“Would you have even told me about this if you didn’t need my signature?”
“More than likely, no, darling. I wouldn’t want you to be implicated.”
“But you are willing to risk that when you need me.”
“This is for your own good, Landry,” she says, sounding angry for the first time.
“This is for your own good Mom,” I hiss, snatching the papers and going through them. I move them when our food comes out, staring at the steaming plate of fettuccine Alfredo I ordered that I’m no longer hungry for.
“I’m doing this for us, for your future.”
“You are married to a freaking billionaire, Mom. Why wouldn’t you just ask him?”
“Nothing lasts. You should keep that in mind. I’d rather be prepared and know that I’ll be comfortable on my own, if it comes to that.”
“So, you want me to help you steal from him?”
“It’s not stealing if it’s legally mine,” she says with a smile.
“You didn’t sign a prenup or anything?” I have a hard time believing that a successful man like Chester Montgomery would sign away his life without any contingency plan.
“That’s the funny thing about love, Landry. It makes people do stupid things.”
I watch Mom calmly cut her small filet steak. She ordered it rare, and the bloody juice seeps from it—the metaphor only too real in this instance. She’s a shark, circling the Montgomery waters, and now, she’s found her way to strike. I thought I knew my mom, but how can you really know someone who you haven’t been close to in a while? People hide their true selves, painting their faces into what they want you to believe about them while any manner of horrible lurks beneath.
I feel sick to my stomach. I’m not a thief, and I wouldn’t have taken my mom for one either. But I guess the things that happen in the past actually do shape your future. She felt scared and alone after her divorces, and now, she’s taking measures to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Illegal measures though. And ones I don’t want to be a part of.
I wish she had never brought me to this stupid restaurant.
“I can’t make a decision right now …” I trail off as I stare down at my food.
The waiter comes back and asks if anything is wrong, and I ask him for a to-go box. I meet my mother’s frown with one of my own.
“Landry, it’s simple really. I’ll take care of everything. I only need a signature. This is for both of us. So, it’s only right that you play a small part.”
This isn’t right, and as much as I want to make my mom happy, this is too much for me. I’m not a shady person. I don’t sneak around, steal from billionaires, and hide it. I can’t have that on my conscience, and I’m suddenly angry with my mom for asking that of me.
“No, it’s not simple.” I keep my voice down, but I’m gritting my teeth in an effort not to raise it. “What you are doing isn’t right; it’s not legal. I love you, Mom, but I don’t want to be a part of this.”
I stand quickly, my chair making a loud noise as it scoots back in the restaurant. A few people glance our way, but I don’t pay them any attention. I grab my food and dart out the door, chest heaving. I can feel a heated flush working its way up my neck, and I put a hand to my cheek. It’s hot, and I can only imagine the mess I look right now.
The door swings shut behind me as my mind swirls with confusion, fury, and then confusion again, only to be interrupted by an unwelcome voice.
“Look who we have here.”
I look up at the sharp words, seeing Corbin hanging out the back window of Brock’s vehicle. Something tells me it’s not a coincidence that they are here.
19
Corbin
The guys were thrilled when I came back with Landry’s phone. But that elation quickly turned to irritation and tension when we couldn’t even get into it. None of us know how to break into a phone with a passcode, so we had to wait until Brock got it to his tech guy. Two days later, we had our answer. There was nothing on it that pointed to Landry doing any shady shit.
“This can’t be right,” Brock groans, holding the unlocked phone and going through every single crevice of it. “She has to have something on here.”
“Maybe she isn’t involved,” I speak up.
He turns frustrated eyes my way. He narrows them on me, but I don’t shift or act like I’m even bothered by his mood.
“That’s just your dick talking,” Bodhi says, another damn bag of grapes sitting in his lap. He’s going to turn into one with as much as he eats. “Oh my God,” he says, startling us.
“What?”
“I haven’t even asked how the sex was. Sorry, man. My friend card should be revoked with such an oversight,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows.
I roll my eyes and ignore him.
“Come on. We need the details. I tell you mine.”
“We don’t ask,” Brock says, not looking up.
“I’m just that fucking good of a brother and friend to tell you without you having to ask. Especially you, bro. I know the only reason you have been such a dickbag lately is because you aren’t getting any.”
At that, Brock’s head shoots up, pinning Bodhi with a look. The silence stretches for a moment before Bodhi jumps to conclusions.
“You are getting some. Well, I’ll be damned. Way to keep secrets. Who’s the girl?”
“I’m not, and there isn’t a girl,” Brock mutters. He’s lying, and we all know it, but when he wants to tell us, he will. “Shit, another text.”
Landry’s mom has been texting her off and on the last few days. We know she’s coming today to pick Landry up and take her for an early dinner. She hasn’t said the location yet, but we are planning to follow when she gets here.
“Looks like she’s arrived, boys. Game time.” Brock looks up with a grin, and I sigh.
I don’t know why they won’t drop it. She can’t be involved. Brock’s guy hasn’t found anything else incriminating on Landry, but I guess getting Linda is the highest priority. Brock was hoping to use Landry in his favor.
We walk out in time to see Linda turning around, close to the boys’ dorm. There’s something off about this whole thing, but I smile when I see Landry’s middle finger shoot up at us.
“Come on, fucker,” Bodhi says.
I look over my shoulder to see them already in the car. I’m standing out on the sidewalk like an idiot.
“What’s the plan?” I ask, climbing in the back. I lean against the door, propping my legs up on the seat and crossing them.
“Don’t have one. Let’s see where the day takes us,” Brock says.
I raise my eyebrows. “Brock Montgomery without a plan?” I say in a shocked, falsetto voice, putting a hand to my chest. “How scandalous.”
He doesn’t respond, but Bodhi chuckles in the front seat. I’m feeling a lot better about things after we didn’t find anything incriminating on Landry’s phone. Silence descends over the inside of the vehicle, and I let my thoughts drift, thinking about when I want to visit Abe this week.