Chapter 57
CHAPTER 57
Fifteen Years Ago
3:56 a.m.
Alex
“You think what happened to Sarah is … my fault?” Mia sputtered.
A macabre thrill of pleasure snaked through Alex as he stared at Mia. Her expression changed from slightly challenging, with a hint of defiance, to confused fear.
His hand shook as he fought the urge to clinch his fingers into a fist and slam it into her face, leaving a shiny, purplish bruise, punishment for her thoughts of disobedience. He did not need Mia, of all fucking people, questioning his plan, especially when what he was doing would benefit her, as well. Not that she was smart enough to realize that. Not that he expected her to understand how they could capitalize on this moment .
Mia was a trailer park slut who was lucky he’d even glanced her way. He was only stuck with her because of his own misfortune of birth, having been born into a broke family of laboring men who didn’t have the cunning or the ambition to machinate their way out of poverty. His father, grandfather, uncles, brothers, and cousins subscribed to the belief that everyone had a set lot in life, and if you were born below the poverty line, that was where you belonged. There was no need trying to rise above it. “Play the game with the cards you’re dealt,” his grandfather, a wizened old leathery-faced man with broken teeth, would tell him.
Fuck that, Alex had always thought.
He’d been dealt a bad hand, but he wasn’t going to fold. He would play a different game. One he knew he could win. A game where the key to success wasn’t a winning hand, but a bold strategy that required ruthless choices and cutthroat decisions.
“Don’t you think it’s your fault?” Alex asked.
Her eyes darting wildly, Mia asked, “How is it my fault?”
Lowering his voice, Alex said, “Sarah got raped because she was drugged.”
Mia looked down.
“But Phil didn’t drug her … did he?”
Mia remained silent.
Placing a finger beneath her chin, Alex lifted her head, forcing her to look at him. “You drugged Sarah.”
Shaking her head, Mia opened her mouth.
Alex shushed her, pressing his finger against her lips. “I know you put the Grover in Sarah’s drink. Chris told me you asked for it. After he gave it to you, he watched you to see what you would do with it.”
Tears brimming in her eyes, Mia said, “I didn’t mean to?—”
“Of course, you meant to drug her,” Alex said. “You hate Sarah.”
“That’s not true!” Mia hissed under her breath.
“We both know you’re jealous of her,” Alex said. “You could have killed her.”
Mia looked stricken. “I didn’t want to?—”
“What if you had given her too much?” Alex asked, delighting in her misery. “We’d have to be covering up a murder right now.”
“I’m sorry …” Mia cried, leaning toward him, tears streaming down her face. “You have to believe me! I never wanted this to happen to Sarah. I just …”
“If you’re really sorry,” Alex said, caressing her cheek. “Then you’ll convince Sarah to keep her mouth shut about Phil. What happened to Sarah was terrible. But we can turn the situation around. No one has to suffer. We can make things better for everyone. We can do this together because we’re a team, right?”
Mia nodded.
“I’m counting on you, Mia,” Alex said. “Don’t let me down …”