I was nearly hysterical when Hayden touched my face. His touch instantly calmed me down. “Kory, he can’t marry you because I’m your husband. This is why we did this today. If somehow he succeeded in taking you, which isn’t possible, he can’t legally marry you. And if he tried, you tell him you’re married. After what your mother just said about illegitimate children, this is a good thing. We’ll keep our marriage as the ultimate backup plan.”
Playing with my fingers, I prepared to face whatever answer he gave. As long as it was the truth, we’d manage through it. “Do you regret today? Do you feel like I trapped you?”
Hayden looked a little confused. “No, not at all. Why?”
That was a good sign. But I still felt uneasy about the whole thing. “I don’t know. We just haven’t talked about today. And just all this craziness with my family. And the phone call. It’s just a lot.”
He came over to the bed, and the mattress dipped under his weight. “The only reason I haven’t said anything is that I didn’t want to take away from when we do get married. Kory, I don’t want to ruin the dreams I know you have.”
This man was amazing. More amazing than I deserved. “I just don’t want to be a regret.”
“You never could be.” He thought for a second. “I really hated signing the prenup today. Loathed it. I need you to understand that when the time comes for us to do this for real, we’re going to make sure it’s void. A prenup is a deal breaker. I’m not setting up our marriage for failure because I’m never letting you go.”
I chewed on my lip. “But I have nothing to bring to the marriage.”
“Material things don’t matter. All I need is your love.”
He leaned me back, and his mouth consumed mine. A fire was lit within me as Hayden lifted up my shirt, trailing heat in the wake of his touch. “We’re going to get our happily ever after.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Hayden
Kory snuggled closer to me, and I tightened my arms around her. It had been one hell of a week. Tomorrow, Landon would arrive in Skagway. His pilot had called to see about refueling while they made a “pit stop” in Skagway. Keeping my anger under control had been difficult, especially since I’d been on speakerphone. For all I knew, Landon had been listening in.
From the brief conversation with the pilot, Kory’s mother’s information had been correct. The pilot only planned to be on the ground for a couple of hours before taking off. On the off chance snow came, the pilot had asked if I had hangar space to rent.
Fucker.
I knew it wasn’t the pilot’s fault, but he had to know Landon was shady. No amount of money was worth your ethics. None. I took a deep breath, willing myself to chill out. So far, I’d managed to stay pretty calm this week, although I knew Kory was a nervous wreck. If I allowed myself to get out of control and angry about Landon, it would only frazzle Kory.
I pulled her closer to me. The idea of being married to Kory sank in a little more each day. I liked—no, loved—knowing she was mine. All mine.
But first, we needed to get through this mess and then we could focus on our relationship.
Kory made a little noise in her sleep. “Love you, Hayden.”
Déjà vu hit me like a smack in the head. This was what had happened right before Kory left Alaska and ran back to Washington. It had messed me up so badly that I’d disappeared for a few days. This time it was different. I held her closer, knowing I would spend the rest of my life making sure I earned her love. “Love you, too, sweetheart.”
Her breathing shifted and grew more rhythmic, more relaxed. Kory really hadn’t had any decent sleep all week. Tonight, she’d passed out from sheer exhaustion. We hadn’t heard from her parents since the call about the wedding plans. I still had doubts about whether they were going to betray Kory.
I hoped to hell they didn’t.
My private investigator hadn’t turned up shit on Landon. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do at this point. The plan was to confront Landon at the airport and hopefully send him on his merry way. But I doubted it was going to be that simple.
Kory’s phone chimed, and she shot up out of bed. “Where’s my phone?”
Please let it be them with some news. “It’s on your nightstand.”
She snatched up the phone and looked at the display. “Hayden, it’s from my parents.”
Finally.
She clicked the button, her brows knit in confusion. “It’s just a link with a password.”
“No message?”
She shook her head. “Should we check it out? Or do you think it’s a trap?”
That seemed a little odd. “Let me get my laptop.”
I grabbed my old one from my bag. If the link was a virus or something else, we could always trash the computer and nothing would be lost.
“Okay, type this in.” Kory gave me the site address and password.
Since it was an older computer, it took a little bit longer for it to boot up. “What is it?” Kory asked.
“I don’t know yet. This computer is pretty slow.”
We stared at the screen, willing the blue circle to stop spinning. Then it went blank, and my heart sank. Finally, a file folder popped up.
Kory leaned over to peer at the screen. “Are you going to click on it?”
“Yeah.”
Another window popped up with a list of all sorts of documents. I read one after another with Kory until what we were looking at made sense. My heart soared in victory, and I whispered, “Got you, motherfucker.”
Kory looked at me, tears in her eyes. “They found our way out. They came through.”
“Yes, they did, sweetheart. We need to make a new plan.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Kory
As we stood outside, the bitter cold numbed my face. Hayden wanted to make sure he heard the plane approaching in case the pilot chose not to make the proper calls. There was no air traffic control in the area to report him if he didn’t.
Everything was eerily calm. So far, we hadn’t heard or seen the plane. Waiting for the pilot’s voice to come over Hayden’s handheld device had me on edge. As each second passed, my nerves frayed a little more.
After the text message from my parents, we’d been up pretty late discussing different options. I was exhausted, and my head throbbed from the stress. The speaker handheld unit came to life. “Skagway traffic Cirrus November 180 Kilo Tango, ten miles south inbound to land runway two zero. Skagway.”
That was the first of three calls they would make. This was it. Hayden looked back at his brothers, who stood a few feet away. Their eyes were focused on the sky. Even Mariah tilted her head up, imitating Kane. “We’ve got about five minutes, give or take, before they land. That was the first of what should be three calls.”
By the next call, we’d be able to hear the plane. The anticipation set in. We only had one chance to do this right. If we didn’t play things correctly, I wasn’t sure what the results would be. And it really wasn’t something I wanted to find out. There weren’t any good options.
After an in-depth discussion, we’d decided I should have a sit-down lunch with Landon at the Red Onion. If we confronted him with hostility, it might cause more problems.
Lunch at the Red Onion seemed safe. If anything happened, Drake would have his eyes on me while Kane and Hayden would be watching me from the office via the cameras. I refused to be alone with him. If I thought about all the times throughout the years that I’d gone to lunch with Landon, I’d be sick for sure. All I’d been was a pawn in the Fraternity’s twisted games.
After last night’s discussions, Hayden and I had come to the realization that this might not be over today. I wanted it done. Best case scenario: Landon decided it was best to move on without me in his life. There would be no mention of the Fraternity. That wasn’t something we were prepared to tackle, nor did we want to.
“Skagway traffic Cir
rus November 180 Kilo Tango, five mile final two zero. Skagway.”
The headache pounded a little harder. That was the second of the three calls. The landing gear would be coming down soon.
I want this over. I want my life back.
“Sweetheart, we need to go inside.”
That was when I heard the plane. Soon, it would come into view. It was time. I straightened my shoulders. This is my life. No one else controls it.
Hayden put his arm around my waist and guided me to follow his brothers into the office. “This is going to work, Kory.”
“I hope so.”
“If not, we’ll improvise. One thing I know for sure is that you’re worth all this, Kory. Never doubt it for a second.”
“Those were the exact words I needed to hear.” I’d tried to sweep away my fears, but they remained under the surface, chipping away at my security. Hayden had been nothing but supportive, and that helped keep the negative thoughts away.
We can do this. We’ll figure it out. We’re meant to be together.
I took off my gloves and flexed my fingers, appreciating the heat of the reception area. I turned my eyes up to the sky and waited for the plane to come into view. The time was drawing closer. Closer than I wanted.
“Skagway traffic Cirrus November 180 Kilo Tango, short final two zero. Skagway.”
Finally, the plane came into view.
“Kory, you need to get in the office.”
I heard the words but couldn’t move—I just stared at the black dot growing larger in the sky. The man who wanted to control every aspect of my life was on that plane. Own me like I was a piece of property. Landon wanted to take away my freedom. I was a means to an end—produce as many heirs as possible. My skin crawled at the thought that he’d had my gynecologist monitoring my fertility.
Sick. Bastard.
“Kory, did you hear me?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when Hayden touched my shoulder. “Wh-what did you say?”
Hayden turned me to face him, breaking my visual with the plane. He squeezed my shoulders. “Sweetheart, you need to get in the office. We don’t want them to see you.”
Part of me wanted to confront Landon right here and just get it over with. However, now that we had leverage, I had suggested we hear him out and find out what he wanted. What if my parents are wrong? It wasn’t a foregone conclusion that they were telling the truth. This could all be a well-orchestrated game like my entire life had been.
Stiffly, I walked to the door of Hayden’s office.
When I went to close the door, Hayden’s foot appeared in the doorway to stop it. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. This wasn’t part of the plan. In one swift movement, he grabbed the sides of my face and fiercely kissed me. I clung to him, pouring every ounce of myself into the kiss. When Hayden pulled away, he whispered, “I love you. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t. I never will. I love you so much, Hayden.”
“I need to get back out there, but you’ve got this. You’re strong, Kory. One of the strongest people I know.”
“Thank you.”
Hayden hurried from the room, leaving me alone. I was grateful he’d taken a moment to reassure me. He was amazing—always building me up. I felt like I could conquer the world with Hayden by my side.
I can do this.
One step at a time.
I took a seat in Hayden’s black leather chair behind his huge oak desk. The furniture was exquisite. Ike had made most of it and incorporated a wooden propeller into the front of the desk. The coordinating pieces had aerial maps stamped onto them.
The monitors had been moved so I could see the office area better. Since the camera feeds were video only, Kane had rigged a speaker for me to listen in. One thing I’d noticed was Drake and Hayden had some kick-ass security. From what Hayden had told me, Kane had installed it. He wanted to be prepared if the shit ever hit the fan.
Well, his preparation had paid off.
I put one of the earbuds in and flipped the switch to turn on the volume. There was only a slight static. Hayden stood in front of the window and looked outside. “He’ll be on the ground in less than a minute.”
Hayden turned from the window, his fists clenched, and paced a few steps. Seeing the nerves taking hold of Hayden sent a new current of fear through me. He’d been my rock through this.
Drake stood next to him and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “This will only work if you’re relaxed. You gotta calm down. I get it. I would be this way, too. But you got to pull your shit together on the outside.”
“You’re right.”
“Dickhead has landed,” Kane said from the window. “Maybe we should have had some shirts made that said Dickheads Not Welcome.”
It was hard not to chuckle. At the oddest times, Kane would say the funniest, off-the-wall things.
Hayden shook his head. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
“Because you’re not as smart as I am. Sorry, brothers, I got all the brains in the family.”
Drake laughed. “Someone has always had the big head.”
Kane hadn’t shifted his attention from the plane. Hayden shook his head. “I hate this asshole.”
“I’d be okay if you sucker punched him. Just sayin’,” Kane said.
That made Hayden crack a smile, and he took his seat. Abruptly, Kane turned to the guys and said something I couldn’t hear. What’s he saying? I heard his next words. “Mariah, come.”
He turned on his heel and stalked toward the office, Mariah tight to his left side. The door opened, and they filled the doorway. He gave that same fist signal to the dog, and she lay down and faced the closed door. It would be hard to tell she was alive were it not for the gentle breaths she took.
Kane narrowed his gaze on the screen. Something was up. “Can I have the extra earbud?”
“Sure.” I took the one still sitting on the desk and handed it to him. He put it in and leaned a little closer to the monitor without saying anything else. “What’s going on?”
“Change of plans. I’ll explain later.” This is what I imagined Kane would be like in the woods. Nothing mattered to him except the target he was after.
I heard Drake say through the speakers, “Here they come.”
When the door opened, Drake casually walked over to the chair and picked up a magazine. A man wearing aviators came in first. He was tall and lean, and his angular face gave him a harsh look. Have I seen him before? There was something familiar about him.
The door opened again, and Landon walked in. He surveyed the room before taking off his sunglasses. On instinct, I tried to push back from the desk, but Kane was there to keep me from moving. He held up a finger to his mouth to remind me to be quiet.
I’m okay.
He’s not going to get me.
I took a few deep, quiet breaths before focusing on the screen. There wasn’t a dark hair out of place on Landon’s head. He had it slicked back in his usual way. Landon was strong but lean; he wasn’t broad and rugged like Hayden or his brothers. Just the sight of him rolled my stomach. I thought about different memories throughout my life, and so much made sense now. Right before college graduation, I’d told Landon about wanting to go away for the summer before I settled into my life. He’d been the one to tell my parents to let me. He’d been the one in control the entire time.
It was all a ploy to get what he wanted.
I hate him.
Landon offered his hand with an easy confidence. “Landon Masterson. My pilot, Jack, will be in to do the necessary paperwork and pay for the fuel.”
“Sounds good. Anthony should be here in a few. He’ll take care of the refuel for you.”
“Thanks. If the plane needs to be moved, let Jack know. We shouldn’t be here more than a few hours.”
A few hours. Only a few hours and we’d be done.
Hayden stood. “Sounds good. Is there anything else you need?”
“Do you by chance have a
courtesy vehicle? On the way here, I spoke to the wife of a man named Doug who said he was the only taxi in town. Apparently, he’s out with someone named Ol’ Man Rooster, and they’re hunting?”
The way Landon questioned the validity was almost funny. To someone from the city, having one taxi in town, not to mention someone with a name like Rooster, wasn’t common.
“Sounds about right,” Hayden said. “Sorry, though. I don’t have a courtesy vehicle. Where are you headed?”
“The Red Onion. I’ve heard it’s fantastic. We’re making a pit stop on the way back from Anchorage. I needed to stretch my legs for a bit.”
Anchorage? Liar. And I noticed he failed to mention anything about meeting an old friend.
Drake put aside the magazine he’d been reading. “I’m headed into town. I work at the Red Onion if you’d like a ride. I was here just shootin’ the shit and catching up.”
That was pretty smooth of Drake.
Landon looked at Drake and nodded. “I’ll take you up on that. Thank you. My associate Ray is going to come, as well, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
Ray. I searched my memory, trying to figure out where I’d seen him before. I was typically good at remembering faces even after meeting someone only once, but this one eluded me. Where have I seen him?
When I blinked again, they were gone. Hayden locked the front door. Kane just stared at the screen. “Can you get the office door for Hayden?”
I scooted back in my chair and walked over to the door. Mariah still lay stock-still. “You’re a good girl. Thank you for guarding.”
She cocked her head and stared at me while I opened the door.
Hayden pulled me to him, and I melted into him, needing the connection. “They’re gone. Pilot is staying with the plane. Anthony should be here shortly to help refuel and keep an eye on things. Are we ready to go?”
It was time to move to the next part of the plan—meeting Landon at the Red Onion.
Wrecked for You Page 17