The Exhibition (An Executive Decision Trilogy) (19 page)

Stacie didn’t budge from where she knelt holding the woman’s hands. ‘Well, you haven’t done a very good job of protecting her so far, have you?’ Then she turned back to Ingrid. ‘Sweetie, you need medical attention, and here’s the best place for you to be. Don’t worry –’ She smoothed Ingrid’s newly blond hair again. ‘I won’t leave you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.’ She nodded to Flannery’s men. ‘These men, they know what they’re doing. They’ll help me keep you safe’

The people crowded in the waiting area were now watching with rapt attention. The ER doctor had nervousness written all over her face, and the hospital security guards now stood by the door, not knowing what to do. ‘Look, this is a hospital,’ the doctor said. ‘This woman needs to be here. We don’t know the extent of her injuries, and taking her away without treatment could be detrimental.’

Jamison completely ignored the doctor. His self-indulgent smile rested only on Stacie. ‘Well, I’m certainly not going to remove Miss Watson against her will. Why don’t we ask her what she wants?’ He knelt next to Stacie and patted the woman’s arm. Was Harris mistaken, or did she actually flinch? ‘Ingrid darling, you can certainly stay if you want to, and perhaps everything will be just fine if you do. You have to understand me not wanting to trust you to anything but the best, sweetheart, and of course I want to be by your side, since I feel responsible for what happened.’

‘Ingrid, you don’t have to go with him,’ Stacie said. Harris could see the woman’s white-knuckled grip on both Stacie’s hands; he could nearly feel the tension in her shoulders. ‘I promise I won’t leave you. I’ll stay with you and keep you safe.’

‘Really, Stacie, you’re so dramatic,’ Jamison said. ‘Without Thorne’s beneficence, how on earth are you going to keep her safe, when you can’t even pay your own bills?’

Harris saw the color drain from Stacie’s face and felt as though he’d been gut-punched himself. Money problems? Stacie? Surely there was some mistake. He found himself moving forward and laying a hand on Stacie’s shoulder. ‘Stacie’s right, Ms. Watson. We’ll see that you’re safe.’

A single tear slid down the girl’s bruised cheek. Harris was pretty sure she was digging her nails into Stacie’s hand. At last, she spoke with difficulty. ‘No. No, it’s OK, really. I did call Mr. Jamison. I want him to take care of me so I can go home to my father all the sooner.’

‘You see?’ Jamison’s smile was all sweetness and light. ‘Surely the poor dear must be homesick, and to have had such a terrible experience so far from home, I can hardly imagine. Perhaps I’ll have her father flown out to be with her.’

‘No!’ Ingrid practically came out of the wheelchair before catching her breath in a sharp gasp of pain. ‘No, that won’t be necessary. Daddy won’t be able to get away from the farm right now, and I’m in good hands. Really I am. Besides –’ another tear slid down her cheek ‘– I don’t want to worry him.’

Anyone with half a brain could see the woman was terrified. And Harris couldn’t keep his mouth shut a moment longer. ‘Jamison, why don’t you and all your thugs just wait outside for a few minutes, maybe go down to the cafeteria for coffee, and give Ms. Watson here just five minutes to speak for herself without you threatening her.’

Stacie’s shoulders tensed. Flannery’s men snapped to attention and the ER doctor shot a panicked look at the hospital security men. But Jamison only offered an indulgent smile, the kind he might offer a child who just didn’t understand the situation.

‘Mr. Walker, this is not your affair, and in the future, I would advise you remember just how much this is not your affair. Now, if you’ll excuse us –’ He carefully extricated Ingrid’s clenched fingers from Stacie’s hands and gave them a squeeze. ‘I’m taking this poor girl to where she can get exactly what she needs.’

Harris helped Stacie to her feet, afraid she might lunge for Jamison, who, with everyone looking on, took up the position behind the wheelchair and began to push it toward the exit, flanked by his bodyguards. He stopped and turned back. ‘Oh, and Stacie, it would be wise for you not to bite the hand that feeds you.’ Then he left, pushing Ingrid Watson’s wheelchair as though he was the most attentive, most affectionate man alive.

It was all Harris could do to hold Stacie. ‘He did this to her. He did this to her because of me.’ Her anguish ripped at him as he felt every muscle in her body straining against him.

‘It’s not your fault, and you can’t help her like this.’ Harris spoke softly. ‘We’ll regroup. We’ll find a way to get her back, Stacie.’ He lifted her chin until she couldn’t look away from him. ‘We’ll deal with Jamison. We will, and we’ll make it right.’

Chapter Twenty-three

The grey light of the hospital room exaggerated the sunken planes of Zoe’s cheeks. Even the blanket that covered her couldn’t hide the sharp angles and protrusions of a body too thin for itself. Stacie ached at the sight and tried not to think about how her friend had looked only a few months ago when things were better, and she was happy. She knocked softly on the door and stepped inside. Instantly, Zoe’s face was transformed into a smile as she reached out her hand to take Stacie’s.

‘I didn’t think you’d come,’ she said, her eyes brimming. ‘I … would have understood if you hadn’t, under the circumstances.’

‘Of course I came, Zoe! How can you even think that I wouldn’t? I came as soon as I could.’ When she’d gotten news of Zoe’s overdose, Stacie had been in Boston, meeting with an artist she’d been trying for months to get to agree to an exhibition. The lion’s share of the work, by then, was already falling to her, and it was a lot. Zoe tried, but the stress of Jamison’s badgering and the unhealthy relationship Stacie knew she was in with the man had only exacerbated the substance abuse problems Zoe had battled all her life.

Stacie sat on the edge of the bed, still holding her friend’s hand. ‘Zoe, why didn’t you tell me things were so bad? We could have gotten you help. We could have seen that you got what you needed.’ She hurried on before Zoe could protest about the money. ‘We’d have found a way. Don’t we always find a way? I can’t do this without you, Zo. I need you. You don’t get to opt out, do you understand? I thought we were clear on that. We’re in this together.’

A blush rose to her friend’s ravaged face, and she extricated her hand from Stacie’s grasp. ‘Stacie, I wouldn’t. I mean, I didn’t. I swear to you, this wasn’t deliberate –the overdose, I mean. Did the doctors tell you that? Because it wasn’t. I promise you, I’d never leave you saddled with all this mess.’ She worried the edge of the sheet between her slender fingers, holding it nervously to her breasts as though she were naked and trying to cover herself. She shot a nervous glance toward the door. ‘Have you talked to Terrance? Did he tell you that I had tried to …?’

‘I talked to him briefly in the hall, yes. But I talked to the doctor first, sweetie, and he said that –’

‘That the … overdose was deliberate.’ She spoke the words in barely more than a whisper. ‘Well, he’s wrong, Stacie. He’s wrong. It wasn’t deliberate and, honestly, I don’t know how it happened. I swear I don’t.’

Stacie grabbed her hand again. ‘Then prove it to me by getting some help.’

There was another frightened look toward the door and Zoe swallowed back a sob. ‘I can’t, Stacie. I can’t while he’s … while I’m with …’

This time it was Stacie’s turn to glance nervously at the door. ‘Yes, you can. I can help you. He doesn’t have to know. I’ll run interference if I have to but we’ll get you the help you need.’

‘Stacie, you’re not running interference.’ All at once, Zoe’s eyes were hard and clear. ‘We both know what that would mean, and I couldn’t bear it. I’m the one who got you into this mess, and I couldn’t bear it if you … if he …’ She reached out to stroke Stacie’s cheek. ‘I couldn’t bear it if he …’ Her eyes misted again. ‘If he hurt you.’

‘What in the world are you talking about, Zoe darling?’ Both women jumped when Jamison burst into the room, all smiles and light. ‘I’d never hurt our Stacie.’ As if to demonstrate, he pulled Stacie to her feet and gave her a kiss that was hard and possessive and overly familiar, one that he made no attempt to hide from Zoe. Then he turned to Zoe and brushed a kiss across the top of her mussed red hair. ‘I’d never do anything to hurt either of my girls, now would I? I want you both healthy and strong and working hard to make our gallery a success.’ The look he gave Stacie started below her navel and worked its way leisurely up to her face. ‘Although, shame on you, Zoe dear. Your carelessness in your nasty habits means that our poor Stacie will have to work twice as hard to take up the slack. But then –’ He offered a soft chuckle that made Stacie shiver. ‘She’s been taking up the slack for a while now, hasn’t she, darling?’

He sat on the edge of the bed and slipped an arm around Zoe, pulling her close. Then he spoke next to her ear. ‘And that means our poor Stacie has no time for leisure of her own.’ Stacie felt naked in his gaze that moved over her again before it came back to her face. ‘And I find that very sad; very sad indeed, Zoe.’ Even from where she stood, Stacie could see his embrace tighten and morph to something no longer affectionate, something much more threatening, and his voice lost its genial veneer. ‘So I would suggest you pull yourself together and do your part for the team effort, darling.’

Then he stood and began to pace. ‘Now, as far as getting you the help you need, Zoe, believe me, I do understand that you’re ill, and you need treatment. So I’ve made arrangements to have you moved to a facility that can help you get what you need.’

‘No!’ Stacie pushed in next to Zoe and took her hand in a tight grip. ‘That’s not necessary, Terrance. I’ll see that Zoe gets the help she needs. I’ll see to her.’ She stood stiff-backed and square-shouldered, hoping he couldn’t see how her knees were shaking. ‘I’ve already got it sorted,’ she lied. ‘We’ll take care of it.’

The man stopped his pacing and stood like a statue in the middle of the room. In her peripheral vision, Stacie could see his hands tighten to fists, and the line along his jawbone was hard. She braced herself, holding tightly to Zoe, who held her back.

But he only offered a little laugh. ‘Suit yourselves, ladies,’ he said. Then he bent and took Zoe’s mouth like he owned it, holding her chin cupped in his hand, his thumb and forefinger tight against her jaw as his tongue snaked into the opening he forced. And it was impossible for Stacie, who observed in rising panic, not to understand the punishment that kiss promised and the rage it made little attempt to hide.

He kissed Zoe until she whimpered and raised a hand in an effort to push him back. He kissed her until Stacie reached for his shoulder to pull him away, then he released her and she fell with a harsh grunt against the pillow. He turned to Stacie so quickly that she feared he’d hit her. Instead, he raked her with another hungry look that twisted into a smirk, then he said, ‘Good luck with those rehab plans. I think the first step is to admit you’ve got a problem, isn’t it?’ Then he left.

Stacie didn’t argue when Ellis convened a meeting at his place. She didn’t argue when Harris bundled her into the Jeep and drove her there. She knew the man had a million questions, all questions she’d have to answer, but he had the good grace to leave her alone with her thoughts during the drive over. Though, in all honesty, they weren’t thoughts she really wanted to be left alone with. They seldom were when they strayed back to that dark time. And these days they seemed to stray there a lot. Not surprising under the circumstances.

She couldn’t keep from wondering if maybe Harris had left her alone with her thoughts because he was too disgusted to talk to her after what Jamison had let slip. It didn’t matter. She’d do whatever she had to do to get Ingrid safely out of Jamison’s hands. Ingrid was an innocent. Ingrid had done nothing to deserve this. So if Harris now hated her, if he wanted nothing further to do with her – well, good for him. What better way to keep him safe than for him to despise her and not want to see her again.

With her hand clutched tightly in his, Harris led her into the study at Ellis’ place, where Harold was pouring coffee, which she declined. She didn’t think she could get anything past the tight knot in her chest at the moment. Ellis and Dee sat side by side on the love seat across from Wade and Al Marston, who sat in wing-backed chairs. She and Harris sat on the sofa next to Flannery. It certainly looked like the whole gang had been invited, she thought grimly.

It didn’t take long for Ellis and Wade to update her on the Valderian situation. That they feared she might somehow be involved was clear. It didn’t take her much longer to reassure them that she wasn’t, but it hurt that they thought she might have been.

Harris was way more obliging with information about her funeral flowers and emails from Ingrid than was his place, but then maybe he was afraid she’d balk. She wouldn’t have. It was too late for that now.

When everyone had been brought up to date on the incident at the hospital, Martin Flannery cleared his throat and scooted forward on the sofa. ‘As you might expect, no one was keen on sharing information at the hospital. So I took some liberties.’ He pulled out his BlackBerry and began to scroll down. ‘Yes, here it is. The first assessment on Ingrid Watson’s condition was that there were no bones broken and no internal bleeding, all pending further examination, of course. Apparently Ms. Watson was assaulted in her room at the Monaco. No one saw anyone go in or come out. She claims it happened in the dark and her assailant woke her out of a sound sleep.

‘Bullshit,’ Al interrupted. ‘I don’t believe that for a minute. Jamison did it, and you can take that to the bank. She’s not the first woman he’s beaten up.’ He shot Stacie a quick glance and she felt her cheeks burn with humiliation, even after all this time.’

‘She was terrified. That was obvious,’ Harris said, tightening his grip on Stacie’s hand.

‘She claims to have been alone in the suite, a suite that Jamison rented for her,’ Flannery continued. ‘The notes say she absolutely refused to let the police investigate. Claimed she was too scared and couldn’t go through with it.’

‘Oh, she was scared, all right,’ Al growled.

‘Wait a minute,’ Dee said. ‘Can she even do that under the circumstances?’

‘With Jamison in control of the situation, the law doesn’t apply,’ Ellis answered.

‘I should have made a scene,’ Stacie said. ‘I should have forced the issue, then she’d be safe, then she’d be out of his hands.’

‘You did the best you could,’ Harris said, scooting closer to her. ‘It was the only thing you could do. You stayed safe to fight another day.’

‘And Ingrid’s still with him,’ she replied.

‘What’s really going on, Stacie?’ The sharp edge of Ellis’ voice cut through the tense atmosphere in the room. ‘You need to tell us.’

This was it. The muscles in her throat tightened until she could barely breathe, let alone speak. This was the part she had most dreaded, had even hoped she might be able to avoid. The problem was just her ego, just her pride. In the end, it was only a small thing, but it felt practically insurmountable. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a second, feeling the gaze of the whole room on her. Then she squared her shoulders and just said it. ‘I owe him money.’ The room exploded around her with everyone talking at once. It didn’t surprise her when Al Marston’s voice, with its loud southern drawl, cut through the chaos.

‘What the fuck do you mean, you own him money? You paid that bastard off a long time ago. The gallery’s yours free and clear.’

She spoke above the chokehold of nerves. ‘The New York gallery is paid off, yes. But this new one – well, this new one’s caused me some problems.’

She forced the words out of her mouth, fighting the urge to swallow them back, fighting the urge to say something less damning, something less painful, anything else but what she had to say. Her shoulders ached from her efforts to stay calm, her eyes burned from a night of too little sleep and a day that was shaping up to be as full of nightmares as the night had been. And hardest of all to take was the scorch of Harris’ gaze locked on her.

‘That’s bullshit,’ Al spoke up. ‘That’s bullshit and you know it, Stacie. Now I wanna know just what the hell’s going on.’

‘Al, please.’ Ellis’ voice was once again soft and as reasonable as it always was. He turned his attention to her. ‘Stacie, why? Why did you go to him? You know you could have come to any of us, and we’d have never batted an eye about helping you. Why?’

The disappointment in his voice cut bone deep, but there was nothing for it now, and really, it wasn’t unexpected. ‘I’ve never asked for anything from any of you,’ she said. ‘And I feel like I’ve caused enough problems for you and Garrett. I just couldn’t. Ever since … everything happened with us, I’ve managed, I’ve tried to stay away. Especially in the early days.’

‘Jesus, Stacie, this isn’t the early days,’ Ellis said. ‘The early days are long gone. We know what you went through in New York. Al told us. How could you go back to Jamison again after that?’

She felt the humiliation flash hot in her face and she fought it back. She had to do what she had to do, she reminded herself, and really, it was no one’s business. ‘Al has a big mouth,’ she managed before he cut her off at the pass.

‘Damn right I have a big mouth, woman, and if it’ll get you out of trouble with that bastard I’ll sing like a stool pigeon.’

She turned on him. ‘You don’t know anything about what happened back then, Al. You don’t know anything!’

‘I know plenty, goddamn it! I’m not totally stupid, and when Wade and Harris did a little research and put two and two together –’

‘What?’ She felt as though the floor had dropped from under her. ‘You checked me out? You had no right! This isn’t your business. It’s not your problem.’

‘The hell it isn’t,’ Harris growled, holding her gaze. ‘You’re in danger. That makes it our business.’

Al ranted on. ‘What were you thinking, Stacie, pulling a goddamned stupid stunt that has you up to your eyeballs with that sack of shit again? And now with the mess in Valderia, how the fuck could you expect me to keep my mouth shut? I know what he did to you. At least that Watson woman could leave the hospital under her own –’

‘Shut up, Al!’ Stacie broke. ‘What happened in the past doesn’t matter. Bringing it up won’t change a thing and it won’t bring Zoe back.’ She caught her breath and struggled to regain control. ‘Look, I made a mistake, all right. I didn’t actually go to Jamison. He found out about my situation, and he came to me. He caught me at a weak point when I was desperate, and I thought things had changed. Then he sent a check just when I needed it most.’

‘Is that after he had your gallery vandalized?’ Ellis asked. ‘You weren’t gonna tell us about that either?’