Back To Where I've Never Been

Part 13

Landon

"Tell me this guys dead." Landon breathed out. The usual careful control he kept on his emotions threatening to break the minute his mother leaves them to deal with the bomb she just dropped. The only good thing, the only thing keeping Landon from destroying every pricelessly breakable item in the room was the fact that Violet had never met the sick fuck. At least she didn't have to know what he looked like, what he sounded like. But- "Fuck." He muttered under his breath, feeling the cuffs of his pressed linen shirt straining as his muscles reacted to the adrenaline pumping through. He would need to hit the gymn after this. They probably all would. Except Camden, who apparently had known about Larry before Violet had told his parents.

"Working on it." The big man mutters, he seemed the calmest out of all the Rodenheim boys, but that wasn't saying much since nearly every single one of them looked like they were going to start laying into each other if someone even breathed wrong.

"what do you mean, working on it." His carefully enunciated words were spoken with the same voice he used in business meetings, it's the tone he used to mask his true feelings. Most of his employees thought he was an arrogant asshole, but at least none of them knew about his anger problems. Out of all of his family, Landon was the most likely to get in a fight. Camden might be the biggest and Benjamin the most dramatic, but Landon was the most volatile. Something he has worked years to hide behind a mask of cool indifference. But the mask was cracking, and would continue to do so if his fucking cousin didn't answer his goddamn-

"He's locked up for life back in Minnesota. But I got some buddies in the system there. One of them is waiting on a transfer to his wing." The slow grin pulling on the absurdly pretty face of their resident mountain man was all that needed to be said on the matter. Camden was in no way a dirty cop, he did his work at the FBI by the book, he was just a science grunt there anyway. But outside his official duties he was somewhat of a vigilante, having made contacts on both sides of the law. The buddy he talked about could be an inmate or a guard, didn't matter. Either way, as soon as the transfer went through, Jerry Lange was as good as dead. The rest of the men in the room relaxed, each having come to the same conclusion as Landon.

Landon felt his own heart rate returning to normal. He still needed a few hours alone with a punching bag, but he wasn't looking to snap at the next guy who looked at him funny.

"I've got Woodridge covered." Benjamin says, knowing they will get his meaning. Baby bro had already done the ground work to direct the flow of the rumors surrounding Violet. It wasn't a particularly big school and the Rodenheims were legendary. A new Rodenheim, especially a female one that just popped up out of nowhere, is cause for a absolute panomanium. But Rodenheims were King at Woodridge, Ben probably had his minions spreading whatever version of the truth through various channels, so that when Violet turns up tomorrow, she will already have a flattering back story firmly in place.

"You sure? We just learned this shit tonight, and school starts tomorrow-"

"I made sure to bury everything I found." Camden interrupts mother-hen Collin, who looks at him speculatively.

"Not everything can stay hidden forever."

"It can when I am done with it." Camden doesn't raise his voice, but the deep timber of his words ring with absolute certainty which seems to satisfy Collin, who drops the matter.

"Besides, the whole long-lost-princess story I've cultivated is too juicy. They won't be searching for more. They are going to love their new Queen." Lincoln laughs

"Or else?" He guesses

"Or else." Benjamin agrees, that boyish grin he inherited from who knows where doing its thing. He could make a Nun look guilty in comparison, no one ever suspects Benjamin is the most unscrupulous of the Rodenheim boys. Lincoln sighs and shakes his head,