A lot of them used the named Smith.
I was The Dark One’s favorite. For a while, anyway.
“So,” Macy says, “bring your gratitude journal with you next time so I can see it. It will help me help you.”
“Sure. It won’t be too personal.”
“Even if it is personal, I hope you’ll share with me. Knowing how you’re thinking and feeling is the best way for me to help you. What else is going on? You have a new job.”
“Like I said”—I sigh—“I have this new bodyguard.”
“And…”
“I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“Kelly, you’ve been worried about the texts.”
“I guess I just thought it was Brindley.”
“What if it isn’t Brindley? We need to be concerned about whoever is threatening you.”
“They brought in this Navy SEAL.”
“Right. Reid works with a couple of ex-SEALs.”
“Yeah.”
“Is he bothering you?”
“No, not really.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is…
“Yes?”
“I slept with him, Macy. I slept with Leif Ramsey.”
29
LEIF
Buck and I meet with Reid in his office during lunch. He and Rock brought a spread of Thai food into the conference room, and I’ve got to say, I’m starving. The bacon and eggs with Kelly this morning were good, but I worked up quite an appetite last night.
Aspen and Buck are seated next to me on one side of the table, with Rock and Reid at each end. Rock’s wife Lacey also joins us.
“Did you tell Kelly that her mother has requested to see her?” Reid asks me.
“Yeah, but she doesn’t want to, and I don’t think we should force her.”
“We don’t force these women to do anything,” Reid says. “But this is her mother.”
“I agree with Leif,” Rock interjects. “You and I have no love lost for our mother.”
“Our mother is a raving bitch,” Reid says.
“I don’t know Kelly’s mother,” I say, “but I get the feeling that her childhood was less than great. Sure, Kelly was abused and tortured on that island”—I wince at the thought—“but she all but told me the rest of her life wasn’t a whole lot better.”
“She did?” Reid asks.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t mean to seem surprised”—Reid furrows his brow—“but she made it pretty darn clear she didn’t really want you anywhere near her.”
“We’ve had some talks. I took her out yesterday morning to look for jobs, and she got one. She’s going to be waiting tables at The Glass House. She starts tonight.”
“That’s great,” Aspen says. “We’ll have to go have dinner and give her some business, Buck.”
“I don’t know, baby,” Buck says. “She’ll probably think we’re checking up on her.”
Aspen nods. “Good point. I wasn’t thinking. Kelly seems to take everything the wrong way.”
“But it is nice to show that we’re supporting her,” Lacey says from across the table.
“She’s funny.” I shake my head. “I think, deep down, she wants support. She needs support. But something inside her just can’t accept it. Which is why I don’t want her to have to see her mother if she doesn’t want to. I think that woman did a huge number on her.”
“Only Macy would know,” Reid says. “And those records are private.”
“I know,” I say. “If she’s even truthful with Macy.”
“Actually, I’m getting very good reports from Macy,” Reid says. “She doesn’t divulge any details, of course, but she would let us know if Kelly needed more help.”
Aspen nods. “Macy is a great therapist. She helped me a lot, and I know Katelyn adores her.”
“The other women like her as well,” Reid agrees, “and although Kelly hasn’t said anything, Macy feels they have very good rapport. She believes Kelly is making progress. So I think the sessions with Macy need to continue. For as long as Kelly wants them.”
“Yes, of course,” Lacey says. “But in the meantime, why can’t we all support her?”
“She won’t see it that way,” I say. “She’ll see it as us checking up on her if we go to The Glass House during her shift.”
“Which is a damned shame,” Rock says, “because I love that place.”
“Yeah, Zee and I do too. In fact, Zee went into labor at The Glass House.”
The others continue conversing, but I begin thinking…
Kelly’s mother…
“Hey,” I say, “do we know anything about Kelly’s mother? What she’s doing now?”
“Her name is Racine Taylor,” Reid says.
“Have you had your investigators look into her?”
“We haven’t really seen a need to,” he says. “But I can certainly do that.”
“You know what?” I rise. “I’ll do it myself. I’m a pretty good PI.”
“You’re the best,” Reid agrees. “But I want you concentrating on Kelly.”
“She’ll be working now, dinner shift at the restaurant. That will give me time to take a look into her mother.”
“If you want to,” Reid says. “I’ll give you all the information I have. I’ll email it to you.”
“Good. Thanks.”
“I can help with that,” Buck says.
“Thanks, bro. I’ll let you know if I need you.”
“She’s actually here in town,” Reid says. “I just found out. Apparently she flew in a couple days ago.”
“Even better,” I say. “That way I don’t have to fly to Phoenix and leave Kelly to fend for herself.”
“So you’re planning to see her?” Buck asks.
“Hell, yeah. One conversation with her and I should be able to figure out why Kelly is so dead set against seeing her.”
Reid taps on his computer. “I just emailed you the file we have on Racine Taylor. It’s not a whole lot, as we didn’t see any reason to look into her any further.”
“You didn’t? Even when Kelly didn’t want to see her mother after she got off the island?”
“A lot of the girls didn’t want to see anyone right at first,” Reid says. “It seemed natural. They felt humiliated, embarrassed.”
“There’s no reason for them to be embarrassed,” Lacey says.
“No, there isn’t,” Aspen agrees, “but having been in their shoes, I understand. The whole situation made me feel very…weak. I’m a strong woman. An athlete. And I probably fought harder than any other woman on that island, but still, they got me in the end. It is humiliating. It’s embarrassing. Even once you’re out of it, and even once you go through all of the therapy and learn that it wasn’t your fault and that they’re no longer coming after you—you’re still a little embarrassed.”