Sleeping Beauty by Judith Michael Page B

as any. I’m just sorry—well, to tell you the truth, Dad, I’m damned mad—that she laid it on me. I did try to help her out, give her a few pointers, give her a little affection, and this is what I get. Damn it, I don’t deserve this! I suppose she thought I’d let her get away with it; maybe she figured I was a patsy since I had a soft spot for her and she had a good time playing on people’s sympathies—”
    â€œThat’s enough!” Ethan was on his feet, his face dark, his breathing harsh, at last feeling the rage he should have felt for Anne the night before. “I saw her face! It wasn’t easy for her, she wasn’t having a good time, and it was the truth! You can spread your filth, but I understand her better than you think. You took advantage of her, you used her because she was young and weak. You like weak people; that’s why you chose Charles of all of us to latch onto. You use people, Vince; you always have. Do you think I’m blind, that I don’t see what you do? You use the family; you use the people in the company. You’re shrewd and sharp and you get things done, and I’m ashamed to say I’ve ignored a lot of your little tricks because we benefited; the company benefited. That was my greed, I suppose; I let you go on making money for us. But to take advantage of Anne! To be so warped, so demented—so evil!—that you’d seduce that poor helpless child and then force her to . . . receive you . . . for . . . How long? How long did you —Good!” he roared as Vince sprang up and started for the door. “Get out of here! Out of my sight, out of my house, out of my company!”
    Vince stopped short and swung around. His eyes were stunned. “What?”
    â€œOut of my company! I don’t want you in it. It’s a familycompany and I want you out of the family. You’ve disgraced us; I don’t want to see your smarmy face again!” Ethan felt tears sting his eyes with the pain of what he was doing. “A man should look at his sons and know them, enjoy them, call them friends and partners. I don’t recognize you anymore.” His voice dropped. “I’m sick of you.”
    Vince watched his father’s shoulders slump. “Dad.” His voice was tight but very careful. “You don’t mean that. Not any of it. You don’t know she was telling the truth; for some reason you just feel it. You’re entitled to your feelings, but so am I, don’t you think? And I know I did nothing wrong. But I won’t argue with you about it any more; in fact, I think we’d better not argue about anything. We have too much at stake. What about Tamarack, Dad? I thought it was your dream as much as mine; you can’t take chances with it because of one girl. We still have a lot to do there; isn’t that more important than any one person?” He waited, but Ethan was silent. “Dad, let’s forget this whole mess. We’ll forget everything we said today. We’ll find Anne and bring her back and she’ll be fine; we’ll all help her, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
    Ethan looked at him from beneath heavy brows. “I told you to get out.”
    â€œBut I know you didn’t mean it.” Vince smiled gently. “We’re all tense from this whole thing, Dad, I understand that, I understand what you’re going through. But it will pass. We have too much at stake—”
    â€œI want you out of your office by tomorrow; I have other plans for it. And you’ll be out of your office in Tamarack by the end of the week.”
    The smile faded from Vince’s face. He stared across the width of the room at his father, who stood slump-shouldered behind his desk. “You’ll regret this,” Vince said at last. “I own shares in the company.”
    â€œAnd what would you do with them?”