Chapter 51
CHAPTER 51
Fifteen Years Ago
3:37 a.m.
Alex
“Sarah was fine when I left her, I swear!” Grace said, pacing back and forth next to the bed, crying, her face red and bloated. “She was just sleeping!”
“Are you sure?” Mia demanded, stepping in front of Grace, forcing her to stop.
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing Grace would stop squealing like a fucking pig so he could talk to Mia, get her on board with the next phase of his plan. As expected, Mia had come to him for help after finding Sarah in bed with Phil Richart. Fifteen minutes before, he’d been standing near the bar, flirting with the girl whose number he’d just gotten, when he spotted Mia, pushing and shoving through the crowd .
Her expression apprehensive, but also slightly annoyed, she clutched the front of his shirt, stood on her toes, and leaned closer to him. “Something bad happened to Sarah.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked, as though he didn’t know. “What happened?”
Shaking her head, Mia said, “I don’t know, but … can you just come upstairs with me? Please?”
Nodding, Alex followed her through the crowd.
On the second floor, in the lavish bedroom, Alex allowed Mia to lead him toward the bed, where Sarah and Phil lay passed out, tangled in bloody sheets.
Sarah and Phil strategically positioned, according to Alex’s plan.
And now here they all were. Alex pretended to be stunned. Mia and Grace hysterical. Although, Mia wasn’t as hysterical as Alex thought she would be.
“What the fuck happened?” Alex asked, making sure to sound shocked and horrified. “Why does Sarah have bruises all over her?”
Shrugging, Mia said, “I don’t know.”
“Isn’t it obvious what happened to Sarah?” Grace asked, pacing around the room. With each step, her gelatinous stomach wobbled and the fat around her back quivered. “Phil fucking beat her and raped her!”
“You think Phil raped Sarah?” Alex asked.
“What else could have happened?” Grace glared at him, breathing hard, her round, fleshy face flushed pink.
“That’s what we need to find out,” Alex said. “We can’t jump to conclusions.”
“Sarah has bruises all over her,” Grace said, pointing toward the bed. “And there’s blood everywhere.”
“But, Alex is right,” Mia said. “We don’t know what happened. We need to try to wake them up.”
“Wake them up?” Grace shrieked. “They are passed out cold!”
“And who’s fault is that?” Mia asked, staring pointedly at Grace.
“What the hell do you mean?” Grace demanded.
“Me, Alex, and Jason saw you helping Sarah up the stairs,” Mia said, her tone accusing.
“Because she wasn’t feeling well,” Grace said. “I brought her up here so she could lay down and feel better! Phil must have followed us. And when I left the room, he raped her!”
“And it’s your fault,” Mia said. “Phil raped Sarah because you left her alone when she wasn’t feeling well!”
Grace shook her head. “That’s not true!”
“If you had stayed with Sarah,” Mia said, “then Phil wouldn’t have been able to hurt her! This is all your fault, Grace!”
“I never wanted this to happen!” Grace moaned. “I never thought?—”
“That’s your problem,” Mia said. “You never think about anyone except yourself! And because of your selfishness, Sarah was raped and almost beaten to death!”
“Oh my God.” Grace gagged. “I’m going to get sick …”
As Grace sprinted from the room, Alex grabbed Mia’s arm and pulled her across the bedroom, stopping near the row of French doors, where they wouldn’t be overheard. “We need to figure out what to do.”