Page 79 of Her Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

“Why?”

“I need to get some old planning documents. The city’s archive center has made a spot for me at six. It’s an hour’s drive from here. And I need to leave in a few minutes.”

Laura looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I've been thinking... If there's any information about Conor, maybe the archives would have something. Records from back then, newspaper clippings, anything."

I hesitated, caught off guard. "Why would you think that?"

She sighed, "I've been trying to piece together what happened to him. And the archives might have something that could help."

I looked at her, trying to gauge her intentions. "You really want to dig into the past?"

She nodded, "I need closure, Lucien. I need to know."

I thought for a moment, weighing the risks. "Alright. If you think it'll help, we can look. But remember, not everything in the past is pleasant."

She nodded, “I understand. How long it will take?”

“It’s five now. I guess we’ll be back before nine.”

“Okay. I’ll call David in the car.”

“You want a coat or something? It might pour tonight.”

“I’ve got my jacket,” Laura flapped her jacket. “Besides, we’ll be inside all night.

I wasn’t being entirely truthful, of course. There was almost no information about Conor in the city records. I’d had all of the relevant information removed. Conor O’Shea had dropped out of existence twelve years previously, when I’d signed up to the SEALs under a completely different name. The truth was that I didn’t trust Laura on her own. I wanted her to stick with me.

Chapter 25

Laura

“Now?” said David incredulously.

“Yes. He wants to go now.”

“Where is he?”

“Outside. I told him I was going to the bathroom.”

“Okay. Call me and tell me what happens. In the meantime, I’ll go see about the house.”

“Please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re thinking of doing.”

But David had already hung up. I put the phone down and went outside. I got into Lucien’s car.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

Lucien turned the key and the engine of the Jeep flared into life. Before long, we were working our way up the other side of the valley. As we broke through the treeline and onto the narrow road which led around the valley, I saw the Falls booming in the distance.

“Look at that,” I breathed.

Lucien looked out. “It’s something, isn’t it? And from here, you can see Lakeview.”

I peered, and Lucien was right. You could. It stood out as a tiny, bright spot on the green dark of the land. Already, the sun was going down, throwing up a glare in my eyes. I pulled down the visor and we carried on.

I never gave the Caluga Valley credit for how beautiful it was, and for a moment, I let myself believe that it was just me and Lucien going for a drive. I didn’t know how to explain it, but I still felt safe with him, even though I knew there was something he wasn’t telling me. And indeed, I started to feel like maybe I was scared of nothing. Maybe Lucien really did know nothing about Conor. Maybe the events that had drawn me back to the valley and those that had driven me away had nothing to do with one another.