Chapter 58
CHAPTER 58
MIA
“What?” Jason sputtered. “No. Alex wasn’t serious when he said that Phil should have an accident.”
“Alex was serious,” Mia said. “The story about Alex taking Phil to the main island was a lie.”
Sarah scoffed. “Why am I not surprised?”
Ignoring the scorn in Sarah’s tone, Mia focused on Jason who’d always relied on Alex for direction and guidance, and despite not always agreeing with Alex’s tactics, would nevertheless reserve judgment.
“Phil was going to destroy all of us,” Mia said. “Alex was trying to prevent that. He was looking out for us.”
“By killing Phil?” Jason asked.
“By making sure that Phil wouldn’t be able to ruin our lives,” Mia said, annoyed by the censure in Jason’s voice, which she resented and hadn’t expected. If not for Alex, Jason would be nothing. Fifteen years ago, Alex had generously made sure that Jason benefitted from a scheme he could never have imagined let alone pulled off, so he should be forever grateful, not critical of Alex’s motives.
“Don’t you see that Alex had our best interests at heart?” Mia asked, staring at Sarah, then Jason.
Of course, that wasn’t entirely true.
Alex hadn’t been thinking of anyone except himself and Mia when he’d devised the plot to get rid of Phil.
He’d told her to tell the others that he took Phil to the mainland in the speedboat and would return the following afternoon. Mia had asked him what he was going to do. Alex hadn’t wanted to tell her until she’d pressed the issue.
“I want to know,” she’d told him. “I need to know. We’re in this together, right?”
Alex nodded. “Right.”
“So tell me what you’re going to do?”
“What the fuck do you think?” Alex said. “I’m doing the only thing I can do. The only option left to me. I’m not letting that bastard ruin my life. I’m going to kill him …”
Mia felt something sinister and yet thrilling slither through her, something that was not quite orgasmic, but close.
“How will killing Phil help us?” she asked. “Financially, I mean. If he’s dead, he can’t ruin us but he can’t help the company, either.”
“Phil brought his passport and checkbook,” Alex said. “And that’s all I need to become Phillip Richart for a while.”
“You’re going to … become Phillip Richart? ”
“Not forever … “ Alex pulled her over to the bed, then sat down, bringing her onto his lap. “Just long enough to transfer large sums of money from Phil’s bank accounts into an offshore numbered account that I opened. And then you and I can get new identities.”
Mia was confused, alarmed, and most of all, excited. “New identities?”
Alex maneuvered them onto to bed, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sick of being Alexander Ashton. Are you tired of being Mia Ashton? Don’t you want to be someone else?”
Mia just wanted to be with Alex. To be whatever or whoever he wanted her to be. She wanted to be anything and everything to him. She wanted to exist in his world, and if she had to do so on his terms, so be it.
But she worried he might think she was too eager and change his mind about bringing her along on his adventure, so she said, pretending to be demur, “Well, I never thought about being anyone else but … it might be interesting.”
“Might be our best chance to escape,” Alex said. “Let’s face it. I’m probably going to be disbarred. And sued in civil court by my clients. And prosecuted by the feds. They’ll lock me up.”
“That can’t happen,” Mia said, shuddering at the thought of Alex in prison. “You’re right. We need to be other people.”
After they made love, twice, Alex left the room, blowing her a kiss as he closed the door behind him.
Mia hadn’t seen him since .
Jason said, “Help me understand something. How did Alex kill Phil? When did he do it?”
“I’m not sure,” Mia said, resting her elbows on the surface of the table.
“You’re not sure?” Sarah said.
Shaking her head, Mia said, “I mean … I’m not sure that Alex killed Phil. He was supposed to … Alex was going to talk to Phil … and during their conversation, he was going to kill him.”
“How?” Jason demanded.
Mia glanced at him. “I think he was going to stab him.”
“Alex brought a knife to the island?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t think so,” Mia said. “He was probably going to use one of the kitchen knives but … I don’t think he did. I think Phil killed Alex … and Grace … and Chris …”
“Are you sure about that?” Sarah asked.
Mia looked up at her. Unnerved by the malice and suspicion in Sarah’s gaze, Mia asked, “What do you mean? Phil was the only one who could have killed them. Phil wanted to destroy us …”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe it was you.”
Mia jerked back, as though Sarah had slapped her. “Me …?”
Sarah said, “You have blood on your hands …”
Gasping, Mia glanced at her palms.
Her stomach lurched as she stared at the red smears across her skin.