“I think he’s protecting himself. There’s something going on, Gareth, and I can’t figure it out. When you come back, I think we should continue looking into the connection between us and the Hendersons.”
Now Gareth felt like an asshole. Obviously Charles didn’t know he and Dylan already met with Brice. The timing wasn’t good to bring that up now. It was going to cause problems, and Gareth wasn’t there to intervene.
“I think you’re right. But can’t this wait a few weeks? Let Dylan and Sofia have their wedding, and then you and I can sit down and talk about everything we know and plan out what to do about the missing pieces.” This should buy him some time. Gareth doubted he’d know it all, but anything he could learn was less to worry about later.
“Okay. We’ll table it for now. But I have to tell you, Dad’s slipping and I don’t want him saying something that will cause a scandal for the family,” Charles said. “We need to know so we can prepare for damage control.”
“Got it. I’ll try to cut this trip short. But my dinner date is about here, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.” Gareth hadn’t left his room yet, but he would soon, and that was the fastest excuse he could come up with.
“Someday, Gareth, you’ll settle down.”
Gareth laughed. “And look whose mind is slipping now,” he teased. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way back to the States.”
As soon as he ended the call, he dialed Dylan’s number.
“Are you calling to let me know you’re coming back?” Dylan asked.
“Ha. If you saw the beautiful woman I’m having dinner with, you wouldn’t rush me.” Brooke definitely was stunning, but that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about. “I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to let you know, I just got off the phone with Charles.”
“Let me guess. He’s pissed that you’re gone.”
“That too. But he was more upset with Dad. He wants me to start looking into the Henderson connection after the wedding. You can’t let him know we already met with Brice. If he finds out, he’s going to want to know everything.”
“And that’s a bad thing why?” Dylan asked.
“Because your bride-to-be will not get the wedding she wants. Instead she’ll be caught in the middle of family drama. I don’t know much about shit like this, but I don’t think that’s going to be good for her, the baby, or you.”
“Gareth, I’ve got to be honest, there are times I wish we hadn’t met with Brice. Some of the things he said haunt me. This is our gene pool we’re talking about. I don’t think it worried me until I learned I was going to be a father. Now . . . it makes me sick. They are not the stories I want to tell my child.”
“And you won’t have to. Trust me Dylan; no one wants the truth to come out. That’s why you can’t say anything to Charles. Just let it lie for now.”
“I thought that was our plan. You make it seem like something has changed. What aren’t you telling me, Gareth? And don’t give me a bullshit line about some woman. Where are you?” Dylan demanded.
“Tabiq.”
“What the hell are you doing there?” Dylan snapped.
“Gee. Would you believe I’m on vacation?” Gareth asked sarcastically. “Didn’t think so. I’m trying to find out why the Hendersons are here. You do know they have built a multi-billion dollar resort here, don’t you?”
“Charles mentioned something about Brice wanting a contract with the Lawsons. Was that it?”
“No. This is different. From what I can tell, it’s only a few years old. But why here? It doesn’t fit. This country is . . . poor. And I’m not sure about the crime rate, but they don’t want any guests leaving the resort alone.”
“That isn’t the only place that has those types of recommendations. You’ve traveled enough to know that,” Dylan added. “But you could’ve done all that research from New York. Why go there?”
“Do you remember Brice stating they were making amends for what his father had done?”
“I do. And I remember him saying that Great-granddad was connected as well.”
He was trying to forget that part. “Well, we’re not going to find that information on the internet. So I came here to learn firsthand.”
Dylan laughed. “You went halfway around the world to see if some stranger would tell you the Hendersons’ dirty little secrets? You should’ve told me, Gareth. I would’ve let you know you’re wasting your time.”
“You have a better idea?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s hear it,” Gareth said.