see, Juliana?" Elly's voice was thick with unshed tears. "He's here because he knows Flame Valley is having financial problems again. He's here to watch everything fall apart the way it would have five years ago if he hadn't rescued it."
"You and your husband have certainly managed to make a hash of things with your big expansion plans, haven't you?" Travis observed. "If Tony and Roy Grant had kept their hands on the reins, they might have been able to pull it off. But once they turned things over to you and David Kirkwood, it was just a matter of time."
Juliana was incensed. "What do you plan to do, Travis? Sit around like a vulture watching the inn collapse under a mountain of debt? Is that your idea of revenge? If you can't have it, nobody else can, either?"
He glanced at her. "Who says I can't have it?"
"What do you mean?" Elly demanded, sounding even more panicked than she had a moment ago.
Travis took a slow swallow of his drink and then smiled a grim, humorless smile. "I'll spell it out for you, Elly. Five years ago I was promised a one-third interest in Flame Valley Inn. I was cheated out of my share, as I'm sure you recall. So this time around, I'm going to take it all."
"But how?" Elly's voice was no more than a faint whisper of distress.
"You and Kirkwood, in your eagerness to get on with your grand plans for remodeling and expanding Flame Valley, have been borrowing from a lot of sources, but you're in debt most heavily to a consortium of investors called Fast Forward Properties, Inc."
"But what does that have to do with you?" Elly asked.
"I am Fast Forward," Travis said softly.
"You." Elly looked stricken.
"I put together that group of investors and I make all the major investment decisions for them," Travis explained coldly. "When Flame Valley falls, as it surely will sometime during the next six months, it will fall right into my hands. I timed things so that I'd be here to step in and manage everything from the new Jewel Harbor headquarters of Sawyer Management Systems."
"Travis, you can't do this," Elly pleaded.
"You're wrong, Elly. It's as good as done. Everything is in place and all the fuses have been lit. It's too late for anyone to do anything about it. Nothing can stop what's going to happen to Flame Valley."
"Oh, my God." Elly burst into tears. They streamed down her face, sparkling like jewels in the moonlight. She made no effort to brush them away. "I should have known that sooner or later you would come back. I should have known."
"You knew. I told you I'd be back, remember?" Travis took another swallow of his drink.
Elly's tears flowed more heavily.
Juliana had had enough. She scowled at her beautiful cousin. "For pity's sake, Elly, are you just going to stand there crying? Haven't you got any backbone? Don't let him bully you like this."
Travis snapped another quick look at Juliana. "Stay out of this," he said. "It's got nothing to do with you now."
"I've already played my part, right? I helped the big bad wolf stage his grand entrance. Now I know what you meant that morning you left my apartment saying I was just icing on the cake. You wanted the entire Grant family to pay for what happened five years ago, didn't you? Even me, the one member who hadn't been around when you got aced out of your share of the Inn."
"That's enough, Juliana," Travis said, so cold, so quiet.
"Enough?" she yelped furiously. "I've got news for you, Travis. I haven't even started. If you think you're going to get away with destroying Flame Valley as an act of revenge, you're crazy. I'll fight you tooth and claw."
Travis's eyes glinted. "The inn belongs to the other members of the Grant family, not to you. Stay out of it."
"The hell I will. This is a family matter and I'm family. Well find a way to fight you, won't we, Elly?"
Elly shook her head mournfully, the tears still flowing copiously. "It's hopeless," she whispered.
"Don't say that, Elly." Exasperated, Juliana caught her cousin by the
"You and your husband have certainly managed to make a hash of things with your big expansion plans, haven't you?" Travis observed. "If Tony and Roy Grant had kept their hands on the reins, they might have been able to pull it off. But once they turned things over to you and David Kirkwood, it was just a matter of time."
Juliana was incensed. "What do you plan to do, Travis? Sit around like a vulture watching the inn collapse under a mountain of debt? Is that your idea of revenge? If you can't have it, nobody else can, either?"
He glanced at her. "Who says I can't have it?"
"What do you mean?" Elly demanded, sounding even more panicked than she had a moment ago.
Travis took a slow swallow of his drink and then smiled a grim, humorless smile. "I'll spell it out for you, Elly. Five years ago I was promised a one-third interest in Flame Valley Inn. I was cheated out of my share, as I'm sure you recall. So this time around, I'm going to take it all."
"But how?" Elly's voice was no more than a faint whisper of distress.
"You and Kirkwood, in your eagerness to get on with your grand plans for remodeling and expanding Flame Valley, have been borrowing from a lot of sources, but you're in debt most heavily to a consortium of investors called Fast Forward Properties, Inc."
"But what does that have to do with you?" Elly asked.
"I am Fast Forward," Travis said softly.
"You." Elly looked stricken.
"I put together that group of investors and I make all the major investment decisions for them," Travis explained coldly. "When Flame Valley falls, as it surely will sometime during the next six months, it will fall right into my hands. I timed things so that I'd be here to step in and manage everything from the new Jewel Harbor headquarters of Sawyer Management Systems."
"Travis, you can't do this," Elly pleaded.
"You're wrong, Elly. It's as good as done. Everything is in place and all the fuses have been lit. It's too late for anyone to do anything about it. Nothing can stop what's going to happen to Flame Valley."
"Oh, my God." Elly burst into tears. They streamed down her face, sparkling like jewels in the moonlight. She made no effort to brush them away. "I should have known that sooner or later you would come back. I should have known."
"You knew. I told you I'd be back, remember?" Travis took another swallow of his drink.
Elly's tears flowed more heavily.
Juliana had had enough. She scowled at her beautiful cousin. "For pity's sake, Elly, are you just going to stand there crying? Haven't you got any backbone? Don't let him bully you like this."
Travis snapped another quick look at Juliana. "Stay out of this," he said. "It's got nothing to do with you now."
"I've already played my part, right? I helped the big bad wolf stage his grand entrance. Now I know what you meant that morning you left my apartment saying I was just icing on the cake. You wanted the entire Grant family to pay for what happened five years ago, didn't you? Even me, the one member who hadn't been around when you got aced out of your share of the Inn."
"That's enough, Juliana," Travis said, so cold, so quiet.
"Enough?" she yelped furiously. "I've got news for you, Travis. I haven't even started. If you think you're going to get away with destroying Flame Valley as an act of revenge, you're crazy. I'll fight you tooth and claw."
Travis's eyes glinted. "The inn belongs to the other members of the Grant family, not to you. Stay out of it."
"The hell I will. This is a family matter and I'm family. Well find a way to fight you, won't we, Elly?"
Elly shook her head mournfully, the tears still flowing copiously. "It's hopeless," she whispered.
"Don't say that, Elly." Exasperated, Juliana caught her cousin by the
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