Landon (The Love Family Series Book 5) (7 page)

He pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to her. “You’re taking my SUV. It’s been pulled up to the back exit. The door is unlocked, and it’s bulletproof, which will give you some cover. Keep your head down and get into it as fast as you can. I have men positioned to try and hold the shooters off as long as possible. Landon is going to meet you at the helicopter.”

“They’re here?” Edward asked and glanced at her. “You can’t leave. They have orders to kill on sight.”

“I’ll take my chances.” With gun in hand, she ushered him out of the conference room. She handed him the keys and paused in front of the exit door. Declan was standing behind them.

“The safety is on, so don’t worry about the trigger. You won’t accidently blow his head off.”

Declan pointed to the switch and showed her how to flick it.

Chapter 12

Alice leaned into Best. “I trusted you last night when you said I’d be safe.”

“If the law wouldn’t have picked me up, you would have been safe.”

“Ready?”

She glanced back at Declan. “Clear the hall so no one accidently gets shot, just in case these jerks actually fire at me.”

Declan barked an order down the hallway and it immediately cleared.

“You too,” she whispered and used the gun to gesture to the side room.

His brows dipped. He didn’t like being told what to do, but at least, he’d be alive to bitch about it later.

Alice positioned the gun to Edward’s head and took a deep breath. “If we make it out of this alive, I want answers.”

He gave a quick nod. “I’ll do my best.”

Alice yanked the door open without any hesitation. She held the gun pressed to Edward’s head and ducked, keeping them both low. Shots rang out in the air, but not at either Edward or her as they climbed into the SUV.

Gunfire exploded around them in different directions, all aimed into the woods. Edward pressed the gas pedal to the floor and had the tires squealing as they sped away. Alice kept glancing out the back window and let out a little sigh when no one was quick to follow.

The air in the SUV was filled with tension, and she tried to cover the shake in her hands as they sped toward the private airport. The guard gate was open and the guard gone when they pulled in. The hanger was open. Landon had the helicopter out and was sitting in the pilot seat. The copter door was open, waiting for them to climb in. She breathed her first sigh of relief that he would be going with her and she wouldn’t have to wait for him to show up.

Alice shoved the car door open; Edward dropped the keys on the seat of the SUV and hurried with her to the helicopter, yanking the doors closed after they both climbed in.

Edward climbed up into the co-pilot seat before he spoke. “Go, go, go.”

The blades swished to life, and within minutes, they were hovering up into the air and leaving the Island behind. Edward held out his headset so Alice could see what he was doing. He slid it over his ears, and she grabbed the pair hanging next to her. “Do you know where you’re going?”

“Yep.” Landon glanced back to meet Alice’s gaze. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and held up her thumb. “A little shaken but bullet free.”

“Bullet free is good.” He winked and turned back around. 

“If we get out of this alive, remind me to personally thank your family.”

“You’ll get out unscathed, Alice. Now that you’ve been seen with me, no one will make another hit on your life. The message has been sent.”

“And what message would that be?” Landon asked and exchanged a quick glance with Edward.

“The message that there is no secret that has been left hidden.” He smiled. “I’ll explain everything when we land.”  

Thirty minutes later, they were descending into an open field next to a mansion. Her stomach rolled and she felt faint. She’d closed her eyes for most of the flight, afraid that if she looked down she might toss her cookies.

“You live here?” Alice asked.

“Welcome to my home, Alice. You are welcome here anytime and under any circumstances.”

Alice could see only the side of Landon’s face, but she didn’t miss the way his jaw hardened at Edward’s words. Landon landed the helicopter and powered down. He was quick to exit and yank the back door open. He held out his arms to her, and she flew into his embrace. He kissed her hard before letting her feet hit the ground.

“I thought I’d lost you.”

“Not a chance,” she whispered back as Edward got out.

“Do you want answers, or do you want to stay out here all day playing kissy face with the commando?”

She grinned. “Kissy face sounds nice.”

“Answers now, kissy face later.” Landon winked and kissed her again.

Alice handed Declan’s gun to Landon, glad that she wasn’t responsible for it anymore. He stashed it in his waistband and took her hand, and they followed Edward into the humongous house.

Security guards were stationed around the perimeter, wearing suits and carrying machine guns. Another man in a suit met Edward at the back door. He was in his early forties and sported a short cropped cut. He exchanged some words with Edward before making his way to Landon. A smile stretched across his face. “Love, well I’ll be damned.”

“Maverick Jones? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he answered, and they all walked into the house.

“Good, you two know each other. That will make things easier, “What would like to drink, Alice? Wine, beer, whatever you want. If I don’t have it, I’ll get it. I think you’re going to need some alcohol for the conversation we’re about to have.”

“Beer is fine,” she answered as she glanced among the men. “I’m sure Maverick and Landon knowing each other wasn’t a coincidence.”

“Smart and feisty.” Edward grinned. “It runs in our DNA.”

Edward moved to the fridge, pulled out four bottles of beer, handing her one before offering the others to Landon and Maverick. Landon waived off the alcohol and Edward shrugged before popping the top on his own. 

“Yeah, and exactly whose DNA would that be?” she asked, taking a swig of her beer. Landon wrapped an arm around her waist and kept her pulled against his back.

“The parent we share,” he answered, and Alice was sure her mouth hung open as she stared at the man, sure he was delusional. Her legs turned to noodles, and without Landon’s arm, she would have fallen on her ass.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“I’m your half brother,” he answered without any more elaboration. “Whoa, I’ve been waiting years to say that out loud.” He grinned. “This will be easier in the study, where I can show you how I found you.”

They followed Edward out of the kitchen and into a huge room off the main area. He held out his arm to usher them in and stopped Maverick. “Can you make sure that Ellie has a room prepared for Mr. Love and my sister?”

Maverick nodded and was out of sight before Alice could sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Landon stood behind Alice’s seat with his hand on her shoulder. The connection wasn’t lost on her. She rested her hand over his, and gave a gentle pat, acknowledging his support, and if she had to guess, he was making a tactical stance.

“Tracking down your parents would have been virtually impossible from your end.” He glanced up as he pulled a file out of the drawer. “Not that I don’t have faith in your abilities. I’m glad you’ve managed to stay alive this far. That’s an impressive feat compared to what you’re up against.”

Edward sat in the chair and let out an audible sigh. “Lucky for both of us, I found the missing link and the information, or I would have never known about you either. They were good, but they underestimated me.”

“Who?” Landon asked.

“I’m getting to that,” Edward answered. “But first, I need to lay the foundation for you to appreciate the magnitude of what has happened.”

Landon nodded for him to continue.

“Alice Page, you were born Lucy St. Claire on December
twenty-sixth, 1986, in Charleston, West Virginia.”

A gasp left her lips.

Landon squeezed her shoulder and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“How old are you?” she asked, unsure if the man claiming to be her brother was older or younger.

“I’m your older brother by five years.” He grinned. “Exciting, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t use that word,” she mumbled and then gestured toward the file. “Please continue.”

“Here’s the hard part of the story.”

She nodded and braced herself for the inevitable. “I know I was stolen and sold. Is there something harder than that?”

He held her gaze, his look serious. “Yes. This will be harder than that.”

“Oh God,” she whispered. “Just tell me like you’re ripping off a Band-Aid. Don’t prolong it.”

“Strong too.” He grinned. “As you wish.” He stood and rounded the desk to sit in the chair that Landon hadn’t taken. “Like I said, we’re half siblings. My father, Edward Best Senior, the sleazebag that he is, cheated on my mother with your mother, Lucille St. Claire. They had an ongoing affair in which you were conceived. When Lucille found out she was pregnant, their relationship took a turn for the worse. She wanted him to leave my mother, and he refused, so being the strong woman that your mother was, she left him without any support or demands. She told him she was keeping you and he wasn’t going to be a part of your life.”

“Oh God,” she whispered, unsure she wanted to hear any more but knowing she’d regret it if she told him to stop.

“How do you know this?” Landon asked the question she was scared to ask.

“My mother,” Edward answered before turning his gaze back to Alice. “I’m getting to that.” He let out a shaky breath and grabbed the file on his desk. He pulled out a picture and handed it to her. “This is your mom.”

Alice’s eyes watered as she stared at her spitting image, a woman who looked only a few years older. She had the same cheekbones and the same unruly hair. She was beautiful. “Where is she now?”

“She died,” he answered flatly. “But I’m getting ahead of the story.” Edward cleared his throat. “Your mother stayed true to her word. She didn’t contact my father at all, and exactly two weeks after you were born, you were in the car with her when she was involved in a fatal car accident. You obviously survived, but she didn’t.”

“No one in her family went looking for me?”

“They didn’t know about you. It’s worse than that.” He reached for her hand and squeezed. “My father hired the hit man that blew her tire and killed her. The same hit man was told that, if you survived, he was to kill you as well.”

“But he didn’t,” she whispered. Her heart cracked into a million pieces.

“But he didn’t,” Edward agreed. “He brought you back to my dad and told him he wasn’t a baby killer, and said if he wanted it done, to do it himself. Dad was the one who sold you to your other family.”

“Oh my God.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Landon helped her to her feet. “Where’s the closest bathroom?”

“Across the hall,” Edward said.

Alice hurried with Landon’s help into the bathroom. She tried her best to hold her hair back as she leaned over the porcelain and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach.

Landon eased the hair out of her hands and held it for her while rubbing her back. “You’re strong, Alice. We’ll handle this just like we’ve handled everything else, baby. I’ll be with you every step of the way. I promise.”  

“My father sold me,” she said with all of the venom she could muster as she rose from the toilet. She flushed the toilet and moved to the sink. Cupping her hands under the water, she rinsed her mouth before splashing water on her face. “The fucking bastard killed my mother and sold me.”

Landon turned her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in the warmth and security his hold gave her. The fact that she needed it wasn’t lost on her. Just something else to throw into the mix of the fucked-up life she was living.

“I’m good,” she whispered into the fabric of his shirt.

“You sure?” he asked looking down on her. “I can take you out of here. We can leave. Hell, I’ll even go kick your father’s ass. All you have to do is say the word. Whatever you want.”

“I need to hear the rest.”

He gave a nod, opened the bathroom door, and guided her back into the study with his hand on her lower back. Edward was standing next to the desk with a bottled water in his hands and a tray full of crackers nearby. “There’s more, but that was the worst of it. I swear.”

She reclaimed her seat and took the water he offered. She took a long swig from the cold liquid hoping it might ease the burn in her heart and her throat.

Edward waited for her to catch her breath, grabbed the file again, and sat down next to her. “I have the newspaper clipping about your mom’s accident, if you’d like to see it.”

“Not yet,” she answered. “Tell me the rest first.”

“Well, you know the family that bought you, and that’s where your story ends and where mine begins.”

“Yours?”

“How I found you,” he answered. “My mother…” He started and then glanced up at Landon. “I’m sure you already did a background check.”

“I did.”

He nodded. “My mother wasn’t clueless about the affair. She knew about your mother and about you, but she never knew what happened to either of you. My dad told her that he’d broken things off and that she’d vanished with their child.”

“And she believed him?”

“No,” he answered. “My mother is the whole reason you’re sitting here today. Like I said, she knew about the affair, and about the baby, but wanted more answers than what my father was providing. So she did what she does best. She started searching for her own answers. Answers that would make sense. She wasn’t always a socialite. She used to be a reporter. She dug up the information on the car accident, and when she read that the woman died but there was no mention of the baby, she started researching what might have happened to you. It destroyed her that your mother died. She didn’t view her as competition but as a victim to my father’s corruption. That’s why she put all her effort into finding out where you were.