“But you look so tired,” Nell insisted, not one to be put off easily. “I know how you work, but you look like you have barely slept a wink in days. Are you feeling okay? Is there something on your mind?”
Landen hated that his mother could read him like an open book. Still, he wasn’t about to tell his mother about Kate, or the whole stupid episode from the club. He knew his mother would never approve of him going there to hook up with some nameless girl. She would never approve of any of her sons sleeping around, and the one thing he hated more than anything in the world was to upset his mother.
He had done that once before in his life. The night he got wasted and wrapped his car around a telephone pole. He was just seventeen at the time, but as long as he lived, he will never forget how his mother cried when she saw him all broken and battered in the hospital.
“There’s nothing wrong,” Landen insisted, trying his hardest to reassure his mother. “It’s just been a long week, and I’m a little tired. I promise, tonight I will get some rest, and tomorrow I won’t even answer my phone. I give you my word.”
“You work too hard,” Nell grimaced, as she stared at her son. “There is more to life than work. I have a very successful career and I managed to raise five boys too. Maybe it’s time you thought about settling down.
“Mom,” Landen sighed as he slumped down onto the sofa. As much as he loved his mother, he hated that they always seemed to have this same old conversation. “Can we really not do this tonight? I told you I’m happy with my life just the way it is.”
Before Nell could argue the point, Finn joined them in the study. Landen breathed a deep sigh of relief. He gave Finn a grateful smile, as his mother and father turned their attention to their second born.
Fifteen minutes later and two brothers short, Landen and his family sat down to dinner.
“So Dylan and Callum get an out of jail free card tonight,” Liam said as he poured himself a glass of red wine at the table. He had arrived a few minutes after Finn.
“Honestly Liam,” Nell said as she scowled at her second youngest son. “I don’t know why you make it sound like such a chore coming to visit your parents, once in a while.”
“I’m just kidding,” Liam laughed leaning over to kiss his mother on the cheek. “But where are the two losers anyway.”
“Dylan got called into surgery,” Sean replied as he scooped a mountain of mash potatoes onto his plate. “And Callum is stuck in Paris. His flight got delayed because of bad weather.”
“I could think of worst places in the world to be stuck, than Paris,” Finn said with a smile. “I remember the summer I spent there. It is such a beautiful city.”
Landen half listened to his family as they all discussed their favourite places in the world, while in the back of his mind he thought about Kate once more.
He had thought about Finn’s suggestion that he should go back to the apartment building and sit outside, but he knew that if she did live there, and she realised what he was doing, she would probably think he was some creepy stalker, and that wasn’t going to help her already clouded opinion of him.
He just wished he could talk to her one more time, but somehow he knew that was never going to happen.
“You were very quiet tonight,” Nell said as she walked her eldest son to the door. “Are you sure there isn’t something you would like to talk about.”
“I’m just tired, Mom,” Landen replied. “Honestly.”
“You know you can talk to me, Sweetheart,” Nell said as she gave her son a tight hug. “I love you very much.”
“I love you, too, Mom,” Landen said as he kissed his mother on the cheek before he turned and walked out the front door.
The drive back to his penthouse seem to take an eternity and Landen’s mood just seemed to darken more and more.
What the fuck is wrong with you, Murphy? Landen sighed to himself as he slumped back into his seat and closed his eyes. You need to get over this girl, and do it fast; because you are no good to anyone in this mood.
Chapter 4
When Landen arrived at his office on Monday morning, his mood hadn’t lifted at all. In fact, if anything it was worse.
Nikki watched him as he walked down the corridor and opened her mouth to speak as he passed by her desk, but then closed it again, knowing that leaving Landen to himself was the best thing to do.
It wasn’t until Landen buzzed for her a few minutes later, did she even try to make any conversation with him.
“Are you okay, Boss Man?” She asked as she stood in front of his desk, but the look on her face said she already knew the answer.
“I’ve had better days,” Landen grumbled as he looked up at her, holding his hand out for the file he had requested. “Is that the Porter file?”
“It is,” she said as she handed it over to him. She stood there for a moment without saying a word, but Landen knew she wasn’t finished yet and he was right. “Is this about that girl?”
“Nik, I am really not in the mood to discuss it,” Landen replied without even looking up at her. “I just want to get this contract finished and sent to Porter today.”
“Why don’t you go back down to the apartment building yourself?” Nikki suggested as she sat down in the chair across from Landen. “At least then you would know for sure.”
“Or end up with a restraining order,” Landen shot back, still not looking up at his assistant.
“Well you can’t stay like this,” she sighed as she sat back in her seat. “Because when you’re in this mood, you’re distracted, and distracted you could make a mistake, or I could end up strangling you, but either one is not a good thing.”
“Nikki…” Landen said with a sigh as he looked up at her finally, and she gave him a smile. He knew she was right. He had spent the weekend trying not to think about the girl and ended up spending the entire weekend doing exactly that. He knew he couldn’t keep this up.
Maybe if he went back down there, at least then he would know for himself. It had to be worth a shot.
“Will I call Mike back?” Nikki asked as she stood up, giving Landen a knowing smile.
“I guess you’d better,” Landen said as he slipped back on his jacket, before he looked at Nikki once more and smiled. “But if I get arrested…”
“I will come down and bail you out,” Nikki replied with a grin. “I know the drill.”
“I must be insane doing this,” Landen said as he followed Nikki out of his office, then hurried back down the corridor to the elevators at the far end.
“Good Luck!” Nikki called after him. Landen raised his hand above his head and gave her a thumbs up.
Fifteen minutes later, he was climbing out of the car outside the apartment building where he had dropped Kate off the week before. In his heart he knew he was wasting his time, but still he also knew he had to try.
He straightened his tie, as he took a deep breath before he walked up to the glass doors, pressing the intercom to the front desk.
While he waited for the doorman to buzz him in, he checked out his reflection in the glass door in front of him. He decided he looked presentable enough in his black suit, white shirt and black tie. The suit was one of his favourites, because it fitted his six foot one inch, broad frame perfectly. Then he looked at his beard, wondering as he always did if maybe it was time to get rid of it.
Before he had time to debate the merits of having a beard, the door buzzed open, pulling his attention back to the task at hand.
Landen pushed open the door, and stepped into the dimly lit foyer and gave himself a moment to let his eyes adjust to the light, before he made his way across the marble floor to the dark mahogany desk and smiled at the man standing behind it.
“Can I help you, Sir?” The man behind the desk asked, looking Landen straight in the eye, his face completely unreadable.
“Yes, I’m looking for a young lady,” Landen said, realising how insane he was going to sound to this man. “Her name is Kate. I believe sh
e lives here, in one of the apartments in this building.”
The moment he said her name, the man’s face changed. Landen knew that whatever the reason was that no one would admit to knowing her, this man was in on the secret too.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” the man said as if it was a line he had practice saying so many times. “But there are no tenants in the building called, Kate. Are you sure you have the right address?”
“I’m sure,” Landen replied knowing that he was going to get nowhere with this man fast. “I know that officially she doesn’t live here, but I know she lives here. I know this because I dropped her home the other night. And I get it; she doesn’t want anyone to know she is living here, but I think she is in trouble, and I just want to help her.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” the man replied, his face once again giving nothing away. “But there is no one living here that goes by that name. I wish I could help, but I have no more information to give you.”
Landen stared at the man for a moment, knowing there was nothing he could say to get through to this man. He blew out a long, frustrated breath, then nodded before he turned, heading for the door.
When Landen stepped back out on to the street, Mike was already standing next to the car. The moment he saw Landen, he opened the door, waiting for him to climb into the back seat before he closed the door again. As Landen settled back into his seat, he blew out another deep breath, then in pure frustration he punched the back of the seat in front of him. Going down there was supposed to settle things for him, but instead it had just made him more pissed off.
Why was this girl driving him so insane? He was completely at a loss for what to do next.
“Are you okay, Mr. Murphy?” Mike asked as he sat back into the driver’s seat.
“I’ve been better, Mike,” Landen sighed as he scrubbed his face with his hands.
“Do you want to go straight back to the office?” Mike asked, watching Landen in the rear-view mirror.
“Yes,” he sighed, blowing out another breath. “There is no point wasting anymore time here.”
“Very good, Sir,” Mike replied as he started the engine of the car once more.
Just as Mike went to move out into the traffic, Landen glance back at the door of the apartment building, his heart almost stopped when he saw Kate pushing open the door, then walking back inside.
“STOP!” He shouted as he swung opened the door, and quickly climbed back out of the car. “KATE!”
The glass door in front of Landen closed again, before he could reach it. The one thing that struck him was that she didn’t even react to him calling out her name.
That’s when he knew he had been right about that fact. Her name wasn’t really Kate.
He held his finger on the buzzer until the doorman opened the door once more.
Landen almost pulled the door off the hinges before he rushed into the building, rushing across the foyer.
“The girl that just came in,” Landen blurted out in a rush of words. “I need to speak to her, now!”
I don’t know who you are talking about, Sir,” the man replied, his face once more completely unreadable.
“SHE JUST WALKED IN!” Landen yelled as he slammed his hand down on the top of the desk. “YOU KNOW WHO I AM TALKING ABOUT!”
“I’m sorry, Sir,” the man said. Landen knew that this man was never going to help him.
“OH, COME ON!” He exclaimed as he pushed his hands through his hair. He paced up and down for a couple of moments, before he finally turned back to the desk.
“Okay,” Landen said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. Opening it, he slipped a business card from inside it, setting it down on the polished top of the desk. “I get it, you can’t tell me if she lives here, or even who she is, but there is nothing stopping you from giving her my card. If she doesn’t contact me, I will assume that she really doesn’t exist, and you threw it in the trash. But if she does exist, then please ask her to call me. I just want to help her.”
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Sir,” the man said, still not giving anything away.
“I guess not,” Landen sighed before he turned, heading back to the door, and out of the building.
Once more Mike was waiting for him next to the car.
“Back to the office, Mike,” Landen sighed before he climbed back into the car, doubting he was ever going to hear from Kate again.
When Landen returned to his office, he ignored the questioning look from Nikki. He was barely seated when she came hurrying into the office behind him.
“I wasn’t expecting you back so soon,” she said as she stood in front of his desk. “I guess judging by your face, it didn’t go so well…”
“I don’t wish to be disturbed for the rest of the day,” he snapped, cutting her off mid-sentence. Landen pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to alleviate a headache that had suddenly developed. “Hold all my calls and get me two damn painkillers. I have a headache from hell.”
“Certainly,” Nikki replied, Landen knew she wanted to say more, but she chose not to. Instead, she left the office, returning a few moments later, setting two painkillers down on the desk in front of Landen, then poured him some water from the crystal decanter on the sideboard.
“Is there anything else you need me to get for you?” She asked as she set the glass of water down on his desk.
“No thank you, Nik,” He replied a little less abruptly. “That will be all.”
“If you need me, I will be right outside,” she said before she turned, hurrying out of the office, closing the door behind her.
Landen picked up the two tablets sitting on his desk popping them in his mouth then quickly washing them down with water.
He had no idea why he had let this girl get to him so much, but she had.
Landen switched on his laptop and opened up his emails. He read through a couple, trying to distract himself as best he could, but it was no use. He couldn’t focus. His mind was racing, and it was doing nothing to help his pounding headache.
He sighed as he pushed up from his chair, walking towards the ceiling to floor length windows of his office and stared out at the street below. Landen’s thoughts were filled with Kate. He really had no idea what to think. All he could think was, she hadn’t even reacted to her name when he called it, and he was definitely sure it wasn’t her real name. Which meant that he really had no clue who she was.
Maybe it would be best if he just let it go. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice, one way or another.
He walked to the sofa at the far side of his office and sat down. He felt beyond exhausted. He closed his eyes trying to clear his mind.
Landen woke with a start, unsure of what had woken him up. There was a commotion outside his office door. He stood up and walked towards the door to go find out what was going on when the door burst open and a very angry looking Kate came barrelling into his office.
“I’m sorry, Landen,” Nikki said breathlessly from behind Kate, who was glaring at Landen like she was willing him to burst into flames. “I tried to stop her, but she just pushed past me. I have called security.”
“There will be no need for them,” Landen said as he returned Kate’s glare. Landen was intrigued. “That will be all. Nikki.”
“Very well,” she said, sounding a little surprised. She hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Landen alone with Kate.
“Would you like to take as seat,” Landen said as he walked around his desk, sitting down. He was still stunned that she was actually standing there in his office, but there she was.
“I would like to know what the hell you want from me?” The girl demanded, as she pinned Landen with a terrified glare. “Who hired you to track me down?”
“Who hired me?” Landen asked, completely surprised by her question. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why would you even think that?”
“Because you’ve being ringing people who live
in my apartment building, asking all kinds of questions about me,” she replied angrily as she took a step closer to the desk, “And you were there today looking for me, snooping around once again. So I need to know, who sent you?”
“No one sent me!” Landen exclaimed as he sat back in his chair. “Look, Kate; I simply felt responsible because I got you fired last week. You were so upset, I don’t know, something felt wrong. I just wanted to be sure that you were okay. I assure you, no one hired me. I’m sorry if I scared you; that was never my intention”
“And that’s the only reason you were at my apartment building?” She asked as tears danced in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back as a look of relief filled her face.
“I told you, I felt responsible for you losing your job. I just wanted to be sure you were okay,” Landen said, as he leaned forward in his seat, giving her a curious look. Just when he thought this girl couldn’t be any more of a mystery she turns up in his office confusing him even more. Landen was completely thrown by this girl, but now he was even more determined to help her. “I swear, that’s the truth.”
She stared at him for a moment, and Landen knew she was trying to decide if she believed him or not.
“Well I don’t need you to take care of me,” she finally said as she blew out a long breath, taking a step back. “So please, just leave me alone.”
She turned to walk out of Landen’s office, but he was quickly on his feet and in front of her before she reached the door.
“Look, I’m sorry if I have scared you,” Landen said as he looked down at her, but she kept her eyes focused on his chest. “I honestly just wanted to be sure that you were okay. I never meant to upset you in anyway.”
“I’m not upset,” she insisted, but still she wouldn’t look up at Landen.
“Why do I find that so hard to believe,” Landen replied, completely unable to read this girl. The only thing he knew was, she was terrified but he had no idea why.
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