Coming Home: An LA Lovers Book

by Jourdyn Kelly

  At least he stayed with Piper’s middle name. It wasn’t much of a consolation prize, but Blaise had to trust Greyson to get them out of this mess.

  “Oh, and if you think lover boy can help you, think again,” he continued with a cruel smile. “I’ll take care of that lowlife.”

  Blaise bristled. “Good luck. Greyson won’t make it easy for you. And, you could only dream of being half the man Greyson is. You’re a despicable human being.”

  She braced herself for the slap she knew was coming. It wasn’t the first time her mouth had gotten her in trouble, and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

  “You will watch your tongue. I will be your husband, and you will speak to me with respect. I demand it.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to remind Vincent that respect isn’t demanded but earned, and she bit her lip to keep it there.

  “Never the face, dear boy. Have I taught you nothing?”

  Blaise spun around at the sound of her grandfather’s voice. He had been noticeably absent since she had been here, which made her suspicious. Now that he was here, she wished he had stayed away. Greyson didn’t need anything more to worry about.

  “Grandfather. You can’t possibly be okay with this. I am your family!” Somehow Blaise knew she was appealing to a man who was just as cold as her dear husband to be, but she had to try.

  “Family? The same family that cut me out of the company? You’re just like your father.”

  “Thank you,” Blaise shot back smugly. “I could certainly think of worse people to be like.”

  Richard shook his head with a smirk. “No wonder you discipline her,” he praised Vincent. “How much does she know?”

  “Only what I want her to know.”

  “She deserves to know everything!” Blaise interrupted. She hated being talked about as though she wasn’t even in the room. Richard and Vincent had a habit of doing that since she was put in Richard’s care. “Why are you doing this to me?”

  “Simple, my dear. You have something we want.”

  “The company. I know that.” She turned her heated gaze to Vincent. “I will give it to you. I will sign everything over, even the trust fund. Just give me my daughter, and let us go home.”

  “No, no, no. That will not do at all.” Vincent flashed an evil smile. “I want a beautiful wife on my arm when I’m forced to go to silly functions. Besides, I want an heir.”

  Blaise barked out a mirthless laugh. “And, how do you plan to do that? Rape me? I will never willingly sleep with you.” She had been more than grateful when he hadn’t demanded sex the moment she got into the country. Fortunately, he thought of himself as a gentleman, and she didn’t have to feign some sort of contagious disease to ward him off.

  “Don’t be crude. It’s unladylike. Besides, a man cannot rape his wife.”

  Whirling around to face her grandfather. “You’re really going to just stand there and let this happen? Are you that bitter?” Stepping closer to him, her eyes pleaded with him. “Did you know he has my daughter?” Please say no. Please say no. Blaise didn’t want to think that her mother’s father could be so cruel.

  “Whose idea did you think it was, child? You were failing to succumb to Vincent’s advances, we needed insurance.”

  The bile threatened at the back of her throat, and for a moment, Blaise considered letting it go. All over the son of a bitch before her.

  “Insurance? You were planning this all these years? To bring me back here and force me to marry him?” This was all so surreal that Blaise had a hard time wrapping her head around it. Things like this didn’t happen in real life, did it? She admitted to living a somewhat sheltered life. A life that made her believe the mafia and gangs were fictional characters made up in Hollywood. Of course she knew crime existed, but to be betrayed like this? By her own grandfather?

  “There were a couple of scenarios we could have implemented,” he told her nonchalantly. “It just so happens that Vincent is partial to this one. He really has taken a shine to you.”

  “A ‘shine’,” she repeated with shock. “And, the other scenarios?”

  “Take your heir, turn her against you, and then wait patiently until her eighteenth birthday to get what should rightfully be mine.” With a confident stride, he journeyed to the bar, and poured himself two fingers of the brandy she knew he preferred. “We would have much preferred you had a son, but we’ll make do.”

  Knees buckled beneath her, and Blaise had no choice but to sit or fall down. “They told me she died,” she whispered. “They wouldn’t let me see her because she was stillborn. Was that your doing?” she asked, unable to look either man in the eye.

  “It’s amazing what a bit of money will buy you,” Vincent answered. “This really is your fault. If you hadn’t fallen for Steele, we could have worked something out in a much more civilized way,” he added bitterly.

  “Yes, well, she’s too much like her father. Always thinking with her heart instead of her mind.” Richard tipped the glass to his lips, and drained it in one swallow.

  “I’d say she’s too much like her mother,” Vincent sneered. “Too busy being on her back to think of the important things.”

  Just as Blaise opened her mouth to defend her mother, Richard quickly passed by her, grabbing Vincent by the lapels.

  “Watch yourself, boy.” Although he was at least twenty years older than Vincent, Richard was still a formidable foe. He was strong in body and mind, and did not tolerate anyone contradicting him. “I allowed you to do what you did for the sake of the company. I will not allow you to speak ill of my dead daughter.”

  Blaise’s head was spinning. All of this for money? It sickened her, and she wanted nothing more to be rid of the company and the money. She didn’t know how, but she would destroy the company. And, hopefully the men that so desperately wanted it in the process.

  “Perhaps you should calm down, Richard.” Vincent wrapped his hands around Richard’s wrists. “Do you really want your granddaughter to know everything? Should we tell her what you allowed me to do?”

  Amazed, Blaise watched as Richard’s face flushed with fury. She had seen that look once before when he found out the company would not be turned over to him. What is Vincent holding over him? If she got them to talk, to reveal everything to her, maybe she would have enough to ruin them once Greyson freed Piper. Unfortunately, that idea stormed out of the room with Richard. The stern look on Vincent’s face told her she wouldn’t get far with him, either.

  “Someone will be by this evening to help you with your dress. The wedding will be set for Saturday morning. Do not disappoint me, Olivia, or there will be dire consequences.”

  Within seconds, Blaise found herself alone in the room, stunned. What sort of Twilight Zone shit did she get herself into? Sitting back, she wrapped her arms around her middle, defiantly putting her feet on the coffee table that probably cost a small fortune. Two days, she thought. I’ve got two days to get myself out of this mess. Think, Blaise! What are the facts? It’s up to Greyson to find Piper, but it’s up to you to bring these men down for what they’ve done.

  Blaise dragged herself upstairs to her bedroom, and sat down at the red oak writing desk that sat at the back of the room. It was one of the few places she actually liked to be. Often times, she would sit there to read, write in her journal, write letters to Greyson she thought he’d never see, or stare out the window to the expansive grounds that surrounded her. Taking a notebook out of the desk drawer, Blaise found a pen, and began writing.

  Oliver betrays my father. At the end of Oliver’s life, he betrays Vincent. Maybe he told dad about Vincent’s plans, and that’s when dad changed his will? Shortly after dad changes his will, he and mum die in a car accident.

  She shivered involuntarily.

  Richard “allowed” Vincent to do something, but doesn’t want me to know what it was. What could possibly be worse than telling me my child is dead, and keeping her from me all these years?

  “Oh
my God!” Blaise shook her head as her thoughts turned grim. “No. He wouldn’t have…” With a trembling hand, she began writing the thoughts that popped into her mind.

  Did Vincent kill my parents? Did Richard allow it? All for what?? Fucking money?

  The more she thought of that time in her life, the angrier she became. Everything was taken away from her. All because of a company she wanted no part of. What made it even worse, was that it was still happening! Her parents, her daughter, Greyson. An image of the goddamn company going up in flames ran through her mind, and her lips curled into a feral smile. The only thing that would make that fantasy better would be if Richard and Vincent went up in flames with it.

  Too much. It was all just too much for her to handle. Exhausted and despondent, Blaise crawled into the huge bed, and fell asleep. She dreamt of the child she had grieved for over the past sixteen years. She dreamt about how elated she’d been to find out she was pregnant. Though a scared sixteen-year-old, she had become jaded with the lack of love in her heart after losing her parents. A child was—in her teenaged mind—a way of bringing that love back. Now she would have someone to love, and to love her back unconditionally. Blaise didn’t even care when the boy who got her pregnant took off for University, claiming the child probably wasn’t even his.

  She moaned quietly as her dream became a nightmare. Finally, Blaise was face to face with her long lost daughter, and Piper refused to forgive Blaise for leaving her. After being told God knows what by those determined to turn Piper against her, only words of hate spewed from the young girl, as Blaise tried desperately to explain. Tears leaked, soaking the pillow as Blaise slept restlessly.

  “WE’RE SEARCHING FOR a needle in a fucking haystack, brother. She couldn’t give you any more information?”

  With a frustrated growl, Greyson pushed away from the computer he had been hunched over for what seemed like the past twenty-four hours. He slept in patches here and there when his eyes got too blurry to be of any help, and he ate when someone shoved food in front of his face. The rest of his time, besides a quick shower break, was sitting in front of a computer frustrated as hell. Greyson Steele was a man of action. He wanted to be out there searching, kicking ass, doing something! But there was nothing to do until they found some shred of information that would lead them to Blaise’s daughter. “I told you everything she told me. What the fuck are we missing?”

  He wanted to punch something. Fuck that, he wanted to march back to that fucking house and pummel that dick Vincent until he had to eat from a tube stuck up somewhere. Preferably his ass.

  “We’ve ruled out Ezra,” Cade began, checking off a haphazard list they had made on their way to their temporary headquarters—also known as Cade’s hotel room. Three select colleagues filled the space, digging up any kind of information they could get their hands on. “We’ve checked under Blaise’s mother’s maiden name, Lily Clark. Nothing under Richard.”

  “Ezra’s relatives?” Greyson asked, even though he knew they had all been checked as well.

  “Done. Jules is running more data now to see who connects to whom, brother,” he said, nodding towards the lone woman in the room. “It takes time.”

  Jules was the technical brain of Drake & Associates. If the information was out there, she would find it. Greyson had to believe she would come through this time.

  “We don’t have time! Who knows when that prick, Vincent, is going to make her marry him. Or, what will happen after that.”

  Just as Greyson sent up a silent prayer for Jules to succeed, the woman perked up. “I think I got something!”

  Greyson rushed over to her, practically shoving Cade out of his way. “Show me!”

  “Irene Sanford from Essex, England. She went to university here,” she paused dramatically, and Greyson fought to keep his cool. “With Richard Clark.”

  “Okay, so what? Tons of people probably went to school with good ol’ Dick,” Greyson said irritably.

  “True. But only one can be Lily’s birth mother,” Jules countered smugly.

  “Shit!” Greyson pushed in closer to see the information on the screen. “How did we fucking miss that?”

  “We didn’t. It was hidden pretty deep. Lily Clark’s mother is listed as Richard’s wife, Annabelle Clark.”

  “All right, then how did you get Irene?” Cade folded his arms across his chest and waited for the answer. Watching Jules work was a thing of beauty. Like watching Picasso paint.

  “With skill and determination.” Jules chuckled, and sobered quickly when she saw Greyson’s grim face. “It’s a lot of technical speak that would bore the crap out of you, as well as cause you to be accessories. Suffice it to say, a little hacking was done into certain government sites, and I got what we needed.” She tapped the keyboard a few times, and the portable printer they had set up began spitting out pages.

  Greyson snatched them up, and began reading. “So, Richard uses property in her name for his family get-togethers, but she’s not involved in that family. Doesn’t make sense.”

  Jules shrugged. “Seems to me, Irene was just his mistress. His plaything. But I only deal in the preciseness of technology. The human psyche is too complicated for me.” A couple more taps on the keyboard, and an aerial view of the property in question popped up on her screen. “This is the only real estate on Lake Wakatipu that connects to Richard Clark or anyone else in that family.”

  “I owe you,” Greyson stated reverently. “We need eyes on this place…”

  “I can get that, too. They’re wired. All I have to do is,” her tongue poked out as her fingers flew across the keyboard like Beethoven playing one of his symphonies. “Got it! And, we’re in luck. They have video surveillance. The feed is coming in now.”

  Greyson shook his head in wonder. “Jules gets a fucking raise, Cade. Anything she wants.”

  “Whoa, slow down there, Delta Force,” Cade argued as Jules whooped excitedly. “Let’s be reasonable about this.” His mouth snapped shut when he caught sight of the video coming through Jules’s computer. “Damn.”

  Greyson sat heavily in the chair Jules had just vacated. “She looks just like Blaise,” he whispered. “I don’t understand. I know I haven’t known Blaise that long, but I can’t see her giving up her kid.”

  “We don’t think she did, sir.”

  Greyson tore his gaze away from the spitting image of a young Blaise. Nicholas and Gabriel, the two other men in the room were soldiers through and through, opting to stay with the fatigues and buzz cuts. Fortunately for Greyson, one of the requirements Cade had for all of his employees was a background in computers. Intel was the most important thing a soldier needed on a mission. Cade’s security company needed people who could get that intel fast and accurate.

  “Elaborate,” Greyson ordered.

  “Piper Rose Knight was born May 3rd 2000,” Gabriel clipped, standing curiously close to attention. “Official records list her as stillborn, sir.”

  “Fuck!” Greyson scrubbed his face. “Go on.”

  “Officially, the baby’s body was claimed by the paternal great-grandfather, and the hospital released Ms. Knight a couple of days later.”

  “And, unofficially?”

  “One-million dollars was deposited into Ms. Knight’s doctor, Dr. Wilson’s account three weeks prior to Ms. Knight giving birth,” Nicholas continued, taking over for Gabriel. “Give us a little longer, and I’m sure we’ll find who deposited that money, sir. Interesting note, however, Dr. Wilson plays golf with Richard Clark and Vincent Scott.”

  “Get on it,” Cade demanded. “This wasn’t just one doctor. Someone else in the hospital had to be helping. I want everyone involved found.” He motioned for them all to give them some privacy, and they dutifully scattered. “You okay, Grey?”

  “How could they do that to her? They took her child away from her.” He was saying the words, and he still couldn’t believe it.

  “Sick fuckers.” Cade squeezed Greyson’s shoulder. “We’ll get the g
irl, and Blaise, and get the fuck out of here.”

  “They pay, Cade. Those men stole something precious from Blaise, and then stole Blaise from me. They’re going to pay for that.”

  Cade nodded solemnly. “They’ll pay, but we’ll do it legally.” He held up his hand to stop Greyson’s argument. “Blaise needs you, brother. Now more than ever. You can’t be there if you’re behind bars for murder. We’ll get all the evidence we need, and we’ll put them away. Let karma at them, Grey. They’ll get what they deserve.”

  Greyson reluctantly agreed. “First things first. We go and get the girl.”

  “Actually, brother, the first thing we have to do is arguably the scariest.” Cade, who had been on the front lines during the war, shuddered.

  “Which is?” Greyson asked carefully.

  “You have to call Ellie and tell her what’s going on.”

  “Shit.”

  SHE DIDN’T WANT to get up. Unfortunately, Blaise’s stomach had other plans. It had been two days since she last saw Greyson, and her hope that he would find Piper was dwindling by the second. In just a few hours, Blaise was going to be forced to marry a man she hated. Her stomach rebelled at that heinous thought, and for the fifth time that morning, she ran to the bathroom to retch.

  “Ugh! I hate being sick.” A wicked grin lit her face. “I’m totally not brushing my teeth if I have to marry that arsehole Vincent.” Blaise’s stomach gurgled again. Never mind, she thought. The taste in her mouth was enough to make her sick again, and she immediately rose from the floor to brush her teeth.

  Dragging herself into the shower, she let the hot water pour over her tense body, hiding her tears. The past forty-eight hours had been a blur of maids, tailors, caterers, and whomever else Vincent decided to throw at her. She barely had a spare moment to herself, and by the time she did, Blaise only had the energy to face-plant onto her bed, and pass out. The situation frustrated her—no, pissed her off—so much, that it was all she could do not to lash out violently at those around her. In spite of all of the anxiety, she never allowed herself to cry in front of any of them.