The Billionaire's Heir: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 4) (10 page)

Back at the ranch, Ivan went with Samira to grab her things. Her bedroom was stunning – it was huge, and contained an iron-framed bed, fitted closets, and a bay window overlooking the beautiful green fields. There was an attached bathroom, a massive TV, and an expensive sound system. Everything she needed was available here. But she wasn’t free.

Ivan sat with Quin on the lavish window seat and watched as she grabbed a small black suitcase and started to throw in her clothes and belongings.

“Nice room,” he said. “I can see why you wanted to stay here. But you deserve better than hiding out as an illegal immigrant and being used for shady drugs deals.”

“I know. But he’s been good to me.” She closed the suitcase and zipped it up. “I’ll come with you to his office now, okay. I want the chance to say goodbye. To thank him. Apologize for running off like this.”

“Alright, I guess that won’t do any harm.”

“And Lola will want to say goodbye to Quin.”

Ivan nuzzled his son’s neck, making him laugh. “She’s going to be his nanny in New York. Isn’t she, little guy?”

Quin giggled. Samira lifted her case off the bed. “Really?”

“I hope so. We’ll need to talk to her about it, but we’ll do that at a later date. Right now, we’ve got to get back for Adam or he’ll kill me.”

“Okay. I’m ready. Do you need to get your things?”

“I don’t have anything at this ranch apart from you two.”

She smiled affectionately. “Alright. Let’s go.”

She took Quin from his arms and kissed them both, then Ivan picked up her suitcase and they made their way to Langdon’s office.

Ivan didn’t bother to knock on the heavy oak door, but burst straight in to find Langdon sitting behind his expensive desk, opposite Jake. Hopefully this new brother wasn’t currently in the process of asking for a pay-rise to triple-cross
him
.

The office was finely decorated with wooden paneling and expensive furniture – Langdon clearly lived well here. There were two plain black suitcases leaning against his desk, similar to the one Samira had dropped off near the border the other day. Presumably other people were involved in the drop-offs too. This needed to stop... But right now there were more pressing matters.

Langdon was an oily-looking guy. Not unattractive, but smarmy and shallow – wealthy from the toil of others. But at the moment he looked pissed.

“You must be Langdon?” Ivan growled.

Langdon stared at Ivan in shock as if someone had pressed the pause button in mid-sentence. Ivan dropped Samira’s suitcase to the floor, then leaned over the desk. “I’m eloping with your so-called wife.”

Langdon swiped a glance at Samira. “Oh yeah, and who the fuck are you?”

“I’m her husband.”

Langdon clambered to his feet and glared at Samira. She held Quin tightly with both arms, protecting him. “Samira… what the fuck’s he talking about?”

“I’m leaving with him. We’re married, it’s true.”

“You fucking bitch. You told me you didn’t know anyone in America.”

“Give me back my passport,” she said.

Langdon took a step toward her. “After all I’ve done for you, you think you can just run out on me?”

Ivan stood between them. “She’s leaving with me
.
And don’t even
think
about trying to stop her, or I’ll pummel your face into the floorboards.”

Langdon’s face flashed with anger. “Well, Samira, if you leave here I might accidentally find myself telling the police that you’re staying illegally in this country.”

Ivan leaned toward him. “And I might accidentally tell them what
you’ve
got in your suitcases.”

“Suitcases? I don’t know what you mean.”

“Listen, Langdon, I may be dressed like a fucking cowboy, but I haven’t got shit for brains. If you tell the police about Samira, then I’ll tell
them
that you’re harboring illegal immigrants and exploiting them to do your dirty deals across the border. Looks like we’re stalemate. Now give her back her fucking passport.”

Langdon glared at Ivan. “I can’t give her something I don’t have, can I?”

“Well, you’d better fucking get it, hadn’t you?”

“But I –”

“Look, I don’t have time to argue right now, but I’ll be back in a couple of days for it, so you’d better be ready for me.”

Langdon opened his mouth to reply, but Ivan wasn’t interested. He turned to face Samira. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go.”

Being careful not to acknowledge Jake, he grabbed Samira’s suitcase and held her hand as they ran out the door into the sunshine-filled driveway. Ivan eyed up the truck, but Samira’s shiny Cadillac looked like a much better getaway vehicle.

They exchanged a smile of excitement, then she handed him the keys and they left the ranch together with the top rolled down and the future laid out ahead.

            
 
Jake gazed at the furious Langdon and braced himself for trouble.

Langdon pinned him with a glare, seething with anger. “I was paying you to watch her every move. How come you didn’t notice her fucking husband had showed up?”

“Sir, I did tell you she was getting friendly with a ranch hand. I didn’t know he was–”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Jake – are you a goddamn detective or not?”

“Sir, it’s not always as simple as–”

“Shut up. I’m trying to think…”

Jake sighed and leaned his elbows on the desk. Why did people keep telling him to shut up? He was just trying to earn a living like everyone else.

Langdon ran his fingers through his hair, and set his expression to amiable. Jake’s instincts told him to run...

“There
is
a way you can redeem yourself,” Langdon said. “I still have a use for a lowlife like you.”

“Oh yeah? Well I guess us lowlifes should stick together, huh?”

Langdon let this go. “Tell me, Jake, have you ever killed anyone?”

“Yes, sir, I have.”

Jake stared at Langdon, waiting for his next question – he never gave away more information than he was asked for. Langdon held up his hands in frustration. “So who did you kill?”

Some scumbag drug dealer,
actually
.” He let this hang in the air, then continued. “During a raid, the gangster boss shot me in the hip, then he ran off so I shot one of his cronies. What a big fucking mistake that was.”

“Why?”

“I got kicked off the police force.”

Worry flickered across Langdon’s face. “You’re a cop?”

“I was. But like I said, I got kicked off for killing a drug dealer. No compensation for my injury – in fact they said I was lucky not to be charged for killing the bastard.”

Mr. Langdon inspected Jake for a moment. Jake held his gaze. Langdon looked away, then he ambled over the window and surveyed his ranch. “Have you ever killed a woman?”

“No, sir.”

“Hmm… I have. And I would’ve done again.” He threw Jake a challenging stare over his shoulder. “Funny what we’ll do for money, isn’t it? When we’re desperate. Don’t let this beautiful ranch fool you, Jake. I owe some bad men a huge debt.”

“I’m not sure I follow, sir. What’s this got to do with me?”

He spun to face Jake, looking desperate. “I can split it with you. The money. If you do it.”

Dread squeezed in on Jake. “Do
what
exactly?”

“Need I spell it out? I want her dead.”

“Mrs. Langdon? You want Mrs. Langdon
dead
?”

“Precisely.”

“And you want
me
to do it?”

“You’ll be set up for life.”

Jake clasped the armrests. Yeah, set up for a very
short
life in the run-up to frying in the electric chair...

Jake realized he needed to get out of here right now. It was true, he wasn’t a saint, but he also wasn’t a killer. He tensed his muscles to stand up, but then he realized he probably should get some more information on what Langdon planned to do to Samira…She was after all his sister-in-law.

“May I ask why you want your wife dead?”

“There’s an insurance pay-out I’m waiting on. I can split it with you. If you find out where she’s gone and take care of her.”

“Take
care
of her?”

“Yeah. And I don’t mean take her out to dinner and show her a good time. She’s worth a lot of money to me…
if
she has a fatal accident.”

Jake stood up slowly. Realization dawned on him like a gong of doom striking in a churchyard. Suddenly it all made sense – Langdon had killed his first wife and disposed of her body, but now he needed Samira to die ‘accidentally’ so he could claim the
real
Mrs. Langdon’s insurance – pretending Samira was the true Mrs. Langdon.

But where did
he
come into it? Oh god…

“You asshole,” Jake muttered. “You wanted me to witness her ‘accidental’ death and testify, so you could get the money. That’s why you wanted me to follow her around… To witness her death.”

Langdon’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Very perceptive. You’re not as stupid as I hoped.”

“This is insane. You’re a fucking madman.”

“Correct. But a clever one, eh?”

“That’s why you’re so reluctant for her leave. Now you’ve got to start again with some other poor girl.”

“No. I’ve invested too much into Samira, and I’m running out of time. I owe big debts to some nasty men, so I need this to happen
now
. And I need you to help me. As I said, I’ll split the insurance with you. It’ll be more money than you’ve ever seen in your entire worthless life.”

Jake knew how it felt to have debts looming over him, so perhaps he and Langdon were more similar than he’d realized. But not in
this
way, because Jake would never commit murder – not for all the money in the world. Yes, he was on the wrong side of the tracks and he’d killed an unarmed criminal on the spur of the moment. He’d fucked up in the past, but murdering a sweet beautiful young woman – who was actually his sister-in-law – was way off his moral compass.

There was only one thing Jake intended to do now, and it
wasn’t
help Langdon.

He gazed into Langdon’s eyes. “Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll follow them and do it as soon as I get the chance. And I’ll make it look like an accident – don’t worry, you can trust me.”

“Good, I knew you’d see sense. Bring the body back here as soon as you’ve done it. We can bury her in the ranch. I’m not planning on staying here much longer, so I’ll be living the high life in Rio before anyone finds her.”

“Yeah…” Jake started to walk toward the door, desperate to get away from this insane psychopath. But he halted and turned back. “Hey… about her passport…Would it better if you gave it to me? So I can destroy it at the same time as I do the deed?”

Langdon eyed him up. “I think not, Jake. I’ve got plans to sell her passport – they can reach a good price, even a foreign one like hers.”

“But you haven’t sold it yet?”

“No, no. It’s safe here. Well away from anyone who might be thinking of double-crossing me. And – let me tell you, Jake – if you don’t kill her, I’ll find someone who will – and I’ll tell them to kill you too. And her damn husband. They’re both as good as dead – and if you betray me, so are you.”

Jake nodded and strode out the door, trying to figure out how best he could protect Ivan and Samira, while ensuring that he kept himself alive.

He climbed into his car and headed for the airfield, knowing the only place he could go now was New York. It was time to meet the family.

Ivan felt supercool driving down the interstate on this balmy afternoon with the top rolled down and Samira at his side. The wide highway was practically empty – with only the occasional truck and scrubby wasteland for miles around. It shouldn’t take them long to reach the airfield now, then they’d be out of Texas for good. Ivan’s muscles relaxed at the thought – he couldn’t wait to get back to New York to be with his family, and to get Samira away from Langdon. Soon they’d be boarding the private jet, and in a few hours they’d be home…

He put his arm around Samira, who was holding little Quin in her arms. She’d loosely braided her hair to stop it from blowing around in the breeze, and it made her look beautiful.

She caught Ivan checking her out. “Don’t you think you should keep your eyes on the road?”

He chuckled. “Sure. You’re just so captivating.”

“Aw, thanks…” She raised her voice against the wind as they thundered onward. “I can’t believe he turned so nasty so quick. I guess you were right about me being naïve to trust him.”

“I guess you didn’t have any other options. You okay?”

“I think so. I didn’t like him calling me a fucking bitch. I mean, why’s it so hard for him to let me go? It’s not like he’s in love with me.”

“I’m not sure why he was keeping you there, sweetheart. Maybe because of the shit he’s been dealing across the border… Or maybe we’ll never know. But one thing’s for sure, you’re never going back there.”

“I don’t want to. I just want to be with you now. You and Quin.” She kissed Quin on the forehead as he slept in her arms.

Ivan gripped the wheel. “I’ll come back to Texas and get your passport after the wedding. I’ll force him to give it back to me.”

“Thank you.”

“But don’t worry about that for now, okay.”

“What – about being an illegal immigrant on the run in a stolen car?”

He smirked. “It’s quite exciting being with me, isn’t it, babe?”

“It sure is, Ivan Quinlan.”

They shared an affectionate smile. Then he focused on the road ahead. “I can’t wait to introduce you to my family.”

“They’ll be shocked to discover you got married and had a child since they last saw you!”

“They sure will.” He glanced at her. Then he realized something… “Although…”

“What?”

“I kinda feel bad because it’s Adam’s big wedding weekend and I’m showing up parading around my new wife and child.”

Her brow furrowed. “You’re ashamed of me.”

“No of course not. I love you.”

“Are you sure you want me to come?”

“Of course, sweetheart. Look, how about we take my parents to one side and explain everything, but maybe just not tell Adam and the others until after his wedding. They know I’ve been looking for you, so we can just tell them I found you, but omit the Las Vegas part. We only have to wait another couple of days. Okay?”

“Right. And how are you going to explain Quin?”

Ivan shifted in his seat. “We’ll say you… uh…”

“Got knocked up by some guy I slept with who then went on to fake his own death leaving me with a fatherless child?”

Ivan laughed. “No, come on, don’t be like that. I know they’ll love you, but we just need to approach this slowly. I feel like I’m always stealing Adam’s thunder, you know. By dying, then by being alive… If I stroll back in there tonight with a wife and child, having just got married in Las Vegas… it might not be the best news on the day before his own wedding.”

Samira smiled tenderly. “It’s okay, we can keep our marriage and Quin’s true parentage a secret until after Adam’s wedding. And then on Sunday, when he… oh
no
…”

Samira stared into the wing mirror at the flashing blue lights behind them. “Shit, Ivan. Don’t stop. They’ll find out I’m an illegal immigrant and deport me.”

“Don’t worry, babe, no one’s taking you away from me. Let me do the talking. It’s not like we’ve got anything unlawful onboard.”

“Apart from
me
.”

Ivan slowed the car, then pulled over to the side of the road and kissed her. “Relax.”

The cop walked slowly toward them and halted beside Ivan. “Good afternoon, sir. Going a bit fast there, huh?”

“Sorry, officer. I’ve got a flight to catch in San Antonio.”

“Oh yeah?” The cop peered into the back and ran his eyes over Samira’s suitcase which they’d thrown in there in the hurry to get away. Ivan drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“What’s in the suitcase?” the cop asked.

“Just clothes, officer.”

“Right. Can I see your license, please?”

Ivan grabbed his driver’s license from his wallet – now that he’d got it back from Jake – and handed it over. The cop stared at Samira, scrutinizing her. “Good afternoon, ma’am.”

“Hi,” she mumbled, trying not to let her Iranian accent show.

“I’ll be right back, folks.”

The cop walked off with Ivan’s license, and headed toward his car.

“Breathe, sweetheart,” Ivan said. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”

She smiled nervously at him. “I’m just so scared of being separated from you again. Me and Quin love you.”

Ivan reached out and caressed Quin’s cheek. “I love you both too. So much.”

Samira glanced at the cop in her wing mirror. “What’s taking him so long? Oh jeez… this is a stolen car… what if Langdon’s reported us? What if he’s told them what I’ve been doing at the border?”

“He’s coming back,” Ivan said.

The cop halted at his side again. “All seems to check out here, sir. You know you got a faulty tail-light, huh?”

“No officer, I didn’t know that. I’ll get it repaired as soon as I can.”

“Alright. You’re free to leave, but… ma’am?”

“Yes?”

“You’re going to need to secure your baby in the baby seat. It’s illegal to hold him in your arms like that, and extremely unsafe.”

“Yes, officer. Sorry.” She quickly climbed out and strapped Quin in, trying to keep her hands from shaking.

The cop watched her as she climbed back into the front passenger seat. “Alright, you folks have a nice flight.”

He walked off and drove away. Ivan watched him, making sure he was gone, then he turned to Samira, who exhaled and burst into nervous laughter. “God, I thought he was going to drag me away from you.”

“I’d never let that happen.” He reached out and gently brushed her cheek, then leaned forward to kiss her on the lips. “You’re so tense.”

“Well, are you surprised?”

“No. But let me help you to relax.”

He reached down and eased his fingers under her skirt, running them up her thigh and toward her panties.

Samira’s eyes closed and she grinned. “Oh god… should we really do this out here?”

“I can’t keep my hands off you,” he said. “You’re so soft and perfect.”

She opened her eyes and smiled. His face shone with adoration, and she knew she could trust him to the end of the universe. She shifted position and opened her legs to give him access. He kissed her as he delved his fingers into her panties and then into her pussy, which was quickly becoming wet from this illicit roadside encounter with her gorgeous husband.

“You’re so hot,” he whispered, as he massaged her G-spot with his strong fingers.

“Ivan… you’re…
so
good at that.”

The joyful pleasure swirled in her pelvis at his touch. Even though it was exciting, it somehow felt innocent to be doing this discreetly by the side of the road. She sensed that he just wanted to do it for her – requiring nothing in return but the sight of her enjoying the ultimate gift from him. She suddenly understood everything – he simply wanted to make her happy. Ivan was tough and assertive, but Samira knew in this moment that he’d always be there for her and Quin.

She leaned against the car door as he continued to massage her G-spot, lightly brushing his thumb over her clit – quickly getting her there. She groaned and grinned as she the blissful feeling struck deep inside and washed through her body – delivering her to that glorious place outside of the real world where her spirit soared with freedom and contentment. She ground herself against Ivan’s strong fingers, gripping the door handle and extracting as much pleasure as she could – trying not to be too loud, but unable to suppress the groans that flowed instinctively into the world.

The quick and intense orgasm faded and she opened her eyes as Ivan respectfully withdrew his wet fingers. They smiled into each other’s eyes. She gasped, still half consumed by the beautiful feelings of delight. “That was amazing…”

“You’re so beautiful when you come, Samira. I could watch you lose yourself in pleasure for eternity.”

She leaned over and kissed him. “You’re a good man, Ivan Quinlan. But you
will
be getting that favor returned next time we’re alone. Just you wait!”