The Exhibition (An Executive Decision Trilogy) (14 page)

He stood and helped her to her feet. And that was the end of the discussion. ‘Now, I know what a busy woman you are, so I won’t keep you from your work. Todd is waiting downstairs with the limo to take you back to the gallery. I’ll send for you again soon when we’re more at our leisure.’

He escorted her to the door, with Stacie struggling to maintain enough control to walk under her own power. There, he kissed her tenderly, as if totally oblivious to her lack of response. He smiled down at her as though they had just shared the most exquisite experience. ‘Don’t worry, darling. It’ll be so much better than it was before. You’ll see.’ He heaved a happy sigh and looked around the foyer of his hotel suite. ‘Yes, I think the Monaco is the perfect place to bring Ms. Watson. I’m sure it’ll delight her.’

In the hall, one of his security men was waiting to escort Stacie down to the lobby.

So already it had begun. Already he wanted her to understand that he controlled her, that he owned her. Well, that too was expected. She remembered little of the walk down to the lobby. All she remembered was the check in her pocket, the weight of which seemed nearly unbearable, the proposition, the subtle threat, the beginning of the end.

She sat like a stone in the back of the limo all the way to the gallery, not thinking, not moving, just barely breathing. If she actually tried to take in what had just happened, she was certain she would be sick, so she held it all at a distance, held it all until she could get to a safe place. But then after today, there were no safe places. Not really.

When she arrived at the gallery, she didn’t go in. Once the limo had pulled away, she went straight to the Lexus. She might have doubted if it were safe for her to drive under the circumstances, but she was in the eye of the storm, the calm center that would see her through for a little while longer. Just a little while. She drove to her local bank and deposited the check into the account Dina had set up. She did the whole thing without feeling. She did it as if someone else had momentarily taken up residence in her body, and she was happy for the takeover, knowing with dead certainty that it wouldn’t last and that when she came back to herself, the world would be a much darker place.

She carefully pulled the Lexus into her parking space, then made her way up to her flat, let herself in, and locked the door behind her. Once that was done, she dropped her bag on the floor and stripped off her clothes as she stumbled blindly to the bathroom, just managing to turn on the shower before her knees gave and she sat down on the floor beneath the cascade of water and wept. She wept as she hadn’t done since that last, horrible night in the hotel room, that night when she had wept to the place way beyond despair, the place of raw, parched emptiness. And when the ambulance had come for her, when Alan Marston sat beside her, holding her hand in the hospital room, when the bruises and the aches and the broken bones had become like dull background noise to the tidal wave of rage that flowed over her, she knew that she would find a way out. 

Chapter Seventeen

Harris had just stepped out of the elevator at the Executive Suites of the Pneuma Building when his BlackBerry buzzed. It was an email from Cal, who did research for
Wilderness Vanguard
. The message, in response to his request about the clear-cut Stacie had been investigating, stopped him in his tracks. There was nothing in it he didn’t already know, and that meant there was every reason to stay as far away from the horrible place as possible. So, what the hell was Stacie up to? He was still staring at the email when Dee practically threw herself into his arms in a friendly bear hug.

‘There you are! Ellis told me you’d be joining him for lunch. Lynn’s ordered enough Chinese food for the whole Pneuma Building, so I’ve invited myself along. Hope you don’t mind.’

‘You know I don’t, Ms. Diva.’ He returned the hug and stuffed his BlackBerry in his pocket, struggling to pull his attention away from the message.

‘And Harris –’ she pulled away slightly ‘– just so you know, Stacie’s going to join us too. She needs to be involved in the planning meetings for Vigilant Trust if she’s to be able to represent it to contributors for the gallery opening, whether you exhibit with her or not, and frankly, I think that you –’

‘I’ve agreed to exhibit with her, Dee. It’s OK.’

There was another bear hug. ‘Great!’ Her smile turned to a look of total mischief. ‘I’m really glad to hear you didn’t let that little mishap at the Boiling Point keep you from doing the right thing. Or maybe that’s what convinced you?’

‘Jesus, there is no privacy in this world,’ Harris growled.

‘Nope. None at all.’ She threaded her arm through his. ‘Now come on. We don’t want lunch to get cold, do we? I don’t know where Lynn gets it, and she’s not telling, but it’s the best Chinese takeout ever.’

Harris thought Ellis’ office, with its grand view of Mount Hood and its coolest-apartment-ever feel, was the best part of the Pneuma Building. And time spent with Ellis was always good. Dee was an added bonus, but now he wanted to turn and leave. He really didn’t want to face Stacie in this company knowing that they all knew about the Boiling Point, knowing that they all knew he’d had sex with her. But they didn’t know what happened next, and he didn’t know how she’d react. And shit, if that wasn’t bad enough, he was concerned about why she’d been at the clear-cut.

Dee knocked softly on the door, then pushed her way in with Harris reluctantly right behind her. Ellis was not at his desk, and the door that separated his office proper from the lounge was closed. Again, Dee knocked and let herself in. Ellis sat on the end of the sofa with Stacie on the love seat next to it, her back to the door.

‘Dee! Harris!’ Ellis motioned them in. ‘You’ve gotta see this. Stacie’s plan for the photographic part of the exhibition is total genius.’ Dee sat down next to him, and he gave her an affectionate hug and a light kiss on the lips. He motioned Harris to sit on the love seat next to Stacie.

And God, why did she have to look so damn good? She was dressed in a burgundy power suit with heels he was sure someone like her shouldn’t even attempt to walk in unless they had good health insurance. She wore her hair loose around her shoulders, making his fingers tingle with the muscle memory of just how soft it was. Truth was he thought she looked much more stunning dressed for the great outdoors and covered with a little mud and grime, but then when did she
not
look stunning? She offered him a business-as-usual smile, almost as an afterthought, before turning her attention immediately back to the plans she had spread on the coffee table in front of Ellis. She continued as though he were no more than an employee who arrived late for a meeting.

‘There’ll be flat-screen monitors here, here, and here.’ She pointed a well-manicured finger at places on a modified version of a blueprint of the gallery. ‘The one on the main floor and the one in the reception area will run on a loop that cycles every ten to fifteen minutes depending on what Carla puts together for me.’

‘Carla Flannery?’ Harris asked.

‘Yep. Lucky for me, she’s a freelancer, and this is right up her alley. Harris, I thought you might want to consider a print version of what she’ll be putting together to run in
Wilderness Vanguard
the month after the gallery opening.’

‘Possibly. What exactly do you have in mind?’

‘Well, I want your photography and Kyle’s, mixed in with her story clips and photos from the John Day landfill and archival shots from the Northwest. What I want to do is put together a looped, narrated clip showing how photography as a political and as an environmental statement has made a difference in the quality of life in the Northwest, not only for the natural world, but for humans as well. It’s not really an exposé so much as a way of sharing with people how art can make a difference in the world in which we live and how it can be so much more than just pretty images.’

She sat on the edge of her seat. Her voice was animated and she spoke with her hands. Harris could feel the excited energy practically radiating off her, and he grudgingly had to admit that not everything was about him and that Stacie really was amazing at what she did.

‘What that means –’ she turned slightly to face him ‘– is that I’ll need to record a commentary from you and from Kyle.’ Then she added, ‘I’ve looked through your images and chosen the ones I want to use. I’ll get a list emailed to you this afternoon. What I’d like to do is have Carla do that commentary in the form of an interview after she’s had a chance to study your work. Then the loop will contain a commentary on the photos, what they mean to the photographers, the environmental implications, and so on. It’ll all be mixed in with some of the best shots of the success stories of reclamation and humans living in harmony with nature. It won’t run so loud that it’ll disturb people; in fact, it may very well be subtitled. But there’ll also be smaller monitors placed strategically in quiet nooks and crannies where people can turn up the volume and listen in more detail. But the material itself should be eye-catching and well done enough to hold people’s attention and hopefully send them scurrying to learn more.’ She shrugged slightly and Harris noticed the color in her cheeks that was either a modest blush or just understandable excitement for her vision of the opening exhibition. And though he didn’t think it was possible, that slight blush made her even more desirable.

‘I know we’re a little pressed for time and that’s my fault for waiting so long to be persuasive enough to get you on board, but still, it’s all very doable without too much pressure. So, what do you think?’ Her voice was a little bit breathless, full of energy and enthusiasm. ‘Is this something you’re OK with?’

It took Harris a second to realize she was talking to him and not to the general audience. ‘Yeah, of course. It sounds like a great idea. Just let me know what you need me to do.’

‘Perfect.’ Instead of the adoring thanks he would have liked, she turned her attention back to Ellis. ‘I’d like to have Carla ask you a few questions too, Ellis, since Vigilant Trust is your brainchild – yours and Harris’, that is – and since you’re a recognized crusader for the cause.’

‘Of course.’ Ellis nodded enthusiastically. ‘You know I’ll do anything you need me to do on this.’

‘I don’t suppose anyone will be terribly surprised to hear that the Ryde Agency is taking care of the PR for this project.’ She smiled as though she was thinking of a private joke. ‘Pretty much a waltz in the park and easy money for Ryde, but hey, I have friends in high places.’

‘I’m glad to hear that the Ryde Agency is back in business full strength and giving the competition a run for its money,’ Dee said.

Harris nodded his agreement, still amazed that Kendra and Stacie had hit it off so well. But then he shouldn’t be, he supposed. Ellis had been right: give the woman half a chance and she’d win you over. That was the problem. She’d won him over a little too well. And now he was suffering the consequences, even if she wasn’t. Well, he’d just fucking get over it, he told himself. He didn’t believe in going where he wasn’t wanted. He’d just back off, give her space and keep it all professional, just like she wanted. Then he remembered the email he had received just before the meeting, and nerves shivered in his belly. God, what on earth was the woman playing at? Well, he’d have to find out, and he’d have to warn her up front if she didn’t know how dangerous Terrance Jamison was, but he couldn’t imagine she didn’t, and that scared the hell out of him.

Just then both Ellis and Dee’s secretaries arrived toting several large paper bags with twisted twine handles. The smell coming from inside would have made his mouth water if he didn’t have more pressing things on his mind than filling his stomach.

Harris was relieved that even through the meal, the focus was on Vigilant Trust and on the opening exhibition of the gallery. He ate without tasting, not wanting to draw attention to himself by not eating, and he did his best to stay focused on the plan, which was a damn good one. Stacie’s exhibition would be spearheading several major reclamation projects in the Northwest that would dovetail nicely with the photographers’ exhibitions and the film she had hired Carla Flannery to produce. The woman’s mind was a fascinating place to be pulled into, and yet it had chosen to leave him in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. And it had led her deliberately into an extremely dangerous place. Neither of those facts was ever far from
his
mind through the meal and through Stacie’s plan.

They’d just dispensed with the fortune cookies when Ellis’ BlackBerry buzzed. ‘That’ll be Lynn telling me that my 2 o’clock is here.’ He raised a hand when people started to shift. ‘No need to rush. The meeting’s in the library, so just relax and finish your lunch.’

Dee washed down her cookie with a gulp of iced tea and stood to join him. ‘I’m seeing Alan Marston for a last minute planning meeting before Jason gets here from Paris and the real fun begins.’

‘Al’s here?’ Stacie said. ‘Give the man a bear hug for me.’ She looked down at her own watch. ‘If he’s free for dinner maybe he’d like a little company. I’ll give him a call. Anyway, I have to go too.’ She began to gather her stuff.

Harris laid a hand on the middle of the blueprint before she could roll it back up. ‘We need to talk before you go,’ he said. The panicked look that crossed her face was nothing more than a flash, but he caught it. He held her gaze. ‘About the clear-cut.’ That seemed to relax her just a little bit. At least the thought that he might bring up her leaving his bed without saying goodbye made her nervous. That was something, he supposed.

‘Clear-cut? What clear-cut?’ Ellis asked, stopping mid-stride. Dee too stopped in her tracks. And Harris realized it might be a good time to have some powerful allies.

He spoke to Ellis, but he held Stacie’s gaze. ‘The one Stacie nearly got herself killed in last week.’

Ellis dropped back onto the couch and Dee with him. All eyes were on Stacie. ‘Stacie?’ Ellis’ voice was full of warning.

‘I was checking it out,’ she said, folding her arms defiantly across her chest. ‘It’s Bald Hill, Ellis. You remember?’

‘Of course I remember.’ His expression hardened; his jaw tensed. ‘You know I remember, but dear God, Stacie, why would you want to go back there now?’

‘I wanted to see if there was any way it could be one of the reclamation projects.’

Ellis’ gaze softened. ‘Stacie, you know it can’t be. Believe me, I’ve thought of that, and there’s nothing I’d love more, but you know the damage is too great. There won’t be the funds for at least several more years for anything of that magnitude, and that’s if we can find a way to stem the erosion. Plus –’

‘The Bald Hill clear-cut was the result of a timber rights sell-off that Terrance Jamison orchestrated,’ Harris finished Ellis’ sentence.

Whatever it was Ellis said under his breath, Harris figured it probably wasn’t very nice.

‘I know,’ Stacie said. ‘I know all of that. But I had to see.’ She turned her attention back to Harris. ‘I wouldn’t have been in any danger if the storm hadn’t blown in, and that’s my fault for not checking the weather before I headed up there.’

‘Stacie, stay away from Jamison or anything that involves him.’ Ellis’ voice held a lethal edge. ‘The man’s capable of anything.’

Her spine stiffened; the hammering of her pulse was visible against her throat. ‘I know what he’s capable of.’ Then, with a quick intake of breath and a settling of her shoulders, she forced a smile that almost passed for relaxed. ‘Believe me, I know what a nasty piece of work he is.’

The tight knot between Harris’ shoulder blades convinced him Stacie wasn’t being completely above board, but then he had suspected that for a while now.

Ellis still held her in a gaze that would have peeled paint. ‘Stacie, I mean it. Stay away from anything that has to do with Jamison. He’s bad news.’

‘I’m not going to go back up there, so relax, will you? It was a bad idea, that’s all.’ She started to roll up the plans again and offered a wicked smile. ‘Even I have a bad idea every once in a while.’

But Harris didn’t believe her for a moment, and he doubted that Ellis did either if the look on his face was any indication.

‘Go on.’ She shooed Ellis and Dee with a nod of her head. ‘You’ll be late for your meetings. I’ve been properly chastised.’ She shot Harris a quick glance.

‘Stacie, I mean it, this is –’

‘Just go, Ellis. I said I’ll stay away from the clear-cut, all right? Now go, both of you.’

Ellis and Dee left reluctantly, pulling the door shut behind them and leaving Harris and Stacie alone.

‘Oh, stop looking at me that way, Harris,’ she said. ‘I told you I’m not going back, so problem solved, wouldn’t you say?’ She shoved the plans in her bag and turned to go, miscalculated the position of the coffee table leg, tripped, and sent herself sprawling across the floor, bag flying in the opposite direction.

Instantly he was on his knees next to her. ‘Jesus, Stacie, are you trying to kill yourself?’ When he offered her his help up, she pulled away.

‘Don’t. OK, Harris, just don’t. I’m fine. I’ve been stumbling around my whole life and I’m not dead yet.’ For a second, he thought she was going to cry, which was not like Stacie at all.