by Angela Ford
“I can’t promise. Come on.” He put his arm around her.
She still trembled. “What about that man?”
“I dealt with him, but I’m not sure where the other one is,” he told her.
Lauren said no more. She felt numb. They walked silently for less than an hour before they reached the outskirts of the town. Brett’s superior sent a message where they could pick up a car.
“Will I ever be able to go home?” Lauren finally spoke when Brett began to drive.
“We’re close to making arrests. Until then, I will keep you alive. That I promise.”
Lauren decided to accept his response. She knew she wasn’t going to get more from him on the matter. She turned to look out her window. People opened their shops and began their day in the small town they drove through. She felt envious they were living their normal everyday life. She only wished she could.
“Lauren, we need to talk.” Brett took her away from her moment of self-pity.
“About last night?” It was the last thing she wanted to talk about. She already carried enough guilt and decided she wanted to convince herself that it didn’t happen.
“I guess we should talk about that too.” He kept his eyes focused on the road.
“What do you mean? Is there something else I don’t want to hear?” She quickly addressed the possibility to get out of the conversation about what happened between them. She hoped the sarcasm in her voice kept him from discussing it.
“Maybe now is not the time,” Brett spoke with hesitation.
His comment only worried her. What could he possibly tell me now? Hasn’t he already turned my world upside down? She kept quiet and hoped he’d leave it for now. She didn’t desire to know any more unless he told her she could go back to her life. She knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon and turned back to the window.
By now they had driven through the town and all she saw for miles were trees. She watched them pass by as she thought about John. A week ago he was alive and they were happy. They began to plan their first anniversary and a trip to the same resort in Mexico they did for their honeymoon. Thoughts of that only made her remember their honeymoon and how he left her one day to do business in a nearby town. It never dawned on her that his business meeting might have been with the drug cartel. She didn’t know for certain but that’s what now crossed her mind. How did he get caught up in such a mess? A mess that killed him, left me running for my life, and having sex with a man I don’t know?
Chapter Four
“Sorry I’m late Marion, I had an important call.” Charles Vanderholm took his seat at the head of the table and joined his wife for breakfast.
“They always are, dear,” Marion replied in a sweet and respectful tone. She adored her husband. They’d been married thirty-five years and respected each other completely. Marion always thought of her marriage as more of a professional nature than one of love. It had been a pre-arranged marriage by their families. They met at her coming-out party, the debutante ball her parents had planned since she turned ten years old. They were both raised to believe old-money did not mix with new-money. They’d raised Lauren the same way, but she had a mind of her own. She laughed out loud when her mother suggested a debutante ball for her. Lauren downright refused to have such an event. She chose college instead of marriage. Her attitude infuriated her father even more when she refused to work in the family business. He almost disowned her when she brought home John Reynolds, a man who came from new-money and not from their circle. Charles did not speak to his daughter for weeks.
“I received a message late last night from Lauren,” Marion told Charles when their
breakfast came. Charles looked up from behind the newspaper he’d been so grossly engaged in.
“How is she?”
He asked, expressionless.
Marion knew he loved his daughter despite their differences and her fiery independent ways he referred to many times over the years. Charles gave up long before to persuade her to marry into old money and become part of the family business. Charles’s family had come from a long history of Investment Banking. Lauren outright told him she did not want to work in the family business because numbers bored her. He’d been upset for a long time. Being his only child, no one would continue on with the family business unless she graced him with a grandchild that might. Marion had complications with Lauren’s birth and couldn’t conceive again which devastated Charles. He had wanted a son to carry on the name and the business. It had always been that way. Over time he said he accepted it.
“She’s grieving Charles, how do you expect her to be?”
Marion gracefully poured a coffee and sternly looked at her husband. She knew he loved his daughter and his wife but his business had always come first. A cold man who never showed any emotion; she learned over time to ignore his ways.
“She mentioned she planned to take a few days to clear her mind and not to worry.”
“Good,” Charles replied solemnly. Marion gave him a questioning glance.
“Don’t worry Marion, she won’t be gone long. If it makes you feel better, I can have her tracked,” Charles addressed their daughter like a business deal.
“Best not Charles, our daughter would be furious with us. She’s a grown woman. I’ll wait for her to call.”
Charles went back to his breakfast and reading the business section without further comment until his phone vibrated against the table.
“I assume that is an important call?” Marion asked. When he put down his paper, she took that as a yes.
“Hello? Can you please hold for a moment?” He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Have a wonderful day, my dear.”
His usual routine that Marion had grown accustomed to, and about the longest time they would see each other. She’d see him in the evening for a dinner party or an event they were to attend. After that, she retired to her own bedroom before he returned home from work. It had been that way for years.
****
Charles took his call to the den and closed the door.
“Sorry I wasn’t alone,” he apologized for the held call and then interrupted before he could say anything else.
“There’s a problem.” Charles heard his caller state, sounding quite disturbed.
Charles already knew he had a problem.
“I heard the break and enter went sour. What happened?” Charles remained calm.
“An unknown man”
“Who,” Charles asked.
“My man didn’t recognize him.”
“Then find out.” Charles demanded and reminded his caller the importance of this job.
“I’m led to believe the man is one of uniform by the way my guy described his actions. Should we be worried?” The caller asked Charles.
“I don’t worry. That’s your department. Just get it done and quickly. I don’t want this to affect my business,” Charles warned the caller and ended the call. He gathered some papers from his desk and closed his briefcase. His eyes met the picture of his daughter. Charles Vanderholm quickly moved his eyes away from the picture. Business always came first.
Charles noticed Marion with her personal assistant Cheryl in the foyer on his way out. He wondered why she needed one, but she got whatever kept her happy and quiet. He did not pry. In fact he didn’t really care as long as she portrayed the perfect corporate wife.
“Marion.”
“Yes dear,” she answered sweetly and politely excused Cheryl.
“Did Lauren mention if she had someone with her?”
“No dear, why?”
“A friend might do her some good,” he lied to his wife. His only concern—his business. Everyone respected him as a well-known shrewd businessman. That’s how he stayed on
top. The love he showed publicly for his wife and daughter was only an act for appearance’s sake. Marion wished him a good day. He waved and left without another word. She portrayed an excellent corporate wife and did her job well. He knew all Marion expected in return was a never-ending spending account.
Charles made a call once he reached his New York office. He needed to know what went wrong. There is too much at stake to risk his business or his name. He wouldn’t be caught up in this mess if his daughter had listened to him in the beginning and married into old-money. She brought John Reynolds into their lives and without his blessing. Charles had done a thorough check on John and his business associates. He learned of the business association with Nick Mendez. This discovery changed Charles’s mind about John. Perhaps John could be the son Charles always wanted. Then Charles began to warm up to the idea of accepting John into the family and mold him into the business. Charles set his plan in motion and pressed for an elaborate wedding. He knew Marion would convince their daughter that he would come around; at least for appearance’s sake. John and Lauren were married within six months.
Charles’s plan ran smoothly. He befriended John and publicly accepted him into the family. He included John in business discussions and gatherings, the legal ones at first. Days after the wedding Charles received a call from Nick Mendez. Nick informed Charles that John had confronted Nick to end their business association because he got married and he wasn’t going to screw up his dream of a family he never had. Charles calmly told Nick not to worry. After the honeymoon, Charles offered John a partnership offer he couldn’t refuse. Charles believed his plan would work. After all, John had already been in business with Nick. He figured John was worried about Charles discovering the connection to Nick, but would assure him that the connection with the Mendez family was good for business. Charles convinced John he could have Lauren, the family he never had, and much more than he could ever desire.
The plan had backfired. After the honeymoon, Charles offered John a partnership in the family business. John had been thrilled and he accepted immediately. The two had formed a bond like father and son. Charles respected John’s ideas and complimented his business mind. The problem appeared when Charles held a private meeting with Nick Mendez and invited John. He only announced shock when he learned of the connection between Charles and Nick. Adamant that he wanted to run his business legally, he warned Charles he would tell Lauren, and then stormed out of the meeting. Shortly after that meeting, John went to the warehouse to meet the new owner and sign the papers. The explosion happened before the ink dried. Nobody threatened Charles Vanderholm. Nobody walked away from business with the Mendez family. Nick had taken care of the problem within an hour of John’s outburst. The only concern shared between Nick and Charles if John had told his wife. Charles figured Nick wanted all loose ends tied; he knew he could not save his daughter.
John had been an orphan but Charles still checked out all foster families he had lived with. John had kept in touch with no one, not even foster parents. It appeared he had no friends in college. John had been a loner his whole life. The only connections he’d made were through his business. The few women he dated never spoke with him again. John’s record came up clear. John’s only connection that could ruin Charles’s business was Lauren.
Charles brushed his hand over his face, frustrated to think he had missed a piece of information about John’s life. His phone rang and stirred him from his thoughts.
“Do you have any news for me?” Charles got right to the point. He had waited to hear from the man who ran the search on John Reynolds months before.
“Good morning Charles. I got your message. I thought John Reynolds died. Is there a need for further investigation into his life?”
“You didn’t do a thorough job. There was a man at my daughter’s home last night. Find out who he is.” Charles demanded.
“Yes, sir, I will get on it right away.”
“Do it discretely, of course.” Charles wanted an answer but he also had his reputation to uphold.
Chapter Five
Lauren hadn’t said a word. Brett could respect that she didn’t want to talk. He kept quiet about his connection to John and ‘last night’ for the time being. Now he felt hungry. They had a couple of hours before they reached Ocean City. His superior would have another car ready for him about fifty miles from his place. Used to being undercover, Brett knew the importance of shaking anyone from his tail. He pulled the car into a diner off the road. Lauren tossed him an empty look.
“I know, it’s still not the Ritz, but I’m hungry. We must eat.” Brett felt empathy for her. He knew how she lived and tried to understand how difficult this must all be for her.
“I’m not hungry,” she announced rather stubbornly.
“I am and you can’t stay here alone.” Brett opened the door for her and she pouted as she followed him into the run-down diner. He pointed to a back-corner booth to keep their visibility low, and then followed Lauren, observing everyone in the diner as they passed by. He felt safe enough to quickly grab a bite to eat. He ordered for both of them. He hoped she might eat something. Lauren picked at her food. Brett inhaled his.
“Are you done?” he asked. She’d barely touched it.
“I told you I wasn’t hungry,” she snapped back.
Brett ignored her tone, stood up and left money on the table. “It’s time to go.”
Lauren got into the car and removed her shoes immediately. She rubbed her feet.
“Sore?” he asked with genuine concern.
“You try running in these shoes through the woods, and then walk for miles afterward!”
Brett keyed the ignition and began to drive. He knew he couldn’t say anything to make her feel better. He remained focused on his assignment to keep her alive. He ignored what his heart felt. The flashbacks of her in his arms, his lips against hers, made it difficult.
They stopped not long after the diner. Brett pulled into a parking lot behind a second-hand store. He knew another snobbish comment would come his way.
“First a dive-motel, then a run-down diner; now a second-hand store.” Lauren threw a fiery-eyed look at Brett. “Have you no clue that I am a Vanderholm?”
Brett smiled only to irritate her further.
“I refuse to go in there!”
He held the car door open and waited for her to storm past him again. It started to become a usual routine and a rather amusing one to him.
“My job is to keep you alive. Your job is to follow my orders.”
He motioned for her to get out of the car. Her eyes were on fire as she exhaled a quick breath. Lauren entered the second-hand store standing out like a sore thumb. Not just by the way she dressed in a Chanel pant suit, but with her snobbish attitude. She stood with her arms crossed and a pout on her face while Brett picked out a new outfit for her disguise.
“These should fit.” He handed her a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He figured he knew her size. His hands had travelled every curve of her body the night before. Making love to her burned in his memory. He shook those thoughts and remained focused. Brett had one-night stands before. This one was different. He wondered why. He couldn’t get her out of his thoughts and it wasn’t the assignment to protect her. Lauren grabbed the clothes from his hand after he ordered her into the changing room and to bring the clothes she’d been wearing. He went to pay for the items.
“What are those for?” Lauren tossed her clothes at him and Brett placed them in a bag. He did not want her to stand out the way she did. He knew she wasn’t happy with him but at least now she would blend in. The clothes she’d worn were fine for shopping at Saks, but not on the run.
“They are for your feet. They’ll be more comfortable than the things you’re wearing now,” Brett smirked.
“I don’t do flip-flops,” she i
nformed him.
“You do now.” Brett held open the bag he had her old clothes in.
Lauren threw her heels in the bag and put on the flip-flops and stormed out the door. Brett followed with a smile. He actually enjoyed her temper tantrums.
“Where are we off to now Agent?”
The tone in Lauren’s voice only made him chuckle. Brett pulled into the parking lot of a small coffee shop. He parked and smiled at Lauren. “We will meet my superior here to change cars. I need to get you to Ocean City without being followed. I will keep you alive.” He grabbed their bags from the trunk and walked around to her door.
“Kevin Williams…Lauren Reynolds.” Brett introduced them then tossed their bags in Kevin’s car.
Kevin held out his hand, “It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Reynolds. I only wish it were under better circumstances.”
Lauren simply nodded and smiled politely. Brett opened the car door for her. She remained quiet.
“She hasn’t said too much lately.” Brett informed Kevin after he closed her door.
“Do you blame her?” Kevin asked.
Brett spoke with Kevin for a few minutes and joined Lauren in the car. The drive to Ocean City remained a quiet one. Brett understood she’d been through a lot and didn’t push for a conversation. He figured she’d talk when ready.
Lauren gasped. “This is your home?” as Brett pulled into the driveway of an extravagant beach home.
“I told you it would be better than the dingy motel. I hope you will be more comfortable here.” Brett smiled. He could tell by the expression on her face that she was pleased.
“I expected a one-room dirty bachelor apartment that might require a torch,” she blurted out.
