Troubled Waters (The Lake Trilogy, Book 2) (20 page)

“After a while Marcus refused to play my mother’s games, so she enlisted me. Layla, I was sixteen and didn’t know how to refuse my mother,” she begins. “I spent that summer at the Green, every Saturday night, working to get Will’s attention. Eventually I did. At first it was just part of the plan. We hung out, I flirted, Will responded. But…we started dating and I started to
really
like him. He wasn’t anything like his father. He was kind and genuine.”

“What was the plan exactly?” I’m doing everything I can right now not to leap across the coffee table and have an all-out catfight with this girl. She toyed with Will’s feelings and for that I want to slap her right across the face.

“I was supposed to get Will to fall for me while my dad found a way into the law firm. It was all about inserting ourselves into the Meyer’s lives so that Mr. Meyer would have to be reminded of what he did every day.”

“How
did
your dad get hired into the firm? Gregory Meyer is obsessive about an in depth background check on anyone he shares more than two words with.” I say condescendingly. It seems obvious to me that no one works for that man without a thorough background check, so how could her father even get past the application process? Mr. Meyer would know who he was and there’s no way he would bring him on.

“Not everyone at Meyer, Fincher and Marks is as loyal to him as he’d like to think,” she replies. “My dad passed the North Carolina Bar but was coming in as a paralegal. He’s had some trouble moving up in his career. He’s got a bit of a…gambling problem. He knew Meyer wouldn’t handle the application or interview process for that, so my dad got through the interview and then paid an old college buddy at the firm $500 to clear the background check. No red flags meant that Mr. Meyer wouldn’t even know he was there until long after Dad had his desk all set up.” Wow. Looks like Mr. Meyer and Mr. Reynolds are cut from the same cloth.
Get whatever you want at whatever the cost.

“Ok. Let’s get back to how you stabbed Will in the back,” I say. Claire gives me a disapproving look for my lack of grace but since I’m not in a forgiving mood right now I don’t back down.

“I deserve that. I know I hurt Will. I didn’t want to hurt him. I really did care about him, Layla. Under any other circumstances I think we could have been good together. But…Will and I weren’t meant to be. He would never have found you if I had stuck around. You were so good for him,” Holly says smiling genuinely. “Marcus told me how you and Will defied his father so you could be together. I’m glad you had the time with him that you did.”

“So the plan was to get Will’s father to pay your family off to leave town and to leave Will alone?” I can’t reply to her statements about Will and me. She knows she hurt him and let him effectively die without knowing the truth. I momentarily ponder the idea of telling him what a conniving witch Holly really is, but quickly come to the determination that it would change nothing. He’s never going to see her again, and I’d rather him live the rest of his life under the assumption that Holly’s intentions were always pure.

“It wasn’t necessarily to pay us to
leave
, but for my mother to squeeze more money out of him. Considering how much Mr. Meyer paid them, my parents were fine with the stipulation that we move. I think Mr. Meyer would be surprised to know that my mother was better suited for him than he realized. She would have spent the rest of her life as the woman he wanted her to be. I love my mother, but she’s not a good person. As soon as I graduated I was out the door. I had a job and an apartment close to campus and have been moving on with my life. My parents are still in Charlotte, but I haven’t spoken to them since I left home.”

“So Marcus is broken and you think I can fix him?” I’m full of questions but can only manage to digest one answer at a time.

“No. Marcus had always been satisfied with his life. He never wanted anything that the Meyers had. But when you came along and chose Will, well…”

“So this is my fault?” I bellow in interruption. “You have got to be kidding me right now.” I can feel my face getting hot. I can’t believe she’s actually insinuating that I sent Marcus over the edge by choosing Will over him. He wasn’t even a choice!

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m sorry. I’m not being clear.” I give Holly a moment to think and choose her words a little more carefully as she presses on. I’m also giving myself time to calm down. “Marcus could handle you choosing Will. What I’m saying is that each of these things separately – my mother’s conniving, Mr. Meyer’s repeated rejection, Will’s acceptance by his father, you choosing Will – they’re all manageable to different extents. But if you roll them all into one, it was just too much for Marcus to take.” I take a deep breath and digest her words. I can understand what she’s saying. Each of the things I’ve experienced in my life – Mom and Dad’s death, life with Gram and Gramps, losing Will – had they not all piled one on top of the other, my life may have been very different.

“Will didn’t have anything more than Marcus. His father didn’t love him. He was a game piece in building the Meyer
empire. Marcus and Will wanted the same thing: a father who loved and accepted them. If Marcus could understand that, he’d know that Will’s life wasn’t perfect,” I say softening my tone. I feel bad that I laid into her like that. I won’t apologize, but I’ll move forward in the conversation a bit more gently.

“He knows Will’s life wasn’t perfect. But a father, one who acknowledged him as his son, hugs and kisses aside, would have been better than what my father offered him.” Holly sighs matter-of-factly. “Listen Layla, I’ve been through enough therapy over the last year to understand just how jacked up my family is. Marcus has been starving for love his whole life. My mother has spent her life so focused on this vendetta that she missed out on what an amazing person Marcus became, despite her. And my father was so blinded by his own selfishness that he lost out on the gift of having a son.

“Then you came along and the real light inside Marcus came on. He called me the day you met and told me he had just met the girl who was going to change his life. I could always tell when Marcus had seen or talked to you; he was happier, lighter. And from what I understand from your aunt, you did that for Will, for everyone. Don’t you see, Layla. You’re the redeeming factor. You brought love and hope to Will’s life. Marcus wants that, too.”

“Let me get this straight. I fell in love with Will and
changed his life
, and now, because I did that for Will, I’m responsible for changing Marcus’ life, too? I told him that I’m trying to move on and that I don’t care for him like he cares for me. I would have been happy to be a part of Marcus’ life if he hadn’t gone all Fatal Attraction on me.”
So much for proceeding gently.

“No, Layla. No one expects you to be responsible for Marcus. When Holly told me everything, it helped put things in perspective. Marcus really has lost his connection with reality. He’s been rejected his whole life, and the one thing he’s fixated on as the solution to his heartache isn’t coming to him,” Claire offers in her usual calming manner. She
’s leaning forward, trying to add emphasis to her words.

“I want to help Marcus. Despite everything, I still care about him as my friend.” I say in a softer tone than my last comment. “Does he know you’re here?” I ask Holly.

“No. He didn’t know I was coming. I knew I needed to get here as fast as I could when my father discovered two of his guns were missing. The last time I saw Marcus he said that sometimes in order to get what we want, we have to resort to drastic measures. I didn’t really have a plan. I just thought I would find you when I got here and figure it out from there. I was afraid if I tried to contact you ahead of time that you wouldn’t want to see me. I really just want to help, Layla,” Holly pleads.

“We appreciate that, Holly. Thank you for everything,” Claire says before I can ask any more questions.

The room is silent for a few long moments while I think about everything Holly’s just told me. I know there’s an answer here somewhere. And while I run through the beginning of just a few plans, I keep going back to what I said earlier. “Let me talk to him,” I say.

“No. That’s not happening,” Luke replies instantaneously, his eyes fixed on mine, driving his directive home. He and Furtick have been silent this whole time. I can’t imagine what they’re thinking.

“How else are we supposed to get to him? No offense, Holly, but you really think you’re going to get him to back off? Let’s be real here. If you could have kept him in Charlotte, you would have, right?” Holly nods, seemingly put off by my approach. “If anyone is going to have any impact on the situation with Marcus, it’s going to be me. Look at what I was able to get from him today. Let me meet with him again.”

“I said no, Layla. Today was it. Now that we know more from Holly there’s no way I’m letting you near him. He’s having a mental breakdown and there’s no telling what he’ll do. We’ll figure out how to get him out of town and have him followed for the rest of his life if we have to. Having you sit face to face with Marcus is more than a last resort. Do you understand me?” Luke’s tone is strong and a little frightening. I’m trying to put myself in his shoes. Knowing how freaked out I was earlier today I can’t blame him for being as protective as he is, but it just doesn’t seem fair. Everyone else was allowed to risk so much for Will and me to be together. Why won’t they let me do the same?

“So we’re just supposed to spend the rest of our lives navigating through the fields of
how do we protect Layla this time?
”

“I said no, and that’s final. Do you understand?” Luke’s eyes are burning with rage and I can see that now, more than ever, he is not going to back down.

“I understand what you’re saying,” I say. The wheels in my head are still turning though. I’ve got to figure this out.

“Well, now that we’re all on the same page, let’s take a breather. There’s a lot here to digest. I’ll make us something to eat and we can take some time to think about how we can best help Marcus.” Claire stands in a soft command for us all to follow.

As we shuffle into the kitchen, I watch Holly. I haven’t decided if I like her, or if I even need to have any feeling toward her other than gratitude for the insight she’s given us into Marcus’ life.

Claire fixes a few plates of fruit, vegetables, cheeses, crackers, and nuts. Everyone else munches but I just can’t eat. I feel like I should have an answer; there’s something I should be able to do or say that will bring Marcus back to reality. Surely the Marcus who knows in his heart of hearts that Gregory Meyer is the Devil himself, a man to be despised and not followed, is in there somewhere.

I step quietly out of the room, take my phone out, and pull up my contacts. There he is: Marcus Reynolds. I stare at his name for a moment before I touch Send Message. I quietly ask Luke for forgiveness as I begin typing in silence thanks to having put the phone on vibrate.

             
Layla Weston: Can we talk?

             
Marcus Reynolds: Of course. I’m pleasantly surprised to hear from you.

His response comes almost immediately.

              Layla Weston: I need to know what happens in three days?

             
Marcus Reynolds: Technically it’s now two and a half days.

             
Layla Weston: Cut the crap.

             
Marcus Reynolds: Touchy. Where’s your sense of humor?

             
Layla Weston: What happens in two and a half days?

I don’t have time to entertain his wit so I don’t respond to his comment.

              Marcus Reynolds: I take possession of what is mine.

             
Layla Weston: Meaning me.

             
Marcus Reynolds: Meaning you.

             
Layla Weston: How exactly do you plan on doing that?

             
Marcus Reynolds: I’d prefer to talk about this in person.

I take a moment before I reply. I don’t want to disrespect Luke, Claire, or Furtick and all they’re doing to
protect me, but I just can’t feel so useless and helpless anymore. I have to do something. I take a deep breath and begin to type.

             
Layla Weston: Meet me tomorrow at the campus coffee shop at 1:00.

             
Marcus Reynolds: With pleasure.

What’s done is done. Furtick is monitoring my phone, so I know I have to get to him before he tells Luke or Claire what I’ve done. I walk back to the kitchen doorway and wait. Furtick is in his usual unengaged, observing state. He’s scrolling the screen of his phone impassively. When he stops, he immediately looks up at me and nods his head once.

He’s on board.

I spend the first half of the ride to campus wondering if I should ask Furtick why he didn’t flip out at my texting Marcus and the other half figuring out how to beg Luke’s forgiveness. Furtick didn’t even flinch as he read the texts. He knew I would follow through with or without him. There’s no way I couldn’t. Reneging on an arranged meeting with Marcus has the potential to escalate the situation into whatever is worse than DEFCON 1.