Sasha pointed to Avery’s feet. “Size?”
“Six and a half. I can buy my own shoes.”
Without comment, Sasha walked away.
Liam leaned in. “What the hell is she all about?”
“Efficiency.”
The woman working on her makeup smoothed something under Avery’s eyes that felt like heaven. “Have you been sick?” the stranger asked.
Avery closed her eyes. “I’m getting over it.”
Liam rested a hand on her shoulder.
Twenty minutes later, wearing an edgy jacket in a rust orange color with matching Prada on her feet, Avery felt a little like her old self. Because she couldn’t leave the makeup lady without buying a few things, Avery held a bag with her boots and five hundred dollars’ worth of makeup.
Apparently Sasha didn’t approve. The second they were out of the department store, she grabbed Avery’s bag and handed it to the first petite homeless woman she could. “Merry Christmas.”
Avery’s jaw dropped. “Those were Stuart Weitzmans.”
“I’m sure Stuart has others. Come on. We’re late.”
Sasha stopped in front of a black SUV double-parked outside the department store. “Liam, you’re in front.”
Avery scooted in the back with Sasha and glanced at the driver. “I know you,” she said, slightly surprised. “You’re part of the Alliance team.”
“That’s right. Cooper. How are you, Avery?”
“I’m fine. This is Liam. Liam, Cooper works with Reed.”
Sasha clapped her hands like she was starting class. “Okay, kids, listen up.”
Liam shot Avery a grin.
“It’s really very simple. Today is visiting day, and the two of you are searching out a facility for your desperate younger brother who is snorting his tuition up his nose. Your brother’s name is Cooper.”
From the driver’s seat, Cooper offered a thumbs-up as he cut through traffic.
“My name is Mary. Think virginal.”
It took everything to keep Avery from laughing.
“What’s my name?” Avery said with a lift in her voice.
“Avery. And he’s Liam. IDs will be checked at the door.”
“Wait, your name is really Mary?”
Sasha looked at her like she was crazy. “Are you new?”
An invisible hand hit Avery upside the head. Fake ID. Okay. “But why do you need a fake ID?”
Again, Sasha blinked and kept silent. “We’ll walk in separately. Mingle. Liam, you stay with Avery. Take your time. Look in open doors, ask questions about the facility, talk to the patients, the counselors, the doctors. Avery, you’re exceptional about keeping your lies together. You do the talking. Liam, your job is to offer those big shoulders to help.”
Avery glanced at Liam. “My pact to tell the truth lasted less than twelve hours.”
Liam winked.
“Do not, under any circumstances, ask about Spider. Rehabilitation facilities will bounce you out the door if they think for one minute you’re there to find someone. Just because you don’t see Spider doesn’t mean he isn’t there.”
Avery’s smile sobered. “What if he is?”
“We’ll cross that when we get there.”
“If we get there.”
Sasha lifted Avery’s chin with a finger. “When.”
Cooper stopped the car.
“Okay, kids. First act is on you. Cooper, drive me around the block.”
Avery opened the door, and Liam was there to help her out.
“I’ll see you on the inside.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Avery glanced up at the sign above the door. “‘Tranquility Springs.’ Sounds like a spa.”
Liam tugged on his jacket. “Looks expensive.”
Avery put her hand in his. “So do you.”
They walked up the steps together and opened the front door. Zen meditation music greeted them, along with a perfectly polished feminine man behind a mahogany reception desk. “Good afternoon. Welcome to Tranquility Springs.”
“We’re here to look around. There is an open house today, right?” Since the lobby was free of people, she was starting to wonder if Sasha had her facts wrong.
“Of course. I just need you to sign in.”
Avery’s hands actually started to sweat. She signed her name to the registration log and turned the pen to Liam.
“Your ID, please.”
“Of course.” She fished in her bag for her ID and handed it to him. “I’m so nervous. My brother has been so sick. I don’t know what else to do for him.”
“We here at Tranquility Springs understand. If you’ll follow me, I’ll find you a guide.”
He led them through a set of double doors and around a corner. He punched in a set of numbers at the locked door. “The lock is to keep people out, not in.”
“Oh.” Avery glanced at Liam.
He shrugged.
“Wait here.”
They were in a common room with other people milling about. Some were couples, but the majority were lone women. Single mothers, or maybe the wives of men who gave up. Everyone appeared to have deep pockets, based on their style of dress and jewelry.
Liam whispered in her ear, “I like my new jacket.”
She smiled and felt some of the tension leave her shoulders for the first time since they’d walked in.
A smartly dressed woman, similar in size and frame to Avery, walked up to them. “Hello. Welcome to Tranquility Springs. I’m Evita. Is this your first time here?”
“Yes.” Avery held out her hand for the other woman to shake.
“Welcome. Let me give you a tour, and then feel free to roam around. Everything is open but the top two floors. We have guests that don’t care to be interrupted during their day. But know that the second and third floors are a duplicate of this one. Mainly private rooms and a couple of intimate group rooms.”
Evita walked through a hallway and started her tour. “We like to create an inviting home environment. Which means group meals and common areas like the living room we just left.” She walked them into a dining room that looked as if it could seat fourteen comfortably. Not an easy task in a Manhattan home.
They walked through a state-of-the-art kitchen. “Our chefs create nutritious menus to suit every allergy, dislike, and diet. We like to refer to anyone here at Tranquility as a client or even guest, if they prefer. Our guests have full run of the kitchen. Again, this is their home, and they are welcome to take anything they need.”
This was nice and all but not helping Avery find Spider.
They walked through another set of doors and into what looked like a private room in a hospital. “Some of our clients come to us directly from the hospital. We have a full team of medical doctors and nurses on call twenty-four seven.”
She walked by three large, open rooms: two had people inside, talking, and one was empty. Evita drew their attention across the hall. “Group therapy. Our counselors’ offices are open when we’re not hosting an open house. For our clients’ privacy, they are locked today.”
They walked by a full gym and yoga studio, then past rooms that looked like luxury apartments, until finally they dumped out into a courtyard with plants and trees and a meditation pond, as Evita called it.
Finally Evita paused her tour and asked a few questions. “How long has your brother been using?”
“Late high school. It got worse in college, and now he’s out of control. Our parents are beyond themselves and giving up. But I can’t do that. He needs help.”
Liam placed a hand on Avery’s shoulder. “What is the recovery rate here?”
Evita offered another smile. “We are one of the top rated addiction recovery centers in the country. Nearly seventy percent of our patients return only to continue their outpatient therapy or to offer assistance to new clients coming in.” Evita looked over their shoulders and made her excuses. “Feel free to walk around. There is a small reception in the room opposite o
f the one you entered through. Please feel free to talk to anyone here. No one is offended if you ask if they are a client or staff.”
“Great, thank you.”
Avery sighed and took Liam’s arm. “I thought she would never leave.”
“This place feels like a country club,” Liam said.
“Let’s start circulating.”
They traversed the courtyard space quickly. While it was an outdoor private garden, it was in the middle of Manhattan, so it wasn’t huge. Avery caught Sasha out of the corner of her eye, talking with Evita. Only Sasha was the one walking in front of the staff. Listening to the woman talk about the facility was obviously not something she wanted to deal with.
“There were more people in the group rooms.”
Liam held her hand as they walked their way back inside. There were half a dozen people talking in the first group room.
Avery looked at the men who appeared to be either staff or clients. Two couples were standing with two men that were part of the staff. “I see a theme,” she whispered to Liam.
He was looking at the testimonials on the wall. “What’s that?”
“Staff and patients are wearing long sleeve shirts and casual pants.”
Liam glanced in the other room. “I think you’re right.”
Avery looked at everyone now a little differently. Every man in a long sleeve shirt without a jacket became part of her mental lineup. Too tall, wrong nationality, wrong build . . . she didn’t rule out thick or thin, because a year could change that. It was while walking through the main living room that she started to realize exactly what she was seeing.
“Are you okay?” Liam asked. “You look pale.”
She placed her lips close to his ear and whispered, “If he is here, he’s like these people. No one is raving mad and crazy.”
“We don’t know what is happening on the top floors.”
Avery needed more. She walked up to the first collared-shirted man and smiled. “I’m sorry, do you work here?”
“I do.” He extended a hand. “I’m Duane. One of the counselors.”
“I’m Avery and this is Liam. Can I ask you a few questions?”
“That’s why we’re here.”
“My brother, he’s been using for a long time. He’s kind of a mess. He has hit our mother a couple of times. Everything here seems so orderly and balanced. Am I looking at the right facility?”
“We work with all types of addiction, and sometimes the initial phases of detox involve violent tendencies. We do everything in our power to talk patients down and provide a safe environment for everyone. The fact that you’re here, looking for help, is a positive step. But I’m sure you know he has to be the one to walk through the door. No one is forced to stay here. Is your brother ready?”
“I don’t honestly know.” Her lies about a fictitious brother came easy.
“How old is he?”
Avery thought about the approximate age of her attacker. “Twenty-six.”
“College?”
“He used the money for college on his habit.”
“Not uncommon for our clientele.”
Yeah, kids with money had more to blow . . . literally.
“Thank you for speaking with me.”
He reached a hand out and placed it on her arm. “I look forward to helping your brother beat this and taking that look out of your eye. Addicts often don’t understand the pain they dish out to their family every time they use. He can earn your trust back. I see it every day.”
Duane walked away and Liam whispered, “You’re a little too good at lying.”
Avery held her smile back. Across the room, Sasha made a nodding motion to the courtyard.
They slowly made their way back outside.
“Did you recognize anyone?” Sasha asked quietly.
“Everyone looks normal.” Normal didn’t fit the image in her head.
Liam placed a hand over her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “We’ll find him.”
“You wait out here. I’ll do another pass and signal when I’m leaving.”
“Do you have what you need?”
Sasha’s only confirmation was a slight nod.
Liam guided Avery to a bench and took her side. “What do you think she needed?”
Avery sighed. “Their records, registry for the patients?”
“You think she hacked into their computers in the time we’ve been here?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past her, from the stories I’ve heard.”
“I can’t wait to hear them.”
She stared down at their intertwined hands. “It feels like we’re wasting our time.”
“We waste as much as you need.” He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips.
Yeah, but what if every day was like this? Hype and hope followed by disappointment.
“Excuse me?”
Avery and Liam looked up.
“Duane suggested I come over and talk to you.” He pointed to his chest. “I’m one of the clients here. He thought you might want to hear about how this facility helped me.”
Twenty-five, maybe, clean-cut with a polite smile.
Avery blinked several times, forgetting the string of lies she’d managed since walking through the door.
“That would be great,” Liam said.
He pulled an empty chair from behind him and sat facing them. “I’m Cedrick Palmer.” He reached out to shake Liam’s hand.
From the edge of his sleeve, peeking out from under the material, was one spiny leg.
Avery brought both hands to her mouth to keep from crying out.
It’s him.
Liam swiveled his gaze, then turned back to the man whose hand he just shook.
She noticed the second Liam realized what was happening. His arm tensed.
Avery grabbed his leg and kept him sitting.
Cedrick started to push his seat back. “Are you okay? Can I get you some water?”
She started shaking. “I’m fine. You, ah . . . you look like my brother.”
He looked over his shoulder, and she saw the memory in vivid color. He’d put on twenty pounds, his eyes weren’t wild.
“How old is your brother?”
Avery opened her mouth and nothing came out. He doesn’t recognize me.
“Twenty-six,” Liam said for her.
“How old are you?” Avery found her voice.
“Twenty-four. I came here eleven months ago. I’ll be getting my one-year pin next month.”
Avery didn’t know if she wanted to hear this. The man, the kid who haunted her while he was sobering up, was talking to her without an ounce of recollection in his face.
“What made you walk in the door?”
Liam’s hand was in hers. She wasn’t sure who was holding on tighter.
“I hit bottom. My parents reached their limit with my addiction, lies, and stealing. Because I had been a good customer for so long, and my dealer didn’t think my parents would completely cut me off, he offered a line of credit.”
Krueger.
“Only his drugs weren’t cut the same. Or maybe my body simply rebelled. My high was shorter and life in between was longer. I was on these streets, walking past clubs I used to go in and buy the rounds. I had been reduced to standing by the back door, hoping to see an old friend who could hook me up.”
“That was your rock bottom?” Liam asked. “Living on the street and begging for handouts?”
“I wish.” Cedrick shook his head. “My dealer was tired of waiting for money and told me I could earn everything if I did a job for him.”
Avery’s skin tensed, her breath shallow. “What job?” Her voice was tight.
“I don’t know. He gave me a hit when we met up. Some crazy shit I had never had before. I remember walking with him, feeling surprised I was standing up. It was like I was on the outside of my body, looking down, saying, ‘Dude, you should be facedown in a ditch. And not in a high, party way, but j
ust die already and get it over with.’”
He doesn’t remember anything. His tone, his manners . . . none of it was what she was prepared to see.
“The next day I woke up in an alley with someone else’s clothes on my back. I have no idea what happened that night. I learned later that week that my dealer overdosed on his own shit. I knew that could have been me, that I was next. I stopped using for three days, easy to do when you don’t have money and your dealer is dead. I went to the emergency room and told them I wanted to kill myself. I didn’t. But I knew it would give me three days of medical care, food, and a bed. When I left, I went to my parents’ house and begged them to check me in here.”
“You don’t remember anything? Nothing at all?”
“No. It haunts me sometimes. Like I should. In here I realized that I only had a few nights without any memories. Some of these guys have forgotten years. But I’m doing much better now. I’m six months from finishing my bachelor’s degree and starting my master’s in psychology, specializing in addiction. I was given this path, and I need to help others get out. I have to give back and make up for everyone I’ve hurt.”
Avery closed her eyes and tilted her head to the sky.
“What do you want to do?” Liam asked her.
She opened her eyes to find Liam poised and ready for whatever she needed. Beyond him, Sasha stood beside Cooper.
Cedrick sat with his fingers crossed in his lap. Forcing him to remember would do what? It wouldn’t bring back her year, wouldn’t erase the past.
She slowly let her lungs fill with fresh air.
Avery smiled at Liam, touched the side of his face, and shook her head.
She stood, her legs a little less than stable.
Liam kept an arm on her elbow.
“You’ve been very helpful, Mr. Palmer.”
He stood with them and smiled.
Avery’s hand moved out slowly.
He took it without hesitation.
His gaze fell to the tattoo on her arm. “What does that say?”
She lifted her chin and brought her arm up.
“Warrior. Nice. I like the spider.” And without a thought, he rolled up his sleeve to show her his tattoo. There it was, the image of her nightmares. “I need to touch this up. The eyes freak even me out.”
Chasing Shadows (First Wives Book 3) Page 24