Neil, Louisa - One Queen with Two Kings (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (4 page)

If only her mother had been alive to see her today. She would have been so proud. Alistair dismissed the idea immediately. If Dorthea had still been alive, this probably never would have happened. She would have seen through Lloyd Jenkins. It unnerved him to realize he hadn’t, and suddenly he felt old. Patrick Norden moved beside him, a second glass in his hand offered to Alistair.

He nodded and accepted the glass. “We’re both getting old, my friend. I should have seen through Lloyd Jenkins. I should have known better.”

“For two years all Marie has said to me is that she felt Dexter was still alive, in her heart she felt he hadn’t died. I’m ashamed to say I stopped listening to her. I owe her an apology for this one. Even if the boys are gone, she knew something wasn’t right.”

“Diamonds might work.” A female voice joined them from behind. “Although I’d much rather have my son home safe.” Marie Norden moved between the men, taking the glass from her husband’s hand, drinking the remains before handing it back to him. “I want you both to know, whatever happens, yes, you both are getting old, and, yes, Patrick, you should have listened to me when I said something wasn’t right. But you both also need to know whatever happens, I’ll be fine. We all will. Because we’ll finally know what really happened. As to your apology, Patrick, we’ll discuss it later, at home in private.”

“You’re a wonderful woman, Marie Norden. I love you.”

“I love you too, and tonight you’ll show me. Now, where did Thea get to? I want a word with her.”

“She was going to change,” Alistair said.
“
She’ll be right back. We’ll all head back to my house in an hour or so. My assistant, Michelle, is going to meet us there with all the files and information we have on the crash. We’ll figure out where to look, don’t you worry.”

“I’m not. I’m going to trust the two of you one more time
,
and you better not let me down, or else.”

Both men answered in unison, “Yes, dear!” Their laughter was a foreign memory to them all. Alistair felt good to be with friends and family, celebrating Thea’s second chance and entertaining the notion the men might have survived the crash.

Thea kicked off her shoes as soon as she entered the dressing room. She tugged the bolero
-
style jacket from her shoulders, laughing out loud when she saw Lucas’s chocolate handprint on the back. A noise behind her brought her back to reality as Lloyd moved in front of the privacy screen. Panic welled up in her throat. The man standing before her was dangerous. His eyes were hooded, and he’d been drinking
,
and that with his vengeful side wasn’t a good combination.

“I thought we had you escorted from the premises?” she asked him, taking the defensive.

“I waited years for you, Thea,” he slurred. “The first three working at the company, watching every move you and Dexter made. The next two were the longest, waiting for you to acknowledge me after Dexter’s plane crash. I’m going to take what’s mine before I disappear. Your family might have won this round, but it won’t matter. I’ll have had you
,
and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that. Even if you get your precious Dexter back, even if you never tell a soul, inside you’ll know I had you
,
and you won’t be able to touch him without thinking of me.”

He lunged toward her, and she managed to sidestep him. Unfortunately, it left her on the wrong side of the room
,
with Lloyd between her and the door. She glanced at the window and knew he’d get there first.

“All right, Lloyd,” she said, speaking softly, trying to buy time to figure out how to get away from him. In the back of her mind
,
she hoped somebody would realize how long she’d been gone and come searching for her. “Tell me this, before you have me.”

His glassy eyes reminded her of the mounted heads she’d seen as plaques on the walls of hunting lodges. Bears and deer, bison and elk, they all had that black, beady stare. The same stare that was undressing her right now.

“It doesn’t have to be forceful, Lloyd. I did wonder what you might be like.” Her words sickened her, but it was her only card to play. “And you were very kind, even generous to wait until we were married before consummating our relationship. That must have taken quite a lot of control.” Thea kept his gaze and continued talking quietly and calmly. “We could find someplace private.” Her only hope was to stall Lloyd as long as possible.

Alex moved quickly through the party, spotting his father at the far side of the room. “Where’s Thea?”

“Getting changed. What’s wrong?”

“Jenkins. He slipped out a back door when he was escorted home.”

Both men moved quickly, Alex not bothering to stop when he collided with a guest. Instead, he bolted for the club’s private area. He came to the dressing room door in time to hear a loud scream and then a thud. He pushed open the door just in time to see his sister shake her fist several times as Lloyd Jenkins groaned on the floor at her feet. The shoulder of her dress was torn
,
and he could see a red handprint on her arm. He surveyed the situation and stepped over the man on floor.

“Didn’t I teach you anything, Thea? Always keep your hand closed, your fingers tight.” She burst out laughing and threw her arms around him. “It’s all going to be okay. Did he hurt you?”

“No. He would have, though, and he would have enjoyed it, Alex. He told me he’d rape me so that I’d be forced to think of him when any man touched me, ever.”

He tightened his hold on her. He could feel a chill run through her body. “Not anymore. You’re safe now.”

“Alex, how did you know?”

“The security man I sent with him lost him about half an hour ago.”

“Alex, I figure you deserve one clean shot at Lloyd too for all the damage he’
s
caused over the last two years
,
along with his plans for your premature death in an accident to be determined later.”

“I should, but I’ll let the law take control. We’ll have him held on assault and attempted rape charges until we figure out about the boys. And his behavior calls for a restraining order to keep him away from all of us.”

“Thea?” Alistair’s voice boomed into the room.

“I’m all right, Dad. Alex’s boxing lessons came in handy. So did my knee!”

The men waited while Lloyd was collected from the floor of the room
,
then closed the door and waited while Thea changed clothes behind the screen. Appearing in jeans and a white sweater with canvas shoes, she looked young and alive for the first time in years.

“How soon can I get a flight to the Pacific?” Thea asked as she brushed out her hair, undoing the fancy style meant for the wedding.

“We’re all heading back to Dad’s. Plans are being worked out.”

“Can we please bring Grace and Lucas with us?” Thea gave him her best pouty grin.

“Of course, I’ve already told her to get her things together,” Alex told her.

“Thank you for today, both of you. It must have been very hard to understand my motives these last months.”

“Come on, let’s go home and figure out where to look for you
r
husband.”

Thea hugged her father. “I’m for that, and luckily enough, I’m already packed!”

All three of them had a good laugh as they headed toward the waiting vehicle. Grace was standing there too, Lucas asleep in her arms. Alex stepped forward to take the sleeping bundle from her. Alex hoped the look of longing on his face went unnoticed by Thea or Grace. He would have to be more careful, he reprimanded himself silently. Just because he had a crush on Grace didn’t mean she had feeling for him
,
and he didn’t want to put her in an awkward position.

The Wainwright house was old and drafty, and Thea thought it was the most wonderful home she’d ever spent time in. Wide stairways and large arched doorways melded with the Art Deco style of the structure. Beyond being familiar as her childhood home, it was always a place of security and laughter. Waiting in the dining room when they arrived was Michelle Dickenson, her father’s assistant. She had the table covered with folders and reports. They were chronologically arranged, and coffee and sandwiches were waiting on the sideboard.

The family lawyer had met them there and was on the telephone with the district
a
ttorney debating Lloyd’s house arrest and what he could be charged with in regard to attacking Thea. They agreed until the accountants had gone over the books and the correct crash site could be located, it was best to hold back on having him booked. Under the circumstances, it was agreed house arrest with lots of guards was their best solution. Lloyd had agreed to the situation not wanting to end up in the county lockup on attempted rape charges for the weekend.

Grace took Lucas up to the nursery for his nap while the others settled around the table and tried to figure out where to start. Alistair and Alex started at the beginning, reading each report then handing it to the next person. Ties were loosened and suit jackets hung on the backs of chairs. Marie sat quietly beside Patrick at the table
,
fingering her gold necklace while listening to the discussions
.
It held a photograph of Dexter
,
and she rarely took it off. Thea smiled to her and decided to take a different approach. With Michelle’s help, they pulled out the large paper maps and propped them against two chairs pushed together for better visibility. For a long time Thea stood before them, wondering where her beloved Dexter was and if he had survived the crash.

If he and Russell had survived, she couldn’t have thought of any better companion for either of them. They had been friends all th
r
ough school, and she knew they would go to extreme measures to protect the other. In the past it had been a joke, but now she hoped it had turned into a reality. Marie moved beside her, studying the map.

“I know it’s strange, but no matter what happens, I feel better already. For any mother, knowing the truth is better than the unknown, which breeds angst. It is terrible for any mother to feel this way, but it is accurate. Dexter is my only child, but dead or alive, we’ll all have an answer and be forced to move ahead. Grace knows what I mean. When her husband was overseas, every day she worried. While the outcome was not what she would have chosen, at least she had closure and had to move forward.”

“I’m mixed with relief and hate right about now. I don’t understand how Lloyd could have left them there. What kind of man could put on such a show, and what’s worse, how didn’t I see through it?”

“None of us did, Thea. We were all emotional and in shock. We believed what we were told.”

“I know, but after a while I should have become more involved. I should have been more involved in the search instead of letting my emotions crumble me. I let other people do all the work and accepted their answers without questions.”

Thea dropped her arm around Marie’s shoulder holding on tight.

There had been a few arguments about where to search and who should go. The problem was where to go. Any place they chose would be random at that point. With Lloyd’s agreement, he was sequestered back at his apartment with several private security men keeping him company. He’d refused to talk to any of them and called in his lawyer. Apparently, he, too, had decided to stay sequestered with Lloyd to make sure no unsavory tactics were used to acquire the information.

Lloyd’s lawyer had been in contact with the
d
istrict
a
ttorney and agreed to the house arrest at this time. Since Lloyd hadn’t been charged yet, it was the best Thea could hope for. She understood Lloyd would do almost anything to stay out of jail. To her thinking, this agreement bought him time to think up a new plan to weasel out of the charges about to be dealt him.