Exit Strategy

by Barbara Winkes

  Chapter Twelve

  Allison had lured Theo away from the station for a late lunch. Her stomach was growling, though she was fairly certain the subject matter she’d have to raise would spoil their appetite.

  Of course he knew about the intruder at Mitchell’s.

  “The description is out. I talked to Bill Meyers, the assistant, but he has no idea how his keycard got into the wrong hands.”

  “It doesn’t look like attempted murder to me. More like someone was trying to send a message. You think Mitchell told you the whole truth? Did he get involved with some shady people and failed to pay? In any case, it sounds like you’ve been making some progress. A description is good.”

  “Yeah…but…There’s something I left out. I wanted to run it by you first.”

  “Okay. I’m listening.”

  “It’s about Joanna.”

  Theo sat up straighter in the booth. “Why? She and Mitchell haven’t talked in almost two decades.”

  “According to Mitchell, the guy told him, your daughter says hello, in those exact words.”

  “What the fuck—”

  Allison wasn’t sure how to interpret Theo’s outburst.

  “You know her better than I do—”

  “No way. There’s no way in hell.”

  “He didn’t always treat her well.”

  “He cut her off when she was in college. That’s a pretty disgusting thing to do, but it’s not a reason, all of a sudden, to send someone to beat him up.”

  “Unless cutting her off wasn’t all he did, or there’s something he did to Rue…We don’t know where either of them is.”

  Theo shook his head. “Whoa, Al, stop it. You’re way off.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  “No,” he said, looking her straight in the eye. “Joanna made mistakes, and she’s been through some rough times, but this isn’t like her. For what it’s worth, her old man’s a homophobe and a sexist, which is bad enough, but I don’t think he crossed the lines you think he crossed.”

  To Allison, his words sounded suspiciously rehearsed for someone who was learning this information for the first time. Still, it made sense, didn’t it?

  “Someone might be messing with him…and Joanna,” she reasoned.

  “Sounds like a theory. Once we find the guy, we’ll figure it out.”

  “It would be helpful to talk to Joanna and Rue, though.”

  “Perhaps, but my money is still on Mitchell’s business deals. A company with that net worth, there are bound to be skeletons in the closet.”

  Allison sipped her tea, thinking that she liked Theo’s interpretation better. If anything, it left both Joanna and her father in a better light. It was tempting.

  “Do you think she’d want to know? I mean he’s her father, and this could have gone either way.”

  Theo picked up his burger. “That’s a rather philosophical question. I’m thinking you overestimate how well I know her. We worked together, and then it all went to hell. As far as I’m concerned, I hope she’s happy.”

  Allison hadn’t missed the fact that nothing he said disproved any of her theories.

  What a mess. The sooner they found the man who had beaten up Lawrence, the better.

  Case closed.

  * * * *

  They were getting ready for bed when the phone rang. Joanna was still half-naked in the bathroom hearing Rue pick up and speak to the caller quietly.

  A moment later, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Joanna put on a robe and opened.

  “It’s Vanessa for you.”

  Rue looked pale, putting her on edge immediately. “What is it?”

  “Your dad,” Rue said, her solemn tone doing nothing to disperse Joanna’s worries. She took the phone from her and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, expecting the worst. “Is he…”

  “He’s going to be okay,” Vanessa said. “He’s in the hospital right now, but I think they’ll let him go this week.”

  “Heart attack?” It seemed the most logical explanation.

  “Someone gained access to his office and beat him up.”

  Joanna sat, silent, as the seconds ticked by. This was a surprise, and a bad one at that. A person had to be savvy to get past Lawrence’s security.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” She assumed there was more, or Vanessa wouldn’t have broken the rules.

  “Yeah, me too. There’s something…” Joanna was aware of Rue watching her with concern.

  “The intruder said, your daughter says hello, to him…Joanna?”

  “I’m here. That’s…” Not possible, she wanted to say. She could only think of one person who might hate her enough to want to do this. Two, maybe, but Decker’s wife had never contacted her after the trial, and she didn’t know the kind of people for this job. Grace Lester…Joanna shuddered at the though of her. “How’s Grace doing these days?” she asked.

  “Better than she deserves, but I don’t think she’s in the position to orchestrate something like that.”

  “Stranger things have happened. My bet would be on her.”

  “Okay,” Vanessa said. There was a whole world behind that word.

  “Okay what? This is just going to get worse, isn’t it? No one thinks I hired him, or do you? Look, I hate men who hurt women. I know what I did. But you know this is not…Vanessa, what the hell are you saying?”

  Rue flinched at the raised tone of her voice.

  “Allison has a theory that something could have sent you over the edge. Her words, not mine. Something that could have to do with his behavior towards Rue…or towards you, when you were a child. Again, I’m only repeating what I heard, and I wanted to share with you so we can do damage control best we can.”

  “We can do this quick. She’s wrong on everything.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am, but Theo’s got to lean harder on Lester. If anyone wants to mess with my mind, it’s her.”

  “Thanks.” Joanna could hear the regret in Vanessa’s voice. “I’m sorry I had to bring this up.”

  “Yeah, me too. I can understand why you did it though. Can we leave it at that or are you going to tell me there’s a warrant out for me?”

  “No. It’s under control at the moment, and again, I’m sorry.”

  “How is he?” Joanna asked, sensing that Vanessa was about to end the call.

  “Shocked, of course, though he tries to hide it and act tough. Allison says he looked pretty bad, but he had no life-threatening injuries.”

  “All right. Thank you.” Joanna laid the phone aside and lay back on the bed. Rue curled up next to her.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “It will be okay. Just a bunch of bizarre coincidences. He’ll be fine.”

  She wasn’t sure if the same could be said for her, ever. Joanna hated the conflicting emotions this incident brought up. Of all the times she’d wished he would get over himself, she’d never wished anything like this on him. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Grace and Edward had always done their homework. She had to know. No one else had an interest in messing with her life this way…and judging from Allison Kato’s reaction, it was working to some extent.

  She had to trust Theo and Vanessa to do the right thing. Carry on.

  It was all they could do.

  * * * *

  Apparently her mind needed refuge, and the vision was as perfect as it possibly could be, the dream wedding, Rue whispering, ‘yes, of course’, and in the first row, Rue’s parents, Lawrence Mitchell and…Joanna woke with a start, self-conscious at the tears on her face. It was silly, impossible. She didn’t even know what her mother would look like today, and for sure, neither she nor Lawrence would be present if they ever got married.

  Joanna could think of a few friends she’d love to have at the occasion, though that wasn’t a realistic option either. Denise and Oliver would likely be witnesses.

&nb
sp; They could have a ceremony on the beach…She had to stop longing for something she could never have and start focusing on the amazing second—or third?—chance she’d been given.

  Her inability to rest had nothing to do with Rue, or their new life not being enough. It was everything.

  She might not be able to make peace with her parents’ actions, before it was too late, but Joanna had lived with that knowledge for most of her life. It wasn’t the reason for sleepless nights either.

  Somewhere, someone, wouldn’t let her be.

  It had to be Grace, the woman with the most inappropriate name, who had crossed Joanna’s path when she was at her lowest.

  There was nothing Joanna could do, and it was driving her mad.

  What would be her next move—since there was almost no doubt that there would be one? What was the end goal?

  “Your thoughts are too loud,” Rue murmured beside her, and before Joanna had a chance to apologize, she was on top of her. “Let me distract you?”

  If anyone could make the hamster wheel in her head stop, it was Rue. As she let her kisses ignite her body, she flashed back to the part of the dream that had not made her cry, the part that had been complete bliss.

  That part was real—regardless of whether they made it official or not. If their recent contacts with the police hadn’t presented a problem, perhaps a marriage license wouldn’t either? Joanna didn’t know anymore, but whatever helped protect Rue, and their relationship, was something to consider.

  She let herself go, safe in Rue’s hands.

  “I want to marry you,” the words came tumbling out.

  Rue barely paused in trailing kisses down her chest and stomach. For a moment. Joanna worried, that she hadn’t heard her, or worse, that her proposal was premature.

  “I want that too.”

  She shouldn’t doubt her, ever. The perfect life was already here, no matter what happened, or who was there to witness it.

  * * * *

  “Did you mean what you said earlier or was that just, I don’t know, in the throes of passion?” Rue laughed at her own choice of words. It was contagious. And so easy to answer.

  “I never say anything I don’t mean. Especially not in that context.”

  Joanna stretched her toes in the warm sand and took a sip of her coffee. They had woken early and decided to have a breakfast picnic on the beach before going to work.

  “We are so damn lucky. People come here for their honeymoon. For us, it’s home.”

  “True.”

  “Do you think there’s a way for my parents to attend?”

  “I don’t know, maybe. Anyone who wanted to find us probably would have already.”

  She wasn’t sure what Vanessa and Theo had done, or the female detective they’d spoken to, but the people in charge seemed in agreement: Joanna and Rue hurt no one. There was no harm in leaving them alone. Easy, right?

  “Would you want to tell your dad?” Rue asked softly.

  “Why? There’s no way he would come here. Not because the trip is long, ‘mind you.”

  “I know, but maybe what happened…”

  “Changed his mind? Vanessa didn’t say it in so many words, but her sympathetic tone really came through. Detective Kato isn’t the only person who thinks I might have hired the guy who attacked him. Okay, we went far off topic. This was supposed to be romantic.”

  Rue laid an arm around her shoulders. “It is. I’m sorry I brought this up. If my parents could come, it would be great, but if it’s not possible, we’ll make it work. And if it’s safer to just have a ceremony, nothing official, we can do that too. This,” Rue continued, indicating the ocean laid out in front of them, “isn’t going away. We deserve it. We deserve to be safe.”

  One day, Joanna would believe it, though she still wondered if Theo had any luck getting information from Grace Lester.

  * * * *

  “A wedding? That’s awesome!” Denise hugged her tightly. “I think we’re all overdue for some good news. Of course we can do it here on the property. Or on the beach, what do you think? Have you thought about dresses? Centerpieces?”

  It was the first opportunity for Joanna to react since she’d entered Denise’s office.

  “To be honest, we haven’t figured out much yet. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

  “I’m thrilled. Get going, I want this to happen as soon as possible.”

  “Okay, boss. I heard you.”

  Joanna hadn’t told her anything about the attack on Lawrence. She wished him a speedy recovery, but that was all she could and wanted to do on her end.

  Chapter Thirteen

  A new office, the same people. Dr. Shepherd offered her a glass of water, and they sat down as usual, a soft breeze coming through the open window.

  “How have you been?” Dr. Shepherd asked.

  “Good.” Rue didn’t think she’d have to go into detail of last night. It was good for her to take charge, and for Joanna to let go, leave some room for change in the roles they had adopted early on in their relationship. Joanna, the protector. Rue, the…She wasn’t a victim any longer. She’d sworn she’d never be one again. The doctor and Zach had done a great deal helping her achieve that goal, but nothing had helped her heal like Joanna submitting to her touch. Joanna, her lover. Rue had to smile, realizing all her thoughts seemed to go into one direction today. “I mean, we’re back to work, it doesn’t look like any criminals are about to barge in at any moment, and Joanna asked me to marry her. I said yes.”

  “That’s great news.” Dr. Shepherd smiled. “Let’s come back to that in a moment. We haven’t talked much about the incident.”

  “Why did you change your office?” Rue asked, genuinely curious.

  “Better security. I didn’t like the reminder.” In the months they’d been working together, honesty proved to be the most important rule for their relationship. It was understood this was about Rue’s process and healing…but Dr. Shepherd didn’t tell her lies either. In fact Rue had noticed she looked at her a different way.

  Good.

  Things were good.

  “How did it feel?”

  “Like I was allowed to be cocky and feel invincible for a moment?” Rue shook herself. “I’m aware that this could have gone so wrong, but it didn’t. Now I know all that sweating at the gym wasn’t for nothing.”

  “How did you integrate it with…?”

  “The rest of the story? It changes the story,” Rue said. “Sometimes you can’t negotiate. Sometimes you have to hit first.”

  It hadn’t been so clear before in her mind, and she was grateful for Dr. Shepherd providing a context in which she could get her thoughts in order. Rue had accepted what Joanna told her about the past, understood it on a philosophical level, in the context of justice. Much of the time she’d spent as Short’s hostage was still a blur, with little memory of conscious decisions. Now, Rue knew for sure. She didn’t hesitate or falter. The man she’d fought was in custody, not dead, but she knew that she could do what needed to be done. Perhaps this was what she’d needed for peace.

  “I hope Alexandra and Tamara are okay, wherever they are. I can’t believe I was so petty to be…I don’t know, almost jealous. I get it now.”

  “They are survivors. Like you.”

  “Yes. We were all lucky.”

  She included Dr. Shepherd in that statement, certain that the therapist was aware.

  * * * *

  Grace Lester regarded her fingernails, looking bored.

  Theo wasn’t yet sure whether or not he was wasting his time with this visit—she sure thought he was wasting hers.

  “Joanna who?” she said. “I don’t know where you got the idea that I care about her. I’m doing all right, and they’re all younger and prettier than her.”

  Did she want to taunt him, or Joanna, hoping he’d tell her?

  “We can cut this short. Did you hire someone to beat up her father?”

  Grace laughed. And laughed. It was so
fake it made his skin crawl.

  “I said something funny?”

  “Indeed, you did, Detective. I’m not sure you’re aware how prison works, but I don’t get to hire anyone to do anything. Not on the outside, at least. In here I have some sway. What can I say? I have a lot to offer.” She looked at him, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Perhaps that’s what you came here for? A little fantasy to bring back to your girlfriend?”

  “I’m good, thanks. I see you’re not going to tell me the truth, so I’ll let you go back to whatever it is you can do in here.” He gave her a smirk, aware of the flash of anger on her face, before she put the sweet smile back in place.

  “That’s so kind of you, Theo. Say hello to Joanna. I hope she’s happy.”

  “Oh, she is, don’t worry.”

  “So someone went after her daddy. It wasn’t me, but that is interesting. Perhaps next time they choose somebody she actually cares about?”

  Already at the door, Theo made a sharp turn. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Nothing. Just making conversation. You came to see me. I didn’t do anything, but you seem to be out of theories. I gave you one.”

  He didn’t answer, but left the room, more troubled than when he’d come in. In spite of her denial, Theo wasn’t ready to rule out any involvement. Worse, unless Grace was playing games, everyone Joanna cared about could be in danger.

  Including Vanessa.

  * * * *

  He ordered the special evening menu, complete with different wines for each course. He sat close enough to have the man and woman in his sight, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying. It wasn’t important. Their worried gazes spoke volumes—and he was here to observe and have an excellent meal.

  Liam knew that Vanessa Young and Theo Randolph didn’t come to this restaurant often. Likely, they were stressed about recent events and felt the need to treat themselves. They better. Things were about to get worse for both of them.

  He watched them interact, talk, and at some point, hold hands on the table, the gesture causing a sharp pang of envy. They didn’t deserve to be together, flaunt their relationship, when he couldn’t do the same.