Page 2 of Trusting Laurence
“No, sir. That’s it.”
“All right, put her through.”
“Yes, sir.”
He heard the click as the call was transferred to him, and he answered, “Keon.”
“Hello, Laurence.” The soft voice feathered over him like a whisper of the past.
For a moment, Larry was incapable of answering. His grip around the phone tightened as he rocked back in his seat. Surely it couldn’t be. Could it? Taking a breath, unaware he’d been holding it, he asked, “Tahlia?”
“Yes. It’s been a long time. How’ve you been, Laurence?”
“I’ve been good, thanks. How’ve you been? I’ve wondered about you, but you disappeared after the court case.”
“It’s been a difficult few years. After Marcus was convicted, I needed to get away. I needed somewhere safe I could put myself back together again.”
“And did you? Put yourself back together again?”
“I’m getting there. I’m a work in progress still.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re doing better.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “What can I do you for you, Tahlia?”
“Laurence, could we meet somewhere? I found something in a bank deposit box. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but I think you need to see it. You might know what to do with this.”
“I– sure. Where and when?”
“There’s a coffee shop around the corner from your offices. Can you meet me there? In, say, an hour?”
Larry looked at his watch. “I’ve got a meeting scheduled in twenty minutes. Hang on a second while I see if I can reschedule.”
“Okay, I’ll hold.”
Putting her on hold, Larry dialed his secretary. “Mary-Beth, can you contact Finn and let him know something’s come up? I’ll have to reschedule for this afternoon. Tell him I’ll give him a call as soon as I’m back in the office.”
“Will do, sir.”
“Thank you,” he replied before switching back to the waiting call. “All sorted, Tahlia. I’ll meet you at the bakery around the corner in an hour.”
“Thank you, Laurence. I’ll see you then. Goodbye.” With that, the line went dead in his ear.
He put the phone back on the cradle and sat staring at it as if it might be a bomb about to detonate. The call had unsettled him, and he couldn’t say why. Maybe it was the specter of the past that had him so rattled. But he sure was curious to know what Tahlia wanted to show him.
Putting thoughts of Tahlia and their history out of his mind, he went back to studying the papers strewn across his desk. There had to be something there they were missing. Lives depended on them figuring this case out. In all his years, first doing private work as a bodyguard and then, as a field agent, he’d seen the worst that humanity had to offer.
When it came to human trafficking though, it really hit hard. While he knew his agents were more than capable of handling the case, he was called to be a part of it. The nightmare images still haunted him.
He picked up a page and started reading through the evidence they’d gathered in the hopes he’d missed something. After forty minutes of fruitlessly searching, Larry threw the documents back on his desk. He was getting nowhere fast. He decided he’d head to the bakery around the corner early to clear his head while he waited for Tahlia to arrive.
Lady Luck had smiledon Tahlia as she’d searched for a parking spot. A space three doors down from her destination opened, and she’d snapped it up. She’d intentionally arrived early, but in the end, she’d simply sat staring at the door of the bakery, unable to gather the courage to get out.
The last time she’d seen Laurence was the day he’d come to say goodbye. The day hope had died within her. He’d been her lifeline, her sanity. When he’d left, he’d taken it all with him – hope, security, sanctuary, and she’d never found another reason to fight back.
Shaking the thoughts from her head, Tahlia got out of the car. It would be impolite to make Laurence wait for her, and one thing she’d had beaten into her over the years of her marriage was that image was everything. As she hurried over to the door, she took a much-needed deep breath. She tightened the hand clasped around the straps of her purse and went inside.
She spotted him almost immediately. Standing completely still, she soaked in the sight of the man who had captured her heart only to crush it to pieces the day he’d left her. Time had been kind to him. Sure, he was older and gray now, but he was still as handsome as the day she’d met him.
He still made her heart beat faster. And despite the lines now visible around his eyes and mouth, as he looked up and caught sight of her, she discovered his smile could still make her knees weak.
