I remember Aaron saying that Susan paid him. If this is her MO then it makes sense, and Danny should have received a check of some kind.
“Not yet.”
“He has her, that’s what you think? That she’s okay and he’s holding her for Susan and this is her twisted way of torturing me?” I ask.
Hansen’s gaze flicks from me to Landry, then back to me. “It’s the only theory I have right now,” he admits.
This whole thing sounds terrifying, because he’s not sure. Nobody is sure and he can’t find Danny to ask if it’s true or not, to question him, to find out where the fuck my mother is.
Turning my head, I look over to Landry as I cuddle Holden close to me. “If Susan is involved, I’m not going to just let this go away, you know that?”
Landry’s lips twitch, but he doesn’t smile. In fact, a muscle tics in his cheek. “I won’t let her get away with it, honey. I’m done and I’m not accepting this. Aaron was her last scheme, and even that I’m not over. She’ll pay for what she’s done.”
Shifting my gaze back over to Hansen, I clear my throat. “What happens now?”
He smirks, turning back to Landry. He has a plan, he has something, which is why he was insistent that we come here. I can see it in his eyes, he’s not giving up and I’m thankful. He levels Landry with his eyes, his lips curving into a shit-eating grin, then he asks him a question, one that for whatever reason never crossed my mind until he voices it.
“Does Susan own any property in Oklahoma?”
Chapter Forty-Three
LANDRY
My blood turns cold at his question. How could I have not thought of that before? Of course, Susan has property in Oklahoma. Her parents’ home. I never asked her why she didn’t sell it after they passed, but I know that she didn’t.
I pick up my sandwich and bring it to my lips, watching him, I dip my chin. “She does. Her parents’ place. I’m not sure if her name is on the deed or not.”
Hansen clears his throat. “That’s where we’ll start. I’ll get on finding the address,” he murmurs.
He stands and leaves a few moments later with a promise to meet with us in the morning, along with the detectives that have been on the case. Something niggles in the back of my head. Something that doesn’t seem right.
This is too easy, far too easy. Susan is a drunk, but she’s not stupid, never has been. This would be too easy. The fact that she owns her parents’ house is so simple. Clearing my throat, I lean back as he gathers his things.
I don’t say anything, because I think by tomorrow, we may know more about the situation. Hell, Susan could be that dumb, who knows. We’ll find out tomorrow. Hansen leaves and I stay seated right where I am, my eyes transfixed on Tennessee and the way she holds Holden against her.
She’s scared. I can see it in her eyes, she’s downright terrified. “Landry?” she breathes.
“I love you, honey.”
It’s all that I can think to say. I know that soon something is going to happen, it’s going to be huge, but I’m not sure if it’s going to be a terrible outcome or not. Honestly, I’m not looking forward to any of it. What we find out tomorrow could change our lives forever, especially Tennessee and Holden’s.
“I’m worried,” she admits.
She doesn’t need to say it, but she does. Nodding my head once, I walk over to her and lift Holden from her arms. “Let’s watch a movie, unless you want to go somewhere?”
Tennessee looks at Holden, then up at me. “A movie, I think,” she rasps.
Clearing my throat, I make my way over to the living room section of the room. There is a sofa and two chairs facing a television console area. Tennessee sits down first, I lean over and place Holden back in her arms. She smiles up at me, then arranges his head on one of the pillows that she’s placed on her lap.
Finding the remote control, I find a cartoon movie, just in case he wakes up, and sink down on the sofa next to her. Lifting my arm, I wrap it around her back, curling my fingers around her shoulder.
She leans to the side, her head resting against me as she watches the movie, all three of us in complete silence. Then, I hear her speak, her voice is barely above a whisper when she does and I almost don’t hear her.
“If Danny has had my mother for days, because of Susan. I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself around her.”
I let out a grunt. “I don’t think I will either.”
“Would she even get in trouble? If there’s no money trail, it would be Danny against her, and she’s got money for attorneys.”
I hum, using my fingertips to make small circles against her bicep. “I do too, honey. Don’t underestimate me.”
She looks up at me, her lips curved up into a small smile. “I never have, Landry. Maybe I’ve been a little worried about your plans a time or two, but underestimate? Never.”
I let out a grunt. “Another reason to love you, honey.”
Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. She doesn’t say anything else and neither do I. Frankly, I’m lost in thought. I can’t stop thinking about what-ifs and what the situation means for the future, for hers, for Holden’s, for ours.
I’m not so selfless that I haven’t been thinking about our future and how all of this could play out with that. She’s made it very clear that she doesn’t want to have children or get married until her mother is safe. Call me an asshole, but I want a future with her and I want it now.
My phone rings in my pocket and I frown, excusing myself as I stand and walk away from her and a sleeping Holden. I don’t go far, just out to the balcony of the hotel suite. “Hello?”
“Dad?”
The phone crackles a bit and I frown. “Lucinda?”
My heart starts racing. Something is really fucking wrong. “Lucinda,” I snap.
“Something’s happened,” she whimpers.
“Talk to me right now,” I demand.
There’s another moment of silence, then I hear her sniffle. “He’s hurt me, Daddy.”
I open my mouth to ask her who, but she starts to talk and although I can only make out a few words, my heart sinks right before my blood starts rushing throughout my entire body. Pinching my eyes closed, I inhale a deep breath and try to let it out slowly.
“I didn’t think. I mean, he’s my boss. I never thought…”
“Lucinda,” I snap again on a whisper.
“He hit me. I told him no and he hit me. Then he slammed me against the wall and put his forearm against my neck. What do I do?”
Turning my head, I look back at Tennessee. I can only see the back of her head, she’s watching whatever cartoon I put on for Holden and a thought flashes through my head. If I wasn’t here for her shit, I could be closer to Lucinda and help her right now. I shake my head, trying to physically remove the thought.
“Call Laurent, Lawrence, and the police.”
“Where are you?” she whimpers.
I close my eyes and let out a whoosh of air. “I’m in Oklahoma. I’ll be home soon, but I’m going to be here at least until tomorrow evening.”
She doesn’t say anything right away, then whispers that she’ll call Laurent. “Call the police first, Lucy. I’ll come back to you as soon as I can,” I promise.
“Okay. Hurry.”
There’s something about hearing your daughter cry, your only daughter, that just tears your heart into a million pieces. There’s nothing that I can do to help her, not from where I am. Even if I could jump on a plane right this second, I don’t know that I could leave Tennessee. I feel fucking torn. I’ve never been in a situation like this before.
I don’t go back inside, instead, I find Laurent’s name on my phone and call him. I tell him everything that Lucinda described. He lets out a yell that also breaks my fucking heart.
“I’ll kill that fucker,” he growls.
“You need to stay out of jail, so you won’t. But you will have Bash with you and ensure that the police take as much ev
idence as possible so that we can destroy him.”
Laurent lets out a snort. “I want to punch him in the face.”
“Me too,” I confess. “But I learned a long time ago that physically hurting someone is only momentarily satisfying. But destroying them financially and possibly jail time lets you sleep with a smile on your face as they pay the price.”
“You’re cold.” Laurent chuckles. “I like it.”
He asks me about the situation with Susan and I tell him that we don’t know much yet, but hopefully we’ll get some answers tomorrow. He promises to call me as soon as he gets to Lucinda, then he ends the call.
I stay out in the warmth as the sun begins to dip down as the sky turns from day to evening. I don’t know what to do. All I want is to be with Lucinda, and with Tennessee, simultaneously. I’ve never felt this torn in my entire life.
“Landry?” a soft voice calls out.
Turning around, I’m surprised to see her standing on the balcony, the door closed behind her, wearing nothing but one of my long T-shirts.
“I forgot pajamas,” she says with a small smile.
I don’t return her smile. I don’t know how to feel right now. I’m a little lost and I’ve never felt this way before. This is all so new and I’m afraid I’m going to fuck it all up either with her or Lucinda.
“You came out here a while ago. I left you alone, but tell me, Landry. What’s happened?”
Clearing my throat, I lean back against the railing of the balcony as I watch her. She’s unsure and I don’t blame her. Fuck, I’m unsure myself.
“Something happened,” I begin.
TENNESSEE
Landry tells me about Lucinda. My heart aches for what she must be going through right now. I hesitantly take a step toward him, then another. He’s torn about whether to stay or leave and be with her. I don’t blame him at all. I would feel the exact same way.
“Go to her, Landry.”
His gaze lifts to mine, his eyes are full of pain and he shakes his head once. “I can’t,” he rasps.
“Yes, you can. She’s your daughter. She needs you.”
He clears his throat, taking a step toward me, then another. His hands encircle my waist and he roughly pulls me against his chest. He dips his chin, those amber-colored eyes that adore, they’re still gorgeous even when they’re obviously pained.
I feel his lips brush mine, they rest against my own before he speaks. “No, honey. I can’t. My place is with you. Lucinda is my daughter, if I were in Texas, I would be there. But you need me, too. Laurent and Lawrence are there, along with the police.”
He lifts his head, though continues to look down at me. I press my lips together as I watch him for a moment. I love that I’m his priority, but I can’t allow it. Not in this moment.
“Landry, rent a car. Go to her. It’s only a four-hour drive. She needs her father. I don’t know what it’s like to have a father, but the only person I wanted was my mother when Aaron did what he did to me, she would have come had I asked, but I didn’t ask. I should have.”
I don’t tell him that Lucinda has already suffered at the hands of a man before, similar to the way that I did. She doesn’t need more abuse thrown at her and she doesn’t deserve this.
“I can’t,” he grits out.
Shaking my head, I lift my hand and cup his soft bearded cheek. “You can, and I know that you want to. Go to her. I’ll be here when you come back. Holden and I will be right here. Hansen is with us, he won’t let anything happen.”
His hands squeeze my waist, his fingertips digging into my flesh. I can see the war waging inside of his head. He doesn’t want to go and yet he does. He needs to though. Lucinda may be a woman, she may be on her own, but I think she still needs her father, just like I still need my mother.
As if it hits him like a bolt of lightning, his body jerks. He dips his chin and touches his lips to mine in a kiss.
“I’m going. You call me if you need anything and I’m going to try to be back here tomorrow afternoon.”
My lips curve up into a small smile. “Be there for Lucinda.”
He takes a step back, but not before he touches his mouth to mine again. Then I hear those words that I melt over every time he says them.
“I love you, honey.”
I practically sigh, but then I get myself together, just long enough to say. “I love you, baby.” He grins down at me and I lift to my toes, touching my mouth to his, before I take a step back.
He walks past me, and I follow behind him. Holden is asleep in his own room, but we haven’t even unpacked. I watch as Landry takes his luggage out of the room and wheels it over to me.
“You’re sure?” he asks me again.
Nodding my head, I wonder if I can do all of this tomorrow on my own. Then I decide, if I’m woman enough to move to Dallas alone with Holden, get involved with a man forty years older than me, and then fall in love and become engaged to him, then I can certainly do this.
“I’m going to call Hansen on the road. Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” he promises.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I smile at him. He leans down giving me another kiss, then he turns to leave. I stand in the living room, unable to move. I watch as he walks toward the door, but before he opens it, he looks back over his shoulder at me.
His eyes move over my entire body. “I’ll be back soon, honey.”
“I love you, Landry,” I whisper.
He grins. “Love you too and I’ll call you first thing in the morning, let you know how everything is.”
“Okay.”
Without another word, he opens the door and he leaves. I watch, hating that he’s gone. Walking over to the door, I flip the security lock into place, then instead of going to the room that we were supposed to share, I decide that I need to be with Holden.
There are two queen beds in Holden’s room, so I slip into the one that he’s not occupying, even though I really want to crawl into bed next to my baby. But Holden is a wild sleeper, and I won’t get even a wink of sleep if I attempt that.
Crawling beneath the sheets, I place my hands beneath my cheek and face him. He’s snoring slightly, his little pink lips pursed in his sleep. He’s gorgeous and I’m thankful and grateful again that Aaron Anderson never even laid eyes on him, let alone got any type of custody.
It takes me far too long to fall asleep, my mind spinning a million miles a minute with what’s to come tomorrow and for the future in general. Then sadness washes over me at the thought of Lucinda’s turmoil tonight.
Everything seems to be a disaster and unfortunately, I can only think of one person involved in all of this and the idea that she would do any of it makes me sick to my stomach. Susan Astor needs to be stopped and she needs to be held accountable for everything she’s done.
Chapter Forty-Four
TENNESSEE
I hear a noise in the living room. Sitting straight up, I open my eyes and look around, trying to adjust to the darkness surrounding me. Glancing to the bed next to me, I let out a sigh of relief to see that Holden is sound asleep.
Then I hear the noise again. My heart starts to slam against my chest. The door to our bedroom is closed. I shake my head, rationalizing that it has to be the neighbors coming in from a night of partying or an event.
We’re locked inside of a hotel suite, nobody has a key except for staff and Landry. Pressing my lips together, I lie back down and try to close my eyes, but I can’t even force them to close. Instead, I stare at the ceiling and try to calm my racing heart.
If I don’t sleep now, I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow. Holden doesn’t understand naptime, today was an anomaly. He actually napped and relaxed before going to bed. Though traveling could take it out on anyone and it seems that’s exactly what it did to him. He was just as tired as I was.
But tomorrow will be a different story. He’ll be well rested and ready to rock-and-roll. I cannot be drop-dead exhausted. Though the amount of adrenaline that’s flow
ing through my system, I’m not sure I’ll be able to close my eyes, let alone actually sleep anytime soon.
There’s another noise. It sounds like someone has bumped into the wall or the door. As if they’re trying to navigate the place drunk, or completely lost. Glancing over at Holden, I inhale a deep breath and slip out of bed.
If I don’t go and see for myself that this place is empty, I’ll never be able to calm down. Walking toward the closed bedroom door, I slowly turn the knob and hold my breath as I open it to peer out.
The living room is still dark and even though my eyes are adjusted to the dark room, all I see is a mix of shadows all over the place. I can’t see the corners of the room, but it doesn’t appear that anyone else is here.
Biting on the inside of my cheek, I take a step out and decide to just make the rounds. I tell myself I’m being overly dramatic. That I’m being a scaredy cat. There is no reason for me to think that someone could be in here. It’s silly. I’m safe.
The main bedroom door is open, so I flip the switch on and breathe a sigh of relief to see the room is empty. Making my way into the bathroom, I turn the light on in there and flick my gaze around. Empty.
Turning back into the main part of the suite, I find a switch and flip it on, illuminating the entire main space. My shoulders sag in relief. My body completely relaxes and I smile at the sight of the very empty room.
Walking over to the fridge, I open it and grab a bottle of water. I need something to drink, my entire body is still a little shaky. I laugh at myself as I down half of the bottle. Licking my bottom lip, I can’t help but wish that Landry was here with me.
We’ve been together every single night for months, and all day long too. This doesn’t feel right. My stomach twists with what I assume is just nervous cramps. I drink some more water, hoping that it will help me get my shit together.
I can’t shake this and I can’t continue to feel this way at the same time. Finishing the bottle of water, I decide to stay in the living room. I won’t get any sleep anyway. Grabbing the remote control, I flick the television on and try to find something mindless and easy to watch until I can order breakfast and get going for the day.
Hypocritically Yours: A Standalone Age-Gap Romance Page 30