by Alice Ward
“Feel better?” she asked, pushing her palm into my left heel.
“I feel fantastic,” I mumbled. “I’m glad I brought a driver. You almost put me to sleep.”
“Lots of my clients nap during their sessions. I try to take it as a compliment,” she laughed.
“You definitely should. Can I go ahead and book another appointment with you for the same time next week?”
Her voice suddenly became hesitant. “I’m on vacation next week. But I have some great aromatherapy products to help deal with stress. I’ll go get them while you get dressed.”
“Okay… thank you,” I replied, puzzled by her odd behavior.
I waited for the door to click shut before climbing off the table. I dressed quickly and perched on the edge of the chair. Lindsey returned a few moments later with a thick manila envelope in her hands. Her eyes darted back and forth down the hallway before she finally shut the door and turned to me. She spoke so softly I had to ask her to repeat herself.
“This came from Mr. Rogers,” she hissed, thrusting the envelope into my hands. “He left very specific instructions. You’re to open this in Mr. Reynolds’ office, nowhere else. Make sure you’re alone and the door’s locked. And follow all of the instructions on the first page before reading through the rest of the information.”
I knew this was a lead. Thank God. With any luck, I’ll know where my husband is within the hour.
“I thought… I hoped… but then you went ahead with the massage,” I stammered.
“I wasn’t supposed to do that,” she confessed with a blush. “Mr. Rogers asked me to call about the phony appointment and then give you the envelope as soon as you arrived. But when you got here, you looked like you were in so much pain, I figured there was no harm in going through with the appointment.”
“Thank you, Lauren. For the massage and for this,” I whispered, clutching the envelope.
“You’re more than welcome.” She leaned in close and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“That comment about my vacation was a lie as well. If you’re still in town next week, by all means come in for an appointment. Or if you’d like, I can come to the house.”
Where else would I be next week?
Ordinarily, it would have bothered me that a stranger knew more about what was going on in my life than I did. But at the time, I was so relieved that someone had reached out to me that nothing else mattered. I thanked Lindsey again, slipped the envelope into my messenger bag, and returned to the car as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
CHAPTER 3
During the trip home, I brainstormed excuses to lock myself in Asher’s office. Everyone at the house was sure to be suspicious after I snuck out without explanation. After all, I’d preached the importance of staying behind the wall just the day before. And after the conversations I’d had with Mom and Kennedy, there were sure to be on the lookout for any sign that I knew more than I was letting on. To make things extra complicated, there were so many crawling around the house I felt lucky to be able to pee in private. Mom and Dad were staying in the guestroom while Kennedy and Jackson were on a roll away bed in the living room, and Claire had taken up residence in the office.
I’m going to have to wait until lunch. Everyone will be gathered around the table or, please God, on the terrace. I’ll say I don’t have an appetite; no one will question that with everything going on. If I can’t slip into the office unnoticed, I’ll say I finally feel up to returning some personal messages. Which reminds me, I should probably send Deacon a quick email and let him know that I’m okay and his townhouse is still standing.
I knew my luck had run out the moment the driveway came into view. The lawn in front of the gate, which had been blissfully empty when I left, was now teaming with news crews.
“Damn it,” Gabe growled. “I thought they’d finally given up their posts. We only had three crews yesterday. Someone must have tipped them off that you left the house.”
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “I’m actually glad they’re here.”
Kennedy had warned me not to say anything, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when it was literally right in front of my face. I was desperate to talk to Asher and the news cameras were as close as I was going to get.
“Stop the car,” I directed.
“Are you sure?” Gabe asked.
“I’m not sure this is a great idea,” Mitch, the security guard, warned.
“It’ll be fine,” I insisted, refusing to take no for an answer.
Gabe slowed the car to a stop and killed the engine.
“Give us a few minutes to corral the—”
I opened the back door and stepped out of the car before Mitch could finish. The reporters swarmed me, holding giant microphones over my head while their cameramen vied for the best angles. I held up my hands, backing them up as I addressed them.
“I will not be answering any questions,” I announced firmly. “But since you all insist on camping out on my grass, I’d like to take the opportunity to go on record about something.”
I took a deep breath, stared directly into the nearest camera, and continued. “You’ve all made up your minds about my husband and I won’t even attempt to change them. But as certain as you are that Asher is guilty, I’m twice as certain that his actions have an understandable explanation. Asher Reynolds is the best man I know. I love him with everything I have and I can’t wait until we’re together again. Thank you for your time.”
“Mrs. Reynolds, do you really expect us to believe you have no idea where your husband is?”
“Can you comment on Cynthia Goins’s recent arrest?”
“Lauren, how do you feel about the SEC’s decision to shut down and audit EnvisionTech media?”
What?
The last question hit me like a slap to the face. I knew the feds had been investigating the company before we proved Rachel was behind all of the illegal activity. But I’d expected them to close the investigation once she was behind bars. I stumbled for a moment, then righted myself and continued back to the car, ignoring the reporters.
Something must have happened while I was gone. Kennedy will explain when I get back to the house. Asher will be devastated. But what did he expect to happen if he split town?
I held my head high and continued to ignore the reporters until we were safely through the gate. Gabe cleared his throat and we locked eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Did that reporter just say the SEC has seized the entire company?” he asked, his voice grave.
“Yeah. That’s what she said,” I replied between pinched lips.
“Mr. Reynolds isn’t going to be happy when he hears that.”
“Mr. Reynolds has bigger problems to worry about,” I reminded him as we slowed to a stop at the house.
“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed with a nod.
“Thank you for escorting me, gentlemen. I’m going to go inside and find out what the latest catastrophe is. You’re welcome to join me.”
“We’ll leave you with your family, Mrs. Reynolds,” Mitch insisted. “We’ll get briefed at the gatehouse.”
I nodded goodbye to them and slipped out of the car. The front door swung open and Kennedy stepped outside. She planted her feet shoulders width apart and put her hands on her hips.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” she demanded.
I sighed and moved past her into the house. “I take it you’re watching the news.” I paused at the couch and kissed my mother hello before moving on to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee.
“Of course we’re watching the news,” Kennedy snapped. “The sky is falling again. But you wouldn’t know that because you snuck out this morning without a word to anyone. Then you fucking refused to answer your phone.”
I filled a mug and returned to the couch while Kennedy paced the living room floor. The television was on but muted and the closed captioning had been turned on. I sat down between Mom and Claire and read the words out l
oud as they flashed across the screen.
“After finding evidence of multiple forms of corruption occurring on the executive level, government agencies have frozen all holdings of EnvisionTech Media. The Securities and Exchange Commission will be auditing the company’s records, while the FBI and an assortment of other agencies investigate further accusations against Asher Reynolds, his longtime associate Rachel Finley, aka Cynthia Goins, as well as other members of the board.”
I turned to Kennedy, eyebrows raised. “I thought the investigation was closed after we proved Rachel was the one behind the embezzling.”
“The original charges against Asher are still active. The authorities are acting under the assumption that Asher and Cynthia were working together. With the amount of fraud they’ve already found, going through the company records is the next logical step,” she explained.
“Is there anything I should be doing? Should I call Brian and offer my support? What’s going to happen to the employees while the company is closed down?”
“Corporations have insurance to protect their employees if something like this happens, so you don’t need to worry about that. There’s really nothing you can do right now. Asher already surrendered his seat on the board, so there’s no need for you to step in in his absence. And the last thing you should do is call Brian. He’s one of the board members being investigated. Looks like he may have been skimming from the company cash as well.”
“You’re kidding me,” I gasped. “He was working with Rachel?”
She shook her head. “I doubt it. The sad truth is a lot of people aren’t honest. You should probably brace yourself. There’s no telling how much theft the feds will uncover now that they’re looking.”
I sighed and stared at the television. The footage showed men in polyester suits carrying large cardboard boxes out of company headquarters.
“You know, I’m having a hard time caring about this,” I confessed.
“Honey, what are you talking about?” Mom asked, her face turned up at the screen. “This is a disaster. And it isn’t fair. With all of the bad publicity, Asher may never be able to get the company up and running again once this is all over.”
I took a sip of my coffee and shrugged. “I’m sure this will seem like a huge problem if the rest of our lives ever get back to normal. But at the moment, I’m no worse off today than I was yesterday. The feds froze Asher’s accounts weeks ago. And I couldn’t care less about the money. All I care about is finding my husband.”
I took another drink of the steaming liquid and turned to Kennedy as I swallowed. “Think about it. If Montgomery Enterprises was suddenly taken away from Jackson, would you care?”
She shook her head. “I’d be upset for him. But I completely understand what you’re saying. The money is nice, but without Jackson nothing else would matter.”
“Do you want to keep watching this?” Claire asked, pointing the remote at the television. I looked up and saw my face on the screen. It was then that I remembered Lindsey had covered my head in oil during the massage.
“Good lord, I look like I haven’t washed my hair in a month.” I cringed and turned back to Kennedy. Claire hit a button and a cooking show replaced the news.
“Look, I’m sorry I went against your advice and talked to them. I tried not to say too much, but I couldn’t say nothing. If Asher’s out there somewhere watching—”
“I get it,” she assured me. “And you didn’t say too much. I overreacted. I was just so worried when I came out this morning and realized you’d left.”
Oh, shit. She thought I’d ran off to be with Asher. She didn’t believe my note. And then, I didn’t answer my phone.
“I’m sorry, I should have stuck my head in your room before I left for the spa. I know it was silly to leave for something like that. I booked the appointment weeks ago and completely forgot about it. I’m still so sore from the accident, so when the therapist called to confirm this morning, I decided to go on a whim. Gabe and Mitch took me down to the valley and stayed outside the spa the entire time.”
“Well, I for one am glad you took a little time to take care of yourself,” Mom said, putting a gentle arm around my shoulder.
“Claire and I are making Dad’s favorite empanadas for lunch. Why don’t you let me draw you a hot bubble bath before we get started in the kitchen? I’ll set up your tray table and bring you some magazines and sparkling water. We can keep up the pampering theme of the day.”
As wonderful as the idea of a hot bath sounded, I was desperate to get to the office. My eyes darted to the messenger bag on the entryway table while I tried to think of a reason to decline Mom’s offer.
“Ellen’s right,” Kennedy agreed. “It’s important that you relax and take care of yourself as much as possible. The easier you take it, the faster you’ll heal. I wish I could stick around for the empanadas, but I have another meeting with the federal prosecutor.”
“Is it anything we should be worried about?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I imagine it will be more of the same. He’ll grill me about Asher’s location. I’ll insist again that I have no idea where he is. Jackson’s going to meet me at the courthouse. He wants to show me a piece of property. We’ll be back in time for dinner.”
“Wonderful. I’m taking over tonight since Claire has an event,” Mom explained.
I turned to Claire with a grin. “I didn’t know you were catering tonight. This is your first job, isn’t it? Why didn’t you say anything? We should celebrate.”
Claire blushed and looked down at the floor. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just a small family reunion in the Mission district. I think I’m cooking for about thirty people, give or take.”
“Can I help?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve got it all under control. I’ll be cooking on site, so I won’t be in anyone’s way.”
“Well, good luck,” Kennedy called over her shoulder. “I’ll see you all this afternoon.”
“Call me if you learn anything new,” I called back to her. She replied with a wave and disappeared out the door.
“So what do you say about that bath?” Mom asked.
“A bath sounds perfect,” I agreed. “But first, I need to send Deacon an email and let him know we’re all okay.”
“Can’t you do that on your tablet from the tub?”
I shook my head. “I could. But I want to send him a few web articles as well and they’re bookmarked on the desktop. Claire, will you need in the office in the next little while?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m good. Take as much time as you’d like. Ellen and I are about to get started on the pie crust dough.”
I rose from the couch and retrieved my bag. “You two have been cooking around the clock. Are you sure you don’t want to take a break?”
Claire shook her head. “Your mom’s been teaching me some kitchen tricks,” she explained. “I’m starting to think I should stop looking at culinary schools and just move into the bed and breakfast as her apprentice.”
“Oh, you flatter me,” Mom laughed. “We’ll be in the kitchen if you need us, sweetheart. I’ll take a break and run that bath as soon as you’re finished with your email.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
I retreated to the office and locked myself in. I ripped open the envelope and dumped its contents onto the desk. A small flip phone fell on top of a stack of paperwork. I was tempted to reach for it, but remembered Lindsey’s instructions. I pulled the top page from the stack, my heart dancing at the sight of Asher’s handwriting.
My Dearest Lauren,
There are no words for how sorry I am for leaving with no explanation. I can’t go into the details here, just know I had no other choice. I have arranged for you to join me, if that’s what you want. The phone I’ve included is untraceable. I have one as well and my number is saved under A in yours. Only call, don’t text or leave voicemails. And only call from my home office.
I
’ve included a detailed list of everything you need to take care of to join me safely. I can’t stress enough how important it is that no one catch on to our plan. I love you, Lauren, and I want nothing more than to be with you again. But given the circumstances, I’ll understand if this is all too much for you to deal with.
Whether you join me or not, I need you to be very careful. Don’t leave the house without a guard and don’t trust anyone but our friends and family. I’m doing everything I can to neutralize the threat and I long to hear from you soon.
Your Loving Husband.
I flipped open the phone and dialed the only number in the contacts list. Asher answered halfway through the first ring.
“Lauren, thank God. Are you safe?”
“I’m fine,” I assured him, tears rolling down my face. “Are you safe?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry, Lauren. When you came to see me at Atwater, I wanted so badly to tell you what was going on. You have to know that I never would have run like that unless I had no other choice.”
“I know.” I was careful to keep my voice just above a whisper. “I want to be with you, Asher. I don’t care about the danger. I just care that we’re together.”
“I can’t promise this won’t last forever, Lauren,” he warned. “My dad and I are doing everything we can to neutralize the problem. He was close to having it dealt with before I got to Atwater, and then everything went to shit. The wrong people figured out what we were up to and they had every intention of dealing with us before we became a problem.”
“The wrong people? I know you mean—”
“Don’t say it, baby. The fewer specific details over the phone, the better.”
“Right, I’m sorry. But you’re safe now? These people, they’re not an immediate threat?”
“Not until they find us. Which is why it’s so important that you follow the instructions I sent you to the letter. My dad thinks this is a bad idea. Hell, I think it’s a bad idea. But I’m miserable without you. And at the moment, I don’t have the resources to keep you safe from a distance. I promise I’ll protect you with my life once you’re here.”
