Page 3 of Freed
~Two~
ROMAN
It felt so good to sleep so restfully. I had to thank Lanie for that. Having her close to me in my bed had been a long time coming. I promised to only hold her, but the truth was, I wanted nothing more than to bury myself deep inside her, consuming every inch of her warmth.
Lanie’s head was resting comfortably on my chest, and even though my arm was falling asleep, I didn’t want to move it. If time could stand still, I would never want to lose this moment.
Picking up my cell from the nightstand, with my free hand, I took a look at my emails to see if there was anything important that I needed to address. There were several emails from Rita, which was normal, and an abundance of junk mail. As I scrolled further down, an unexpected email appeared. Opening the email from Brian, I read the message. Brian had acquired a new client and scheduled a meeting that required my presence. That was only the first part of the message.Business as usual. It was what came after that had my anger rumbling to the point of boiling over. How the hell could he have the audacity to invite me to dinner and ask me to bring Lanie with me? Just then, I remembered that he had no idea that I knew about his involvement in taking Lanie and his relationship with Winston Nelson.
Maybe it was time to head back to Portland. Certainly Martin, Neal, and I could keep Lanie safe. The more I thought about it, the more I realized Brian would be an easy target since he didn’t know I had been in New York. It would give me the opportunity to get him alone, and with a little persuasion, maybe I would get the information I needed.
When my phone began to buzz, I knew that I had to move if I didn’t want to wake Lanie. It was early, much too early for Martin to be calling. I carefully slid my arm from beneath Lanie’s head and moved away from her. Lanie’s body stirred, but only enough to adjust her position before finding her resting spot.
I grabbed a t-shirt from my drawer and headed out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind me. Swiping the phone icon, I answered Martin’s call. “Do you know how early it is?”
“I do, but this is important.” Martin hesitated for a moment, and I could hear him take a deep breath. “Brian is Winston’s son. His real name is Benjamin Lee Nelson.”
I stopped mid-step, unable to digest what Martin just spilled. “Are you shitting me?”
“No. At least now we know why Brian was at the Ritz. There’s something else.”
“What is it?”
“Brian dated Neal’s daughter, Ella. Neal found a picture of them together online at some charity event that you two attended. I’m sending it over now.”
As I waited for Martin to text me the picture, I continued my path to the main floor. I stared at my phone, waiting for the notification that his text had arrived. When my phone pinged, I opened up the app and looked at the picture. It was Trish, Brian’s girlfriend, only younger. It didn’t make sense. Brian and Trish were just together less than four months ago, and I had lunch with Brian and her less than six months ago.
Focusing on the text, I forgot that Martin was still hanging on the other line. “Martin, something doesn’t fit. It’s the same girl, but Brian’s girlfriend's name is Trish, and I spoke to her less than six months ago. Explain to me how a dead woman can come to life?”
“That does raise some questions. Maybe we need to have another conversation with Neal on the matter.”
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Staring at Brian and Trish’s picture, I still had a hard time believing that Neal would have lied about his daughter Ella. There was no reason for him to, unless he was hiding something.But what?
After telling Martin of my plans to return to Portland with Lanie, we put our heads together to come up with a plan that would keep her safe. Until we figured out what Neal’s intentions were, we decided to keep him out of the plan.
Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I turned to find that Lanie was standing in the doorway. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes revealed that she was still trying to wake up. I watched her step over to the counter and take a seat. Her eyes fell to my cell phone, which displayed the picture of Brian and Trish that I forgot to close. There was something in the way she looked at the picture that confirmed my worst nightmare. Something happened to her.
Taking a seat next to her, I took my cell from her hand and replaced it with a cup of coffee. Lanie’s head was still lowered, but when her eyes met mine, her emotions unleashed. Tears fell, and as she tried to wipe them away, my heart sank further and further, wanting nothing more than to take away her pain.
“It’s okay, Lanie.” I tried to comfort her by wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.
“I’m so sorry. I should have told you. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Told me what, Lanie?” I wasn’t sure why I asked, especially since I was pretty sure about what she had been holding back.
Lanie gripped the coffee cup, and I thought for sure she was going to crush it. When I placed my hand on her arm, she lifted her head and stared at the wall in front of her. Her hands released the cup when she began to speak. “Brain was there when I was taken. I didn’t want to say anything because he is your partner.”
“Was, Lanie.” When Lanie looked over at me, I realized I should have let her know about Brian being at the hotel. I didn’t think it was relevant at the time, but now she needed to know. “I know about Brian and his relationship with Winston. He was at the hotel when we rescued you. There’s something else you need to know. Neal did a little digging and found out that Brian is Winston’s son. His real name is Benjamin.”
“I don’t care what his name is. He is a monster, just like his father.”
Lanie rose from her chair, and before I could grab her, she left the kitchen. She was quick. I was just about to go after her, but stopped and thought for a moment. She had been through a lot, and maybe she needed this time alone to gather herself before I asked her what she meant.
Downing the rest of my coffee, I grabbed my cell and headed to my study. Some arrangements needed to be made if I was going to keep Lanie safe.
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