Page 11 of Landry
“It's going to be all right. Come Wednesday afternoon, you're going to call me up and tell me that you were worried over nothing.”
“I hope so,” she said earnestly.
***
Landry hated these so-called family gatherings and wished he had taken himself off to the club like he had planned. He wanted to be anywhere but at the place his family had called home since he was born. The manor had been renovated a year ago in readiness for their arrival back to the states, but to Landry, it was still oppressive. He had spent his first seventeen years here, and there were no happy memories.
Kady-Ann had made his life bearable during the last year before he had to disappear. She had been the light in a very dark and sometimes unbearable life.
Now they were back, and before he set foot on the plane that transported them home, he had made it clear that he was going his own way. Nothing the old man or his mother had said had made him budge. He could only endure the rest of his life if he were not in close contact with them.
“I'm assuming that you're prepared for the meeting on Wednesday?”
Dinner was over, thank Christ, Landry thought, and it had been a complete and utter nightmare of silence that hung heavy in the formal dining room with the family of four seated at a dining table that could easily seat thirty people. He had barely tasted the braised duck or the chicken swimming in strawberry sauce. The tension in the room had been thick enough to cut with a knife.
Now they were inside his father's sumptuous den, with him behind the richly carved desk, his piercing gray eyes on his son as he waited for the response.
“As much as I can.” Landry wanted to pace. Sitting on the overstuffed and very uncomfortable chair in front of his father's desk made him feel like he had been called into the principal's office. Memories of sitting here, ramrod straight while being lectured about a grade or the responsibilities of a Crenshaw, flashed through his brain, making him want to flee the oppressive room.
But Lincoln Crenshaw would not tolerate that kind of behavior. And Landry told himself that he was an adult now; there was no need to feel this constriction inside his chest. His father was just a man, one who was getting old, if the lines running down his eyes and mouth were any indication. He, Landry, was the futureof the company, and he had proven himself to be more than competent.
“I hope you were not foolish enough to reach out to that young woman.”
“Her name is Kady-Ann,” Landry reminded him with a grim smile. “And no, I'm not a fool, as you well know. Am I here so that you can lecture me on how to do my job? I thought we were well past the point where I have to prove myself to you.”
Landry saw his mouth tighten. Years ago, he would not have dared voice his opinion like this, but that was then. Now, he was going to say what he damn well pleased.
“You need to go into that meeting with a cool head and a steady hand. The airline has tremendous potential-”
“Which is why we acquired it in the first place. Father, you're telling me what I already know.”
“I just want to be reassured that seeing her again will not pose a problem.”
“It won't.” He badly needed a drink, but indulging would only prove to the man seated across the desk that he wasn't as steady as he kept insisting. “I have all the reports and am up to date on what needs to be done. Now, if that's all-”
“You cannot tell her why you left.” The cool tone of voice had him sitting back down.
“I know that too.” He could not keep the trace of bitterness from his voice. “You and the investigators made that absolutely clear.”
“It's for your own good. You and your sister are still vulnerable to the threat that was made years ago.”
“And why is that?” The anger surfaced and could not be pushed back. “They caught two of the suspects, so why is the threat still hanging over our heads?”
Lincoln eyed the young man and felt the weariness pouring through his body. He was tired, but pushing on was required of him.
“There's a third person out there, and he happens to be the ringleader. Joel Massey went underground as soon as the authorities started closing in on him, and he's very good athiding. Until he's found and brought to justice, we remain cautious.”
“This was a man who was close to you.”
His father turned away to hide the hurt and pain the statement caused. Joel had been his best friend growing up, someone who had eaten at his table, a man he had brought into his home and thought he could trust. It pained him fiercely to realize that same man had betrayed him and tried to kidnap his children for money.
“Yes.” The response was clipped. “I wish you would reconsider living on your own.”
“No. I need my own space.”
“A space that is too isolated.”
A brief smile touched Landry's lips. “That's the idea. Don't worry, Father, I have grown into the habit of looking over my shoulder. And I have learned to fight with the best of them.” He rose. “Now, if that's all, I really need to be on my way.”
