by Kelly Wood
Gray laughed. "Yes. We had to force Jax out the door so the surprise wouldn’t be ruined. She didn’t want to leave you. Peter called a car service to pick her mom up and bring her here. She's downstairs right now."
"Good."
"Jax said she understands if you want to stay home tonight. I told her we both know that would never happen."
"You couldn’t keep me away with wild horses. This night will be amazing for her. I'm going to need help getting ready, though." Physically, I didn’t think I was up for a night out, but emotionally I knew I couldn’t stay in this house.
"Are you ready to talk about it?"
“Yes. No. I guess. Maybe.” I looked at his face. The strain of the afternoon had left marks on him, too. “Not much of an answer, is it?”
“Spill it. You need the purge of words. That’s always worked for you. Even though you have a tendency to bottle them up until they explode out of you.” He kissed my forehead. “Let’s try something new today.”
The urge to keep them bottled up was strong. I wanted to push all of the emotions, thoughts, and fears into a little box inside of me and lock them up. I wanted to ignore my feelings and pretend it was just another day. Eventually, I would share them with Gray, so why not now? Maybe if he heard how I fought back, it would ease some of his strain, too.
In a whispered voice, I told him everything. I started with the snooping and talked right up until he entered the police station. He listened quietly, never once interrupting. I could tell parts of the retelling bothered him by his expressions. I felt his muscles strain when I recollected throwing the vase and the crazy flight down the stairs. He even smiled when I told him about the throat punch and thanked him for teaching it to me.
“What do you think he wanted to talk about?” Gray asked.
“I don’t know. Did I overreact?”
“I can’t say. You were the only one here. Ben broke in. He cornered you. He gave chase and broke your window. I don’t think he was here for a tea party.”
I let the words sink in. Gray was right, but something felt off. With my foot, I was barely able to pick up any speed. Ben should’ve been able to catch me at any time. Looking back, replaying the afternoon, it felt . . . forced. Contrived. My head saw the incongruities of the day, but my body still felt the terror.
I still felt weak and emotional from the crazy afternoon. And fearful, knowing that Ben was still out there. I didn’t think it was fear of him physically, though. I thought it was fear of what he wanted to tell me. I helped escalate the exchange. I struck first. Actually, it was only me who struck. Ben never physically assaulted me. He only tried to restrain and stop me. I needed to ponder this more.
Gray helped me in the shower, letting me cry out the last of it. The water, soap, and tears all stung the cuts, but I felt cleansed afterward. Better. Gray even shampooed my hair and washed my body, giving me time to build myself back up again. Standing on one foot, the hot water pouring over me, I thought back to the afternoon. The events were on a repeating loop in my mind. Each time I replayed it, I saw discrepancies.
"I'm proud of you." Gray bent over me, toweling off my body, while I stood holding the counter for support.
"For what?" I asked.
"For standing up to him. The thought of what might have happened . . . It’s too much to even think about. I'm sorry for leaving you alone. I thought . . . I never . . . I'm sorry." He stood up, gingerly hugging me. "I'm sorry."
"No need to be sorry. I used what you taught me. You're right, punching a man in his neck is very effective." I hugged him back, tightly. “But—”
“But, what?” Gray pulled away to look down at me.
“Something, I don’t know what exactly, doesn’t feel right.” I explained my reservations to him. He played devil's advocate, but even he could see my points.
We argued the points while I got ready. Gray stayed with me, never leaving my side. He laid out my new dress and put a chair in the bathroom so I could sit while drying and curling my hair. He iced my foot and rubbed my shoulders to loosen the tight muscles. There was nothing I could do about my face. I didn’t want to cover the cuts with makeup, so I only used some lip gloss. Even with my limitations, by the time I was ready, I felt like a whole new person. Even the swelling had gone down.
I shared a car to the gallery with Peter, Gray, Anais, and Jax’s mom, DiAnn, Peter had splurged on a service for us so we would have transportation at our disposal. I had always found dealing with a stressful situation was easier when humor could be found in it, too. Gray and Peter regaled me with the story of how they came to be at the station so quickly.
"We all ran into the street, stopping traffic. I thought for sure one of us was going to get hit by a car. Gray stopped a cab, pulled the passenger out, and we jumped in. By the look on his face, I don't think that guy will ever visit the city again," Peter said.
"I think he thought I was mugging him. He kept saying, ‘N-no, please. I don't have any money,' and waving his arms in front of his face." I could only imagine how scared the man must have been. With Gray’s height and stature, the man probably did fear for his life.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was scared out of my mind. We needed a car, and I took one by physical force.” Gray laughed and then continued. "It was the scariest cab ride I have ever been in. The cabbie was going a hundred miles an hour, weaving in and out of traffic on Lake Shore Drive."
"I told him I would give him two hundred dollars if he could get us to the police station in under ten minutes," Peter said.
"Well, did he?" I asked.
"Eight minutes flat," Gray said.
"So, now I owe you an ugly vase and two hundred dollars?" I asked Peter.
"No, no, dear. As far as I am concerned, it was money well spent," Anais said.
"Of course, you can say that, Mother. It wasn't your money."
Chapter Thirty-Four
Even though the opening wasn't supposed to start for ten more minutes, there were already about a dozen people present. Jax stood in the middle of the floor, giving an interview, Liam by her side. As soon as she spotted me, she ran over, leaving the reporter in midsentence. Jax flew at me, wrapping her arms around my neck in a fierce hug.
"Thank God you are okay."
"I’m fine. It’s all about you tonight." I hugged her back. I was overcome with pride, like an overprotective mama. She had worked so hard for this moment. No matter how many shows she had in the future, she would never forget this one. "I'm so proud of you. I love you."
DiAnn had stayed back as the rest of us went in. We wanted Jax's attention before we bombarded her with her surprise. I knew the moment that she entered, though. I could feel Jax’s shock, like an electrical current, as it coursed through her before our hug ended.
"Mom?"
"Surprise," I whispered, letting her go.
As much energy as Jax had put into my hug, she doubled it for her mom. Both Jax and DiAnn cried tears of joy at seeing each other. I took Gray's hand because I wanted to touch him and for the support. I stood gingerly on one foot.
"Good surprise. Thank you." Gray got all the credit for making it happen.
We turned to look at the paintings. I tried to stay out of the way of everyone. Between the cuts on my face and my almost broken foot, I didn't want the attention. Everyone made the rounds and sipped glasses of wine. I held a glass in my hand, too, so people would stop asking me if I needed a drink. I didn’t drink it, though, because of the pain pills.
The paintings looked amazing. The walls were all bright white, so the vibrant blues of each piece stood out. Already, sold stickers marked some of the pieces.
Jax had thoughtfully set out a chair for me in the back corner in case I needed rest. Gray and I spent most of our time there, letting people come to us. Even though I felt stronger, I appreciated Gray staying by my side. His hand was either holding mine or resting on my shoulder for support throughout the evening.
"You look much better than the last
time I saw you. How are you feeling?" Liam asked.
"Loads better, thank you. How is Jax holding up?" I asked, tilting my wine glass towards Jax.
"She's a bundle of nerves. I thought I was going to have to handcuff her to get her here. She wanted to hide under the covers with you."
Even with the show about to close, people were still wandering in to congratulate Jax. She held up like a champ, always smiling. This moment was made for her, holding court, surrounded by her paintings, as critics and journalists raved about her work. She absolutely glowed tonight.
“I need to come clean about something,” Liam said, distracting me from my thoughts.
“Based on your tone, I don’t think I’m going to like this.”
“No, you won’t.” I didn’t like being in the chair, it forced me to look up at Liam. I stood, using Gray’s arm for support. Gray was turned away talking to someone else. Even though he was next to us, Liam and I had the illusion of privacy. Whatever he was about to say, I wanted to be face-to-face when he said it.
“Just say whatever it is.” Liam was taller than me, but I held myself upright to look him as closely in the eyes as I could.
“Ben was helping me with the investigation.”
“But, you arrested him. I saw you.”
“I can’t go into the reasons why, but it was for show.” Liam kept his eyes on me. I thought back to the day Jax and I went shopping. I had scoured all of the Chicago papers for an article on his arrest. There had been none.
“It wasn’t in the papers, but why?”
“I told you I can’t go into details.” Gray’s head snapped around at our tones. He excused himself from his conversation before planting himself firmly next to me. His arm snaked around my back, giving me even more support.
“You’re going into them, whether you like it or not,” Gray said. “You started this. Now talk.”
“Don’t threaten me.” Gray and Liam stood facing off, each full of anger. In a fight to the death, it would be a toss-up who would win in a showdown. Liam continued talking. “I know who you are so let’s not pretend to both be on the same side.”
Gray physically jerked at Liam’s comment. “I asked Ben to run a background check. To my surprise, he had one on file from years ago. He updates it regularly.”
“Then, you are wrong. You know we are on the same side. But, I wouldn’t stoop to your tactics.” I glanced around the room. To the others, we looked innocent, like friends chatting. Nobody else had noticed the tension in our corner.
“Back up. Why did you pretend to arrest Ben?” I asked.
“This is bigger than murder. I needed the players involved to relax their guard. What better way than for a murderer to be apprehended.”
“Even if it wasn’t true?” Gray asked.
I didn’t share my concerns with Liam. After all, he was a stranger, and the ‘players’ as he referred to them were my friends.
“Yes. I’m sorry about today.”
“Was Ben breaking in part of your plan, too?” I asked.
“He won’t admit that, Regan. It would be a crime.” Gray shifted his focus from me to Liam. “Ben didn’t know Regan would be there. No one knew she had hurt her foot last night and would be staying home today. Got more than you bargained for, Detective.” Gray snarled the last word.
“What about Jax? Is she a ploy in your game, too?” I asked.
“No! Jax is . . . special to me.”
“I’ll bet. We just happen to meet you at the Dark Horse? With Ben of all people?”
“It’s true.”
“What was Ben looking for today? Why did he break in?” The silence dragged on between us. Gray and I stared down Liam, but he didn’t budge. He never broke eye contact with me. He never wavered.
“He’s not going to tell us any more, Regan.”
“Look. I’m sorry how today went for you. I’m sure Ben was just as shocked when he opened the door and saw you there.” Liam blew out a breath and ran his hands through his hair. He seemed exasperated. At the end of his rope, so to speak. “You need to be careful. Jax told me about that little stunt you pulled at her apartment. This is serious.”
“Just the other day you were warning me about Ben, now you are warning me about my friends?”
“I was warning you about Ben so you’d be on alert all around. Someone was murdered, and you are sticking your nose into it like you’re Nancy Drew.” Liam grabbed my arm, shaking me slightly as he spoke.
Gray stepped between us, murder in his eyes.
“Don’t you ever touch her.” Gray jabbed a finger into Liam’s chest as he spoke. “This mess is because of you. You and Ben are trying to play by your own rules. Watch yourselves.”
“Is that a threat?”
“You know my history. Is it?” With that, Gray swooped down, picking me up in a basket carry. He walked through the crowd, telling Jax I’d had enough on the way to the door.
It was kinda hot.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Gray carried me across the street into Grant Park. After setting me down on a bench, he sat beside me. The park still had some pedestrian traffic, couples walking around and groups of kids playing, but none were near us.
“Where do we start?” I asked. A thousand questions bounced around in my brain.
“Good question. How about the beginning?”
The beginning of the mess for me was when I left Gray in Mexico. That’s where I started. I told what I did and where I went. I told him about landing in Chicago and making the pub my first stop but finding it closed down because of the murder. I told him about meeting Jax at the Dark Horse, about Ben being at the table when I returned from the bathroom, about working for Peter and seeing the two sets of credit charges, and about giving Peyton a copy of the profit and loss statement. I told him every detail of my life. My bet with Peter and his rules. Ben kissing me. That one didn’t go over well, but he couldn’t really say anything since we were technically broken up.
I finished up with snooping on Peter’s computer and every detail of my exchange with Ben. Looking back, I could see that Ben was just as surprised by my presence in the apartment as I had been by his. I took his startled reaction as an aggressive move. I solely reacted by instinct when I hit him in the nose with the heel of my hand. I felt a twinge of remorse until I remembered that he had broken into Peter’s home. I had a right to defend myself and the place.
“Out of all the questions not answered, my biggest one right now is why Ben used the rock to break my window. Why didn’t he just let me leave? I was already in the car.”
“That’s your most pressing question?” Gray chuckled.
“Yes. Ben never attacked me. I hit him in the nose, I threw the vase. I ran. He tried to make it clear he just wanted to talk to me.”
“But, the rock was too far?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe during the debacle, he changed his plan.”
“What do you mean?” Gray pulled my legs across his lap, elevating my foot and bringing us closer. “The night of the dinner on the rooftop deck at Peter’s, he changed his plan. I was watching him throughout the speech Anais gave. When he realized she was pointing the finger at him, the gears started churning. He flipped the table to give himself an escape, to regain control of the escalating situation.”
“Two questions. One. Why do you think Anais insinuated it was him?”
“Maybe she truly thinks it was him,” Gray said.
“Maybe she needed to give a new direction to the investigation. Liam was sitting at the table, too.”
“You think she knew the police were starting to look at Peter?”
“It’s a valid point. Anais is the ultimate mama bear when it comes to protecting Peter,” I said.
“What’s your second question?”
“Do you think the ruse of arresting Ben in front of all of us came about because of Anais pointing her finger at him?”
“Maybe. I think Ben and Liam are playing fast and loo
se with the case. They seem to be using underhanded tricks instead of actual evidence.”
“Okay. So, what’s the evidence?”
“Large funds are passing through the restaurant. We know for a fact. You thought it was an escort service, but that didn’t pan out.”
“Thanks for the reminder. How do you explain the list of girls, dates and times I found on Peter’s computer, then?” I stretched my back. My muscles were tightening up from the hard bench and lack of movement.
“What if that’s all for show?” Gray raised his hands in question.
“I don’t follow.”
“The evidence points to an escort service being run through the restaurant. Follow me?” I nodded yes. “What if it is just a ruse? What if it is nothing but old-fashioned money laundering. The numbers are big enough to pass some serious money through there. On the surface, it looks like high-dollar hookers, but after an investigation, it’s nothing.”
“Let’s go down that route. Let’s say it is just a cover. Problem one: where is the dirty money coming from?”
“Problem two?” Gray asked.
“The girls are actually getting paid. I printed the checks myself.”
“Did you match up all of the sales to the amounts paid out or did you assume the numbers in the computer were correct?”
“I assumed.”
“How many checks?”
“Other than the standard employee checks? Four large ones.”
“How many girls were listed on the website?”
“Probably thirty?” I guessed.
“Maybe the four are the cover?”
“Meaning?”
“Those four take a portion. They are part of the ‘scheme.’ The other women listed never get chosen for a party, but are listed for show.”
“So, what happens if an investigation starts regarding an escort service?”
“Those four are questioned. They lie about working private events. The others get questioned, but they have nothing to offer because they have never been chosen.”
“Okay. I think I’m following. What’s our next step?”
