Chapter 29
CHAPTER
Gina
Present
THE BOOK CLUB group appreciated her entrance, and Gina appreciated the attention.
Fatima imitated the cowboy swagger. Jordyn compared it to some Bugs Bunny cartoon with Yosemite Sam (could Jordyn be any weirder?) and Sophie—that tee-total bitch—just laughed delightedly, as if the performance was all for the benefit of her party.
Gina wondered at what point in the evening these people would quit being amused and start recognizing the very real danger she represented. She couldn’t wait.
All the times she’d been lambasted in the sports media for “distracting” her ex-husband’s focus from football because of their split.
All the nights she sacrificed her body to sleep with Sophie’s man-whore of a husband as part of her bid for vengeance.
It would be worth every unhappy moment of the last two years to watch Sophie’s face drain of color when she finally recognized how thoroughly she’d been beaten by the woman whose life she had destroyed without a thought.
While the music switched to Rhianna’s “Disturbia,” Gina helped herself to a drink from the extensive offerings on Sophie’s kitchen island, choosing a healthy splash of top shelf gin with a little tonic and lots of fresh lime slices and ice.
Brad arrived a few moments after her, dressed in chef’s whites complete with the signature toque.
Fatima was regaling the group with a story about her daughter and Sophie’s going out for spots on a competitive dance team when a bell began to chime incessantly.
Glancing up from her drink, Gina saw Sophie in her red slip dress, shaking a small silver handbell.
“Attention, friends.” Sophie bared her teeth in what probably passed for a smile to everyone but Gina. “I’m so glad you could all be with me at Rookstone Manor tonight while we try to solve a murder.”
Destiny and Kaitlin provided the requisite “oohs” and “aahs,” clinking their glasses to toast the event, while everyone waited to see what else their host had to say. Gina noticed that Jordyn Lawson looked down at her feet, hiding her expression.
Gina never had learned anything useful about the book club newcomer. And now that Gina was in the homestretch of her plan to decimate The Clean Break podcast, she had decided it didn’t matter. Jordyn would be a footnote in the night’s events.
“A little housekeeping before we begin a get-to-know-you mixer for our characters,” Sophie continued.
She set aside the silver bell and lifted a dark wicker basket lined with a white linen tea towel.
“Starting with the game rules. No cell phones allowed to ensure a level playing field. If everyone could please shut down their electronics, Luke will come around to collect your devices.”
A small amount of grousing took place before a flash of lightning preceded a violent crack of thunder. The floor rumbled with the strike, and a moment later the rain picked up in force, loud enough to hammer the floor-to-ceiling glass doors that surrounded the pool deck and courtyard.
All around Gina, the partygoers added their cell phones to the basket as Luke walked from one person to the next, saving her for last. She met his gaze as she dropped her device into the bread basket with the others.
“I need to talk to you,” Luke said quietly, his tone urgent.
Gina glanced around them, wondering who had spotted the by-play, but everyone seemed well on their way to an evening of tipsy frivolity, drinks in hand, conversation humming along.
“So talk,” she answered at regular volume, shrugging a shoulder to let him know she had no intention of hiding their conversation.
“In private,” he practically growled the words at her before pivoting on his heel and stalking from the room.
Gina followed more slowly, using a purple swizzle stick to stir through the ice she’d added to her drink.
By the time she entered an adjoining sitting room decorated in more shades of Sophie’s unimaginative white, Luke had already stashed the basket of phones. He swung around to face her, the expression on his face tense, the tendons in his neck standing out.
“What the hell are you doing sneaking into my home when I’m not around?” His accusation was underscored by another loud crash of thunder.
“What are you talking about?” She swirled her drink again, unwilling to confess anything until she knew what she was being accused of.
Had he found the panties she’d hidden in his jacket pocket? Had his stepdaughter confronted him about finding a stranger’s shoes in the house?
“Don’t play games with me. You turned off the security system for twenty minutes while no one else was home.” He took a menacing step toward her and for a split second, she wondered if she’d been foolish to goad him.
But then, she recalled what she held over his head.
A burst of laughter came from the kitchen at the same time the doorbell rang. Not that Luke moved to answer it. Maybe they were ignoring trick-or-treaters foolish enough to brave the storm.
“I assure you, I’m not the one playing games,” she shot back. “You’re the one who took out a life insurance policy on your wife without her knowledge. Care to explain that one?”
The anger slid from Luke’s expression, his jaw dropping for an instant before he snapped it shut again.
“You broke in here to snoop through my things?” His lips curled.
She was grateful for the house full of people, or she might have been scared. As much as she hated her ex-husband for cheating on her and swindling her, she’d never feared for her physical safety. Luke was another story.
It was a relief that her costume had allowed her the opportunity to carry a shiny silver derringer that looked straight out of the Old West.
“I didn’t have to. You left the policy in your office downtown the night of the Witch Walk. I practically had the ink tattooed on my ass after we had sex on the desk.”
She moved to rejoin the group, but Luke grabbed her by the arm. He yanked her to a stop.
“That’s a lie, and you know it. You had to search to find those papers.”
“So what if I did?” she hissed at him, wrenching her arm free. “Maybe I wanted to know what your plan was for that insurance policy. Maybe I’m just trying to figure out if you really want your wife dead.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He spat the words back automatically, but she didn’t believe his denial for a second.
A rustling echoed from the far side of the room, and she lowered her voice even though she was pretty sure everyone else was in the kitchen behind them.
“You can insist you don’t want her dead all day long, but that insurance policy says something different.” Folding her arms, she took his measure, trying to figure out how close he was to implementing whatever plan he had in mind.
She didn’t want Sophie to die before finding out that Evangeline Ribeki was sleeping with her husband.
Luke remained stubbornly silent.
“What’s wrong, Luke?” She laid her hand on his chest and felt his heart pounding hard just beneath her fingertips. “Can’t work up the nerve to do the deed?”
His eyes narrowed. Darkened.
Gina leaned closer to whisper in his ear. “Because I’d be happy to help you.”