Page 37 of Juan

Chapter eighteen

Amber felt sure everyone knew exactly what she and Spencer had done the night before. He’d done everything he’d promised. And more. And she’d loved every second of it. Loved the power, the pleasure, the connection. Everything. Her thighs this morning… Well, they had a different opinion. Despite the soreness, she wouldn’t have changed a thing, though.

Wrapping her hands around her coffee mug, she let the revelations from the night before bubble through her mind. When she first approached Spencer, she assumed she’d feel more comfortable if she stayed in control. He’d been happy to accommodate, and she knew he’d enjoyed himself. But last night had shown her something different, pushed her to realize something unexpected. She needed him to take control. She needed to learn to trust not just him, but herself. And last night, he helped show her she could. Helped show her that she could entrust her body and her pleasure to him. But more importantly, he showed her that she could trust herself. That she could trust her faith in him as her partner. She’d chosen so poorly the last time, but this time, she knew to her bones she’d chosen right, she’d chosen well.

Pulling her thoughts from Spencer and their hours together, she turned to the woman sitting beside her. “I was thinking that we could go for a little wander this morning through the woods,” she said to Adrian. They sat drinking coffee in the lodge room, and a well-fed Zoe toddled around, exploring the furniture. With Clara and Dottie out on a morning walk and the guys, including Spencer, out working, the clubhouse was unusually quiet.

“How’s the cell reception here?” Adrian asked.

Amber lifted a shoulder. “A few spots aren’t great, but it’s mostly good.”

“Why don’t you take her yourself?”

Amber’s heart skipped, then sped up. “You think that’s a good idea?”

Adrian chuckled. “First of all, you are the last person who’s going to let anything happen to Zoe. Second of all, her legs are tiny, and she has a curiosity about the world that’s charming, if not also a little annoying when you’re trying to get somewhere. She will stop at every tree root, every flower, every sapling. You aren’t going to make it far.”

Amber paused, then chuckled. “So you’re saying it would be better if I didn’t plan a route or a destination?”

“Not unless you want to get frustrated. Or unless you want to carry her.” Adrian smiled back.

“I don’t have any plans the rest of the morning. Chili is slow-cooking for lunch, and Dottie will make the corn bread when she gets back. I just have an appointment with a lawyer this afternoon, but we’ll be back long before that. In time for her lunch and nap.” In her mind’s eye, she saw Zoe squatting down, unsteady on her feet, her little jean shorts dirty from falling on her behind, examining a wildflower. She smiled. “I think I’ll like seeing what catches her eye.”

They looked over at Zoe, inspecting something on the couch, perhaps a loose thread. “They already set you up with a lawyer?” Adrian asked.

“The Warwick family works fast.”

“It’s good to have people like that on your side.”

“I agree,” Amber replied. Adrian didn’t reply, but a crease formed on her forehead. “Adrian?” Amber said. The woman looked over. “I said it last night and I’ll say it again, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you and your mom. As far as I’m concerned, you saved Zoe’s life, full stop. You also happened to love her and care for her and do everything in your power to find me.”

“Technically, we probably broke a few laws. I’m not sure which ones, but I’m sure a good lawyer could make a list,” Adrian replied with a rueful smile.

“Justice Warwick would have taken that into consideration when he recommended the lawyer I’m seeing today. We both know justice isn’t always blind or fair, but I will do everything to make sure it swings in our, your, favor.”

Adrian’s smile softened. “I appreciate that, but we knew the risks when we made the choices we made, and we would make them all over again. Now,” she said, rising, cutting off any more talk that might make Amber weepy, “let’s get this girl ready for a walk in the woods. Will there be bugs?”

Twenty minutes later, armed with her phone, a bottle, and a bag of snacks, she and Zoe started down one of the trails that led to the back of the property. Amber knew it well and picked it because it had several branches that circled back to the clubhouse. It also had good cell reception.

As Zoe paused at every leaf, flower, and ant, Amber chatted with her about the plants and animals, even as her mind returned to the conversation from the night before. The possibility of Anthony selling a lethal drug seemed less far-fetched in the bright light of the morning. She still couldn’t fathom where he’d get it, but that he provided it to people wanting to kill others, seemingly for financial gain, tracked with his personality—cruel, power-hungry, and sociopathic. That definitely described her ex.

But what kind of drug would he have access to, and where would he get it?

Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be something run-of-the-mill. That wouldn’t be any fun for Anthony. He’d want something clever and, as Hawkeye pointed out, something undetectable in a standard toxicology screen. She didn’t know what was in a standard toxicology screen, so couldn’t hazard a guess as to what wouldn’t be detected, but what about the first criterion? A clever drug?

Juliana and Kara would have some ideas on that, and they were both planning on coming over later in the afternoon to talk about it. So, what could she contribute?

She considered that as they moved another four feet down the trail. The snail’s pace didn’t exactly work the kinks and stiffness from her thighs and hips, but the gentle babble of her daughter, along with the fresh spring air scented with pines and wildflowers, did amazing things for her soul.

Who did Anthony know who could connect him to the drug world? Drug dealers came in all shapes and sizes, from all sorts of backgrounds, but Anthony was a racist, sexist, classist pig. Whoever he got the drugs from would be someone like him—seemingly well-to-do, sophisticated.

She considered whether he’d use a man or a woman, and it didn’t take her long to settle on it being a woman. Anthony would never admit it, but another man posed too much of a risk. A man could usurp him, take his power, or gain power over him. In the real world, a woman could, too, but he wouldn’t see it that way. Women were beneath him. Women were there for him to control and use. Especially if he was, or had been, sleeping with them.

But what woman in his social circle would have access to a drug that could kill people essentially undetected?

Doctors were a possibility. And as a board member of a hospital, he definitely had access to those. Without giving it much thought, she could name two women on the hospital staff he’d had affairs with. Had there been others she didn’t know about? Probably. But at least she could pass on the names of the two she knew to Callie and Leo.

What about other professions? They’d never had any pets, so a veterinarian was likely out of the picture. But there were a few pharma companies in the area. And didn’t pharma reps visit the hospital from time to time?