blamed.”
Cara gripped the railing as a wave rolled through her with the same power as the surf. Just a little travel nausea mixed with Xanax and Oscar fatigue, she told herself. Not fear.
Didn’t he know she’d never risk her career by telling anyone anything? Even those creepy FBI agents who’dcome to her house last month, mentioning his name, scrutinizing her for any response? She’d just played dumb. She’d
acted
dumb. Because Joellen was right about one thing: She
was
the smart sister,
and
she could act. And this was the role of her lifetime.
But still he’d want to get rid of her, just in case. Now he could lay her death at the feet of the Red Carpet Killer, a fact so loaded with irony she could laugh, except it just wasn’t funny.
There had to be a way out of this; she just hadn’t figured it out yet.
“Are you sure no one knows we’re here?” Cara asked her sister.
“I’m sure,” Joellen said, dropping onto a chaise and propping up her feet like royalty. “First, the free world thinks you’re in Nantucket. Second, Leon and Bridget are a few miles away. Marissa and I will be the go-betweens, and God knows Mercedes has everything under control over in Nantucket. You can relax.”
“I don’t want to relax,” Cara said. She wanted to figure a way out of the mess she’d gotten into.
“I know,” Joellen said, lifting her foot to pick at her pedicure. “You want to celebrate. Too bad the Red Carpet Curse had to ruin all that fun for you.”
Cara glanced at her sister. Had she already had a drink, or maybe she just hadn’t slept enough on the flight here? “Yeah, too bad.”
“And too bad he has an excuse if you end up dead.”
Cara closed her eyes, sick of how Joellen kept harping on it. She
knew
, already. “He’d have to be pretty clever to make it look like an accident or not leave any evidence.”
Her sister snorted. “He
is
clever, Cara.”
“Then why hasn’t he killed me before this?” she shot back.
“Because the FBI wasn’t on his ass. You know damn well they’ve practically got him. He’s being smart now, but you are the wild card, sister mine.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You know as well as I do that I have no intention of ruining my career with that kind of scandal.”
“Then why don’t you just give him what he wants and get out of it?”
“Because I don’t trust him. He’d still want me dead.” A chill crawled down Cara’s arms despite the hoodie she’d been wearing since she’d gotten on the small private jet that had brought them… wherever they were. She backed away from the railing and perched on the other chair. “I’m scared, Jo.”
“You don’t have to be,” she said. “We’ve been through worse. And we were younger, and dumber.”
“Hey, where are you two?” Marissa’s voice reached the porch, the front door slamming behind her. “We’ve got a problem.”
“We’ve got a lot of them,” Joellen said bitterly.
“What is it, Marissa?”
“Leon just called. He’s monitoring all the media. The ‘bodyguards’ who are supposed to be with fake Cara?” Marissa put her hand on her hips, thoroughly disgusted. “FBI agents, every one of them. One of the reporters identified them.”
Joellen looked surprised and a little horrified, but Cara easily covered her reaction. Of course they already knew there was an FBI agent on the plane. That was why she’dcome up with the whole escape plan and sent Vivi by herself.
But Marissa knew nothing about why they were really hiding, and Cara intended for it to stay that way. “As long as Vivi doesn’t shoot her mouth off about being a body double, it’s fine,” Cara said. “Frankly, I don’t care if the Secret Service is guarding her. If they don’t know her she can pull it off. And it looks legit to have protection.”
“You were very clear with her, Cara,” Joellen said. “Maybe I ought to hop over there and keep an eye on things.”
“I’ll go for you,”
Cara gripped the railing as a wave rolled through her with the same power as the surf. Just a little travel nausea mixed with Xanax and Oscar fatigue, she told herself. Not fear.
Didn’t he know she’d never risk her career by telling anyone anything? Even those creepy FBI agents who’dcome to her house last month, mentioning his name, scrutinizing her for any response? She’d just played dumb. She’d
acted
dumb. Because Joellen was right about one thing: She
was
the smart sister,
and
she could act. And this was the role of her lifetime.
But still he’d want to get rid of her, just in case. Now he could lay her death at the feet of the Red Carpet Killer, a fact so loaded with irony she could laugh, except it just wasn’t funny.
There had to be a way out of this; she just hadn’t figured it out yet.
“Are you sure no one knows we’re here?” Cara asked her sister.
“I’m sure,” Joellen said, dropping onto a chaise and propping up her feet like royalty. “First, the free world thinks you’re in Nantucket. Second, Leon and Bridget are a few miles away. Marissa and I will be the go-betweens, and God knows Mercedes has everything under control over in Nantucket. You can relax.”
“I don’t want to relax,” Cara said. She wanted to figure a way out of the mess she’d gotten into.
“I know,” Joellen said, lifting her foot to pick at her pedicure. “You want to celebrate. Too bad the Red Carpet Curse had to ruin all that fun for you.”
Cara glanced at her sister. Had she already had a drink, or maybe she just hadn’t slept enough on the flight here? “Yeah, too bad.”
“And too bad he has an excuse if you end up dead.”
Cara closed her eyes, sick of how Joellen kept harping on it. She
knew
, already. “He’d have to be pretty clever to make it look like an accident or not leave any evidence.”
Her sister snorted. “He
is
clever, Cara.”
“Then why hasn’t he killed me before this?” she shot back.
“Because the FBI wasn’t on his ass. You know damn well they’ve practically got him. He’s being smart now, but you are the wild card, sister mine.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You know as well as I do that I have no intention of ruining my career with that kind of scandal.”
“Then why don’t you just give him what he wants and get out of it?”
“Because I don’t trust him. He’d still want me dead.” A chill crawled down Cara’s arms despite the hoodie she’d been wearing since she’d gotten on the small private jet that had brought them… wherever they were. She backed away from the railing and perched on the other chair. “I’m scared, Jo.”
“You don’t have to be,” she said. “We’ve been through worse. And we were younger, and dumber.”
“Hey, where are you two?” Marissa’s voice reached the porch, the front door slamming behind her. “We’ve got a problem.”
“We’ve got a lot of them,” Joellen said bitterly.
“What is it, Marissa?”
“Leon just called. He’s monitoring all the media. The ‘bodyguards’ who are supposed to be with fake Cara?” Marissa put her hand on her hips, thoroughly disgusted. “FBI agents, every one of them. One of the reporters identified them.”
Joellen looked surprised and a little horrified, but Cara easily covered her reaction. Of course they already knew there was an FBI agent on the plane. That was why she’dcome up with the whole escape plan and sent Vivi by herself.
But Marissa knew nothing about why they were really hiding, and Cara intended for it to stay that way. “As long as Vivi doesn’t shoot her mouth off about being a body double, it’s fine,” Cara said. “Frankly, I don’t care if the Secret Service is guarding her. If they don’t know her she can pull it off. And it looks legit to have protection.”
“You were very clear with her, Cara,” Joellen said. “Maybe I ought to hop over there and keep an eye on things.”
“I’ll go for you,”
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