Landen

by Holly C. Webb

  He nodded, taking a step further out into the street. While he waited for his car, he pulled his phone from his pocket. There were, as always, a million messages, but Landen sighed, opening one from his mother.

  Dinner this weekend, no excuses.

  Landen sighed as he considered his response. He didn’t really want to have to play happy families. Even though he loved his family, in his current mood, it wasn’t something he was looking forward too.

  As Landen began to tap in his response, the door behind him opened and someone came rushing out and crashed straight into him where he stood.

  When Landen turned around, he was surprised to find the waitress standing in front of him, tears dancing in her eyes.

  “Miss, are you okay?” Landen asked, knowing he’d something to do with her current predicament.

  “Yes,” she replied abruptly, and Landen could see she was mortified to have been caught crying by him.

  “With all due respect,” Landen pushed. “You certainly don’t look okay. What did that guy say to you when I left?”

  Before she could answer him, his driver pulled up alongside them. Landen glanced at the car, then back to the young lady standing in front of him.

  “Can I drop you somewhere?” He asked, knowing it was unlikely she would say yes. Still, he felt somehow responsible for her being upset, and he didn’t want just to leave her there on the street.

  “Thank you,” she said as she shook her head vigorously, as she shifted uneasily. “I will just catch a cab.”

  “It really is no trouble,” he replied, a little surprised by how disappointed he was that she said no. Landen stared at her for a moment, knowing that she was never going to change her mind. “But if you’re sure.”

  “I am,” she replied giving Landen a tight smile that said she just wanted him to leave her alone.

  Landen slowly turned and walked to his car, where Mike, his driver, was standing with the door open, waiting for Landen to climb into the back. He stopped at the car, glancing back to the waitress, giving her one last smile before he climbed inside.

  When Mike closed the door, he hurried around to the driver’s side and got in. As he did, a flash of lightning lit up the night sky, followed a couple of seconds later by a loud rumble of thunder. Moments later big drops of rain began to fall from the sky, smashing against the windscreen.

  He looked out of the window to the front of the car and saw the waitress standing near the curb, trying to wave down a passing cab, but it just zoomed passed her, leaving her standing in the pouring rain. Landen was sure he never saw a more pathetic looking sight in his entire life.

  “Wait!” Landen quickly said to Mike as he made to pull away from the curb. “Move forward to the young lady.”

  As Mike inched closer to her, Landen reached for the console on the door and lowered his window.

  “Miss, I would be very happy to drop you somewhere,” Landen said as he gave her a smile, as he willed her to get into the car. “Getting a cab in this rain may prove to be far more difficult than you think.”

  “Thanks, but I’m fine,” she insisted, and Landen had to resist the urge he had to laugh out loud. He was sure he had never met anyone more pig-headed in his life before.

  “It really is no bother,” he pushed, managing to keep his face straight somehow.

  She looked at him for a moment, and he knew she was considering his offer. Biting down on her bottom lip, she looked up into the night sky. Once again, a streak of lightning lit it up, as a loud clap of thunder, rumbled above them, and the rain started to come down heavier.

  Come on, Sweetheart, Landen thought to himself. Please just get into the car.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” She asked as she looked at Landen with uncertainty.

  “Just get in out of the rain,” Landen said as he slid across the seat, as Mike, who was already out of the car and waiting outside the door, opened it and stepped back to let her climb inside.

  Landen couldn’t help but take in every inch of her long, stunning legs as she slipped into the seat next to him, her dress riding up and showing off more than she would have liked.

  She quickly yanked her hem back down, as she tried to cover herself while she glanced up at Landen. She told Mike where she lived when he returned to the driver’s seat. He nodded before he pulled away from the curb, and they were finally on their way.

  Chapter 2

  “So, do you want to tell me what has you so upset?” Landen asked as the car slowly moved through the rain-soaked streets.

  “Nothing that matters,” the waitress shrugged without looking at him.

  “Well you’re upset,” Landen replied not taking his eyes from her. “So, I think it matters, Ms?”

  “Kate,” she replied as she finally looked up at Landen. “My name is Kate.”

  “Nice to meet you, Kate,” Landen replied, as he offered her his hand. “I’m Landen Murphy.”

  She stared at his hand for a moment, before she slowly reached out and took it.

  “Now, would you like to tell me what happened after I left?” Landen asked giving her a questioning look.

  “That guy,” she replied as she finally allowed her eyes to meet Landen’s once more. “Elliot. He said I wasn’t right for The Voodoo Club. He yelled at me and told me just to leave. He said that the money I’m owed for tonight, will be used to pay for your new shirt.”

  “He fired you?” Landen exclaimed, and instantly he could feel a wave of anger bubble up inside him. “Well, that’s not happening…”

  “It’s fine, really,” Kate insisted as she gave him a worried look. “Honestly. I don’t even know why I’m that bothered. It’s not like I even liked the job. The place was filled with nothing but spoiled, privileged assholes who thought they could act how they wanted because…”

  She stopped mid-sentence when she realised what she was saying, and her face burned with embarrassment.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, unable to look at Landen once more. “I really can’t seem to do anything right tonight.”

  “You don’t need to apologise,” Landen said knowing that what she said wasn’t actually wrong. There are some clientele of The Voodoo Club that behaved like spoiled, privileged assholes, who thought they could do what they wanted, because Daddy would pay to fix whatever they broke. They were the same assholes that Landen had always made a point of staying away from when he was there. “You’re not wrong.”

  “It’s not my place to judge anyone,” Kate sighed as she glanced up at Landen quickly. “And maybe it was for the best that Elliot fired me. I would have never felt comfortable working in a place like that…”

  “Then why did you take a job there in the first place?” Landen asked, unable to hide his curiosity. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “That’s a long story,” Kate said with a shrug. “And one you really don’t want to know.”

  “Well, I have all evening,” Landen said with a smile, and raised his eyebrows hopefully. “Maybe, I might surprise you.”

  “Believe me, my story is not that interesting,” Kate replied with a smile, but Landen could see she wasn’t comfortable with the conversation. Still, he liked it when she smiled. It was simply stunning, as was she. He found her completely captivating, he really would’ve liked to get to know her better. He’d never felt more drawn to any other person in his entire life, than he was drawn to her.

  “So,” he said as he watched her closely. “What will you do now?”

  “I’ll find another job,” she sighed, and Landen could see a look of worry in her eyes and he instantly felt a stab of guilt shoot straight through him. He knew it was kind of his fault she lost her job and now he felt responsible in some way for her. Though, if Landen was truly honest, he knew that his interest in this strange girl, ran a little deeper than just guilt.

  “I know this great little coffee shop,” Landen said, knowing he needed to take the chance while he could. He didn’t want his time with her
to end, and he knew that it was about to end shortly. “It’s about ten minutes from here. I don’t suppose you would like to get a coffee with me?”

  “Thank you, Landen,” Kate replied and gave him a sad smile. “I’m grateful for the offer, but I’m not really the girl you want to take for coffee. I’m not the girl you want, period.”

  “And what makes you think that?” Landen asked, surprised by her response.

  “Because my life’s a train wreck,” she replied as the car pulled to a stop next to the curb. She glanced out the window before she turned back to Landen. “And the last thing a guy like you needs is to be caught up in my drama. Believe me; it’s best if I just go home.”

  “A guy like me?” Landen asked, surprised by her response. “Do you mean a guy who would go to a club like The Voodoo Club? A spoiled, privileged asshole?”

  “No!” She replied quickly as her face flushed with embarrassment once more. “Not at all. I mean…you know what, it doesn’t matter. It was a kind offer and I’m grateful, but I’d rather just call it a night.”

  She reached for the handle of the door, but Mike opened it from the outside for her, before she could open the door herself. She hesitated before she climbed out. Instead, she turned back to look at Landen. She gave him another smile, but this time it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “Thank you for the ride home. I really am sorry I ruined your night,” she said and smiled again.

  “On the contrary, I think you made my night far more interesting,” Landen replied returning her smile, before she climbed out of the car, and hurried up to the glass doors of the building in front of her. When she reached the door, she swiped her key card in front of the panel on the wall, before she pulled the door open, then she glanced back at the car one more time before she hurried in through the door.

  Landen sighed as he settled back into his seat as his driver pulled the car away from the front of the building. He had no idea who Kate was, but he sure as hell was going to find out. This thing between them was still unfinished, and Landen was not giving up that easily.

  “Good morning, Landen,” Nikki, Landen’s assistant, said as he hurried down the softly lit corridor to his large corner office on the top floor.

  His company, Cole, Murphy, and Finch owned the top five floors of one of the largest buildings in the Bay area, and Landen loved that his office had the most stunning view of the Pacific Ocean.

  Landen hired Nikki the first day he was named Junior Partner of the company, which was then just Cole and Company. He knew Nikki from when he was an intern in the District Attorney’s office, and when he came to work at Coles, he insisted that she had to come with him.

  She was a year younger than him, but she was probably the smartest, wisest person Landen had ever met. He knew that he was great at what he did, but he knew that a big part of his success was in no small part down to Nikki too. The fact that she was drop dead gorgeous didn’t hurt either, but she was more like a sister to Landen, so there was never anything romantic between them.

  “Good morning, Nikki,” Landen said as he set down a double chocolate mocha, with whipped cream on her desk and gave her his most charming smile. “How are you this morning?”

  “I’m good,” she said as she stared at the coffee for a moment before she looked up at Landen and gave him a knowing grin. “What do you want me to do?”

  “What makes you think I want you to do anything?” Landen asked with a shrug of his shoulders, but he knew Nikki could see right through him.

  “Because, Landen Murphy,” she said with a grin as she picked up the mocha and brought it to her nose for a sniff. As she breathed in the warm, chocolatey aroma, a contented smile spread across her face, but she quickly pulled it back, before she looked up at Landen once more. “I know you better than you know yourself. You always bring me this devil drink whenever you want me to do something a little outside my job description.”

  “I need a favor,” Landen admitted, knowing there was no point in dragging this out any further. “But for the record, I have brought you those disgusting drinks without wanting something before.”

  “Yeah,” Nikki said as she stood up, her coffee still in her hand. “But that was usually because you were sorry about something, even if I wasn’t supposed to know you were sorry. Like I said, I know you better than you know yourself.”

  “Okay, Wise Ass,” Landen chuckled as he nodded towards his office. “In there though, I would rather keep this on a need to know basis, and trust me, the other people in this office do not need to know.”

  Landen headed into his office and set his briefcase down on his desk before he slipped off his suit jacket. Hanging it up before he took his seat behind the desk.

  “Close the door,” Landen instructed Nikki as she followed him into his office. She turned and closed the glass door behind her, just as she was instructed to.

  “This must be something big,” she said as she made her way across the office in her ridiculously high heels, though she made it look like she was almost walking on air.

  “How do you walk in those things?” Landen asked as he looked from her shoes, up to her pretty face.

  “It takes a lot of practice,” she grinned as she sat into the seat in front of the desk. “But you know how much I love my shoes.”

  “I do,” Landen chuckled as he leaned forward, and rested his elbows on the desk in front of him.

  “So,” Nikki said looking Landen in the eye. “What’s the problem, Boss Man?”

  “I need you to find a girl for me?” Landen said unsure if he was making a mistake or not, getting Nikki involved in this, whatever this was. “Well actually, I need you to find out as much as you can about this girl.”

  “Okay,” Nikki said with a nod, and Landen loved that she knew not to ask for a reason why. Instead, she opened her notebook and looked at Landen expectantly. “What’s her name?”

  “Kate,” Landen replied and watched as Nikki began to write.

  “Kate what?” Nikki asked as she looked back up at Landen.

  “I don’t know,” Landen replied with a sigh, knowing that he really was asking for the impossible to be done.

  “Then how am I supposed to find her?” Nikki exclaimed as she gave Landen a confused look.

  “Well, I have an address for her,” Landen explained as he handed her a piece of paper with the address he dropped Kate off at, the night before, on it. “And she works at The Voodoo Club, well she did. I might have gotten her fired…”

  “YOU GOT HER FIRED!” Nikki exclaimed a little louder than she had meant to.

  “It was an accident,” Landen quickly replied. “And to be honest, I am not sure whose fault it was, but that asshole Elliot Granger fired her anyway.”

  “Ouch!” Nikki replied, and Landen could tell that she knew Granger had made a huge mistake.

  “I will take care of that piece of crap,” Landen hissed as he sat back in his chair. “But I really need you to find all you can about this girl. I need it as soon as possible.”

  “I’m on it,” Nikki said as she took a sip of her coffee before she stood up. “And thank you for my coffee.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Landen replied with a smile before Nikki turned and headed out of his office.

  Landen sat for a moment and wondered if he was doing the right thing. The last thing he needed in his life was more complications, but there was something about this girl, something that told him he needed to help her.

  Pushing up from his desk slowly, he turned and walked to the floor length window that covered the entire outer walls of his office, staring out at the city below.

  He didn’t know why his thoughts were so consumed with Kate. Admittedly, she was possibly the most stunning woman he had ever seen, but Landen knew it was more than that. Everything about her told him she didn’t belong in a place like The Voodoo Club. She seemed too smart and together to be a waitress in a private nightclub.

  What does that say about you? He thought
to himself miserably. Maybe that’s why she didn’t want to go for that coffee, and who could blame her. Why would any woman be interested in someone who frequents a pick-up bar, like The Voodoo club?

  Landen wondered if maybe he should just let this go, but there was a story there, he knew it, and it was in his nature to seek out the truth, whatever it might be. A feeling in the pit of his stomach told him, this girl was in trouble, and for some reason, Landen believed that he owed it to her to help.

  “Hey,” Nikki said as she stuck her head through the doorway to Landen’s office. Landen looked up at his assistant, and smiled as he rubbed his tired eyes.

  “It’s after seven,” he said as he closed down his laptop and slumped back into his chair. “What are you doing still here?”

  “I wanted to finish up one or two things,” Nikki replied as she walked into the office and closed the door behind her once more. “Have you got a minute?”

  “For you, Nikki,” Landen said as he stifled a yawn. “I’ve got two.”

  “So, I looked into this Kate girl,” Nikki began as she sat down in front of Landen’s desk. Landen knew by the look on Nikki’s face that whatever she had to say, he wasn’t going to like.

  “And,” he replied impatiently, not wanting to drag this out any longer.

  “Well, I don’t know who you met last night,” Nikki said as she set the paperwork she was holding in her hand, down on Landen’s table. “But there is no Kate, Catherine, or any version of that name that lives in that apartment building. I also contacted the club. They said it’s the policy of the club to keep their staff anonymous, so they wouldn’t give out any details. They did, however, tell me that last night there was a new casual worker there, it was her first night, but she has since been released from duty, and they have no contact details for her.”

  “But I saw her going into that apartment building,” Landen said as he picked up the paperwork from his desk. He quickly read down through the names that were listed as owners, and or occupiers. Most of the people on the list were men, and the two women that were on the list were older women.