The Tawny Gold Man Read Free

release, every penny of that income goes into a trust fund until you are twenty-five. I'm the only one who can draw on that fund for your maintenance. Now, unless you want to be cut off without a penny for the next four years, when I say jump, the only question I want from either of you is: How high?"
    Anne closed her eyes to shut out the glazed expression of shocked disbelief on her brothers' faces. With a tingling shiver she heard Jud coolly dismiss them with the advice they attend their mother, then her eyes flew open at his crisp "Now you."
    "You can't frighten me, Jud. You have no control over me whatever. I have simply to pack my things and walk out of this house to be away from your—control."
    Anne felt an angry flush of color flare in her face as he studied her with amused insolence, his eyes seeming to strip her of every stitch of clothing she was wearing.
    "That's exactly right," he finally replied silkily. "But you won't. The old man was no fool. His plan was beautifully simple. He knew full well the sons of his second marriage were incapable of taking over, while at the same time he wanted to insure their future, so he split up forty-five percent of the company stock between them but left me in control of the actual capital. At the same time he knew I could handle the business and the twins, and that I would. But he wanted a check rein on me, too, so he  left me only forty-five percent. That leaves you, right in the middle, with the other ten percent."
    "To do with as I please," she inserted warningly.
    "But of course," he countered smoothly. "But as I said, the old man was no fool. He was reasonably sure you would not surrender your share to me, thus giving me full control. On the other hand he could also feel reasonably sure you would not throw in with the twins, as you are as aware as he was that they would probably run the company right into the ground. Does it give you a feeling of power, Anne?"
    "You can't be sure I won't sell or give my share to Troy and Todd." Very angry now, she lashed out at him blindly. Everything he'd said was true, and she hated his cool smugness.
    "Right again," he mocked. "But, like the old man, I am reasonably certain, and being so, I'll call the shots. And I'll give you one warning: If you decide you can't hack it, and to hurt me you sign over to the twins, I'll ruin them—and I can, easily."
    Wetting her lips she stared at him in disbelief. He meant it.
    "But you'd be destroying your own interests as well."
    Mocking smile deepening, he shrugged carelessly. "I'll admit that I want it, but I don't need it to survive. The twins do. And don't, for one moment, deceive yourself into thinking I won't do it. I will."
    She believed him. He wasn't just bluffing or trying to scare her, though he did. He meant it. Confused, frightened for her brothers, she cried, "Why are you taking this position? Do you hate us all so much?"
    "Hate? The twins?" Again the brows rose in exaggerated surprise. "You forget, the twins are my brothers too. I'll be the making of them."
    The fact did not escape her that he referred to Troy and Todd only. Shocked by a pain she had thought long dead, she argued. "You're being too hard on them."
    "Hard?" He gave a short bark of laughter, shaking his head. "You call it hard to expect them to learn a business they have almost a half interest in? Good grief, they are twenty-one years old and have never done a full day’s work. Do you know how old I was when I went to work for my father?"
    Subdued by his sudden anger, Anne shook her head dumbly.
    "I was fourteen. Fourteen." His tone hardened on the repeated word. "And how old were you? Don't answer, I know. You've had almost sole care of those two ever since you were six. You've cared for, protected, and played general guard dog to them from the time they could say your name. How old were you when you went to work in the old man's office?"
    "Eighteen."
    "Eighteen," he repeated softly. "No carefree college days for