Ivan really had no idea what to do with the drugs yet, but he wanted to get Adam’s wedding out the way smoothly before making a plan to go back and confront Langdon…
He opened the door and was surprised to see Jake leaning against the doorframe, smoking a cigarette. “Hey, big brother.”
Ivan’s muscles tensed, ready to pick him up and throw him off their property. “You agreed to stay away from my family until I had the chance to check your intentions. It’s Adam’s wedding tomorrow – you need to leave right now.”
Jake dropped his cigarette to the doorstep and ground it out with his boot. “I’m not here to cause you any trouble. But I do need to talk with you.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“I thought we’d been through this, Ivan… Langdon confessed to me that he still has Samira’s passport – but that’s not the worst of it. Can I come in? Please?”
Ivan stepped out the way. “Alright, come into the kitchen. But if anyone sees you, you tell them you’re just a buddy of mine, right.”
“Sure.”
Ivan led him through to the kitchen – where the suitcase was still sitting on the kitchen table – now with the lid tightly shut.
“Where’s Samira?” Jake asked.
“With the other women. Like I said, it’s Adam and Amy’s wedding tomorrow, so we’re celebrating. And I’m keen to join them. What’s this all about?”
“Right. Look, I’ll be totally frank with you. Langdon wants Samira dead.”
Ivan froze, letting this sink in. He realized Jake probably was still on his side – otherwise why would he be sneaking behind Langdon’s back like this? Ivan gestured to the suitcase. “Actually, we’ve got bigger problems than that.”
Jake’s jaw dropped open. “Didn’t you hear me? He wants her dead!”
“No one’s hurting Samira – not while I’m living and breathing. But look…”
Ivan unzipped the suitcase and showed him.
“Holy shit,” Jake said. “I knew those cases were full of something shady, but this is unbelievable.” He gazed severely into Ivan’s eyes. “You know he’ll be after your blood when he realizes this is missing? And the guys he’s working for will be after his blood if they find out.”
“I know.” Ivan ran his fingers through his hair. “So why does he want Samira out the picture? Is it because of the drugs?”
“No. It’s because of some insurance claim. And he wants me to do it.”
“To kill her?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But what insurance? What the fuck’s going on?”
“He’s been stringing Samira along all this time. Apparently his other wife had a life insurance policy, so he killed her for the money – but he couldn’t show her body to the cops, obviously. So he disposed of her somehow, then he found Samira and convinced her to pretend to be his wife. My guess is he wanted to make it look like an accident – then he could claim for the insurance on ‘Mrs. Langdon’, right?”
Ivan stared at the kitchen floor – his heart thumped hard in his chest. “Jesus... That does make sense though… Samira said she was certain the bank by the creek didn’t crumble by itself the other day. She said maybe someone had set her up… But I had no idea Langdon had actually been setting her up to kill her.”
“Well, there you go. I guess he was just biding his time for the next ‘accident’. Then you showed up.”
Ivan clenched his fists, trying to contain his fury. “And he’d have plenty of eye-witnesses at the ranch who knew her as Mrs. Langdon, so he could cash in on the insurance policy for the real Mrs. Langdon…”
“Exactly. And in the meantime, he was using her as a drugs mule, knowing she’d do anything to stay in the country and protect her child. He’s pretty smart really.”
Ivan grimaced. “What happened to the real Mrs. Langdon?
“I’d hate to imagine.”
Ivan’s mind raced with questions – as well as desperate relief that he got to Samira just in time. “But I don’t understand – why does he now want you to take care of this?”
“Because he’s getting desperate – and he thinks I still work for him. Suddenly you know Samira isn’t Mrs. Langdon – which fucks up his entire plan. Now I guess he wants her dead before she blabs. Or perhaps he just wants revenge on her for wasting his time before moving onto the next poor girl.”
“Do you think he owes a lot of money to someone? I mean, why would anyone go to those means?”
“He said he has debts, but he didn’t say to who. Maybe he owes money to the drugs cartel for losing an entire suitcase full of coke.”
Ivan gazed blankly at him. “Yeah, yeah, very funny…” He grabbed his phone. “I’m calling the cops.”
Jake folded his arms across his chest. “Not so fast, Ivan – you’ve got a suitcase full of cocaine and an illegal immigrant in your parents’ house, the day before your brother’s wedding. Don’t you think we should leave them out of it for now, huh?”
Ivan lowered the phone and opened his mouth to argue, but his father strolled into the kitchen. “Ivan, what are you doing out here, son? We’re waiting to start the poker – we’re supposed to be celebrating Adam’s last day of freedom.”
Ivan transferred his attention to Jake, who was glaring furiously at Quinlan Senior as if he was about to attack.
Quinlan Senior followed Ivan’s gaze, then offered Jake his hand. “Oh hi. I don’t think we’ve been introduced. Friend of yours, Ivan?”
Ivan understood why Jake was furious with his biological father for what had happened. But Adam’s special weekend had already had enough drama – thanks to Ivan. He needed to contain this. He braced himself to jump in if Jake was planning to blurt out the truth.
He watched tensely as Jake moved his hand toward Mr. Quinlan’s. Then he wrapped his fingers around his father’s hand and shook it in a daze, seething under the surface.
“Uh, dad,” Ivan said. “This is Mr.… er…”
“Jake,” he said. “Jacob.”
Quinlan Senior chuckled. “Jake Jacobs?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Funny name. Your parents obviously didn’t like you much.”
Jake’s expression surged to barely-suppressed fury. Ivan coiled his muscles and opened his mouth to intervene. But luckily his mom strolled in, humming a little tune to herself.
“Oh, hello boys! I didn’t mean to interrupt – just grabbing a bottle of wine.”
Quinlan Senior wrapped her in his arms. “Come here my lovely lady!”
Ivan rolled his eyes at their public display of affection, but he was glad the tension had been defused. His father nuzzled his face into his mom’s neck making her laugh. They’d always been openly affectionate, but tonight they’d been drinking and they were in the pre-wedding party mood.
Mrs. Quinlan gazed at her husband like a pussycat. “Are you sure we’re allowed to see each other before the wedding, my darling?”
Mr. Quinlan laughed. “You’re thinking of Adam and Amy, love. We can see as much of each other as we like!”
Mrs. Quinlan giggled girlishly. “Oh good…”
Ivan smiled and shot Jake an apologetic look. They’d always been like this in front of his friends. Not that Jake was his friend…
“And who’s this?” Mrs. Quinlan asked, eyeing up Jake. She fell serious and frowned. “You look familiar. Are you Kathleen’s boy, all grown up?”
“No ma’am,” he muttered.
“This is Jake,” Ivan said. “And he was just leaving, right Jake?”
“Well, I…”
Mrs. Quinlan clapped her hands. “Oh, I insist you stay for the wedding. A friend of Ivan’s is a friend of all Quinlans! The boys are doing poker and beer in the den – I insist you stay for that.”
Jake opened his mouth to argue, but Mr. Quinlan intervened with a chuckle. “You’d best do as she says, son – you’re very welcome to join us. But before that, my wife and I are going to spend some time alone!”
He
wrapped his arms around Mrs. Quinlan and led her out into the hallway, making her laugh. Ivan waited for their voices to fade before turning to Jake. He was staring at the empty space ahead of him where his estranged parents had just been standing.
“You okay, Jake?”
He shook his head, seemingly humbled and stunned.
“Say something.”
Jake dragged himself back to reality and gazed into Ivan’s eyes. “They seem so nice.”
Ivan smiled. “They are.”
Jake ran his hand through his hair. “Jesus, Ivan… I hope you realize that you’ve got what I always wanted.”
Ivan sighed. “Yeah, apparently I’ve got criminal for a father.”
“But that’s irrelevant. You’ve got a loving family. Siblings. An awesome mom.”
“Your parents were good people, weren’t they? Your dad was a cop.”
“My dad was the kind of man who would blackmail another family to steal their kid. Not all cops are good you know. Sometimes we go bad.”
“You’re not bad, Jake. And you’re not a cop, not anymore. It’s easy to think the grass is greener, but believe me having a lot of siblings can be a pain in the ass. My brothers are all mad at me right now.”
“Why?”
“Because they think I’m acting reckless by marrying Samira on a whim.”
“It’s just because they’re worried. Because they love you. Never lose sight of that, Ivan. Your family loves you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Rays of light streamed in through the stained-glass windows, casting colorful beams over the congregation, and making everything sparkle with hope and joy. This huge modern church was light and airy – which was a complete contrast to Samira’s melancholy mood. She willed herself to cheer up – to enjoy this happy day – but she felt as if she didn’t belong here. Even dressed in this expensive silk gown that Clara had so generously loaned her, she felt trashy with her bleach-blonde hair and working-class background.
This wedding ceremony was so different to hers in Las Vegas… this was the sort of wedding Ivan deserved.
Amy looked perfect in her ivory wedding dress, drifting down aisle with her father by her side, gliding toward the altar to take her place next to Adam – who looked dashing in his suit.
Ivan looked gorgeous in his suit too, sitting next to Samira with Quin on his lap. Samira definitely preferred him dressed like this – powerful and stylish – compared to the cowboy look. He was the epitome of suave and sophisticated – apart from the fact that his stubble was growing back, making him look rugged and sexy. Samira adored her man. But everything about this lavish marriage ceremony reminded her of how inadequate she was – of how she was dragging Ivan down.
All the other girlfriends were glamorous, intellectual, and sophisticated. Sarah was the owner of a soccer team back in London – and she had a background in hotel management. Amy worked for Quinlan Brothers, and was doing really well. And Ellie was making a career for herself as a journalist. Samira was pleased for them, because they were all lovely. But what was her specialty? What did she bring to the Quinlan clan? She was an illegal immigrant, who’d accidentally got pregnant, and had then become a drug mule for a guy who – apparently – now wanted her dead.
Up at the front, Dylan – as best man – handed over the rings and Amy and Adam began their vows. Samira tried to concentrate, but she was furious with herself for letting Langdon dupe her like that. Really, it was his double-crossing treachery that was behind her low mood. What would her new in-laws think if they ever found out what she’d really been up to on that ranch? But she’d just wanted the best for her son – surely they’d understand?
She glanced down at Quin who was wriggling in Ivan’s arms and trying to grab Samira’s long hair – as he often did. She made eye contact with her little boy, automatically grinning at him. He giggled, melting her heart with pure love. Then she realized Quin wasn’t the only one looking at her. She glanced up and saw her wonderful husband gazing at her too – instead of watching his brother get married, as he should’ve been.
They gazed into each other’s eyes, then Ivan winked, leaving Samira quivering inside. A wink from Ivan made everything okay. He had the most captivating smile and gorgeous brown eyes – which sparkled with a deep sincere affection for her. When Ivan looked at her, it was as if he was touching her soul with nourishing goodness.
He hitched Quin up in his arms and mouthed to Samira, “I love you.”
Samira’s chest filled with honey-thick delight. “Me too,” she whispered.
He reached out and held her hand, smiling into her eyes with promises of a secure future together.
“I do,” Adam said at the front. And then he kissed Amy passionately and everyone applauded.
****
The wedding reception was being held at Mohonk Mountain House – a prestigious and expensive luxury spa resort in New York’s Hudson Valley. The grand hall inside the Victorian-era castle was tastefully decorated and crammed full of friends and family wearing bright colors and expensive clothing. The music was modern, and the atmosphere buzzed with excitement. Everyone was here to celebrate the union of Adam and Amy – especially those who never would’ve believed Adam Quinlan would get married unless they saw it with their own eyes.
Ivan strolled back into the huge space now, having just been up to check on Quin in the hotel room they’d hired for the day, where his old babysitter – Mrs. Bowden – had agreed to watch over him. The atmosphere hit him like a burst of happiness, which was enhanced by the uplifting music, disco lights, and wall-to-wall chatter. Large round tables had been positioned at the edges of the room, leaving the middle free for dancing, and Ivan hoped to get the chance to dance with his beautiful wife later. There was a three-tier wedding cake at the end of the room, which Adam and Amy would cut soon – but for now they were mingling with their guests, enjoying their moment of feeling like celebrities.
Ivan cast his gaze around the throng of the several hundred guests, and picked out Dylan – who was standing alone rehearsing his best man’s speech to himself. He looked nervous, but Ivan knew he’d do a great job – he was used to giving business presentations to roomfuls of powerful investors. Charming his nearest and dearest would be easy for him.
Ivan was pleased at how smoothly the ceremony had gone for Adam and Amy – they’d put so much time, energy, and money into getting everything just right. And they’d been up early this morning, organizing the final touches. Ivan had also been up early this morning, shopping with Clara for a surprise for Samira, which he planned to give her later, but at the moment, he was full of energy and ready to celebrate.
Ivan noticed that Jake and Clara were chatting at one of the tables, engrossed in a conversation. Jake was making Clara laugh, which was truly a talent – she could be so uptight at times. It was heartwarming to see them getting along so well, even though Clara was still clueless as to who Jake actually was.
Ivan knew Jake would be itching to tell her the truth, and he wondered whether non-identical twins shared the same psychic connections that identical twins did. Clara laughed again, making Ivan smile. It was great to see her enjoying herself. It’d been so long since she’d seemed this relaxed – she was too into her job to care about much else. She was a typical Quinlan…
Ivan’s thoughts alighted on what the hell he was going to do with the suitcase of cocaine. He needed to get rid of it before anyone discovered it – before people possibly started getting killed. It was safe under the bed in his childhood bedroom for now, but obviously it couldn’t stay there. How did you go about disposing of a suitcase full of coke?
He was also wondering how they were going to get Samira’s passport back. They needed it urgently if she stood any chance of being allowed to stay in the country, and he was pretty sure Langdon wasn’t just going to hand it over. But Ivan was determined to get it back and to fight for her citizenship. He loved her, and he knew all his family loved her too. She still wasn’t convinc
ed, but she just needed some time to get her confidence back. She’d been through a lot recently – he’d put her through a lot. And it was time to prove to her that she belonged in the Quinlan clan.
His gazed scanned around the room, and his heart filled up with tender love as he spotted his beautiful wife strolling onto the dancefloor with Joseph. They held hands loosely as they danced together, and Joseph raised his arm for Samira to twirl under. It was great to see her so free – moving her gorgeous body in time to the music and relishing the chance to dance with the rockstar who other women paid thousands to dance with at charity auctions. Samira stumbled into Joseph and he caught her, then they both laughed. Ivan’s cock twitched in his pants and he calmed his possessive caveman instincts. She was only dancing – and why not? Maybe Joe could warm her up for him…
“He has that effect on Amy too,” Adam said, appearing at Ivan’s side with a glass of Champagne in his hand. “But I always tease her by telling her what he was like as a toddler.”
Ivan laughed. “Thanks for the tip – I’ll try that.”
Tension buckled in the air between the brothers. Adam still hadn’t apologized for his behavior toward Samira yesterday, and truthfully Ivan was still a little pissed with him. He didn’t want to make a big deal on his wedding day, though, so he forced himself to be civil.
“Congratulations, man. The ceremony was perfect. Amy looks beautiful.”
“Thanks, Ivan. I’m the luckiest guy alive – although I guess you probably think the same now you’ve found Samira.” They shared a smile. “Listen, I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. I was jittery about today and I said some stupid shit that I shouldn’t have said. But she’s perfect for you. I really like her.”
“Thanks, Adam. Look, I know you didn’t mean what you said, but I think it’s knocked her confidence. She thinks the family don’t like her.”
Adam winced. “Damn, I never meant for that to happen. I’ll apologize to her as soon as I can, okay? I’ll welcome her properly into our family. And I can’t wait to play some ball with my nephew – what a fucking miracle he is.”
The Billionaire's Heir: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 4) Page 12
