Jenna looked towards the exit. She took a step backwards. "You can't see them."
Mr. Hayes turned to face her completely. "What?"
Jenna looked as if she had something else to say, then suddenly ran for the door, surprisingly fast for someone on high heels. Tracy knew there was no way for her to catch up, and Mr. Hayes was in shock. "Stop her!" Tracy cried out.
There was too much security at the door for her to just run out. One of the security guards caught her. Jenna cried out hysterically, obviously terrified. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to get free. Tracy pitied her, but she knew she had won.
▪▪▪
There were six people in the upstairs room of the mountain chalet while the rest of the party bustled along downstairs. Tracy and Mr. Hayes held each other tight. John Tice sat in a chair in the corner, his head in his hands. Greg, the security chief, and James, Mr. Hayes' personal assistant, argued about what should be done, while Jenna sat with her hands zip-tied to a chair.
The vial had been small, small enough to fit in Jenna's heel compartment. Greg's men had whisked it away to be analyzed, but Greg had smelled the hidden compartment it came from. "Smell the almond smell? Cyanide. You would have been dead before you hit the ground if you had drank it."
John had first fought the men to try to get his daughter released, but had relented when they said that they had not called the cops yet. As the men had argued in front of the tied up Jenna, John had turned to his daughter and asked, "You weren't going to kill Paul, were you?"
"Yes, I was," she replied, matter-of-factly.
"I forbid you to say another word until our lawyer gets here," he commanded, and she obeyed. She always obeyed him.
Eventually, James and Greg went to talk to John. They spoke in hushed tones, then the three men walked over to Mr. Hayes and Tracy.
James started. "Mr. Hayes, I think you can agree with us that this is a delicate situation."
Mr. Hayes nodded slowly.
"Jenna won't tell us why she wanted you dead, or if anyone put her up to it. If she won't tell her father, she won't tell the police either," James said.
"Go on," Mr. Hayes said.
James took a deep breath. "We all think it would be best if you let Jenna go with her father. He would ensure that she never step foot in this city again, and that she would be accompanied by two men at all times."
Mr. Hayes sneered. "The benefit of being rich, I suppose. I can trust you to place your own daughter under arrest, rather than leave her to the mercy of the justice system."
John looked solemn. "You can trust me. You always can."
Tracy was incredulous. "There's no way we can let her go. She-"
Mr. Hayes cut her off and continued. "You've always been like a father to me, John. I owe you so much. I would like it if our relationship weren't impacted by this incident," he said. "I have a question, though. Did James suggest that I go to this ball with Jenna?"
John nodded. "How did you know?"
Mr. Hayes turned to James. "James told me that you insisted that she be my date tonight. James, I don't know if you're a part of this conspiracy or not, but I can't have you in my organization any more."
James' eyes bugged out of his head. "What!? But-"
"But nothing. You've never wanted me to be with Tracy. It was you who let Jenna know that we were going to the salsa club, wasn't it?"
James sputtered. "Yes, b-but I never meant for her to hurt you. Either of you! I knew that you wanted to be with her anyway! I was looking out for your best interests!"
Mr. Hayes turned to Greg. "This man is no longer a member of this organization. I'd like him escorted out immediately. Send two of your men up to cut Jenna loose and escort her out as well."
"Yes, sir," Greg said.
Greg and James left, and Mr. Hayes turned back to John. "I'll meet with you on Monday at 1 pm to discuss the terms of me not going to the police. Nothing serious, but I'm going to insist that one of the men on Jenna's detail be on my payroll."
John looked furious. "Son! You don't trust me?"
Mr. Hayes took a quick glance at Tracy, then replied. "It's not a matter of trust. When I give up control, things don't work out quite the way I intended. I refuse to completely give up control of my attempted murderer to her father." John paused, as if to try to bargain. "This is non-negotiable," Mr. Hayes added, a mirror of the negotiation on the salsa floor the night before.
Two men appeared from downstairs and cut Jenna loose. "These two men will stay with Jenna until Monday. She is to stay in town until then, and they'll be relieved by a full time guard after our meeting. You can fly her wherever you wish after that."
John nodded, a little dejected. He did realize it was almost as good as he could have hoped for. The four left the chalet together, and Jenna even managed to smile as they passed the other people. Appearances were everything.
▪▪▪
Mr. Hayes turned to Tracy. "There is one person I can give up control to," he said. He leaned in for a kiss.
Tracy stopped him. "You obviously don't trust me, Mr. Hayes."
Mr. Hayes looked hurt. He was still pretty calm for having almost been killed. "I definitely trust you, Tracy. I've never trusted anyone like I trust you."
"I don't believe it," Tracy said, sounding as hard as she had during their first sexual encounter, when she had left him tied up in the bed.
"What do I have to do to prove it to you?" Mr. Hayes asked.
Tracy grabbed his hand and walked down the stairs. Mr. Hayes smiled as they walked past the people at the party. Tracy smiled too, but kept right on walking out the exit. She handed the valet her ticket.
"You have to show me that you trust me," Tracy said as the car pulled up. She opened the passenger side door. "Get in the car."
Mr. Hayes nodded and slowly slid into the passenger seat. Tracy could see him tensing as he reached for the seat belt. She revved the engine and took off onto the road. His foot hit an imaginary brake pedal as she sped down the small road and up the mountain. He looked as though he was going to be sick, his eyes wide and glancing frantically through the windows. His hand went to her leg, gripping hard, then pulling away at the next turn.
"Tracy, please slow down," he said through clenched teeth. His hands clenched in his lap and every muscle in his body screamed with tension.
"No. You have to show me that you trust me. I won't let anything happen to you. You just have to show me that you trust me," Tracy reiterated. She carefully turned the sports car onto the mountain pass. Tracy had driven this pass several times. It was a beautiful place to look at leaves in the fall. She knew it was going to be a difficult drive for Mr. Hayes though, as it was a twisting road with a sharp fall-off as the road climbed up the mountain.