Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

LAINEY

T he funeral was a very quiet and private affair. The service took place at the graveside, the plot a family one. Grandfather was letting Mother back into the family. Adam's father would be interred with the Reeds and my mother here with the Benedicts.

Frankly, I didn't think either would have cared, other than Leopold won in finally separating them. But death had succeeded before he could. Now wasn't the time to worry about those things we couldn't change.

With all the distance between us, Mother and I had never really built any kind of stable relationship. Harper had been her whole world. Right or wrong, she'd committed herself to him before my birth. She'd remained committed to him long before they married.

I was the transgression of their relationship. Andrea the one who finally united them. Mother gave up everything for Harper Reed. Disgust coiled through me. Turned out that the bastard e gave less than a damn about her in the end.

He killed her, and sold their daughter, all so he could marry me. If that weren't gross and disgusting enough, he'd done it in a calculated move to seize my inheritance, the one Grandfather denied him access to when he'd disinherited Melissa.

I wish we could kill Harper twice. Letting Mother die without knowing what he'd done, to her, to me, and to Andrea had been the only kindness I could offer her. What would she really have done if I'd tried to bring it up?

As it was, the last conversation I‘d had with her haunted me. A hand settled gently on my spine, a reminder that they were there and it pulled me back to the present. I glanced up to find Pretty Boy watching me, his eyes intent and focused.

I leaned into his side, accepting his offer of strength. Adam stood as a silent sentinel on my other side while Ezra and Bodhi stood on either side of Adam and Milo respectively.

Grandfather stared at the plot they'd arranged. Rather than a coffin, we were interring an urn. She'd been cremated. Her wishes apparently. It made the graveside service easier, I supposed. Though we hadn't opened the invites up, Margareta Waldemar had arrived just moments before the minister began speaking.

She stood on the opposite side from the rest of us. Dressed in formal black with a wide-brimmed hat and dark sunglasses, she seemed almost chic while also being utterly unreadable.

We were all dressed in unrelieved black. Somehow, Grandfather and the guys coordinated right down to the black dress shirts, black handkerchiefs, and black suits. My dress was a little more understated, though the cold wind against my legs left me chilled.

The dark coat I wore helped. I'd also chosen black, knee-high boots, both for warmth and practicality. It was still winter and the weather hadn't been particularly kind to anyone.

"While Melissa's beloved mother could not be here with her father or her daughter, we know that like Melissa, she is with us in spirit."

Wistfulness curved through me. I missed my grandmother so much. I missed her sly wit, and her easy smile. I missed the joy she brought out in Grandfather. I just missed her .

"Melissa was blessed with two daughters, beautiful souls in their own rights. It is to them that the family will look. To them that will uphold the future. They are the legacy…"

Grandfather's jaw tightened, albeit briefly. I was the one who insisted on Andrea's mention. While his reluctance had been plain, he didn't fight me on it. His only question was would she be coming to the funeral.

I couldn't tell him what Harper had done. Not… not yet. Maybe not ever. Lying to him was not something I enjoyed, nor preferred. The words literally died on my tongue before I could give voice to them.

It was Milo who stepped in and said, "We discussed it and she wasn't ready for anything public, particularly after her father's death as well. It's better she stays out of sight until everything calms down."

Grandfather accepted the explanation easily. Almost too easily. Maybe I was being unfair. He and Andrea just didn't know each other. He'd been coming around to making an attempt and now she was missing, his daughter was dead and his nemesis also deceased.

It was a lot to take in.

I understood, maybe more than he realized. My soul ached for Andrea. Every single day that passed while we were here and she was—out there—I died a little more on the inside. Every moment was another opportunity for her to be hurt or worse.

We weren't doing nothing even if it felt like we weren't moving fast at all. We had people looking for us on the ground in four different Eastern European countries. Fletcher was hacking into CCTVs, and searching for any sign of her.

Em had been reaching out to event coordinators and venues all over Europe. She was booking dates that would give us cover just in case. Maybe it was anathema to others, but someone might understand that Adam and I would gut everyone in our path to get Andrea back.

Yet, here we stood, on a cold, gray, dismal morning as they placed Mother's ashes into the opening in the land they'd made.

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust," the minister droned on. I kept tuning him out. Probably not the most polite, but I wasn't all that keen on the service in the first place. Eventually, he finished and offered to let Grandfather and I drop dirt into the plot before the cemetery keepers filled it back in for permanent interment.

Did I want to drop the dirt in? Not particularly, but Grandfather hesitated and I understood. That distance with my mother had cost him dearly. For all that he cut her off and hadn't looked back, he wasn't a heartless man. The cold facade was just that, it was a facade. He wore the disdain for her like armor to keep his disappointment at bay.

Straightening, I moved away from Milo and crossed to where Grandfather stood. I took a scoop of the dirt into a gloved hand and then glanced down at the urn inside the hole. It was such a small, ignominious end for a woman who had once burned so bright.

"Goodbye, Mother," I murmured and let the dirt fall from my fingers.

Grandfather echoed my farewell by taking a handful and letting it fall from his fingers, rather than throwing it in. "Goodbye, Melissa. May you find the peace in the next life you never found in this one."

He took my gloved hand in his and we stood there as they filled in the grave spot. The minister murmured some platitude and Grandfather nodded, but said nothing to answer him. It wasn't long before he withdrew, leaving only our small party and Margareta Waldemar present.

She said nothing as we waited for the hole to be filled in, only when it was finished did she step forward and place a single, blood-red rose on the grave stone. Not the grave itself, but the stone.

That finished, she turned her attention to Grandfather and me. "Mrs. Waldemar," I said, keeping my tone polite and even. "Thank you for coming."

"Even if you weren't invited." Grandfather's tone turned gruff as he moved a couple of steps away from the grave and she followed. The guys moved too, forming a semi-circle. Mrs. Waldemar's bodyguard was present, but several feet away next to another tree.

I could admonish my grandfather about manners, but I didn't disagree with him. "This was a private service for family only."

"I understand," Mrs. Waldemar said, her tone conciliatory. "I truly do. Burying one's child is… an experience no parent should ever have to face."

The words brought me right back to her charge that King had killed her son. I hadn't forgotten about any of that, but Andrea's disappearance on top of everything else just took precedence.

"I lost Melissa a long time ago." The dismissive note might fool others, but I recognized the distraction for what it was. Grandfather felt vulnerable, no one enjoyed that sensation. "This just put a period on the end of a somewhat bleaker chapter in my life."

"I can see that," Mrs. Waldemar said as she tucked her small handbag under arm before clasping her hands together. While I couldn't see her eyes beneath the sunglasses, I felt the weight of her gaze. "I can't imagine closing the book feels any better no matter how much acrimony existed."

"Perhaps," Grandfather declined to finish the thought. "What can we do for you, Mrs. Waldemar?"

"I thought I would come to pay my respects and perhaps talk to you, Mr. Benedict as well as with Miss Lainey here."

Really? I couldn't quite fathom the subtext of her statement. Cryptic didn't quite cover it. Frankly, I wasn't sure I wanted her to include my grandfather in anything. The veneer of absolute civility that she wore like a lady's crown was just that… a veneer. A position she occupied thanks to her wealth and privilege.

She was just as cold-blooded as the rest of us when it came to defending what was hers. Perhaps nearly as ruthless.

"Odd timing for a tête-à-tête," Grandfather said as he offered me his arm and motioned for Mrs. Waldemar to walk. "And I believe I invited you to call me Leopold previously."

"As I invited you to call me, Margareta, but since you went formal, I thought I should be as well." The ease in her manner made me want to smile. As it was, she made grandfather chuckle. Very little else was breaking through his stern visage. He kept his grief very close and tucked away where he could worry at it in private.

"Very well, Margareta," he said as though conceding the point. "We have a short walk back to the cars, and at the risk of becoming rude, I would prefer to finish any business here and not take it home."

"Agreed," she said and she fell into step putting me between them.

Bodhi and Ezra walked behind us but Adam and Milo ranged ahead. They were forming a perimeter guard. I supposed if I checked over my shoulder, Mrs. Waldemar's bodyguard would also be on the move.

"I could play coy, but I would much prefer to address the issues directly without the softness of conversation."

"Hence, bringing business to a funeral," I interjected. My mother dying had only put an end to the idea of ever truly reconciling with her. The distance had been there for so long, the only thing her death did was relieve me of an obligation.

That felt a very cold amount of pragmatism to experience at a funeral. Then again, maybe I would be able to mourn her properly later.

"It is not my first choice of venues for such conversations, but there are a great many changes happening in our circles. Melissa's death as well as Harper's and that terrible fire at Harrow's Park." She glanced over her shoulder, presumably at Ezra. "My condolences young man."

I supposed he'd only nodded at her because he hadn't said anything aloud, nor did she linger.

"These are the kinds of changes that threaten companies, control, and interests. I wanted to discuss with you the idea of uniting our assets to create a—more defensive position as the other families try to scavenge from the losses."

"That presumes any of our families will experience losses," Adam said, and the absolute chill licking each syllable reminded me of death. Eerily appropriate I guessed.

"This is also true, but I've learned that there are always losses of some kind during power shifts. Nature and business abhor a vacuum and there are many who would willingly step in to fill those shoes. Men like King, for example. I imagine he is already making moves."

We were almost to the parking lot and Grandfather stopped to face her. To my surprise, she slid her sunglasses off.

"You're an honorable man, Leopold. I trust your word, over and above a contract. Only a fool wouldn't seek to take advantage of the situation as it is and I'm not a fool. That said, I believe working together we can achieve far more than working independently."

"And you don't want me for an enemy." It was delivered in such an unironically flat tone as he stated the fact as though it were absolutely undisputed.

"You have grandchildren in the mix," she told him. "So do I. You will fight for yours as I will fight for mine. However, if we work together, we can win for both."

"Very pleasant fairy tale, Margareta. I appreciate your directness. I hope you won't mind a little candor on my part." Grandfather shifted his posture. Though my arm was still threaded through his, he positioned me a half-step back, as though he intended to step in front of me to keep Margareta away.

"I look forward to your candidness, it's such a rare attitude in our world."

"Maybe, or maybe too many of you enjoy verbal sparring along with keeping secrets like they should be worn as precious jewels. I have no time for fools, as you stated already. I have even less time for those who want to use subterfuge. Your interest in my granddaughter has not gone unnoticed."

I didn't dare breathe. For a moment, Margareta's eyelids twitched. It was the faintest of tells from a woman who rarely displayed any in my experience. Grandfather had surprised her.

"Leopold, I am very fond of Lainey."

"You can be fond from a distance. You can also stay away from these young men in her life. I'm not sure whether your interest in them is over their assets or hers, but understand… I will counter any move you make toward them."

Lips pursing, Margareta studied him. "You are genuinely concerned about my interest."

"Ma'am, you haven't made a single uncalculated move since you arrived. I may not comment, or even involve myself, but don't mistake that for complacency. Lainey is my granddaughter. I will defend her and hers with everything at my disposal. If you wish to take on King, then enjoy yourself. I have no objections. You will not involve my family in your drama or anyone else's. Are we clear?"

The older woman said nothing for far too long, then she nodded slowly before she slid her sunglasses back into place. "Well-played, Leopold. Well-played. I knew you were the one to watch for."

Grandfather neither accepted the compliment or responded to it. "Good afternoon, Margareta."

"Good afternoon, Leopold…" Then the weight of her gaze was on me again. "Lainey." It was almost a relief when she ceased staring at me. "Gentlemen." Then she turned, giving us all her back as though she had nothing to be concerned about.

That wasn't a show of trust, but one of power. As moves went, it was interesting.

"Be careful of her, sweet girl."

"I planned on it," I promised.

Grandfather nodded, then glanced at Adam. "When is Harper's funeral?"

"In a couple of hours. You don't have to attend," Adam answered. "Frankly, if I could get away with it, I would just flush what remains they gathered from the crash site and call it good. But I'll put in an appearance, briefly, then leave. The will reading is still a few weeks out. The attorneys are already working on the dispensations."

"Yes, there are investigations as well," Leopold said. "And I'll go with you to the funeral. Appearances should be kept. Margareta was right about one thing…the jackals will be circling. United front, my boy. United front."

Surprise stamped across Adam's face and I had to bite the inside of my lip as Grandfather started toward the parking lot. We'd all ridden together, and we were all dressed for a funeral.

The protectiveness in his manner toward Adam and the others was new.

But I liked it.

I liked it a lot.

We had one more thing to deal with after this next funeral, then we could go. We could join the hunt for Andrea.