summer camps, the only consistency in their lives was one another. While the two sisters couldn’t have been closer, they were very different people. Fallon avoided facing the lack of parental love and support in their lives by constantly changing her locales and friends. Daria reacted differently, building a comfy spot for herself wherever she happened to be.

  And Daria depended on her sister’s honest opinions, her friendship and her love. Since they’d been kids, they’d always backed one another, stood up for one another. Daria could count the arguments they’d had on one hand.

  “You want to sell the business? Retire?” Fallon asked in astonishment.

  “I was thinking about a vacation and, afterward, I want to work only three or four days a week.” Then she could spend a full day with Tanya, a kid in the Big Sister program where she volunteered her free time—when she had free time. “But I can’t leave the office when my partner isn’t here to take over when I’m gone.”

  “But—”

  “Look. I know you won’t be happy until you’ve built a Harrington Bouquet in every major city of the world. But we need to hire more people, delegate.”

  Daria was sure her sister understood the points she was making, but Fallon often refused to use her in-born intelligence out of sheer stubbornness. The boring business details didn’t excite her sister as much as traveling to a foreign city, finding the perfect location and then creating a shop in the image of their original New York office boutique.

  If Fallon had had her way, she would have made each shop different and unique, but Daria had insisted they look exactly the same for cohesiveness. That was one battle she’d won. Each Harrington Bouquet possessed the same unique layout, the same Berber carpeting and mahogany showcases, the same exquisite quality of customer service. Each sold exotic floral arrangements shipped from greenhouses in North and South America, East Africa and the Far East. The stores’ clients came from the powerful and wealthy, the world’s elite. Rock stars, actresses, opera divas, royalty, owners of Fortune 500 companies—all of these clients relied on Harrington Bouquets to liven up special occasions, including anniversaries, promotions, birthdays, opening nights, weddings and funerals.

  Stalling for time, Daria rose to her feet. “How about fresh coffee?”

  She didn’t wait for her sister’s answer, simply ambled to the antique sideboard, which was protected by delicate Irish-lace doilies. While Daria never drank coffee, much preferring green tea, she always kept her sister’s favorite Jamaican Blue Mountain roast perking for their infrequent meetings. Daria opened a tin of lemon-raspberry shortbread, chocolate buttons and pecan chews. After placing steaming mugs on a silver tray beside the cookies, she poured herself a cup of tea. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.” Fallon’s eyes lit up at the sight of the pecan chews. “If you’re thinking to bribe me—”

  Daria rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Nothing is further from my mind.”

  Tall, dark and with a scar on his handsome chin, Harry chuckled, then helped himself to a chocolate button, which he happily dipped into his coffee and then popped into his mouth. He crunched aw
ay, dipping one cookie after another, not the least bit concerned by the calories.

  Fallon lifted her coffee cup into the air and saluted Daria as if to take the sting from her words. “I’ve already committed to looking at a site in Tokyo.” She downed a quarter cup of coffee in one giant gulp.

  “Cancel anyway.” Daria resisted the cookies and sipped her tea. Unlike her svelte sister and Harry, she needed to watch her weight. Fallon was tall and slender while Daria was short and curvy. They shared two features in common, their light chestnut hair and their hazel eyes, but Daria had inherited the petiteness of her mother’s family while Fallon had the long, lanky genes of the Harringtons, who stayed thin, no doubt due to their restless metabolisms. Unfortunately, whatever Daria put in her mouth seemed to go directly to her thighs.

  So while Fallon sipped and ate, Daria spoke. “At least stay long enough to help me hire an in-house accountant and another purchasing agent and floral designer to take off some of the load.”

  “I suppose I could do that.” Fallon yawned and covered her mouth. “Sorry. I’m more tired than I’d thought. I’m needing this caffeine buzz just to keep my eyes open.” She guzzled more coffee.

  Daria realized that as usual the two sisters had found a way to compromise, but while she had Fallon in the office, she intended to bounce her other ideas off her sister. “We also might want to think about purchasing another greenhouse. An accountant could run the numbers and help make an informed decision. Isabelle could use help in the purchasing department, and Cindy is overwhelmed doubling as designer and consumer specialist. Our volume is almost…”

  Daria glanced at Harry. The shock had her stopping in midsentence. Harry had fallen asleep!

  Quiet but oh-so-alert Harry who never missed a detail and could party all night and never so much as yawned the following day had closed his eyes right in the middle of the morning. His chin plummeted onto his chest with a thud.

  Fallon must have been just as surprised as Daria because she suddenly dropped her cup. But she made no move to avoid the hot coffee spilling on her designer dress.