Getaway Girlz

ALSO BY JOAN RYLEN

GETAWAY GIRLZ

Vivian Taylor’s dreams drowned the night she found her husband, father of their four young children, in the pool with
her
. Days from finalizing divorce and in need of resuscitation, Vivian’s three closest friends whisk her off to exotic Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where she meets sexy Canadian soap star, Jon Tournay. Their electrifying night on the dance floor ignites into an inferno of passion during a moonlit stroll along the beach. Hours later, the girls are awakened by the bang! bang! bang! of
policia
at their door. Jon has been murdered, and the lead detective targets his prime suspect: Vivian. Leery of local authorities, the Getaway Girlz — vivacious Vivian, unwavering Wendy, impulsive Lucy and brainiac Kate — embark on a journey of justice to prevent Vivian from being a broad, locked up abroad.

Thanks so much for picking up our book. Get ready to settle in for a vacation loaded with margaritas, Mexican food, mysterious characters and murder! Write us a review and please, spread the word!

Gracias!

-Johnell and Robbyn

a.k.a. Joan Rylen

GETAWAY

GIRLZ

Joan Rylen

Copyright © 2012 Rita Rox., Inc.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, dialogue, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imaginations or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights.

Lyrics of Josh Weathers used with permission.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012905109

To Dad, here it is finally. The Book.

Love, Robbyn

To Danielle, Sadie, Cayce and Cameron – Love, Mommy

Six weeks ago

“WHO IS with the kids? And who the hell is that?”

Vivian Taylor stared in disbelief at the woman stepping out of the pool, bikini riding up her ass. The woman looked at Vivian with a nonchalant expression before calmly reaching for her towel.

The look on Vivian’s husband’s face, however, was one of disbelief.

“Vivian, leave her out of this.”

Daggers shot from Vivian’s eyes. “You better move that car, bitch, or I’m running it over.”

Rick Taylor followed the woman out of the pool and walked toward Vivian, his palms to the ground indicating she should calm down.

She didn’t.

Vivian swung a right hook at Rick’s head, which connected, and the cell phone she’d been holding shattered into pieces. She chunked her left wooden sandal at him. It smacked his shoulder, bounced into the bushes and disappeared. Her right knee jerked up, landing squarely in his groin.

He doubled over, gasping for breath. Vivian grabbed his shoulders and shoved him backward, into the pool.

“I hope you drown in there, asshole.” His head popped out of the water and she kicked her other sandal at him, but it missed and flew across the pool.

Barefoot, Vivian went into his apartment and gently retrieved her four sleeping children from their third-story bedroom. She loaded the kids into the minivan and tried as calmly as she could to drive them home.

It took everything in her not to fall to pieces, like that phone.

***

Vivian didn’t get a wink of sleep. The next morning she took the kids to the sitter, called in sick to work, and started cleaning house like a madwoman. She had caught up on two years’ worth of ironing and though she tried to stop thinking about the pool, the scene kept playing like a bad B-movie.

Vivian hadn’t told anyone, not friends, not family, that Rick had moved out. Prior to last night, she was convinced he would realize what a mistake he’d made and come back.

Obviously the man is thinking with the wrong head
, she sighed to herself. Even if he wanted to come back now, she didn’t think she would take him.
Once a cheater, always a cheater, right
?

Finally, she found the courage to pick up the phone and made her first call. Lucy.

Tears streamed down her face before Lucy even picked up. Vivian half hoped she wouldn’t.

Two rings, three rings. Vivian exhaled and pulled the phone away just as Lucy’s perky voice exclaimed, “Viv! What’s up, lady?”

Vivian couldn’t speak.

“Are you there, Vivian? Hello?”

“Here,” Vivian choked, and started sobbing. Uncontrollable, animal-like sobs.

“Oh my god, who died? Are you okay? Did you fall down the stairs again? Hang up and call 911!”

Vivian’s ears were hot and her face burned. She glanced at the cordless phone and wondered if it could electrocute her due to the conductivity of water.

“Rick” is all Vivian could say.

“Rick is dead? Oh no, Viv! What happened?”

“No, he’s not dead.”

He should be, but he’s not
.

“He left,” Vivian blubbered.

“What do you mean he left? Left to where?”

“He LEFT me, Lucy. Gone! Moved out! AND he filed for divorce!”

“Shut UP. No way. When did this happen?”

“He left two months ago. Said he just couldn’t cope.”

“What? Two months ago? Where are the kids?”

“They’re at the sitter.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Vivian closed her eyes.
That makes two of us
.

Lucy had a barrage of questions, which Vivian attempted to answer. Most of her responses were head shakes, but Lucy saw them.

Vivian was still in shock. She thought Rick would figure out he left the best thing that ever happened to him. She gave him four beautiful children and great sex. What else could a man ask for?

How about fake boobs, a nose job and bad highlights. He thought the grass was greener with her, but he was campin’ out on artificial turf!

Lucy assured Vivian she would be fine. She was strong, beautiful, smart and fabulous.

Vivian looked at herself in her way-outdated 1970s wet-bar mirror. Her naturally curly blonde hair had become unruly and stuck out everywhere. Her green eyes were almost swollen shut, and her face was red and splotchy. Though her twin-pregnancy double chin was now a single, her double D’s remained.

Screw fabulous
, Vivian thought.
I’m a wreck. I will be 30 and divorced with four kids in less than two months. How did this happen
?

Lucy’s voice brought Vivian back. “I’ll come down for your birthday. No, better yet, I’ll figure something out and we’ll get you out of town for your birthday. Do you think your mom can keep the kids? You really need to get away, girl. Leave it to me.”

Thank god for my dear, dear friend
, Vivian thought, but “okay” was all she could muster.

“Listen, Viv, you WILL be fine. Of all of us, you are the one who can handle this. I’ll call you back with birthday details. Love you, Viv. Hang in there. It’s going to work out, I promise.”

Click.

Vivian put down the waterlogged phone and walked closer to the wet-bar mirror, getting a better look at herself through the tacky, two-tone squiggles. She hated that mirror, so she flipped it off.

Day 1- Bienvenidos a México

TRUE TO her word, Lucy did call back after talking to their mutual best friends, Kate and Wendy. The three had picked a destination, booked flights and a hotel. Fast forward a month and a half later and Vivian found herself on a plane headed to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico where it was sunshiny and a warm 82 degrees.

Vivian’s seat was toward the front in coach, but a middle seat.

Whatever
, she thought,
I’m just happy to be getting out of town for a few days
.

The 50-something guy in the window seat wore a business suit, glasses and sported a bad comb-over. Why do men do that? Grow one long wisp of hair and wrap it around their head as many times as it will go?

Not good guys…not good
.

The lady in the aisle seat was a bit of a chubster but with a friendly face. She smiled and moved to let Vivian in, gathering up her long flowery sundress, which practically needed its own seat. She chatted about going to Cancun for her brother’s wedding.

Vivian didn’t feel like talking, but raised with southern manners, she forced herself to be nice. She responded with the usual “sounds fun, blah blah,” niceties and reached for her seatbelt. She clicked it and pulled the strap tight, let out a sigh (mostly because she couldn’t breathe) and shut her eyes, feeling mixed emotions about the trip.

She leaned against the headrest and thought about it. On the one hand, she deserved a break. The divorce had been dragging out a bit more than either of them wanted, but the end was definitely near. Her mom came up for the week to keep the kids, but Rick would still get them on his scheduled days. On the other hand, she wondered why she was leaving the four most precious things in the world to her at such a tumultuous time.

Maybe I should unclick this seatbelt and go home
? She thought.

Vivian heard a thud and opened her eyes. The airplane door was sealed. That settled that, she was going.

Vivian noticed the book in Seat Buddy’s lap, one of her favorite authors, Janet Evanovich. They chatted while the flight attendant instructed on what to do in an emergency. Vivian had seen the blow-up-the-seat-cushion/life jacket thing, so she decided to get her own book, which was properly stowed under the seat in front of her. She moved her body in an unnatural position, twisted and scrunched, and reached for her bag. Vivian’s chin was practically in Swirly Heads’ lap. Yuck.