Careless Rapture (30 page)

Clay looked at Carter. “Can she really do
that? Make your life miserable, I mean? Are wives that
powerful?”

Carter nodded. “Yes.”

“Sort of puts me off the idea of getting
one.”

Mack raised a brow. “Never knew you had that
idea. Why do you have that look on your face?”

Clay shook his head. “I just had a thought,
but now it’s gone. I hate that.”

“Wives aren’t so bad,” Carter said. “It’s
nice to come home to someone who loves you.”

“Get a dog,” Clay said.

“Hey, in some cases it’s the same thing,”
Mack said. The men laughed; Jackie shook her head. “Come on,
boys.”

They all entered the room. Drake was coldly
polite to Clay in an effort not to do anything to upset his
brother. They were all happy to see Eric up and alert.

Clay lifted the sheet. “Nice legs.”

Eric frowned. “The attached foot can kick
your ass.”

“Not right now.”

The men ribbed each other—trying not to make
Eric laugh too much—Jackie watched in the distance, unable to join
in. She couldn’t forget that they were in a hospital as she glanced
at the white tile floor, faded peach curtains, and Eric lying in a
steel bed with tubes attached to him.

“Where’s the brat?” Eric asked.

Jackie stepped forward. “I’m here.”

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

She didn’t know what to say. That she loved
him? That she wished he were well? That the phone call saying he
was in the hospital had terrified her? That she wished she hadn’t
kept his secret? He had teased her and indulged her. Told her tales
of faraway places—castles, kings, and spiders who caused mischief
as they sat alone in whatever shelter Drake could find, trying to
keep the hunger at bay with wordplay.

She looked at Drake, who’d given up so much
for them. Her anger becoming an understanding that a part of her
would always appreciate and feel guilty for his sacrifice. But she
now saw more than her two big brothers. She saw men, husbands, and
fathers. Their circle had expanded and their roles had changed.
Adriana was right—they weren’t the three Hensons against the world
anymore. They didn’t need to be. The thought lifted her heart.

“I want everyone to leave the room,” she
said.

“A gnat is giving instructions?” Eric
said.

“Is that what that buzzing sound was?” Clay
asked.

Drake patted her on the head. “She’s
cute.”

“I said go,” Jackie said.

They stared at her in a playful
challenge.

She folded her arms. “Okay, then I’ll tell
Adriana—”

Mack held up his hands. “Say no more. We’re
leaving right now.” He smiled at Eric. “I think you’d better get
well soon or your wife will have something to say about it.”

“Take care,” Clay said.

Drake just patted him on the shoulder and
Carter made a sign only Eric could interpret, then left.

“So did Adriana tell you off?” she asked.
“She gave us a wicked tongue lashing.”

“Yes. I have the scars.”

“Serves you right.”

He rested his head back. “I’m a sick man I
could use a little sympathy.”

“You’re not getting any from me.”

He became serious. “Have Drake and Clay
talked?”

“No.”

“I thought my unfortunate collision with the
ground might initiate conversation. Give them time.” He lowered his
gaze. “He tries, you know, but it’s hard for him to shake the
father role. Be easy on him.”

“I didn’t mean what I said.”

“Yes, you did, and I understand. You don’t
want to feel you need his approval. You want him to let go. But
don’t hate him if he never does.”

Jackie made a face. “It really is eerie how
well you know us.”

“Middle-child syndrome. Before you leave, try
to talk to him, even if he pretends to ignore you.”

She rolled her eyes with mock exasperation.
“Will you always tell me what to do?”

He smiled. “Yeah, brat, I will.”

She left and saw Clay and Mack in the waiting
room.

“Where are the others?”

“Carter went home and Drake is outside with
the smokers, smelling the air.”

She laughed. “That’s a good one.”

Clay shook his head. “I’m not joking. Go see
for yourself.”

She left the emergency room under the bright
lights of the hospital entrance, heard the roar of an ambulance,
its red and blue lights piercing the dark. She saw Drake standing
against a tree near a man who was smoking.

Jackie walked over and stood beside him. She
didn’t touch him and she didn’t say anything.

He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“It’s a nice night,” she said

He nodded.

“Do you remember this song?” She began to hum
one of her mother’s favorite Jimmy Cliff songs, “Sitting in Limbo,”
which was exactly what they were doing. But as she hummed that
quiet simple song, for a moment everything was all right.

He briefly closed his eyes with a soft smile
of remembrance. “Yes, I do.”

She flexed her foot. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell
you about Clay—”

He sighed. “I know why you didn’t.”

“You’ve been our guardian and our strength
for so long. I don’t want to disappoint you, but I want to live my
own life.”

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve
always wanted the best for you.” He tweaked her chin and smiled.
“But only you know what’s best for you,”

She hugged him. “I’ll always want you as a
part of my life.” She glanced up at him. “Just not such a big
part.”

“I understand. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

***

Eric was released within two days and
expected to make a full recovery if he followed his doctor’s
orders. They would all make sure he did. At home, Jackie was
pleased that Bertha no longer spent all her time on the couch. She
went out during the day and sometimes in the evening, always coming
back at a reasonable time.

In a good mood, Jackie sat in her office,
researching a new homeless shelter.

Patty rushed in. “You won’t believe it.”

“What?”

“Claudia Meeks is dead,” she said, as though
it was a juicy piece of news instead of a tragedy.

“How?”

“Suicide. Nobody had seen her leave her
apartment, but that wasn’t unusual so they didn’t take notice. The
poor thing had begun to smell. A neighbor called the police and
there she was on the ground with her beer bottles all over the
place and a bottle of pills. Guess she couldn’t take it
anymore.”

Another victim of Emmerick
. “When did
you learn all this?”

“This morning. Claudia’s mother called.”

“I thought her mother was dead.”

“Only in Claudia’s eyes, I guess--she sounded
alive enough to me. She wants to speak to you about her. She
wonders if you could meet her at the apartment.”

“Okay.”

Patty turned, then stopped. “She sounds like
a rough woman, so I’d be careful.”

“Thanks.” Jackie stared at the closed door,
then called Clay. “Another client is dead.”

“Suicide?”

“Yes. I’m going to meet her mother—”

“Okay. Be right there.”

***

Mrs. Meeks wasn’t as rough as her voice would
suggest. She was an older woman with black hair and a streak of
gray. She made them weak tea, which Clay fed to a plant and Jackie
still held. The place was otherwise bare except for a couple of
beanbags.

“Do you mind if I walk about a bit?” Clay
asked.

“No, go ahead,” Mrs. Meeks said.

“Thanks.”

Mrs. Meeks turned to Jackie. “Thank you for
trying to help Claudia. She told me a lot about you.”

“I’m sorry,” Jackie said, “but we weren’t
aware of you. We didn’t know her mother was alive.”

“I’m really her aunt. Her mother died of an
overdose. But I’ve raised her most of her life, so I’m like a
mother, right?” She didn’t wait for a reply. “I couldn’t believe it
when they called me. Claudia had sounded so hopeful. To kill
herself was against our beliefs.”

“Sometimes beliefs change.”

“No,” Mrs. Meeks said firmly. “There was no
indication she would take this route. I just don’t understand
it.”

“When she spoke to you, did she sound
different somehow?”

“No, just happy, like I said. And hopeful. It
is all so strange.”

“She didn’t mention any new friends?”

“No.”

When she became quiet, Jackie asked, “Why did
you want to see me?”

“Because I found this.” She handed her a
card---Careless Rapture. “What is it? Is it some sort of drug like
Ecstasy?”

“No, it’s a cult.”

“Claudia wouldn’t join something like
that.”

Clay came back in the room. “She didn’t leave
anything.”

“No.” Mrs. Meeks squinted at him. “Haven’t I
seen you somewhere before?”

He hoped not. He didn’t want to be connected
to his
Just Talk
appearance. “I don’t think so.”

“I’m sure I have. Have you ever modeled
cologne?”

Clay furrowed his brows. “No.”

She looked at Jackie. “Doesn’t he look like a
cologne model? Like he’d wear something called
Intense
?” She
turned to Clay and measured him with her eyes. “You could be a
model, you’re very good-looking.”

Jackie glanced at Clay and bit her lip to
keep from laughing.

Clay said, “I’ll be outside.”

“I didn’t mean to embarrass him,” Mrs. Meeks
said after he’d gone.

Jackie smiled. “That’s okay. It was nice to
see.”

“Don’t say
anything,” Clay said as they walked to his car.

“I’ll try not to.” Jackie lifted a bouquet to
her nose.

“What’s that?”

“Mrs. Meeks gave me these plastic flowers.
She said Claudia would have wanted me to have them.” She rested
them in the backseat. “What do we do now?” she asked, buckling her
seatbelt. “We have to stop him.”

“Why didn’t Claudia tell her aunt about
Careless Rapture?”

“She was secretive. Everyone is. Melanie was
the only one to speak about him.”

“Why? Why the secrecy? It just seems strange.
She was honest about everything else.”

“Perhaps she didn’t want to be talked out of
it. I kept you a secret.”

“No, this is different. It’s wrong somehow.
I’m just not sure how.”

Jackie rolled down the window. “You know,
your mother said something very interesting about Rennie.”

“What?”

“She said Rennie had tried to stop Emmerick
and failed.”

Clay frowned. “Rennie never tried to stop
him.”

“Then why would she say that?” She shook her
head. “I don’t think she made it up. Something must have happened
to give her that impression.”

“What could it be? She wasn’t there. Maybe
she was just talking and you misunderstood her.”

“No, I didn’t. She knows something.”

“I doubt it. She was completely pissed at the
funeral.”

She turned to him, confused. “Pissed?”

“Drunk. And she didn’t stay around long
enough to learn anything. She was probably delusional.”

“We can’t just write her off, though. We need
to know why she thinks that, even if it turns out to be wrong.”

“I guess that’s my cue. I’ll pick her up and
have her stay with me.”

Jackie clapped her hands together, thrilled.
“So your talk really brought you two together? I’m so glad! She
wouldn’t talk to me about it and I didn’t want to ask if she didn’t
want to talk, since she’s the type who would talk if she wanted to.
So I just wondered about what had happened and couldn’t stop
thinking about it, and didn’t want to bother you because I know how
you are and since she was still at my place I guessed that things
were still on shaky ground so—”

He covered her mouth. “Breathe.”

She removed his hand. “I’m just so happy that
you’re learning to understand each other. An important bond is
building and you can—” She stopped and scowled. “There’s that
annoying grin of yours. What did I say that’s so amusing?”

“Nearly fifteen years of discord and you
think a couple of days have made us friends? That we will bond?
It’s amazing how set you are on happy endings.”

“It’s possible.”

“My mother is coming to stay with me, that’s
all. I can’t have you suffering anymore.”

“Thank you. That kind of consideration
deserves a reward.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry.” She winked. “I’ll think of
something.”

***

Jackie went to Adriana’s lingerie shop,
Divine Notions, and stood outside the door, wondering if she should
have gone elsewhere. She took a deep breath, then opened the door.
When Adriana saw her, she said something to her assistant and came
over.

“What brings you here?” Adriana said.

Jackie sighed, relieved. Her words were
casual and her expression was warm. Their friendship had remained
intact. “I need a garter belt.”

“First time?”

She nodded.

“Oh, good. This will be fun.”

Jackie ended up with a black garter belt and
a short, see-through red skirt with two matching bras. At the
counter Jackie asked, “Have you ever heard of shoes costing eight
hundred dollars?”

Adriana nodded. “Yes.”

“Would you be able to recognize a pair?”

“Probably. Why?”

“My boss likes to wear expensive shoes and I
was wondering how she could afford them.”

She handed Jackie her bag of purchases. “Why
not just ask her?”

Jackie stared at her, appalled. “I
couldn’t.”

“Sure you could. All you do is compliment her
on her shoes and hint at wanting a pair.”

Jackie gripped her bag. “I’ve never asked
about her shoes before, she wouldn’t believe me.”

Adriana began to grin, interpreting the
silent request. “You want me to do it?”

Jackie blinked her eyes outrageously and
smiled. “Please?”

***