Chapter 9
AIDEN
“Stay behind me,” I tell Lexi as we emerge into the courtyard.
The men are in identical suits, and one of them carries a briefcase. I thought they’d gone out of style, but there’s nothing old about the slick black leather and shiny fastenings.
“Good afternoon.” The passenger of the vehicle steps forward and holds out a hand, his smile as slick as his associate’s briefcase. “I’m Victor Ridgeway, and this is Karl Black.”
The offered hand and slick smile are for me. They haven’t acknowledged Lexi, which is fine by me. I step forward and in front of her.
I don’t take the offered hand. They’re trespassing on my girl’s land, and until I know why, we aren’t playing nice.
“What do you want?”
The smile falters, but only for a moment. Victor pulls back his hand and slips it into his pocket.
I tense, ready for whatever he’s going to pull out, but it’s only a business card.
“We’re from Ridgeway and Thorn, legal counsel, and we’re here on behalf of our client.”
“Who’s your client?”
I’m asking the questions so Lexi doesn’t have to. She stays behind me, and I’m glad she’s doing what she’s told. I’ll reward her for that later, but for now, my focus is on the suits and what they’re doing on her land. I’m sure this is the same car I’ve seen parked here from time to time.
“I’m not at liberty to reveal that information.” If Victor’s smooth voice is supposed to reassure me, it’s doing the opposite. No one who hides behind their lawyer is up to anything good.
“What do you want?” I repeat the question, letting an edge seep into my voice.
Getting the message, Victor pockets the business card.
“We’re here to speak to Alexandra Gibbs.”
For the first time, he looks past me, and I shift to block Lexi from them. I’m about to say there’s no one here by that name when Lexi steps forward.
“That’s me.”
I turn slowly to face her. I know what this woman tastes like, I know she’s my future wife, but I didn’t, until now, know her full name.
She glances at me, uncertain. She’s as baffled as I am about the guys in the suits. I take her hand and squeeze, letting her know, whatever this is, she’s not in it alone.
Victor turns his smile on Lexi, making me want to punch him in the face. I restrain myself, but my fists are clenched and at the ready.
“I understand you recently inherited this property.”
“That’s right,” Lexi says.
“My client would like to buy it off you. He’s happy to take it off your hands at the market price.”
I tense. This is what Lexi wants; a quick sale. Even if the suits are giving off weird vibes.
Before Lexi turned up, everyone assumed Vaughan had no heirs, and the property would go to the state. Joel was thinking of purchasing it from the council so he could expand the retreat.
“How do you know I’m selling?” Lexi asks.
Victor looks at the crumbling house and overgrown fields. “Aren’t you?”
Lexi doesn’t say anything, and a slight smile spreads across Victor’s features. He can smell victory.
“I understand time is of the essence, so we took the liberty of drawing up a contract.”
This must be Karl’s cue, because he lays the briefcase on the hood of the car, pops it open, retrieves a brown envelope, and hands it to Lexi.
“I need to speak to my lawyer. I don’t even have the deeds yet,” she says as she takes it from him.
“I understand you’re meeting this afternoon. You can go through the contract together then.”
This guy seems to know a lot about my girl, and I don’t like it. I memorize the plates on the car and make a mental note to have my buddy, Owen, who’s standing in as sheriff of Hope, run a background check on these guys.
“You’ll find everything is above board and a generous offer, considering the state of the property.”
Karl flicks the briefcase closed, and Victor pulls his business card out of his pocket. This time, he holds it out to Lexi.
“This is my direct number. Call me when you’re ready to sign. My client is looking at other properties in the area, so if you want to move on it, you’ll need to act quickly.”
Lexi reaches for the card, but I snatch it first. Like hell she’s calling this guy’s direct line.
Victor and Karl depart in a cloud of dust that leaves a thin coating on their polished car.
When I turn to Lexi, she’s got the contract out of the envelope and is scanning the first page.
“It might be easier to sell than I thought,” she mutters.
My heart twists at her words. I need more time to convince her to stay.
She slides the contract back into the envelope. “Let’s see what my lawyer has to say.”