Landen

by Holly C. Webb

  “And the other night,” Eloise continued, but this time her voice seemed a little more unsure. “Everything is okay now?”

  “It is,” Amelia assured her friend, then added with a laugh. “I was just being dramatic.”

  Eloise laughed too. Amelia loved that she could be silly when she was with Eloise. Then she thought of Nikki, and she felt a little sad. She loved that she could feel silly with Nikki too, but after yesterday something had changed. Nikki said she was paranoid, maybe she was right, but it didn’t sting any less to hear her friend say those words.

  Amelia hated that Landen and Nikki had been fighting because of her, even if Landen said that they had sorted it out. She hated that Nikki saw her as weak and vulnerable. Landen saw her as weak and vulnerable too. Maybe she was.

  Amelia had never considered herself one of those girls who went out and took on the world, but she never believed that she was weak and pathetic and in need of saving. Even during all the crap Pete had put her through, she believed she was tough; tougher than Pete knew she was, but that has changed now. What Nikki said hurt, but worse than that, it was true. This last week, she had become so paranoid; seeing ghosts and goblins everywhere. She had no idea why, it was just a feeling she had, but she couldn’t shake the sense that she was being watched.

  Amelia knew she needed to let it go. Landen was right. Pete Reynolds was almost two thousand miles away, so she needed to stop letting him win. She needed to claim her life, more importantly, her happiness back.

  “Nikki was upset after you left the other night,” Eloise said, sounding a little like she wasn’t sure if she was crossing a line or not by telling Amelia this. “She thought that maybe Landen was upset with her.”

  “She came by yesterday,” Amelia admitted, feeling almost like she was being disloyal to her friend by talking about her. “They had words, they cleared the air, but…”

  “But what?” Eloise replied, clearly sensing that there was something still bothering Amelia. “You’re not happy that they did?”

  “No, I am,” Amelia insisted. “Landen loves Nikki, and I hate to see them fighting…”

  “But there is something else,” Eloise said, as she stood up, walking over to Amelia’s desk, sitting down on the edge of it.

  “Do you think I’m paranoid?” Amelia asked, giving her friend a questioning look. “I mean, I know I’m always on edge, but do you think I’m paranoid?”

  “Yes,” Eloise replied bluntly, surprising Amelia with her directness. “But who can blame you. Given what has happened to you in the past, you have every right to feel paranoid. Paranoia has been what kept you alive, and if I’m honest, I don’t know how you keep going, but you do, and while you may be a bit paranoid, you’re also incredibly strong, and maybe the bravest person I know.”

  “Thank you, El,” Amelia said as she gave her friend and grateful smile. Before either girl could say another word, a delivery guy walked into the room, carrying the biggest bunch of roses Amelia had ever seen.

  “Delivery for Amelia Coleman,” the man said, as he looked at the two girls.

  “That would be me,” Amelia said as she stood up, taking the flowers from the guy.

  “I need you to sign here for them,” the guy said as he set a clipboard down on the desk in front of Amelia. She took the roses, setting them on her desk before she signed the sheet on the clipboard, then handed it back to the guy.

  “You have a great day,” he said as he took the clipboard, then turned and headed for the door.

  Once he was gone, Amelia pulled the card from the flowers, slipping it from the little white envelope.

  Six more days till you make me the happiest man in the world. Here’s to taking your future back and sharing it with me. Love, Landen x

  Amelia’s heart melted as she read the words.

  She really did love him; she knew that if he was to have her, he deserved all of her. She needed to stop letting Pete Reynolds control her life, and more importantly, her heart.

  “Do you know you’re marrying the sweetest man in the world?” Eloise said as she stood up, returning to her seat behind her desk.

  “Yes I do,” Amelia beamed as she breathed in the fragrance of the beautiful flowers. She sat down in her seat, picking up her phone to call Landen. She quickly dialed in his number, waiting for it to ring, but it went straight to voicemail.

  “Hey, it’s me,” She said, slightly disappointed that she got his answering machine. “I just called to say thank you for the beautiful flowers. You really didn’t need to, but I do love them. I love you. Talk to you later.”

  “Didn’t he answer?” Eloise asked.

  “He must be busy, it went straight to voicemail,” Amelia shrugged, before she hung up the phone. She quickly tapped in a text message to Mike, telling him that she was heading home, asking him to come and collect her. “I’ll call him again when I get home.”

  “You’re leaving now?” Eloise asked.

  “Yep,” Amelia replied as she stood up once more. “I’m all done for the next three and a half weeks.”

  “You’re so lucky,” Eloise sighed as she leaned on her hands, staring at Amelia. “I wish I could find someone to sweep me off my feet and whisk me away to Cuba, then Belize.”

  “You will, Sweetie,” Amelia said as she picked up her bag before she picked up her flowers from her desk. “And they will be so lucky to have you.”

  “Ha,” Eloise laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

  “Well I do,” Amelia insisted with a smile. “And I will see you Wednesday evening for our final fitting.”

  “Can’t wait,” Eloise replied.

  Amelia gave Eloise a bigger smile before she headed out of their office and down the corridor toward the elevator.

  As she stepped into the elevator, her phone began to ring. Amelia set her flowers down on the floor of the elevator so that she could search her bag for her phones. When she pulled it out, she smiled when she saw Landen’s name flashing on the screen, but just as she hit accept, the doors of the elevator closed, and she lost signal.

  “Damn,” she sighed as she pushed her phone back into her bag, picking up her flowers once more.

  She decided that she would ring him back once she got to the car, when her hands were a little freer.

  When the doors opened, her phone began to ring once more, but Amelia let it go to voicemail; answering just wasn’t an option.

  She walked toward the revolving doors of the building; she smiled to herself. She felt happy; really and truly happy. As she walked down the steps of the building Mike climbed out of the car, which was already parked outside the front of the building, waiting for her.

  “Hey, Mike,” Amelia said as she handed him the flowers Landen had bought for her. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

  “My pleasure, Ms. Coleman,” Mike replied with a smile as he opened the back door for her.

  Amelia had a feeling that Mike knew who she really was; there was very little that Landen didn’t share with Mike, but still, he kept up the pretense.

  She climbed into the back of the car, reaching for the seatbelt, while Mike walked back around the car, and climbed into the driver’s seat.

  As she turned back around, she looked out the windscreen in front of her, and for the briefest moment, she thought she saw Pete crossing the road about fifty yards in front of the car. Amelia’s heart slammed against her chest, as she pinched her eyes closed.

  He’s not there! He’s not there! She chanted to herself over and over again.

  “Ms. Coleman,” Mike said pulled her from her thoughts. “Are you okay?”

  Amelia opened her eyes, and Pete was gone.

  “I… yeah, I’m okay,” Amelia insisted as she forced a smile. “Just my mind playing stupid tricks on me again.”

  Amelia took a couple of deep breaths, reassuring herself that it wasn’t Pete. How could it be? He was locked up in a mental hospital almost two thousand miles away.

  She stared down at the
flowers Landen had bought her, which were now sitting next to her in the back of the car, while she told herself that she needed to let her fears go. Amelia remembered the note Landen had written on the card with the flowers, ‘here’s to taking your future back,’ as she blew out a long steadying breath, then smiled. She refused to let Pete control her any longer.

  They were almost home when Mike’s phone began to ring. He reached up, pressing the button on the side of the earpiece he was wearing.

  “Yes, Sir,” he simply said. Amelia knew that he was talking to Landen. She suddenly remembered that he had called her back while she was getting into the elevator and that she was supposed to call him back. “Certainly, Sir.”

  Without saying another word, the call seemed to end, as Amelia’s curiosity was piqued. She pulled her phone from her bag and checked her voice mail. There were two from Landen, and he sounded strange in the both.

  The first one was brief.

  “What happened?” Was all he said.

  The second one was a little more anxious.

  “Why aren’t you answering your phone? Call me the moment you get this!” This time Amelia could hear a trace of anger in his voice, but there was something more. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  “Was that Landen on the phone, Mike?” Amelia asked as she ended the voice message.

  “It was, Ms. Coleman,” Mike replied, as his eyes briefly met hers in the rear-view mirror.

  “Is everything okay?” She asked hearing the same something in Mike’s voice too.

  “Of course, Miss,” he replied, giving her a smile, but Amelia knew there was something he wasn’t saying. “He just requested that you wait for him at home, that he would join you there shortly.”

  “He’s coming home?” Amelia asked, surprised by this information. “But I thought he was supposed to be in court this afternoon.”

  “I don’t know about that, Ms. Coleman,” Mike replied, as once more he glanced up, letting his eyes meet hers in the rear-view mirror. “He just asked that you go straight home and that he would meet you there shortly.”

  “Very well,” she replied as she glanced down at her phone. Why hadn’t he called her again? Why did he seem so upset? Amelia’s mind began to work overtime, many thoughts thundered through her head.

  She pulled up Landen’s number once more, and her finger hovered over the call button. She wanted to speak to him, but she knew that she would be able to read him better if she spoke to him face to face. Something was wrong, and whatever it was, Amelia wanted the truth.

  By the time they reached the penthouse, Amelia’s mood was dark, her mind was working overtime. She was surprised when Mike pulled straight into the underground carpark, instead of stopping at the front door to let her out first. Then when he insisted that he rode up with her in the elevator, Amelia knew that something was definitely wrong.

  As she stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallway, she was greeted by Carla.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Coleman,” Carla said in her normal, bubbly voice. She took the flowers from Amelia then turned, following her back into the living room. “My, you’re getting spoiled today, there was another delivery for you a short while ago.”

  “Another delivery?” Amelia asked, but before Carla could reply, Amelia spotted another bunch of roses in the centre of the coffee table.

  “They were delivered about an hour ago,” Carla explained. Amelia smiled as she walked towards the flowers. They were almost identical to the ones that had been delivered to the office, only this time they were white roses, Amelia’s favourites. She looked for the card, but there didn’t seem to be one with these.

  “Wasn’t there a card?” Amelia asked as she looked up at Carla.

  “I hadn’t really noticed,” Carla replied with a frown. “To be honest, the delivery guy distracted me a little. He had managed to catch his finger in the van door, and it was bleeding. I allowed him to wash it in the guest bathroom, while I got some band-aids from the first aid kit for him.”

  “I see,” Amelia said as she looked down at the flowers once more. Her mind raced as a feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

  “Is everything okay, Ms. Coleman?” Carla asked, giving her a worried look.

  “Yep,” Amelia replied, forcing a smile on her. “I think I will go have a shower and get changed before Landen gets home.”

  Amelia turned, walking down towards her bedroom, trying her hardest not to let her imagination run wild. Something was wrong, that much she knew, and in her heart, she knew it was something to do with Pete, but she was trying her hardest not to jump to conclusions.

  She needed to wait for Landen to come home, then she would demand to be told everything.

  When Amelia reached her bedroom, she quickly stripped off her clothes and headed straight for the bathroom. Reaching into the shower, she switched on the shower, letting it heat up as she undid the up-style she was wearing her hair in today.

  Climbing beneath the hot water, she closed her eyes, letting the water run down over her face, as she tried to clear her mind for a few moments.

  She tried to reason with herself that just because something was wrong, it didn’t have to mean that it was to do with her and Pete Reynolds. It could be that Nikki’s dad was back, and Amelia knew that Landen would be worried about him too, so maybe it wasn’t about her. Maybe it was nothing for her to worry about at all.

  That’s what her head was telling her, but in her heart, she could feel that something was very wrong. She could sense it in the car. There was a change in Mike the moment he had spoken to Landen, also she could hear it in Landen’s voice in the voicemail.

  Amelia stood beneath the water for what felt like the longest time, until suddenly she felt tired. She turned off the water, reaching for the towel, just outside the door.

  Stepping from the shower, she wrapped the towel around her body, but she froze when she looked up and saw the vanity mirror above the sink. Her stomach heaved as she read the words that were written in the steam on the glass.

  Amelia felt like all the air had been sucked out from her entire body, she hadn’t even realised that she was even screaming until Landen came bursting through the door.

  “Amelia!” He exclaimed as he took hold of her bare arms and stared down into her face. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

  Amelia couldn’t speak; she could barely breathe.

  “Are you hurt?” Landen pushed as the panic grew in him. “Has something happened?”

  Amelia managed to shake her head, as tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “Then what is it?” Landen demanded the fear was very clear in his voice.

  She nodded towards the mirror above the sink, and the message that was written on it, though now some of the letters were dribbling down and mixing with the other letters.

  You’re still mine. You’ll always be mine!

  Landen turned to see the words, as Amelia released a sob from deep inside her.

  Pete had found her. She was never going to escape him, and he wouldn’t stop till she was dead. Of that, Amelia was sure.

  Chapter 22

  “HE WAS IN MY FUCKING HOME, LIAM!” Landen yelled as he stomped up and down the floor of his living room in temper. “In my home. What if Amelia had been home? What if he had hurt Carla? I want you to catch this son of a bitch, and this time I want it finished. Because if you don’t, I will find him myself, and I will end it for good. I promise you that.”

  “We have an APB out on him,” Liam assured Landen as he tried his hardest to calm his brother down. “And this time, I promise there will be no taking the easy way out for him. This time he will go away for a long time. That I can promise you.”

  “I don’t want him gone for a long time,” Landen griped. “I want him gone for good.”

  “I know, you do,” Liam sighed. “But I need you to let me do this Landen. I need you to promise me that you won’t do anything stupid.”

  Landen sta
red at his brother for a moment. If he was honest, he knew in his heart it was a promise he couldn’t make. If he had the chance, he would kill Pete, of that he was certain.

  After his conversation with the hospital in Chicago, his first thought was to call Amelia to check on her. He knew she was at work and that with Callum around, she would be safe till he got to her to take her home.

  When she answered the phone, Landen instantly felt a rush of relief, but her phone cut off, and Landen didn’t know what to think. He tried calling her back a couple of times, but now she wasn’t answering.

  Without even thinking, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the elevator, as Nikki hurried after him pleading with him to call Liam before he did anything stupid. But Landen didn’t even slow down. He needed to get to Amelia as quickly as he possibly could. He thought of ringing Mike to come get him, as he rode down in the elevator, but he knew jumping into a cab would be just as fast.

  By the time he reached the Kennedy Headquarters, Landen’s mind was working in overtime; filled with what if’s and maybes, and every worst-case scenario he could think of.

  “Where’s Amelia?” Landen demanded as he rushed into the office, almost killing Eloise with fright.

  “She left a little while ago,” Eloise replied, giving Landen a confused look. “She finished what she had to do then went home.”

  “Did she say she was going straight home?” Landen asked as he tried to think what his next move should be.

  “I don’t know,” Eloise replied nervously. “I don’t remember.”

  “THINK, DAMN IT!” He yelled as he hit her desk hard with his fists. “DID SHE SAY SHE WAS GOING HOME?”

  “I…I think so,” Eloise stammered.

  “What the hell is going on?” Callum asked as he came rushing out of his office. “Landen, why are you shouting at my assistant?”

  “I need to find Amelia,” Landen replied as he turned, looking at his brother. “Reynolds is out.”

  “Fuck!” Callum exclaimed as he too looked at Eloise. “Did she say where she was going?”

  “I…I don’t know,” Eloise replied as she looked from Callum to Landen. “But she had that huge bouquet of flowers with her, so I don’t imagine she would be going anywhere but home with them.”