Safe Harbor (The Lake Trilogy, Book 3) (10 page)

I take a moment at the top of the stairs recalling the first time I made th
is trip. I scan the room and it’s like we never left. I remember being in awe of the wall of books that became a source of salvation for me. I glance at the couch and then at Will and we both smile remembering our day of nothing, the day that I knew what it felt like to be absolutely consumed with passion. My eyes lift to the wall of windows and I’m overwhelmed with anticipation for tomorrow, knowing that Will and I will be able to walk the familiar path down the flagstone to the dock and take our rightful places by the lake.

“You got quiet,” I say as I begin the same bed-making routine that we just finished.

“I’m just thinking. I’m sure you’re right about Erin. I guess…I just never factored in any of the other stuff. I didn’t think about how my mom’s family was going to feel. I was just so obsessed with coming home…getting back what should never have been taken away from us…giving you the life I’ve wanted to give you from the moment I knew you loved me as much as I loved you.” Will takes my hand and I sit on the side of the bed with him. “I may be a really crappy fiancé until all of this is settled. Please don’t think that I don’t want you or want to marry you or build our life together or…”

“I get it. You’re ridiculously in love with me and nothing, not even the complications involved with coming back from the dead, is going to keep us from being together,” I smile
, grateful that Will is aware and communicating with me about the possibility of me feeling shut out as he deals with everything in front of us. “I love you, too, Will. I know it’s going to be crazy and frustrating and scary until everything is out in the open, but we have been through and conquered worse.”

“Well…since we both agree that it’s going to be pretty crazy around here for a while, and
that I’m ridiculously in love with you,
and
our time together may be limited, I should probably go ahead and do this before it’s too late.” Will leans in and kisses my neck before I even have a chance to respond.

“Oh, wow, um…” I stutter
as my head hits the bed and Will’s body is pressed against mine. “Yeah, I think you’re right,” I say as Will continues to kiss the spot behind my ear that we both discovered drives me crazy. “Ah….I’m glad you’re feeling better. I was starting to worry about you.”

“Layla?” Will stops kissing me and I’m afraid this is it for the night. “Shut up.”

“Right. Shutting up now.” I smile and grab the back of Will’s head, crushing our lips together.

Will’s hand travel
s the length of my body and hitches my knee up to his waist. We can’t seem to get enough of each other. We both let ourselves go farther than we normally would have, but not so far that we compromise the boundary that we’ve abided by since day one. I think we’re both just so nervous about the days to come. There are confrontations, revelations, and unknowns out there. Our solace comes from each other and right now we need as much solace as we can get.

I’ve tried not to, but I’ve been thinking
a lot about the surveillance photos I found of the night my parents died. I replay the night I found them, flipping through each horrific picture in my mind, and remembering how painful it was to relive that night. After Luke and Claire found me in a huddled mess on the office floor Luke promised he would explain them when Gregory Meyer’s trial was over. Since there is no longer a Gregory Meyer trial, I’m hoping Luke will make good on his promise and tell me who took the pictures, and why Meyer had them.

Eliana is helping Claire unpack the kitchen boxes and Will is in the loft going over the statement he and Luke wrote. Luke said he can
just read it, but Will really wants to memorize it. He wants to look the press in the eyes when he tells them the truth. He said that a real man looks people in the eyes when he makes a confession.

W
ith everyone else occupied I find Luke in his and Claire’s bedroom. There’s a sitting area as part of the room that they’re making into their office area now that we’ve expanded our family. Wes is with him and they’re sorting through some file boxes.

“Hey, Dad,” I say.

“Hey, Layla. What’s up?” Luke looks at me long enough to smile and goes back to his files.

“I need to talk to you…about the surveillance photos.” I don’t even care that Wes is there. I learned a lot time ago not to worry about what I say in front of him since he
already knows everything, and if he doesn’t he’s a steel trap for information he gains.

“I’ll leave you two to talk.” We
s starts toward the door when Luke stops him.

“You need to stay, Wes. There are things only you can explain,” Luke says, putting the file in his hands back in the box.

“Where are the pictures?” I ask. “I want to see them.”

“No you don’t. That was the most horrific night of your life. Looking at them again is the last thing you need to do,” Luke says. He’s being stern, but the look in his eyes tells me that the idea of me reliving that night again pa
ins him as much as it pained me that night on the office floor.

“Are you going to tell me why those pictures were in with the Meyer evidence?”
My heart is racing and my breathing is on the shallow side. I’m not sure if I really want to know the answer or if I’m just being my stubborn self and demanding answers for the sake of being in the loop. Part of me is saying that I have a right to know, while the other part is telling me to move on. My parents are dead and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

“Are you sure you want to know? You know the answer to any question that involves Gregory Meyer is
never good.” Luke is stoic and fearful. “I won’t be able to undo this once you know.”

“I’m sure,” I say as I sit on the other side of Luke’s desk. Wes sits in the chair next to me and even though I’m about to hear something that I’m sure is going to change things forever, I feel warm and loved. Sitting with me are two of the three men I trust most in this world. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’m both physically and emotionally safe.

“Ok. Well…” Luke takes a deep breath which seems fitting since he’s about to dive into a pretty deep story. “A few years after Penny died Claire and I felt like we were ready to have another baby. I wasn’t as sure as Claire, but I knew that she wouldn’t be complete without another child, and I wanted to give that to her. But…our lives at the firm were busier than they ever had been. We threw ourselves into our work as a way to self-medicate the pain of losing Penny, and we became even more important to firm. I didn’t talk with Claire about it first, but I decided I would let Greg know that we were going to try for another baby, and that I felt it would better if we left Meyer, Fincher, and Marks. There were less demanding firms in Charlotte that would allow me to practice and still be there for Claire, who I knew would want to stay home with the baby this time.

“The day I decided to talk with Greg I walked into his office after two quick knocks as I frequently did. This particular day I walked in on him and a female client in a compromising position.
Flustered and embarrassed, I immediately left the room. After she put her top back on and left, I went back in to see Greg. I apologized for intruding and he waved his hand, dismissing the whole thing like it was no big deal. He asked what I needed so I told him about Claire and I wanting another baby and that I knew she would want to stay home. He was great about it. He was happy for us, really. I don’t think the idea of Claire leaving bothered him. He always erred on the side of chauvinism. Then I told him how I thought it would be better for our family if
I
left the firm for a less prominent one that would allow more time for me to spend with Claire and the baby. That’s when things started going downhill.”

“What do you mean? How could things go downhill because you wanted to leave, and what could it possibly have to do with my parents?” I’m already confused but I have a feeling my confusion is about to escalate.

“No one quits Meyer, Fincher, and Marks. You leave the firm because you’re dead or you’ve been dismissed. I knew this but thought that because of the reasons why I was leaving, and because I thought I had a different relationship with him, that Greg would understand. Greg told me I was too valuable to the firm and his particular secrets that he couldn’t risk me leaving. I stressed my position, assuring him I took attorney/client confidentiality very seriously and he had nothing to worry about. When he emphasized that there was no way in hell I was leaving and that he’d make sure I never practiced law in North Carolina or any states we have reciprocity with, I did something stupid.”

“What did you do?” I ask. My eyes are wide and
by the looks on their faces it must be clear to both Luke and Wes that I’m shocked that Luke would think he could ever do something stupid. Irresponsibility is not in his repertoire.

“I threatened him.”
I’ve never seen this look on Luke’s face before. He’s sad and embarrassed and angry all at once.

“How?” I ask softly.

“That day wasn’t the first time I caught him being
inappropriate
with a female client. I told him I was obligated to report him to the ethics board, but that I could overlook his indiscretions for an uncomplicated release from the firm as well as a stellar letter of recommendation. He complimented my style, took credit for the influence, and asked me to give him one month, reiterating my importance to the firm and the mess redistribution of cases can be. I thanked him, apologized for my brash behavior, and went back to work. Two weeks later your parents were dead.”

“I don’t understand.” My confusion has definitely reached a new level. “What does your job have to do with my parents’ death?”

“I wouldn’t have connected the dots either, but Greg never could stand to let his mastermind go unnoticed. When Claire and I returned from the funeral, I had a meeting with Greg. We were going to go over some current cases, and I was going to talk with him again about us leaving. I was even more determined to simplify our lives after I lost John and Elisabeth, and almost you. But Greg cut our meeting short before I could get to it, excusing me so he could make some calls. Before I left the room, though, he told me how sorry he was about my brother’s death and that perhaps next time I would believe him when he tells me that no one leaves the firm until he says they can. He wanted to make sure I understood the extent of his powerful reach.”

“Are you saying Gregory Meyer had my parents killed
just because you wanted to quit? How is that even possible? There was a torrential down pour that night! And we only went out because I begged my parents! A car hydroplaned into us! This doesn’t make any sense!” I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, trying to convince Luke that he’s wrong.

“
It wasn’t just because I wanted to leave. It was because I challenged him. I threatened him and he retaliated.” Luke leans back in his chair, sad and defeated. “This is where Wes comes in. He knows more about how Greg made things happen than I’ll ever understand.” Luke nods to Wes as if finally giving permission to tell me the secret they’ve both been keeping.

“Were you involved in this?” I ask fearfully.

“No! And no one you know was. When Greg wanted something done he found experts to do it. You couldn’t have just a little bit of experience with something for Greg to use you. You needed to be
the
go-to person for it. So, when he needed a car accident, he went to a former stunt man he had on the payroll,” Wes explains. His tone is soft and forthcoming. “The guy was apparently facing some pretty serious blackmail charges from some Hollywood royalty and Greg got everything dropped. A stunt man is the kind of guy you want around when you need to make something look like an accident.”

“How do you
arrange
a car accident?” I ask.

“Do you remember when I told you that Greg doesn’t do anything himself because he doesn’t have the patience to sit his ass in a car for hours and watch someone?” Wes asks. I nod immediately remembering that as one of the first conversations Wes and I ever had. “
Your house was bugged and your parents’ cars were tagged with GPS so Greg’s guys would know when and where you were going at all times. After the bugs and GPS were set, they guys just had to be patient. The storm that night was the perfect condition for a car accident, and when it was clear you were leaving your house, the guys moved. They knew where you were going and with the GPS knew exactly the route you’d take. Greg always had pictures taken in case he needed some leverage with an overconfident
henchman
.” Wes gives Luke a look, as Luke is the one who has referred to the men on Gregory Meyer’s secret payroll as henchmen.

“How do you know all this?” I ask Wes. If he wasn’t there, how could he possibly know all the details?

“We
henchmen
were a fraternity of sorts. We didn’t have anyone else to talk to. We were the only ones who knew what it was like to be controlled by Meyer that way. I had just been brought in and a few of the guys were showing me the ropes, giving me Gregory Meyer’s Ten Commandments. Well, one of the guys was giving me some 101 on how Greg likes things done. He started explaining the technical side to one of his last jobs…how he did the bugging and tagging and another guy drove the car.”