Cougar Mom

by Eve Langlais

  “What are you doing here? Who are you?”

  “No need to play for the cameras, Merry. They’ve been taken offline. We came the moment we realized you were in trouble.”

  “Wait. What?” She pushed up from the bed, all trace of sleep gone from her system. “Do you know me?” Odd how she didn’t feel even one bit worried, despite the intrusion.

  The query brought a strange twist to the intruder’s lips. “Is that a rhetorical question?”

  “I don’t know who I am.”

  “You better not be fucking with me, Meredith.”

  The name…it sounded right and wrong all at once. She heard another one in her head, Anita Whittaker. And then more. Madeline Parker. Josephine Walker.

  How could she know what was real?

  “I don’t recognize that name.”

  “What?” The woman stared at her. “Are you high?”

  She frowned. “I’ve not taken any drugs, no. But I did suffer a bump to the head that left me bereft of my identity.”

  “Bullshit,” the woman with the tanned skin muttered. “Wait, you’re serious?”

  Ariel nodded. “Mr. Laurentian, the owner of this house, found me on the beach and ensured I got help. But the hospital couldn’t do anything for me. They say my memory will come back when it’s ready.”

  “Daaaaamn.” The Latina-appearing female drew out the word. “So, you really don’t remember a thing? What name are you using, then?”

  “For the moment, I am using Ariel. Hugo helped me choose it.”

  “Ariel?” The woman’s left brow arched. “I am going to throat punch the bastard.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he named you after a cartoon mermaid.”

  “It was better than Jane.” Her lips twisted with the wry reply.

  “Did you really forget it all? It seems so impossible, especially since Mother seemed to think you were supposed to be here with him.”

  “Mother? Are we sisters?”

  “We’re closer than sisters,” the woman exclaimed, the vehemence in the statement warming Ariel for some reason. “I can’t believe you don’t know who I am.”

  “I’m sorry.” Ariel shook her head. “Is that why you were staring at me in the club and came to find me on the sidewalk?”

  “Well, yeah. We’re friends.”

  “Why didn’t you say so before?”

  “Because I figured you had a reason for pretending.”

  “Have we known each other a long time?”

  “About ten years, give or take. Close enough that you’re part of my wedding party.”

  “I am?”

  “Kind of in charge of the whole thing too, so if you’re not screwing with me, then this memory thing might put a crimp in the plans.”

  Ariel’s mouth rounded into an O of surprise. “I’m a wedding planner?”

  “On occasion. But more like…office coordinator and welcoming committee. We work together.”

  “Doing what?”

  The woman’s face grew guarded. “Interior design and realty projects.”

  “Oh.” Her lips turned down. “That’s less interesting than expected.”

  “What did you expect?”

  She didn’t tell the woman about her fantasy of being some jet-setting woman of the world. It was ridiculous. Interior design sounded like fun.

  “My name is Tanya.” The woman held out her hand.

  “Tanya,” Ariel repeated, but something about that name didn’t fit, didn’t sound right. Did the woman lie? “And you say my name is Meredith?”

  “Merry to your friends. Do you remember your kids?”

  “My babies,” Ariel whispered, her voice choking. “Donovan and…” She paused. Her brow crinkled, and while she could see a chubby-cheeked face, she couldn’t put a name to it. “I can’t remember.” Her voice broke.

  “Caroline,” Tanya said softly.

  “They must be so worried. Who is watching them?”

  “Your kids are both in their twenties and moved out. They’re fine. I don’t think they know you’re missing yet. But they’ll notice after the wedding if you don’t go back home.”

  “Wait, aren’t you getting married tomorrow?” Ariel’s eyes widened.

  “No. And a good thing, too, because you sound like you might need some help remembering shit.”

  “How are you going to help me?”

  “I don’t know. But good thing you’ve got a bunch of friends who’ll want to help. Tanya lifted her wrist to her mouth and spoke. “Ladies, we have a problem.”

  20

  Interlude: Pass the Whiskey

  Tanya let the man pour himself a shot of scotch. The good stuff. She’d already rifled through his bottles of booze and his drawers where she found the hand-rolled cigars. Tanya pocketed a pair for Devon, along with a sticky pad and pen. She always ran out of them.

  Even rumpled, Mr. Hugo Laurentian was handsome. She watched him from behind the curtain, a seemingly dumb yet effective way of hiding in plain sight. The trick was to be slimmer than the fabric. Devon complained good-naturedly about his broad shoulders, making it impossible for him to turn sideways and disappear. She liked those shoulders quite a bit, even if they meant leaving him behind for this mission. Given they required subtlety and stealth, and he was a guy, he was back at the resort. But he didn’t go willingly.

  “You do realize sending you off into possible danger is emasculating to the extreme?” he’d said.

  Devon hated it when he couldn’t be a hero. Even though they’d been dating a few months, he still felt a need to impress her.

  It was cute.

  She’d kissed him and said, “I’ll be back before dawn.”

  This was a mission for moms only. The earpiece she wore whispered. “I am now in full control of the cameras inside the house. You are clear. Target is alone.” Audrey was running tech support for the mission.

  From Louisa, “Roger that. The big dude in the suit has gone to his room and turned off the lights.”

  Tanya kept quiet because the curtain wouldn’t stop sound.

  The patio door was unlocked. The office one would only take a few seconds to pop if he’d engaged it. But this was an operation that required they exert caution and refrain from causing harm—unless he gave them cause.

  This was an unsanctioned intel mission. Mother would have a kitten when she found out. But they were willing to accept the consequences. Mr. Hugo Laurentian needed to fess up to what he was doing that had Meredith behaving so oddly.

  The man leaned back in his chair and sipped the scotch before saying, “Are you waiting for anything in particular before you pop out and yell ‘boo?’”

  Tanya said nothing, even as she wondered who he spoke to. Audrey muttered in her ear. “I think he’s talking to you.”

  “I know you’re behind the curtain. Might as well show yourself.”

  Louisa, who heard it all, cursed. “Fuck. You’re busted. I’m coming.”

  “Going to say hello,” she hissed before stepping out into the open. She smiled at Mr. Hugo Laurentian, the first. Preliminary digging showed no family attached to him. No living relatives, nor a past they could dig into. For all intents and purposes, he came into existence about seventeen years ago.

  Which made him a person of interest, especially once Mother pulled them aside at the club and ordered them not to pay him any attention.

  As if that would happen. They’d all seen Meredith sporting a puzzled expression at the bachelor party, one that had turned into a Jack and Jill. If this were a mission, Meredith never would have agreed to go, because she would have worried about blowing her cover.

  Not only that, Merry never acknowledged them. Not even with a blink.

  It was risky to the extreme, but even when under deep, they always managed a little something to convey that they were safe, or a tell that said, “get me the hell out.” While doing her short stint on stage, Carla kept flashing the are-you-okay sign.

  Meredith either
ignored it, or…something was wrong.

  “Would you like a glass?” Hugo the first tilted his tumbler towards the decanter.

  “She’d prefer the whiskey you’ve got hiding,” Louisa announced, slipping through the patio door, gun out, but at least she wasn’t firing. Tanya and the others had done a few missions with the petite woman known under the codename Dance Mom. It ran in the family, apparently, given that her daughter ended up going to Juilliard.

  Even with a gun trained on him, the man didn’t so much as flinch. Just reached for two glasses on the tray that had started out with four. “I’m afraid I didn’t think to grab any ice.”

  “That’s fine, I take mine neat,” Louisa remarked, moving farther into the room, her steps a thing of grace, her tight, dancer’s body able to contort in ways that made everyone envious. It came in handy with booby-trapped spaces.

  Audrey said just one thing in her ear. “Door.”

  It meant Tanya moved to grab something from the desk, drawing his eye, while Louisa shifted, covering the opening of the door. By the time everyone had stopped moving, and Portia had taken up a spot, there were three killers in the room.

  Still, he wasn’t sweating.

  It made Louisa grumble. “Should have brought more guns.”

  Mother wouldn’t let them carry anything big between missions. It didn’t stop them from buying stuff on their own, but their personal stashes were back home. Damned airlines had such a hissy fit when they found munition aboard, not that they ever suspected the sweet, blond lady in economy thirteen-A. Tanya had felt bad that time they dragged a guy off, screaming that he was innocent.

  “Have a seat, ladies. I assume you’re here about the contract on my life.” He gestured to the pair of chairs.

  It was Louisa who exclaimed, “Wait a second, you’ve got a hit out on you?”

  Tanya was just as surprised. She spoke aloud to Audrey. “Did you hear that?”

  “I did, checking it out.”

  “Ask Mason, it might be quicker,” Tanya muttered. She recalled seeing him chatting with their current target.

  “Mason had too much sun and drink. He’s passed out, but don’t worry, I’ve already got the info.”

  “Spill it,” Tanya said, not even bothering to hide the fact that she was wired.

  “Not much to say, other than someone put out a notice on the dark web that Mr. Laurentian was worth ten million dead.”

  “Ten million!” Louisa exclaimed, drawing his attention. “How come we’re not doing this job?”

  “Who says we aren’t?” Portia retorted. “Or have you forgotten why we’re here?”

  Could the hit be the reason Mother had told them to stay away? Had they just ruined Merry’s mission?

  Tanya shook her head. “Something’s not right. She wouldn’t have ghosted us for a hit.”

  He finally frowned. “If you’re not here because of the contract for my death, then why are you here?”

  “You have a friend of ours staying with you,” Tanya stated, still wondering at his lack of fear or worry. A man who thought three women had come to kill him shouldn’t be so calm.

  “Ah, now it’s becoming clear.” He poured some whiskey and handed them out. Only Portia turned it down. “So, you know who my mysterious guest is.”

  “We know her very well, in fact. But you are a bit of an enigma.” They’d not had much time between the club and their infiltration of his property to find out much. Tanya pulled out her large-screen phone. She began to read. “Hugo Laurentian, dual citizen of both the United States and the Bahamas. Yet you sport a distinctly French accent as if you spent your developing years elsewhere. The elsewhere being blank as there is no record of your actual birth.”

  “Would it help if I said my mother was French?” Hugo offered with a charming smile.

  “And your father?”

  He shrugged. “No idea. My mother wasn’t particular about her paramours.”

  “How did you get so rich?” Louisa wandered the room, not willing to sit down. The glass of liquor in her hand showed no signs of being drunk but would make a fabulous missile if launched.

  “I invested well.”

  “But where did that initial funding come from?”

  “A misspent youth. Now that I’ve answered some questions, your turn. How do you know Ariel?” he riposted, his eyes two calculating stones.

  “Who is Ariel?” Louisa asked, pausing to look over her shoulder away from the large piece of art on the wall.

  “The only Ariel I know is a mermaid princess,” Portia stated.

  Tanya leaned forward from the armrest she perched on. “When you say ‘Ariel,’ do you mean the redhead you brought to a stripper party?”

  “Nobody actually stripped,” he reminded.

  “But you brought her expecting it!” Louisa jabbed a finger at him.

  “Actually, I brought her knowing it would be crashed.”

  “How did you meet?” Tanya asked.

  “Didn’t your research tell you about the woman I found on the beach? As an honest citizen of the island, I immediately provided aid. And when the hospital would have discharged her to the streets, still lacking an identity or means of caring for herself, I offered the use of my home. Look up the police report. It should all be in there.”

  Audrey was the one to quickly brief her. “There is no police report.”

  Tanya said nothing aloud because he seemed rather certain, meaning either he lied, or he didn’t. In which case, the story was part of Merry’s cover.

  “Where is Merry right now?”

  “In her room, sleeping, I imagine. Or is she? It would seem I’ve been fooled. Exactly who are you, and who is Ariel?”

  “Ariel?” Louisa snickered.

  “She claimed to not know her name, so I helped her choose one,” he said with a shrug.

  “Wait just a second,” Louisa exclaimed. “You mean to say you named her after a cartoon?”

  He shrugged. “It seemed apt at the time.”

  “Let’s go back to the amnesia thing. That doesn’t sound like something Merry would do,” Portia murmured.

  “I should have known she was lying.”

  “What makes you think she’s not telling the truth?” Tanya queried because a loss of memory would explain Merry’s odd behavior.

  “Because it’s so blatantly something out of a soap opera. I knew she had to be faking.”

  “Yet you took her into your home.”

  He eyed Tanya over the rim of his glass. “She was interesting.”

  “Do you always bring interesting things home?”

  “No.” Said tersely. “And I am reminded why.” He eyed them one by one. “You were all at the party, meaning you are acquainted with some of the same people I know. People with…” He paused. “Interesting careers.”

  A polite way of putting it. “Do the initials KM mean anything to you?” Tanya asked.

  He shook his head.

  “What about Bad Boy Inc.?”

  “They handle all my realty needs.”

  “Ever hire them for non-property deals?” Louisa queried.

  He leaned back in his chair. “When are we going to get frank here?”

  “Depends, when are you going to admit that you’re not the aboveboard businessman you’d like us to believe?”

  “Never claimed I was.” The wide smile again was much too engaging. No wonder Merry was attracted.

  “You need to cut to the chase,” Audrey announced. “There’s a vehicle approaching the gate.”

  Tanya turned serious. “Merry is part of a secret agency that is similar to Bad Boy.”

  “But with better taste,” Louisa said, rubbing the fabric of his curtains between her fingers.

  “Wait a second.” He snapped his fingers. “You’re the all-female agency. Mothers only, right? I’ve heard of you.”

  “Then you know we’re not to be messed with,” Louisa stated, suddenly twirling a knife.

  “If you’ve done anythi
ng to Merry, now is the time to admit it,” Tanya said.

  “Um, guys…” Audrey’s voice sounded hesitant. “You might want to stand down.”

  Rather than reply, she eyed Hugo. “Swear you did nothing to Merry.”

  “I can assure you, I did nothing to Ariel.” His expression soured.

  “Bullshit,” Louisa exclaimed. “Admit it, you knew she was faking and punished her. Was it a drug? Did you dope her to make her your little sex toy?”

  “Anything we did was with full consent.”

  “Oh my God, you slept with her. Thinking she had amnesia.” Portia shook her head in disgust.

  Whereas Tanya proved pragmatic. “Who wouldn’t sleep with Merry when she decides she wants it?”

  “You needn’t worry, it will never happen again.” His expression turned quite grim. “I won’t be played. Now, if you’re done, take your lying friend and leave.”

  The man was genuinely pissed that he’d been fooled, but Tanya had to wonder. What if Merry told the truth?

  The moment she thought it, she heard Carla in her ear. “We have a problem.”

  “What kind?” she asked.

  “The kind that needs you, pronto.”

  Tanya eyed the other moms.

  “You go see Carla while Portia and I keep an eye on Mr. Laurentian.”

  “Make it fast,” Audrey hissed. “I just lost control of the cameras. And that car I was telling you about just pulled up.”

  “Incoming,” Tanya announced. “Head out, don’t engage. I’ll go see what the hold-up is with Carla and Merry.”

  Heading into the hall, she had no time to admire the grandeur of the house. With Audrey losing the link to the security system, they were now moving around blind. The good news was that Laurentian seemed reasonable. They’d seen nothing that indicated violence on his part. But she’d met monsters before who could hide their true natures.

  Given the clock ticked, she ran, knowing where to find Carla given they’d studied the floorplan of the mansion before infiltration. At the door with its scalloped design, she engaged in a brisk knocking—rapid three, pause, hard knock, rapid four.

  The door swung open to Carla’s scowl.