"Our cousin?" Ewan roared. "She has to be a fraud. We don't have any cousins."

"Ewan's right," Bryce said. "We don't have any cousins."

"Obviously you do," Vanessa said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

The brothers ignored her.

"And who is he?" Roger asked. "Is he passing himself off as a cousin, too?"

"Who is he? He's with Kate," Anderson said and refused to explain further.

"Do they think they're going to get a piece of the pie? How absurd," Bryce said.

Anderson held up his hand again. "Your uncle assured me the video will explain everything to your satisfaction. None of you will be left with any questions. He also requested that each of you get a copy of what you're about to see. Terrance, please distribute the disks to everyone." He noticed the sun was shining on the television screen and hurried over to the windows to adjust the blinds. "Is there a disk in the player?"

"Yes, sir. Everything's ready," Terrance answered.

Anderson clasped his hands together and tried to sound enthusiastic. "All right then, shall we get started?"

"It's about time," Bryce said.

"Everyone, please take a seat." His gaze moved to Roger and Ewan. "And try not to comment or interrupt while your uncle is speaking."

Roger slumped into his chair. "We have to listen to that old buzzard lecture us before we get our money?"

He'd addressed the question to Ewan, who promptly an-swered, "He's still trying to control us, even from the grave. What a hard-nosed bastard."

Vanessa turned on Ewan. "Your uncle isn't here to defend himself. Only you would stoop so low as to defile the dead."

Ewan wasn't fazed by her contempt. He turned to Roger and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, "Only a bitch could love a bastard."

Kate felt as though she was watching a horror movie. How in heaven's name was she going to tell Kiera and Isabel about these vile, contemptible brothers? She was appalled and nauseated that she was actually related to them. They were horrible human beings.

Bryce seemed to be in a hurry to get drunk. He was gulping liquor like water, and the more he drank, the nastier he became. The other brothers seemed to appreciate his twisted wit, and their laughter only encouraged him. How would she describe them to Kiera and Isabel? "Repulsive" came to mind. And creepy. Definitely creepy. No one could become this obnoxious without years of practice.

Her attention turned to Vanessa. She was most curious about her. One could easily assume that the poised, sophisticated woman had wandered into the wrong office by mistake. She seemed so out of place here.

Anderson stood behind Vanessa's chair. He nodded to Terrance, who immediately picked up the remote and pushed the play button.

The bickering stopped as Compton Thomas MacKenna addressed his audience, but the silence didn't last long.

"Did he just say he changed his will some time ago? Why weren't we informed?" Ewan demanded.

"Shut up and listen," Roger said. "We'll talk later."

"Start the damned thing again," Bryce snapped. "I didn't hear a word, thanks to my brothers' yapping."

And the fighting started all over again.

Kate didn't know how much more of this she could take. "Oh, my," she whispered.

Dylan heard her. He draped his arm protectively across the back of her chair and leaned down to whisper, "Do you want to leave?"

Oh, yes, she certainly did. But she also wanted those photos, and she wanted to know why she and her sisters had been invited to this freak show.

"I have to see this," she whispered back.

Anderson got them to quiet down, and the DVD began to play again. The brothers kept quiet until their uncle gave a history of the family. One of them groaned then.

Rate was fascinated to hear about her father's ancestors, and she listened intently. But then he brought up her mother. In a heartbeat Kate's attitude went from curiosity to outrage. The old man's words, said so callously, reverberated in her mind. No better than a street beggar. The insults didn't stop there. His contempt for her mother was apparent in everything he said about her.

Did the uncle want Kate to see this so he could slander her mother? Was that his purpose for summoning her here?

She stiffened when he talked about her sisters and was shocked to hear that he had someone checking up on all of them. She couldn't believe the audacity of the man. The comment that stunned Kate the most, however, was his assessment of her. She heard his remark that she was the most like him. Dear God, how could he think such a thing? And he was smiling when he said it, as though he thought it a wonderful distinction to be his spitting image.

Kate didn't think she could be more stunned than she already was. There simply couldn't be anymore surprises, could there?

Obviously there could.

"The bulk of my estate… eighty million dollars… will go to Kate MacKenna…"

No, no, that couldn't be right. She started to stand and fell back. The disk dropped off her lap. She couldn't hear the rest of the video, and she was oblivious to the bedlam going on around her. She sat there paralyzed… and sickened.

No better than a street beggar. How dare he say such a thing about her mother.

She shook her head. "No," she said. "No."

They turned on her like a pack of rabid animals. She didn't realize how dangerous the situation had become. Dylan certainly did. He stood and quickly moved in front of her.

Bryce was blubbering and cursing; Roger was screaming and crying, but Ewan was the real threat now. His face was contorted with rage. He came out of his chair like a crazed bull on steroids, and he was completely controlled by his temper as he charged at Kate.

"How did you do it? How did you get that demented old man to change his will?" He tried to push Dylan aside, and when Dylan wouldn't budge, he screamed, "Get out of my way."

Dylan responded quietly. "Go sit down."

Ewan tried to throw a punch at him, but Dylan knocked his fist away and said, "I don't want to do this. I've got my nice suit on, and I'm in this nice office with my girlfriend. I don't want to get into a fistfight."

"You think you can take me?"

He was behaving like a sixteen-year-old bully, and Dylan was not amused. "You're going to sit down, one way or another."

With a roar, Ewan took a wild swing. Dylan dodged the hand, but he was through being nice. When Ewan tried again, Dylan gave a right jab to his midsection. As the man was going down, Dylan shoved him toward the sofa, and Roger got out of the way so Ewan could land on the cushion next to him.

Dylan smiled. "Okay. Now he's sitting down."

"Call the police, Anderson," Ewan gasped. "Have this man arrested for assault. Call nine-one-one. I'm pressing charges. Why aren't you calling? I want the police here now."

"Did I forget to properly introduce Detective Buchanan? If you'd like to see his badge, I'm sure he'll be happy to show it to you."

It was apparent Anderson was having a high old time watching his client's nephews get their just reward. He looked positively overjoyed.

Vanessa hadn't said a word until now. "I cannot believe it. Eighty million?"

"Are you all right, my dear?" Anderson asked.

Ewan turned to her. "Maybe whoever is screwing you now won't think you're so hot after this. All you get is a house and a measly hundred grand."

"I love that house, and Compton knew it. I'm thrilled he gave it to me."

Bryce was sneering at her. "You're awfully smug."

"Why shouldn't I be smug? You treated him shamefully. All of you did."

"Forget her," Roger shouted. "What the hell are we going to do?"

"We'll sue," Bryce said. "We'll contest it."

"That could take years," Ewan answered.

Roger was desperate when he said, "I can't wait. I have to get my hands on that money now."