Chapter eighteen
Amber felt sure everyone knew exactly what she and Spencer had done the night before.
He’d done everything he’d promised. And more.
And she’d loved every second of it. Loved the power, the pleasure, the connection.
Everything. Her thighs this morning… Well, they had a different opinion.
Despite the soreness, she wouldn’t have changed a thing, though.
Wrapping her hands around her coffee mug, she let the revelations from the night before bubble through her mind.
When she first approached Spencer, she assumed she’d feel more comfortable if she stayed in control.
He’d been happy to accommodate, and she knew he’d enjoyed himself.
But last night had shown her something different, pushed her to realize something unexpected.
She needed him to take control. She needed to learn to trust not just him, but herself.
And last night, he helped show her she could.
Helped show her that she could entrust her body and her pleasure to him.
But more importantly, he showed her that she could trust herself.
That she could trust her faith in him as her partner.
She’d chosen so poorly the last time, but this time, she knew to her bones she’d chosen right, she’d chosen well.
Pulling her thoughts from Spencer and their hours together, she turned to the woman sitting beside her.
“I was thinking that we could go for a little wander this morning through the woods,” she said to Adrian.
They sat drinking coffee in the lodge room, and a well-fed Zoe toddled around, exploring the furniture.
With Clara and Dottie out on a morning walk and the guys, including Spencer, out working, the clubhouse was unusually quiet.
“How’s the cell reception here?” Adrian asked.
Amber lifted a shoulder. “A few spots aren’t great, but it’s mostly good.”
“Why don’t you take her yourself?”
Amber’s heart skipped, then sped up. “You think that’s a good idea?”
Adrian chuckled. “First of all, you are the last person who’s going to let anything happen to Zoe.
Second of all, her legs are tiny, and she has a curiosity about the world that’s charming, if not also a little annoying when you’re trying to get somewhere.
She will stop at every tree root, every flower, every sapling. You aren’t going to make it far.”
Amber paused, then chuckled. “So you’re saying it would be better if I didn’t plan a route or a destination?”
“Not unless you want to get frustrated. Or unless you want to carry her.” Adrian smiled back.
“I don’t have any plans the rest of the morning.
Chili is slow-cooking for lunch, and Dottie will make the corn bread when she gets back.
I just have an appointment with a lawyer this afternoon, but we’ll be back long before that.
In time for her lunch and nap.” In her mind’s eye, she saw Zoe squatting down, unsteady on her feet, her little jean shorts dirty from falling on her behind, examining a wildflower.
She smiled. “I think I’ll like seeing what catches her eye. ”
They looked over at Zoe, inspecting something on the couch, perhaps a loose thread. “They already set you up with a lawyer?” Adrian asked.
“The Warwick family works fast.”
“It’s good to have people like that on your side.”
“I agree,” Amber replied. Adrian didn’t reply, but a crease formed on her forehead.
“Adrian?” Amber said. The woman looked over.
“I said it last night and I’ll say it again, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you and your mom.
As far as I’m concerned, you saved Zoe’s life, full stop.
You also happened to love her and care for her and do everything in your power to find me. ”
“Technically, we probably broke a few laws. I’m not sure which ones, but I’m sure a good lawyer could make a list,” Adrian replied with a rueful smile.
“Justice Warwick would have taken that into consideration when he recommended the lawyer I’m seeing today. We both know justice isn’t always blind or fair, but I will do everything to make sure it swings in our, your, favor.”
Adrian’s smile softened. “I appreciate that, but we knew the risks when we made the choices we made, and we would make them all over again. Now,” she said, rising, cutting off any more talk that might make Amber weepy, “let’s get this girl ready for a walk in the woods. Will there be bugs?”
Twenty minutes later, armed with her phone, a bottle, and a bag of snacks, she and Zoe started down one of the trails that led to the back of the property. Amber knew it well and picked it because it had several branches that circled back to the clubhouse. It also had good cell reception.
As Zoe paused at every leaf, flower, and ant, Amber chatted with her about the plants and animals, even as her mind returned to the conversation from the night before.
The possibility of Anthony selling a lethal drug seemed less far-fetched in the bright light of the morning.
She still couldn’t fathom where he’d get it, but that he provided it to people wanting to kill others, seemingly for financial gain, tracked with his personality—cruel, power-hungry, and sociopathic. That definitely described her ex.
But what kind of drug would he have access to, and where would he get it?
Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be something run-of-the-mill.
That wouldn’t be any fun for Anthony. He’d want something clever and, as Hawkeye pointed out, something undetectable in a standard toxicology screen.
She didn’t know what was in a standard toxicology screen, so couldn’t hazard a guess as to what wouldn’t be detected, but what about the first criterion? A clever drug?
Juliana and Kara would have some ideas on that, and they were both planning on coming over later in the afternoon to talk about it. So, what could she contribute?
She considered that as they moved another four feet down the trail. The snail’s pace didn’t exactly work the kinks and stiffness from her thighs and hips, but the gentle babble of her daughter, along with the fresh spring air scented with pines and wildflowers, did amazing things for her soul.
Who did Anthony know who could connect him to the drug world? Drug dealers came in all shapes and sizes, from all sorts of backgrounds, but Anthony was a racist, sexist, classist pig. Whoever he got the drugs from would be someone like him—seemingly well-to-do, sophisticated.
She considered whether he’d use a man or a woman, and it didn’t take her long to settle on it being a woman.
Anthony would never admit it, but another man posed too much of a risk.
A man could usurp him, take his power, or gain power over him.
In the real world, a woman could, too, but he wouldn’t see it that way.
Women were beneath him. Women were there for him to control and use.
Especially if he was, or had been, sleeping with them.
But what woman in his social circle would have access to a drug that could kill people essentially undetected?
Doctors were a possibility. And as a board member of a hospital, he definitely had access to those.
Without giving it much thought, she could name two women on the hospital staff he’d had affairs with.
Had there been others she didn’t know about?
Probably. But at least she could pass on the names of the two she knew to Callie and Leo.
What about other professions? They’d never had any pets, so a veterinarian was likely out of the picture. But there were a few pharma companies in the area. And didn’t pharma reps visit the hospital from time to time?
Zoe squealed and pointed up, the movement throwing her off-balance enough that she fell backward onto her butt. Jarred by the landing, her lower lip pushed out and started to tremble.
Amber swooped her up, relishing the feel of her tiny, pudgy body pressed against hers even as a sob burst from Zoe’s mouth, ringing in Amber’s ear.
She’d done her fair share of babysitting as a teenager, though.
And while none of those children had been her daughter, thankfully, the rusty skills came back to life.
Bouncing Zoe gently on her hip, she spotted a patch of lichen on a nearby tree. Distraction, the name of the game when no real injury threatened.
She pointed to the pale green swath fastened to the dark trunk of a pine. She cooed words about its curly edges, its unusual color, and its shape. Soon enough, Zoe’s tiny finger pointed at it as she leaned forward.
As Zoe babbled a question only she understood, Amber reminded herself that focusing on the beautiful spring day and her daughter—the here and now—was precisely where she needed to be. When Zoe napped that afternoon, then she could think about who Anthony might be getting drugs from.
Between lunch, cleanup, and naps, she didn’t find the time to revisit any of those thoughts about her ex.
But six hours later, she walked out of the lawyer’s office with a smile.
The man was bloodthirsty and vicious in the best of ways, and the further into her twisted tale she ventured, the more his eyes lit up.
She had a feeling he was going to enjoy going after Anthony and fighting on her behalf. And Zoe’s.
By the end of their two-hour meeting, she’d promised HICC would send him the DNA results from the test they’d collected earlier that day, and that Clara and Adrian would contact him to give him their statements.
She’d also given him the name of the nurse who helped her escape.
Amber didn’t know what agency she worked for or if she still lived in the DC area, but he assured her that he’d find her.
If nothing else, one of the Falcons could probably help since she’d been Amber’s connection to the network.
In turn, he committed to building the case for sole custody.
He didn’t sugarcoat anything and tell her everything would be all right.
On the contrary, he’d been clear that the process would be sticky, that there were multiple angles he needed to explore and prepare for.
And they needed to be ready for Anthony to engage a top-notch lawyer; his ego wouldn’t allow him to do anything else.
Her lawyer seemed almost gleeful at the possibility, not daunted in the least, and his confident, practical, no-nonsense approach put her at ease.
Well, as much as she could be at ease until she officially had sole custody of Zoe.
When she arrived back at the clubhouse, most of the guys, including Spencer, had returned from their day’s work.
His gaze zeroed in on her when she paused inside the door.
She smiled at him, then scanned the room, looking for Zoe.
She found her daughter sitting in a high chair next to Kendall, each with a piece of paper and crayon in her hand.
Zoe’s wobbled and tilted as she learned how to hold it in her fist, and her attention darted between watching Kendall and her own paper as she tried mimicking the older girl.
Amber walked over and dropped a kiss on Zoe’s head.
So focused on her paper, her daughter barely acknowledged her.
Then changing direction toward Spencer, she considered how to greet him.
They crossed a line last night, but what did that mean in the light of day?
How much of what they’d become to each other did he want the others to know?
His eyes swept over her as she approached, a small, satisfied grin on his face.
When she was within arm’s reach, he took the decision of how to greet him away.
Slipping a hand to the back of her neck, he pulled her in for a kiss.
A wholly appropriate, it’s-nice-to-see-you kiss, but still a kiss. In front of everyone.
“How’d it go with the lawyer?” he asked as her eyes skittered around the room. The Falcons were an observant bunch; they would have all seen the kiss. But to a one, no one commented, no one snickered, no one seemed surprised.
“Uh, fine,” she said.
“Should I have not done that?” Spencer asked quietly. Her gaze shot back to his. “Kiss you. In front of everyone.”
That tiny hint of vulnerability flickered in his eyes again.
She let out a slow breath, then smiled. “It’s not that.
I’m just surprised they aren’t ribbing you, or us.
That’s all. They are weirdly silent about this whole thing, considering this is the same group of guys who sang ‘Marley and Jessa sitting in a tree’ for a week after a single, and only, date. ”
He chuckled. “That’s because I told them that if they made this weird for you, I would keep you too busy to cook for them.”
Telltale heat crept up her chest. “You didn’t.”
He grinned. “Now you want to tell me about the lawyer visit? And how he’s going to eviscerate Anthony?”
“We all want to hear about that,” Viper said, chiming in and proving her point that the Falcons heard and saw things normal people didn’t.
She looked over to Kendall and Zoe again. Kendall glanced up. “I got her. You go ahead and fill them in,” she said, sounding far older than her thirteen years.
She’d just finished giving everyone the update and ensuring both Clara and Adrian had his number to set up appointments for their statements, when Kara, Juliana, and Callie walked in, trailed by Philly, Stone, and Sherman.
They paused inside the door when met with so many eyes watching them. Then Juliana smiled and held up her laptop. “We each did some drug research today, and we’re going to compare notes.”
Amber rose from where she’d taken a seat on one of the sofas. “I have some thoughts on that as well.” Kara and Juliana both cocked their heads. “Not on the specific drug, but I’d bet my life he’s getting it from a woman.”
She felt more than saw the calculation in Callie’s eyes before she spoke. “Hmm, interesting. And I agree, that fits. Do you have any idea who?” she asked as they took seats at one of the tables.
“A few,” Amber replied. “And also a few ideas about ideas, if that makes any sense.”
Callie flashed a blinding smile. “I love ideas about ideas. Ladies,” she said, her gaze sweeping over Amber, Juliana, and Kara, “let’s get started.”