Last Resort: Marriage

by Pamela Stone

  “I don’t want more trouble with the law. I got a family.”

  “Your best bet is to stay away from me. Don’t give Thurman any ammunition.”

  Sal headed down the sidewalk mumbling in Spanish about dismembering certain body parts of Thurman’s and fish food.

  Aaron opened the door of the bungalow and Charlie stepped back. She was as white as the alabaster walls and her mouth set in a grim line. He returned her glare. At this point he had to stay out of jail. If she chose to believe Thurman’s lies, why waste time defending himself?

  He shoved past her, stuffed what clothes he could find into his duffel, retrieved his razor and toothbrush from the bathroom, and looked around for anything else.

  “So you’re running away?” Charlie glared as he came back into the living room.

  “I’m protecting myself and my business. I’ll be on the boat.” He didn’t wait for her to respond. Who else was he going to have to fight tonight? Apparently, the whole freakin’ island thought he was up to something illegal.

  PERRY MET CHARLOTTE IN FRONT of Zelda’s desk when she arrived the next morning and dogged her into the office. “Where have you been? The bride in 315 called the cops on her new husband last night and we had three cruisers out front for two hours. I couldn’t even get them to turn off the flashing lights. You didn’t answer your phone.”

  “I was asleep.” She’d given in and taken a sleeping pill after Aaron left. When Sal Hernandez had come to the door, she’d heard two words that sent chills down her spine: drugs and police.

  “This place is going down the tubes, but I’m so happy that Charlotte got her beauty rest,” Perry said sarcastically as he slammed her office door on his way out.

  She winced. She wasn’t awake enough to deal with Perry.

  She asked Zelda to bring her coffee. Sleeping pills always made her groggy the next day.

  As Zelda brought in the coffee, Charlotte’s cell rang. What else could go wrong today?

  The security guy sounded pleased. “Thurman is talking to two Hispanic males. We picked up part of the conversation over the chaos in the lobby. Something about tonight and Thurman handed the lanky one a brown envelope.”

  She waited until Zelda left the office before answering. “Keep an eye on them and call me back on my cell as soon as they start to leave. Don’t use the hotel line.” The last thing they needed was for Zelda to get wind of what was going on and tip Perry off.

  She hung up and dialed Aaron. “Aaron, Perry is talking to two Hispanic males in the lobby.”

  “I’m on the way.”

  As soon as Security said the men were leaving, she quickly dialed Aaron and gave him their description and whereabouts.

  AARON WAITED UNTIL THE TWO guys walked off the resort grounds, then came up behind them and put an arm on each of their shoulders. “Got a second?”

  The skinny guy pulled away, but Aaron held on to the hefty one. “Look, guys. I know you were the two on the Free Wind that night.”

  “We don’t know nothin’ about the Free Wind.” The skinny one seemed to be the mouthpiece for the duo.

  “If you’d rather talk to the cops than me, that’s cool, too.”

  That woke up the big guy. “We got no reason to talk to no cops. You got no proof.”

  Aaron grinned. “Harrington’s has top-of-the-line surveillance cameras. Amazing what those things can pick up. Crystal clear sound. They know which pocket you put the envelope in that Thurman gave you. Hell, they can zoom in and read the insignia on that ring.”

  The guys exchanged glances. The skinny one twisted the ring and lost some of his macho. “So what do you want from us?”

  “Tell me what Thurman is paying you to do tonight.”

  “We can’t do that,” the big guy said.

  “Here’s the deal, guys. I don’t really give a shit about you two, but Thurman’s going down. So you have two choices. I hand you over to the police and you take your chances whether you go down with him. Or you can help me out.”

  AARON NEVER THOUGHT HE’D WALK into a police station of his own free will, but by the time he left, he felt slightly more confident. At least Officer Perez had listened to his story and not thrown him out on his ear, or locked him up.

  Next stop was the lawyer’s office to file the divorce papers, then the bank. He had to do right by Charlie. Once Thurman was out of the picture, the quicker and cleaner he and Charlie could end this, the less painful it would be.

  He called Charlie’s cell and told her to have Zelda make dinner reservations on one of the other islands.

  “Tell her you’re meeting me there, then get in your car and go. I need Thurman to think the boat’s deserted.”

  “But you’re going to be waiting for him?” She sounded panicked. “Aaron, don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Thurman’s not calling the shots this time.” He hung up before she could argue.

  CHARLOTTE DID WHAT AARON ASKED and then drove to the restaurant. He wasn’t going to show, but she still had to stay away from the bungalow or Perry would see her car. She might as well have dinner.

  Thoughts of Aaron in danger, lying hurt…or worse filled her mind. Minutes ticked by like hours. As tempted as she was to call, she held off. Just her luck the phone would ring right in the middle of whatever he was up to and tip Perry off.

  She lingered over dinner and didn’t return to the bungalow until after ten. No sign of Aaron. No message on her machine. Nothing to give her any hint what was going on or even that he wasn’t at the bottom of the ocean. Didn’t the man realize she was a nervous wreck?

  Maybe the romance novel would at least take her mind off Aaron. Two hours later, she swiped at tears and closed the book, trying not to think about her own marriage. She hated happy endings. They were totally asinine. Nothing to do with reality.

  THE NEXT MORNING, SHE STILL hadn’t heard from Aaron. But Edward met her at her office door, ushered her inside, and locked the door behind them. She hadn’t even realized her grandfather was in town.

  “You’d better sit down.”

  Charlotte didn’t like his stance. Whatever he wanted to say was not good news.

  Edward dropped a nondescript report on her desk. “I had Brody checked out.” He held up one hand. “Before you jump all over me, keep in mind, I did it to protect you and the business.”

  The report taunted her.

  He slid it closer. “Read it. Don’t you want to know the man you married?”

  She couldn’t bring herself to touch it. If Aaron hadn’t told her himself, then she had no business knowing. “I know everything I need to about him.”

  Edward jerked the report off her desk. “Is this the man you want to spend the rest of your life with? Have children with?” He took his glasses from his breast pocket and shoved them onto his nose. “To begin with, there isn’t a father’s name on Aaron Brody’s birth certificate. Brody is his mother’s name. He didn’t graduate from high school.”

  “I know all that.”

  “Did you also know he’s a thief? Did time in reform school. Juvenile drinking. Violent temper. Two cases of assault. Nearly killed another kid when he was fifteen.”

  Charlotte shook her head. She didn’t want to hear any more.

  “His mother was a whore. Never married. Died of syphilis. He didn’t even have the decency to give her a civilized burial. Scattered her ashes out to sea.”

  She cringed. “Aaron was sixteen years old when his mother died.”

  “Did he tell you the navy turned him down because he’s illiterate? The reform school diagnosed him with dyslexia.”

  Dyslexia? She closed her mouth and let that sink in. Dyslexia. One hand came up to rub her eyes. Could that be the secret he was so determined to hide? That would explain him making an excuse and having her read the newspaper article to him that day on the boat. And he’d told her lawyer to give him the Reader’s Digest version of the prenuptial agreement. Watching Timmy read on the boat…

  AARON DOC
KED THE FREE WIND and found Rosa waiting on the wharf. If she smiled any wider, her makeup was going to crack. She boarded, laid something on his desk, and then helped the passengers disembark. When they were finally alone, she rushed to hand him the envelope. “We’ve got it.”

  “What?”

  “I happened to be in Grace’s office finishing up my paperwork when she was closing out this month’s books. She couldn’t get them to balance. So, she’s looking through entries one by one and she comes across some things that don’t add up. She thinks Thurman’s embezzling.”

  He grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. “Oh, darlin’! You made my day.” He sat her back on the deck and looked her in the eye. “How sure is she?”

  “Grace is still looking, but she’s convinced that since Mr. Harrington asked him to keep an eye on the books, Thurman’s been skimming. She and I had that slick pegged from day one.”

  Aaron fished a hundred dollars out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Buy yourself something.” He handed her another fifty. “Take Grace to lunch.”

  He locked the boat down and headed to the bungalow. He sensed something was wrong the minute he walked through the back door. It was too quiet. Charlie should be home by now. He pitched the envelope Rosa had given him on the kitchen table and another paper caught his attention.

  He slid the sheet across the table so he could read what it said. What was this?

  He blinked at the words. Arrested for theft. Mother, Jenny Marie Brody, prostitute. The words blurred. How did they know what she died of?

  Charlie had him investigated!

  He shoved his hair out of his eyes, his defenses accelerating into full throttle. It was like passing a bloody car crash. You shouldn’t stare, but morbid curiosity wouldn’t let you look away.

  Put a kid in the hospital at age fifteen. Yeah, well the jerk shouldn’t have called his mother a whore.

  Assault with intent to kill Anthony Morales. Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. They even knew about that last slime bag his mother lived with.

  Spent time in reform school.

  He flinched when he saw Charlie standing in the doorway. “So, did you find out everything you wanted to know?”

  “Edward did this, not me.” Her brown eyes pooled with tears. “Aaron, none of this matters. It’s all in the past.”

  His temples pounded and he curled his fingers into a fist and tried to keep from punching a hole in the wall. This wasn’t any of Charlie’s business and it sure as hell wasn’t Harrington’s. They could believe whatever they wanted about him, but his mom didn’t deserve this. “My mother was a kid herself struggling to survive and raise a kid.” The blood pumped through his veins so hard he could feel every beat of his heart. “She was a hotel maid. Her greatest ambition was to be a waitress for God’s sake, because they earned tips. Sometimes she got involved with men, none of them good. She was younger than I am now when she died.”

  Tears trickled down Charlie’s cheek as she reached out to touch him. He jerked away. “One of the last guys she moved in with got his jollies knocking her around. Made him feel macho. She was sick, but we didn’t know what was wrong because we didn’t have money for doctors. One night she was cooking dinner and did something that pissed him off. He grabbed her hair and shoved her against the stove. I lost it. Second offense. They shipped me off to reform school for three months and a crash course in anger management.” He focused on his fists and tried to unclench them.

  Charlotte took a step toward him.

  Too many memories surfacing at once. He choked down the emotion threatening to drown him. “She didn’t show up to visit me. I couldn’t find her after I got out. Someone else was living in the apartment. I tracked her to a shelter. She was in bad shape. They’d gotten her a doctor.” He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. “Screw my probation. Screw school. I started working full-time on Whistler’s boat, found a two-room apartment, and watched my mom wither away.” He glared at Charlie. “Want to hear more?”

  She reached her hand out. “No. Aaron, stop.”

  She’d started this with that damn report so she could damn well listen. “I barely made enough to pay the rent, so I stole whatever she needed. Food. Medicine. I didn’t talk to anybody. Didn’t even tell Whistler until right at the end when I couldn’t leave her. He helped pay to have her cremated and we scattered her ashes at sea.”

  “Sit down.” Charlie put her hands on his shoulders and guided him into a chair. “I had no idea.” She rested one hand against his cheek and sat across from him. He watched as her eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were dyslexic?”

  He shoved her hand away and bolted up. “Dammit, is there anything you don’t know? You’re so quick to judge.”

  “No, Aaron. It’s not like that. I’m so sorry, so very sorry for what you’ve been through.”

  “I don’t want your pity, Charlotte.” Without giving her time to stop him, he slammed out the door. He was halfway to the boat before he remembered he hadn’t told her about Thurman embezzling.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Charlotte’s heart was breaking for Aaron. She hated herself for forcing all those painful memories to the surface. What kind of person was she? She was worse than Edward. Her grandfather might have instigated the investigation, but she’d allowed Aaron to see it. Nothing in that report mattered.

  She wanted to go to Aaron and hold him, but he’d made his feelings clear last night. He didn’t want her.

  She sat at her desk, going through the motions of work. Edward was getting the resort ready to put on the market, but she no longer cared. All she could think about was the devastation on Aaron’s face.

  The intercom buzzed. Charlie stared at it a minute before answering. “Yes, Zelda.”

  “There’s a courier here.”

  Charlotte stood and opened the door.

  The courier asked her name, made her sign a receipt, and handed her a registered envelope.

  She closed the door and sat back down at her desk. The letter was from the lawyer who had drawn up the prenuptial. She already knew what was inside. She just wasn’t sure she could stand seeing the words in black and white.

  Taking a deep breath, she slid her finger beneath the flap and slowly opened the envelope. She stared at the bold title of the document and her heart shattered. A divorce decree. Aaron’s signature was scrawled across the bottom. There was a yellow tab with an ugly red arrow pointing to the blank line with her name typed below it. All she had to do was sign it and her sham of a marriage would be over. Aaron Brody would be out of her life.

  Tears ran down her cheeks and the print blurred as she twisted the simple band Aaron had placed on her finger. That simple. Sign her name.

  There was a tap at the door and Edward stuck his head around, but didn’t wait for her to invite him in. She grabbed a couple of tissues and blotted her face.

  He took a seat in front of the desk as if it were any other day. “I’ve made a decision.”

  She flipped the decree facedown on her desk and refused to look at him. She didn’t want Edward of all people to see her so vulnerable. “About what?”

  Edward slid the papers out from beneath her trembling fingers and turned them over. She didn’t say a word, just waited for him to gloat. She kept waiting. Not a sound. When she couldn’t take another second, she glanced up to find him staring at her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  The tight knot in her throat choked any words. Instead, she shrugged and focused on the window, but she couldn’t have said whether the sun was shining or not.

  “This confirms my decision. I’m sending you home. Perry can finish getting the resort in shape to go on the market. The way the tourist industry down here is exploding, we should make a sizeable profit.”

  She took a deep breath. “We have to talk about Perry.”

  “One thing at a time. You need a year off. Go to Europe, get on top of this.”

  “A year off would give m
e too much time to think.” She sucked in a quick breath that came out more like a hiccup. Her own stupidity had finally done it, completely and irreversibly destroyed the one good thing in her life, her marriage. “I don’t know how to take time off. All I know is work.”

  Edward came around the desk and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve scheduled a mover to come to the bungalow tomorrow. They’ll take care of your furniture and car. You have a plane ticket to Boston for the day after. You can stay at the house and we’ll figure out what to do.” He pushed the hair out of her face. “You and Don are all I’ve got.”

  She backed away far enough to see his face. “Why didn’t you tell me about your heart condition?”

  “I…” Edward thrust one hand through his gray hair and let out a deep sigh. “How did you find out?”

  “That’s not important.” She softened her tone. “Why didn’t you let me be there for you?”

  He recovered his composure. “It’s not that serious.”

  Charlotte knew better. “It’s serious enough that you suddenly wanted me in Boston learning the business. And you wanted me married and taken care of, not that I need to be taken care of, except in your mind.”

  “Of course I want the business to succeed.” He dropped down into the wing chair and rubbed his palms down his thighs. “I need to know you and Don will always be taken care of financially. Your brother doesn’t have the business sense to run his own affairs, much less Harrington’s.”

  “And I’m a woman.” She fed him the ammunition, praying she was wrong.

  “Charlotte, you don’t understand the dynamics of big business. Your knowledge and experience won’t hold up when men play hardball.” Edward glanced at the divorce papers. “I’m not saying this to hurt you, to Aaron the marriage was all about money. And without a prenuptial, he could take you for a cleaning. You didn’t see it because you loved him.”

  She closed her eyes then opened them to look at Edward. “I need to be alone.”