Page 27 of An Unexpected Home

She shrugged and shook her head side-to-side. “I’ve known Will for a long time. At least ten years. More actually, now that I think about it. I was in high school when my dad took his parents on as clients. Oh, God.” She put her hand to her chest. “My dad.” She closed her eyes and squeezed them tight so she wouldn’t cry. “This has to do with my dad doesn’t it.”

Brandon stood, walking around his desk and closing the door. Then he sat down right next to her. “Leah, look at me?” When she didn’t comply he took her hand. “Look at me,” he said again. She opened her eyes and turned her head towards his. Somehow, his touch calmed her.

“I don’t know what this guy was trying to accomplish by coming here and smashing a window. But I do know that he is M.I.A. and that to find him, I’m gonna need your help.”

She licked her lips and then rubbed them together. “I don’t know how I can help.”

“Just tell me everything you know or remember about him. Every piece of information could be something we could use.”

She started from the beginning. “His parents, Amanda and Wayne, became clients of my dad’s when I was in high school. My dad loved to have new clients over for dinner and show what a family man he was.” She scoffed and shook her head. “Will was their only child and he and I were just a year apart in age, so dad always pushed us together when the adults were talking. He was a nice enough guy.” She looked down and noticed that Brandon was still holding her hand.

“What about during the trial?”

She began to rub her thumb across his hand. “I don’t remember seeing him at all. I know I saw Wayne, and early on I saw Amanda, but she seemed to stop coming to the trial.”

He averted his eyes from hers and she could tell that he knew something. “What is it? What do you know?”

“During my background checks into Will, it showed that his mother was deceased.”

“What?” Shocked, she tried to pull her hand from his but he wouldn’t let go.

“She committed suicide,” he winced as he said it.

She hung her head and let the tears that she’d been holding in for days, maybe even weeks, fall. A nice woman, a mom and wife had taken her life and it was most likely because of her family. “I didn’t know,” she sobbed.

He stayed silent and just held her hand while she cried. She had always liked the Huntington family and Amanda had been a strong, independent woman. Nothing like her own mom. She had worked and taken care of her family. At the time, when Leah had found that out, she swore that was the type of mom she wanted to be. One who refused to let the husband do all the work and who contributed.

When her tears subsided, she lifted her head and saw that Brandon was holding a box of tissues for her. “Thank you,” she said, taking a few with her free hand.

“I’m sorry this is bringing everything back up again,” he said and she could see from his expression that he was.

“It’s never going to go away,” she sniffed. “I thought I could run from it but it follows me everywhere I go.”

“You didn’t run,” he told her. “You made a choice to try and make a new life for yourself. What Will is doing, that’s running.”

“I don’t know why he’d even come here or honestly, how he even found me. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”

“No one?” he asked. “Not even your mom?”

“No.” Then it hit her. “Although I did tell my landlord to forward my mail here.”

“We’ll start there,” he said. “I’m going to need all your information from New York and I will start digging.”

“There’s a cop,” she said. “in the city, who was really nice and helpful to me. He might be able to help you.”

He nodded. “In the meantime, I think you should make sure you have someone with you at all times. Don’t go out alone. Especially at night.”

“You think he’s dangerous?” That had her scared.

“I don’t know.” He finally let go of her hand and stood. “But I’m not willing to take that chance.”

If she hadn't been an emotional mess, his words would have made her swoon.

He handed her a pad of paper. “Write down anything you think I might need.” She began writing and when she was almost finished, a knock sounded on his door.

“Come in,” he said.

“There you are,” she heard Carly behind her. “I’ve been waiting for you at the deli. I even texted you.”

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