by Jamie Knight
“What brings you in today?”
“Well, we wanted to ask you some questions about Landon,” Seth explains.
I can see the reluctance on Brad’s face. I can understand how it’s a little weird that one person he knows and two complete strangers have come into his office to ask him about a business acquaintance of his, but these are dire times.
He sits back in his seat.
“I don’t know…”
“Look,” I say, pushing myself forward and getting into the conversation, “we have reason to believe that Landon has kidnapped my wife, Savannah. She’s been missing since last night and no one’s seen or heard from her and we found some of her belongings in an alleyway and I’m just worried about what he might be doing to her or what he’s already done, and I need to find her.”
I’m doing my best to keep my cool, but the distress is popping out. I wish it hadn’t needed to come to this for me to realize just how much I care about Savannah.
Brad sighs and brings his hand to his face, using it to partially cover his mouth. Clearly, he’s thinking about whether or not to tell us everything. It seems to be quite the internal struggle. At one point, he narrows his eyes at me like he’s trying to read my mind, and all of this is done in silence, which just adds to the suspense.
“Okay,” Brad says, leaning back in his seat. “I do have one question.”
He looks at me expectantly.
“Of course, go ahead,” I say.
“Is your wife Savannah King?” he asks.
I nod.
“Yeah, we just got married a couple days ago – well, eloped – and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind.”
That was a bit of an understatement. Ever since Savannah and I got into this mess, our lives have been equally tumultuous. I’ve mostly enjoyed a fairly simple life prior to this point – partially due to my circumstances, but also because that was just the way I liked it – but this fiasco has taken me completely out of the usual general ambience of my day to day.
“Well, I don’t know if you guys will find this of any interest, but Landon has been buying up a lot of stock for King Enterprises, which is the company that Joseph, Savannah’s father, owns.”
I don’t understand how that is helpful, but Seth certainly looks intrigued, so I take it that this might actually be helpful. And then I remember a little of the conversation I had had with Landon the other day.
“Landon’s been trying to take control of King Enterprises for… I don’t know how long. When the two of us were left alone, he let me know that his first plan was to use Savannah by marrying her and then Joseph would hand the company over to him like he was passing it down to a son. He’s been using this masquerade of a friendship he built with Joseph to advance himself, but since his first plan didn’t work – I don’t know what he’s going to do,” I shrug.
He sounded pretty desperate that day. I can only imagine that it got worse as he let himself sit in it.
But what exactly is his game plan?
“Buying all this stock certainly fits into a plan to take over. It’s just that the way he’s been conducting these transactions are very indicative of someone who is planning to be in charge, and soon. I don’t know what else is going on with that, as I usually don’t like to insert myself into peoples’ affairs, but, from what you guys are saying, it looks like Landon might be aiming for a hostile takeover,” Brad explains.
Well, that doesn’t sound good. Maybe this has been his backup plan for a long while. He did say he had this plan to marry Savannah since before she turned eighteen and it’s been seven years since then.
Getting her expelled was probably a last-ditch effort, one he had banked on working, but Landon’s a shrewd business man – I’ll give him that. He’d be working on multiple ways to get what he wants.
“Is there anything else you can tell us?” I ask.
Everything he’s given us is fine and dandy – it might help me to convince Joseph that Landon isn’t the trustworthy son he never had that he thinks the guy is – but what I need is a way to find my wife.
“There is something. Landon recently bought a warehouse and he’s been holding meetings there quite often. It might be your best bet as to where to find him,” Brad tells us.
That’s exactly what I need.
This is definitely promising.
“Could you give us the address?” I ask.
Brad nods and pulls out a piece of paper from his desk.
He writes it down and hands the paper over. The warehouse isn’t too far away; we could be there in less than twenty minutes.
“That’s it. It isn’t too far away,” he says.
We all start to get up, thanking him, but Brad stops us.
“Why don’t you guys go to the police? If Savannah really is missing, won’t it be better to have people better equipped to take care of this?”
“We don’t have real proof that Landon is the one who took Savannah – nothing that would hold water with the authorities, anyway. Plus, she’s an adult and hasn’t been gone for seventy-two hours, so there’s nothing they can do for us just yet, I don’t think. We have to take care of this as quickly as possible on our own,” I tell Brad.
Waiting too long could cost Savannah her life and I’m not going to let that happen. Brad nods and motions for us to go along on our way. I thank him one last time and he bids us good luck, and then the three of us leave the office.
We say goodbye to Seth outside and go our separate ways.
I turn to Brent.
“We should go see Joseph, now.”
I think we have enough to go to him and convince him that Landon isn’t some standup guy.
“I’m right with you on that,” Brent says.
We catch a cab and get ourselves over to Joseph’s office. Savannah told me that if I’m ever looking for him, that should be the first place I go. His building staff remember me, so it isn’t hard to get myself upstairs, along with Brent, too.
When we get to Joseph’s top floor office, he’s busy working on something. I knock on the door, and he looks up.
“Robert, what a surprise! Come in, come in.”
Joseph motions Brent and me into his office.
We do as he says and go inside.
We each take a seat, and Joseph claps his hands together quite loudly.
“I’m actually really glad you’re here,” he says. “I want to get you more involved in the wedding planning. I’ve been focusing so much on what Savannah might need, and you’re such a quiet fellow, you haven’t made any requests, so, I don’t know – I think this would be a whole lot more fun as a family affair.”
“That’s –”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Joseph interrupts. “I’ve completely forgotten my manners. Could you introduce me to your friend?”
He looks over at Brent.
“Um, yeah. This is my best friend and brother-in-law Brent,” I say, introducing Brent.
Joseph reaches out a hand.
“Brent, it’s so nice to meet you. Brother-in-law, which I’m guessing means you’re married to Lindsay?”
Brent nods.
“Patty and Brian told me about you two and the pregnancy. It all sounds great. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Brent smiles.
He looks a little overwhelmed, which is just the effect Joseph has on people. He can come at you with a lot of just… Joseph-ness. Hopefully, I’ll get used to it.
“Um, Joseph, we’re actually here because there’s something I really need to talk to you about. It’s actually pretty important.”
I need to get this conversation going or else we’re going to be wasting precious time. I came here as a courtesy to Joseph, as I’m sure he’ll appreciate knowing what happened to Savannah, but if he gets me off track, then I don’t mind just leaving him out of the loop.
He furrows his brow and gets very serious.
“What is it? Is everything okay? Is Savannah okay
?” he asks.
“That’s the thing,” I tell him. “She’s been missing since last night. I tried calling her, and she didn’t answer. I tried again this morning – still nothing. I went back to the restaurant, and her crutches were in the alley. I don’t think she just threw them away.”
“What are you saying, Robert?”
“We have reason to believe that she’s been kidnapped, and that Landon is the one who took her,” I inform him. “We got this address from a business associate of his –”
“Hold up.” Joseph puts his hand up to stop me. “You think Landon kidnapped Savannah?”
“Yeah,” I nod.
“Why would he do that? He’s been a good friend to Savannah and me for years. They used to hang out when Savannah was younger. I actually thought the two of them were going to get married and I was very happy with the idea – I mean, I’m happy Savannah found love with you – but Landon is like a son to me, and I really wanted him to end up with Savannah before I knew about you. I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. I think that once you get to know him, you’ll understand that he’s a good guy.”
He really is completely blinded by Landon. I wonder what the guy did to gain such implicit trust from Joseph.
“I understand that you’ve known the guy for a long time, and that he feels like family to you, but his goals don’t involve anything nice for you or Savannah. He couldn’t get what he wanted and, now, he’s out to get you guys,” I say.
Joseph waves off my warning and shakes his head. I don’t think there’s any way I’m going to able to convince him unless I show up with irrefutable proof. I thought I had enough, but, apparently, I was wrong.
“Well, why don’t you at least come with us to Landon’s warehouse? That’s where we think he’s keeping Savannah,” I suggest, as a last-ditch effort.
Maybe if he sees it with his own two eyes, then Joseph will finally be able to get over whatever stoppage he has in his mind concerning this shithead.
“If there’s nothing, then it’s just an hour out of your life, but if I’m right, you don’t want to let him get away with this, do you?”
Joseph rolls his eyes.
“Okay, I’ll go with you, but I assure you that we’ll find nothing there – at least not what you’re looking for,” he finally says.
Joseph gets up out of his seat, and Brent and I follow suit. We wait for him as he gets ready to head out. I’m not here to be a downer, but this guy really needs a dose of reality. How can he be so blind to the obvious?
Hopefully, we’ll be able to prove what a creep Landon has been, and he’ll finally be out of Savannah’s life for good.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Robert
I’m glad that I was able to convince Joseph to at least come to the warehouse with Brent and me, but he still obviously doesn’t believe that his precious Landon could do any wrong.
The drive to the warehouse is quiet. I don’t want to keep arguing with Joseph and – because of that – I just decide not to talk at all.
The closer we get, the more my nerves stand on edge. If Landon really is at this warehouse holding Savannah hostage, then the three of us are about to run in there half-cocked.
The problem is, I have no other plan. And I’m worried that the more time I spend trying to come up with the perfect plan, the more danger Savannah that Savannah will be in.
I don’t want her to be stuck with that creep any longer. She’s already dealt with him for so long. She deserves for all of this to stop.
We finally get to the warehouse, and I’m out of the car like a rocket. Joseph and Brent are right behind me.
I get to the front door, and it’s open. I’m not sure where he’s holding her, but I guess I’ll just start with searching each and every room until I find them. I hear Joseph and Brent come up behind me.
“Can you at least wait for us?” I hear Joseph say.
“Don’t have time,” I say, without looking back.
There are a few rooms downstairs, so that’s where we start. I indicate for everyone to stay quiet. I don’t want to give Landon any warning that we’re here. Slowly, I open the door, but no one’s there.
We keep going, but the first floor is empty. We continue this routine, taking the stairs upward. There are three floors, and they aren’t on the second one.
While we’re going up the stairs to the final floor, I hear Joseph clear his throat.
“I don’t think they’re here, Robert. If Savannah really is missing, we need to figure out where she is.”
At this point, I’m just going to block him out. I know Landon took Savannah and I can just feel that she’s somewhere in here. I will find her, no matter what.
When we’re on the third floor, I start to lead the three of us down the hall. There are a few rooms left.
The first two doors show us nothing, but when I push open the third one – that’s when I finally find her. She’s directly across from the door, tied up and gagged.
“Savannah!” I hear Joseph yell.
She’s shaking her head, trying to say something. I’m guessing she’s trying to tell us that Landon is in the room, but where?
I hear a knock coming from the other side of the door and almost jump back.
“Hey, guys,” Landon says, as he pops out from behind the door.
He walks back over to Savannah, standing awfully close to her.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Well, not you,” he points to Brent. “I don’t know you very well, but the more the merrier, am I right?”
Something in him has clearly snapped. I saw a flash of this earlier but now it’s reached a whole new level.
“Landon, what are you doing?” Joseph steps around me, so he can talk to Landon.
He’s looking between his daughter and his surrogate son.
Clearly, he’s shocked, but asking for reasons isn’t going to solve anything.
“What am I doing, Joseph? I’m being a go-getter, I’m going for what I want! Can’t you see that? I’m just doing what you’ve told me to do for years – take initiative!”
“You need to let her go right now,” I say, getting myself out in front as well.
I don’t need this to become time for Landon and Joseph to work through whatever problems they may have. I don’t think we have enough time to go through all the psychological effects of all of this right now.
Landon sharply turns to me and then suddenly pulls out a gun. I instinctually step back, very much not wanting to get shot.
“Why do you even care, Robert?” Landon demands.
I’ve never had a gun pointed at me. It’s a little daunting, but there’s so much adrenaline coursing through my body. I feel almost wired.
“I care because she’s my wife,” I tell him.
I know it’s more than that. I realized it was more than that just a couple of days, but that’s not something I want to get into right now. The first step is getting her untied and away from this creep.
“Your wife,” he chuckles. “That’s funny.”
He pulls something else out, a piece of paper, and I think it might be the contract Savannah and I signed. I’m already extremely nervous, and this isn’t about to make it any better.
He’s probably been holding that over her head for a while now.
What does he want?
“I think you might want to see this,” he says.
Landon’s looking at me – that fucking rat bastard – but he’s holding out the paper for Joseph to take. He does and looks it over.
I can see his face fall as he reads the terms of Savannah’s and my marriage. I know it doesn’t look so good in black and white – I mean, I participated in getting the thing written.
“Is this real?” Joseph asks me, holding up the contract. “I mean, is the marriage really – is it fake? Were you guys going to get divorced in a year?”
I really didn’t want to ever have this conversation… ever… and I really don’t want to have it
here or now but looks like I don’t have a choice.
“At the start, yeah, we made this contract, and it was like what’s written there,” I admit.
I don’t know where to look. My eyes move from Joseph to Landon to Savannah. Landon still has the gun out, but now there’s a smug look on his face. Of course, he’s going to feel superior about this shit. Outing Savannah and me to her father like it’s some kind of competition.
“Did you ever really love her?” Joseph asks.
He sounds so depressed. I thought I’d never really care what Joseph thought about me. Even though we kind of made up last night, when it came to how he had shut down the auto-parts factory, I wasn’t about to start caring about his opinion. But, like my feelings for Savannah, apparently, it just kind of happened, without me having much of an option.
I turn to Savannah and look right into her eyes. This isn’t something I’m just realizing now, but it would be the first time I said it out loud and one hundred percent meant it.
“I do love her, now and all my life, ever since I met her.”
It almost catches in my throat, but I manage to get it out. Savannah’s eyes go wide. I wish I could have said this just to her, but, the next time, I’ll make sure it’s just the two of us.
“Our marriage may have started out as fake, but, now, I never want to be apart from her,” I confess.
It feels kind of good to get that off my chest, even if there is a gun still pointed at me.
I hear Landon scoff, but I don’t even look at him. I keep looking at my wife. Then, I notice that Savannah is trying to show me that she’s gotten her hands loose from the ropes. I know what I have to do.
“Do you think I’m lying, Landon?” I ask him.
“Of course, you are. You’re just trying to save face for whatever reason. It’s so dumb,” Landon says.
He takes his hand with the gun in it and rubs his forehead.
“You know what, I don’t care. If you want to live in your fantasy world, be my guest. I don’t even need her like that anymore,” he says.
I’m assuming he means the marriage he wanted with her. But I don’t like the way he’s talking about her.
“What do you mean?” I ask him.