Trusting Laurence Read online

  Movement on the television in the corner caught his eye. Looking over, he froze as a familiar face popped up on the screen, but, with the sound muted, he couldn’t hear what was being said.

  “Hey Steve, turn the TV up a second?” he called out to the barman.

  As the man increased the volume, Larry heard the news presenter say, “And in other news, former Senator Marcus Forrester has been found guilty on multiple counts of aggravated assault and one count of attempted murder against his ex-wife, Tahlia O’Connor. The senator’s legal team had been quite confident of a dismissal but after the evidence concluded with the emotional testimony of Ms. O’Connor this morning, it seems it might have been premature. A clearly distressed Ms. O’Connor gave an account of numerous occasions Senator Forrester assaulted her over the years of their marriage. This unexpected outcome followed a short deliberation by the jury. Sentencing will take place later this this month. And now for a commercial break before we check out the weather.”

  As an ad came on, Larry sat back in his seat, staring unseeing at the screen. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  Time passed as he got lost in memories of a past that had haunted him for decades. A past he’d never thought would see the light of day. Who would have thought the day would come.? Lifting his glass in salute, he drained it. Cheers, sweetheart. I’m proud of you.

  1

  Three Years Later

  With a heavy sigh, Larry leaned back in his chair. Interlocking his fingers behind his head, he contemplated the papers scattered across his desk. Frustration bubbled beneath his skin like acid. Their investigation had run cold, and he was out of options.

  For months, they’d been following up leads and tip-offs, no matter how far-fetched or implausible. One just never knew what would yield results. But so far, nothing. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he blew out another breath. He reached out a hand to randomly grab a piece of paper from his desk in the hopes it would spark something. Anything. A flicker of an idea, no matter how small.

  The phone on his desk rang, catching him off guard. With a curse, he reached out a hand to answer.

  “Yeah?”

  “Sorry to disturb you, sir, but there’s a lady on the line for you. She’s reluctant to give her name but asked that I tell you she’s an old friend,” his secretary answered.

  “She say anything else?”

  “No, sir. That’s it.”

  “All right, put her through.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He heard the click as the call was transferred to him, and he answered, “Keon.”

  “Hello, Laurence.” The soft voice feathered over him like a whisper of the past.

  For a moment, Larry was incapable of answering. His grip around the phone tightened as he rocked back in his seat. Surely it couldn’t be. Could it? Taking a breath, unaware he’d been holding it, he asked, “Tahlia?”

  “Yes. It’s been a long time. How’ve you been, Laurence?”

  “I’ve been good, thanks. How’ve you been? I’ve wondered about you, but you disappeared after the court case.”

  “It’s been a difficult few years. After Marcus was convicted, I needed to get away. I needed somewhere safe I could put myself back together again.”

  “And did you? Put yourself back together again?”

  “I’m getting there. I’m a work in progress still.”

  “I’m glad to hear you’re doing better.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “What can I do you for you, Tahlia?”

  “Laurence, could we meet somewhere? I found something in a bank deposit box. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but I think you need to see it. You might know what to do with this.”

  “I– sure. Where and when?”

  “There’s a coffee shop around the corner from your offices. Can you meet me there? In, say, an hour?”

  Larry looked at his watch. “I’ve got a meeting scheduled in twenty minutes. Hang on a second while I see if I can reschedule.”

  “Okay, I’ll hold.”

  Putting her on hold, Larry dialed his secretary. “Mary-Beth, can you contact Finn and let him know something’s come up? I’ll have to reschedule for this afternoon. Tell him I’ll give him a call as soon as I’m back in the office.”

  “Will do, sir.”

  “Thank you,” he replied before switching back to the waiting call. “All sorted, Tahlia. I’ll meet you at the bakery around the corner in an hour.”

  “Thank you, Laurence. I’ll see you then. Goodbye.” With that, the line went dead in his ear.

  He put the phone back on the cradle and sat staring at it as if it might be a bomb about to detonate. The call had unsettled him, and he couldn’t say why. Maybe it was the specter of the past that had him so rattled. But he sure was curious to know what Tahlia wanted to show him.

  Putting thoughts of Tahlia and their history out of his mind, he went back to studying the papers strewn across his desk. There had to be something there they were missing. Lives depended on them figuring this case out. In all his years, first doing private work as a bodyguard and then, as a field agent, he’d seen the worst that humanity had to offer.

  When it came to human trafficking though, it really hit hard. While he knew his agents were more than capable of handling the case, he was called to be a part of it. The nightmare images still haunted him.

  He picked up a page and started reading through the evidence they’d gathered in the hopes he’d missed something. After forty minutes of fruitlessly searching, Larry threw the documents back on his desk. He was getting nowhere fast. He decided he’d head to the bakery around the corner early to clear his head while he waited for Tahlia to arrive.

  Lady Luck had smiled on Tahlia as she’d searched for a parking spot. A space three doors down from her destination opened, and she’d snapped it up. She’d intentionally arrived early, but in the end, she’d simply sat staring at the door of the bakery, unable to gather the courage to get out.

  The last time she’d seen Laurence was the day he’d come to say goodbye. The day hope had died within her. He’d been her lifeline, her sanity. When he’d left, he’d taken it all with him – hope, security, sanctuary, and she’d never found another reason to fight back.

  Shaking the thoughts from her head, Tahlia got out of the car. It would be impolite to make Laurence wait for her, and one thing she’d had beaten into her over the years of her marriage was that image was everything. As she hurried over to the door, she took a much-needed deep breath. She tightened the hand clasped around the straps of her purse and went inside.

  She spotted him almost immediately. Standing completely still, she soaked in the sight of the man who had captured her heart only to crush it to pieces the day he’d left her. Time had been kind to him. Sure, he was older and gray now, but he was still as handsome as the day she’d met him.

  He still made her heart beat faster. And despite the lines now visible around his eyes and mouth, as he looked up and caught sight of her, she discovered his smile could still make her knees weak.

  Tahlia watched as Laurence rose gracefully to his feet and held out a chair for her. Galvanized into action, she walked over to where he stood.

  “Laurence, it’s good to see you.”

  He gifted her with another devastating smile before replying, “It’s good to see you too, Tahlia.”

  She took a seat in the proffered chair, smoothing the skirt of her dress over her knees self-consciously. Watching him return to his own seat, her mind scrambled to find something to say. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt so awkward around him.

  After a long, uncomfortable moment of silence, Laurence cleared his throat. “Talk to me.”

  She tried hard not to squirm under his gaze as he waited for her to reply. Those eyes of his missed nothing. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she had no idea where to start. Finally, she replied, “After you left, things got worse. I always thought that he’d kill me one day.” She paused to gather herself. “Event
ually, he almost did. My sister found me and called a friend pretty high up in the police department to report it. She went to him to make sure something came of it, since she was done keeping quiet about everything. He made good on his word and, as they say, the rest is history.”

  “And after the court case? Where did you disappear to?”

  “Once again, I have my sister to thank for that. She knew of a network called Friends of Patty that help women like me to disappear—abused women. I guess a bit like witness protection. They help you get settled somewhere else under a new identity. You’re meant to cut all ties with your past.”

  “What made you decide to come back?”

  “Honestly? I got tired of hiding, always looking over my shoulder. I missed my family. Leaving parents and siblings behind is one thing. Cutting all ties and leaving your children behind? That’s a different thing altogether. When I heard Maddie was getting married, I couldn’t stay away anymore.”

  “Yeah, I heard Maddie’s getting married.” Shifting in his chair, Laurence leaned forward, his gaze searching. “So, what is it you think you have that has you looking me up, Lia? It’s been a lot of years since we last spoke.” He probably hadn’t intended to call her by the nickname he’d given her. It had slipped out.

  “Yes, I guess it has,” Tahlia replied, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Not saying anything more about their time spent apart, she reached into her purse and pulled out a sheaf of papers. She slid them across the table as she continued. “I was looking for something in my safety deposit box at the bank, and I came across these papers. I didn’t recognize them, so I read through them. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I don’t think it’s anything good. Why else would Marcus have put them in my box and not his own?”

  She watched as Laurence picked the papers up and shuffled through them. A couple of pages in, she saw his body stiffen. A frisson of alarm ran through her, leaving her hands cold.

  “What it is?”

  “Do you have any idea where these come from? What they are?”

  “No. I have absolutely no idea. As I said, I found them in my safety deposit box, so I can only assume Marcus would have put them there since he’s the only other person who had access to that box.”

  Tapping the papers lying on the table in front of him, Laurence said, “Thanks for these. I’ll look into it. Where can I reach you should I need to speak to you again?”

  Reaching into her purse once more, Tahlia drew out a little notebook and pen. She wrote her number on a page, tore it out, and handed it to him.

  “I’m staying in a rental suite for a while until I can find a place of my own. But you can reach me on my cell.” Silently debating for a moment, she eventually asked, “Do you have any idea what these might be? Do you think they’re important, since Marcus put them in my box?”

  Larry shook his head. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to go over them more thoroughly than the brief scan I gave them.”

  Tahlia studied him for a moment, not saying anything, as she tried to decide whether he was telling her the truth. His face gave no indication of what he was thinking, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  After long moments of awkward silence, Larry said, “I need to get back to the office, but it’s been good to see you again, Lia.”

  “You too, Laurence. Take care of yourself.”

  “Thanks. You too.”

  He got to his feet and rounded the table, on his way to the door. Stopping beside her chair, he hesitated a moment, and Tahlia could have sworn he wanted to say something to her. Instead, he touched a hand briefly to her shoulder before leaving without another word.

  2

  Larry stood on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop for a moment, gathering his thoughts. The papers in his hand made him twitchy. If they were what he thought they might be, things were about to get mighty interesting.

  With one last lingering glance at the woman he’d left inside, he headed back to the office.

  A million thoughts raced through his mind as he walked the short distance. He spared a quick glance at his watch. His meeting with his top agent on the trafficking task team was, it seemed, well timed. These papers could possibly be just the thing they needed to create a crack in this nightmare of a case.

  His secretary looked up as he strode into the office.

  “Special Agent Finn just rang. He’s in the office as soon as you’re ready, sir.”

  “Great. Let him know I’m back and send him in when he gets here. No calls, no interruptions when he gets here, please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Oh, and Mary-Beth, please ask Jackson to see what she can find on former Senator Marcus Forrester. Get her to put a file together for me, will you?”

  “Certainly, Mr. Keon. Right away.”

  He stepped into his office and closed the door behind him. Larry took a seat at his desk and laid the papers down before him. With a deep breath, he spread them out to take another look. The pages were covered in writing, detailing a sordid and deeply disturbing business, if his suspicions were correct.

  Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that not only would a break this significant simply fall in his lap, but who it was that was involved. Deep in the heart of it all, it seemed.

  He’d always known Marcus Forrester was a bastard. He just hadn’t known how much of one.

  A brief knock on the door drew him from his musings.

  “Yeah, come in.”

  The door opened, and Special Agent Kaden Finn stepped in.

  “Ah, Finn. Just the man I’m looking for. Come on in.”

  “Afternoon, sir.”

  “How’s it going? Your lead yield anything this morning?”

  “No luck, sir. We struck out again. It was another dead end. The building was empty. Doesn’t seem like anyone’s been there in a while.”

  “Damn. I had hoped we’d catch a break this time. Although,” — he handed the sheaf of papers to Finn — “this landed in my lap today. Have a look and see what you make of it.”

  Finn accepted them, taking a seat in one of the chairs facing the desk. Larry watched as he read the notes. He smiled grimly when he saw the moment the penny dropped for the other man.

  “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Depends. What do you think it is?”

  “It looks to me like financial records of payments received for sales transactions, and if I don’t miss my guess, the commodity looks to be of the human kind.”

  “Yeah, then I guess it’s what you think it is. That’s certainly what it looks like to me. And pretty detailed at that, too.”

  “If I may, sir, where did you get these?”

  Larry laughed. “That’s where it gets interesting. I got a call from former Senator Marcus Forrester’s ex-wife this morning. That’s why I had to postpone our meeting. She was looking for something in her safety deposit box and came across those. Since she and her ex-husband are the only two with access to the box, and she swears they aren’t hers, I can only surmise they belong to the senator.”

  “Well damn. I never saw that one coming.”

  “I didn’t either. But, knowing the bastard, it doesn’t surprise me. I guess I’m going to have to pay the man a visit. Let’s see what we can shake loose from that tree.”

  “Need me to accompany you, sir?”

  “Sure. I think an extra set of eyes and ears would be good. See what we can get out of him, if anything. I’m not holding out too much hope though. The man is a nasty piece of work.”

  “So noted.”

  “Get me up to speed on where we’re at right now.”

  They spent the next half hour talking over the case before Larry finally said, “Right, let’s keep working this thing. It’s gotta break some time.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll keep you posted.”

  No sooner had Finn left than there was another knock on the door.

  “Yeah, come in.”

  Mary-Beth entered the room w
ith a folder in her hand.

  “Jackon’s pulled a preliminary file together for you, Mr. Keon. She’s still searching, but thought you might want what she’s already gathered.”

  “Thanks, Mary-Beth. Appreciate it.”

  Handing him the file, she smiled before leaving the office.

  Sitting back in his chair, Larry contemplated the closed folder. He wondered what he would learn about the man he hated with everything in him. The man who’d had everything Larry had wanted but couldn’t have. The bastard who’d never appreciated what he’d had.

  Tahlia eyed her phone with trepidation. Rubbing her hand down her thigh for the umpteenth time, she tried to work up the courage to pick it up from the table where it lay.

  She’d been trying to scrape that courage together for the past half hour, a litany of reasons why calling her daughter wasn’t a good idea playing on a loop in her head. Maddie had been the sole reason she’d come out of hiding. She missed her terribly and had lost so much time in her child’s life over the past few years she’d been living under the radar.

  But she was done hiding. She wanted her life back, and she especially wanted her sweet daughter back in her life. When she’d heard that Maddie was getting married, Tahlia had cried for hours, grieving the time she’d missed out on. Her little girl had met the love of her life, and she hadn’t been there. No more!

  Marcus had almost killed Tahlia, more than once. He’d taken years from her. But she’d be damned if he took any more from her. Tahlia had every intention of being a part of Maddie’s life and wedding, if she could just find it in her to make the call. If she was willing to let Thalia back into her life.

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reached out to pick up the phone. Scrolling through the numbers now listed in her contacts, Tahlia quickly found the one she was looking for. Pressing the green phone icon, she waited for the call to connect. Just as the line rang in her ear, she lost her nerve and hung up.