“We also offer a sauna and a private poker room if you’re feeling lucky.” With a wink, she turns to me, and her smile loses some of its luster. “And for you, Mrs. Andrews, we have our private women’s quarters, complete with a full spa, sauna, and lounge.”
“No poker room or private masseuse for me?” I fake a pout. “Sad.”
The woman’s phony smile falters. “You can absolutely take advantage of our staff of trained masseuses,” she says quickly. “We have quite a few. Both men and women alike.”
“Thanks. But I’m not big on sharing,” I whisper toward her.
She nods. “Understood. Please, come this way, and I’ll show you our gym and swimming pool.” Charlise turns to leave, and Shawn pulls me close.
“You okay?” he whispers as we follow.
“Fine. Just not appreciating the special attention you seem to be getting. We are married after all.” And all it does is make me wonder what Paul wasreallydoing here.
Was he having an affair?
Was he taking advantage of all the offers this same woman is throwing out to Shawn like free samples in a grocery store?
Nausea churns in my belly. We haven’t been left alone long enough to get any actual information. But I get the feeling we’re going to have to separate in order to do so. Him in his corner of the club, I in mine. And that makes me feel sick all over again.
“Through here, you’ll find our completely indoor, temperature-regulated tennis court.” She shoves open a large glass door, and we step out into a huge glass dome. Three of the courts are currently occupied, while the other three are empty.“Presently, we have open reservations, but in the future, it would be a good idea to book them in advance.”
“We love tennis,” Shawn says with a smile toward me. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yup. Love it.” It’s true. I even played in college. Does he know that? Or is he simply playing the part?
“Good. Then I bet you’re going to have plenty of fun here.” With another icy smile, she veers off toward the left. The stench of chlorine fills my lungs before we’ve reached the entrance to the pool. “This is our largest indoor pool. We have two larger outdoor pools, though they are currently closed and won’t re-open until late spring.”
I look inside, surprised that I don’t see bikini-clad waitresses waiting on the rich members of the club as though they’re on the menu, too.
Instead, it looks rather unoccupied, only two women in one corner, their feet in the water as they chat about who knows what.
This entire place makes my skin crawl.
Does Shawn feel the same?
“And that about sums up our club,” she says as she turns toward us. “The dining halls are on the second floor, but they’re closed until dinner.”
“We can find those easy enough,” Shawn replies smoothly. “We’d like to see the hangars before we fully pledge our membership. A lot of clubs like this have great clubhouses, but the airfield itself, as well as the hangars, lack security and amenities.” His tone is cold, calculated. Which, based on her reaction, is doing exactly what he’d hoped for: disarming her.
“Mr. Andrews, I assure you that Velocity Ridge Airfield takes every security measure, even as we offer the best amenities—both inside and out—of any private airfield in the world.”
“I’m sure you do, butIneed to be sure,” he replies. “Otherwise, I’ll assume there’s a reason you don’t want us to see them and take my money elsewhere.”
Charlise’s cheeks flush with color. “Very well. If you follow me, I will guide you toward a tour of the airfield.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
“Of course.” Her agitation is present in both her tone and expression, but she plasters on a smile before turning on her heel and heading back the way we came.
As we walk down the hallway, it’s all I can do to put one foot in front of the other. I’ve always known places like this existed. Twisted hideouts for people who have no moral compass and believe they are above all law.
But it’s one thing to know and another to walk the halls.
A man clearly in his seventies strolls by us, a woman no older than late twenties glued to his side, a large ring on her finger, a wide smile on her face.
Lord, please be with us. This whole place is wrong. I don’t know that I can keep this up. Please be with us. Please keep us armored against the darkness in this place. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
In my line of work, I’ve had to walk the halls of places that still give me nightmares.
