Wildest Hearts

new wireless stuff, and he's going to be in on the ground floor. Don't you understand? I can't give it away.”

    Oliver's black lashes veiled his eyes. “You won't be giving it away. You can demand a very good price. There are a lot of firms in the industry that would give a great deal to get their hands on the new technology your brother was developing.”

    “I won't sell Daniel's company,” Annie repeated. “Not as long as Joanna and I believe there's a possibility he may still be alive.”

    “One of these days you will have to take a more realistic view of the situation,” Oliver said. “The odds are that Daniel is gone. You know that as well as I do.”

    Annie lifted her chin. “I would know if Daniel were dead.”

    “Would you?”

    “Yes, I would, damn it. Daniel is the only family I've got, the only family I've had since Aunt Madeline died. I'd know if he were really gone forever.” She stabbed her fingers through her wild thick bob of sherry-colored curls. “I'd feel it deep inside.”

    Surely she would know it. Wouldn't she? Annie knew she was getting close to the end of her rope. She hadn't had a single good night's sleep since Daniel had vanished. The initial shock had faded somewhat, but her secret fears sometimes escaped from the dark place where she managed to confine them most of the time. When they did, they nearly swamped her. Perhaps her beloved older brother really was dead.

    She was exhausted. There had been too many decisions to make in the past few weeks, too many questions to answer, too much pressure from the people who had invested in her brother's company. And now that Joanna had told her about the baby, there was a whole new set of concerns to be faced.

    “I'm not the only one who would know if Daniel were dead,” Annie continued quietly. “Joanna feels as strongly about this as I do. We're both certain he's still alive.”

    “No one can survive in that water off the coast of Alaska for more than thirty or forty minutes,” Oliver reminded her gently. “You know that.”

    “The thing that everyone seems to forget is that my brother was a certified genius. Furthermore, when he flew, he took precautions other people wouldn't bother to take. He carried a survival suit, for example. And a raft. And all kinds of equipment.”

    “Even a survival suit won't protect a person against hypothermia indefinitely.”

    “There are dozens of islands scattered between here and Alaska. Hundreds. Most are just little dots of land. He could have made it to any one of them. He would be able to survive on one until help arrived.”

    “The search-and-rescue operation was very thorough,” Oliver said. “I made certain of it.”

    Annie widened her eyes. “You did?”

    “Of course. I told you, Daniel was more than a trusted employee when he worked for me. He was a friend.”

    “I'm glad to hear that,” Annie said grimly. “Because I've come to ask you for help. I'm hoping that your friendship with Daniel was strong enough that you'll agree to my plan.”

    Oliver studied her with an expression of subdued satisfaction. He had clearly been expecting this. “You want me to give you a buyout offer for the company.”

    “No.” Annie shot to her feet and stalked to the floor-to-ceiling windows. She looked out at the slate-colored sky and gray waters of Elliott Bay. “No, that's the last thing I want. I told you, I won't sell Lyncroft Unlimited. Not if I can help it.”

    “I would be willing to agree to sell it back to your brother if he does reappear.”

    Annie glanced back over her shoulder. “That's generous of you, but I don't think it's such a good idea.”

    “Why not?”

    She set her back teeth. “Because I have it on very good authority that you are a dangerous man, Oliver Rain.”

    He did not seem disconcerted by the news. “Is that right? Who told you that?”

    “Daniel.”

    “Your brother always was rather intelligent.”

    “Right. A genius. Look, we both know that if I were to sell the company to you, I would lose control of it entirely. You could do anything you want with it. You might even refuse to sell it back to Daniel or if you did, you might put such a high price tag on it that he wouldn't be able to afford it.”

    “We could arrange the terms of the deal before you sign anything.”

    “I just don't like letting go of the company. Not even to you. The risk is too great. No offense, but frankly, I don't see anyone in his right mind