I’m going to be sick. Sasha bounded out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Her head was spinning, and with each footstep she took, she grew fainter. With a shaky hand, she held her middle to stop the rolling in her stomach. She felt queasy and lightheaded simultaneously, but she refused to embarrass herself any further by throwing up on the Georgopoulos’ front stairs.
Leaning against the door of the car, Pierce was flipping through the messages on his cell phone when he heard a commotion. Glancing up, he saw Sasha swaying on her feet and sprang into action. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he rushed forward to intercept her before she collapsed on the sidewalk.
Pierce put an arm around her waist to keep her steady. “Whoa, whoa. Are you alright?”
“Not really, no,” she croaked with a mixture of shock and disbelief in her voice. “The whole thing was a ruse, Pierce. He wasn’t even there,” she murmured. Suddenly, Sasha stopped dead in her tracks. Pierce couldn’t help but do the same.
When she looked up at him, her gaze was fearful. “And how did she know?”
“How did who know what?”
“She mentioned the dead scorpions…how would she know?”
“Well you did say mention it went viral. She probably heard about it online.”
“Maybe she’s the one responsible for the scorpions, the smoke bomb and the threat on the bathroom mirror,” Sasha rambled. “She could’ve done all of it. Nobody would be the wiser, and I’d look more foolish.”
Pierce took her by the arm. Gently, he tried to coerce her to move toward the car.
“Sasha, who are you talking about?” he asked as they walked. “And do you have proof?”
“Other than her just threatening me? No.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but clamped it shut again. Stepping around him, she headed for the driver’s side.
Pierce watched as she opened her door, slammed it closed, then opened it again. Instead of getting in the car, Sasha buried her head in her hands against the roof.
He strode around the vehicle, and with a gentle tug, turned Sasha around to face him.
“Sash, it’s obvious you’re in shock.”
“Gee, you think?” She laughed bitterly.
“How about I drive?”
“Thanks Pierce, but I’ll be fine.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she murmured while trying to compose herself. “I’m feeling better now.”
Pierce’s eyebrow rose higher.
“Trust me, it’s fine. I’ll be…let’s just get out of here.” She turned and lowered herself into the driver’s seat.
By the time Sasha put in the key and started the engine, Pierce was in the car with his seatbelt fastened. She shifted to first gear and maneuvered her Volvo coupe into traffic.
They missed the curtain that slid back in place from one of the upstairs windows in Milo’s house.
Pierce learned another interesting tidbit about Sasha. She should never, ever drive when emotionally distraught.
“Whoa.,” He glanced behind him. “You cut that guy off.”
“He’ll live.”
Sasha shifted gears again while simultaneously winding her way in and out of traffic.
After being subjected to more of her aggressive driving, Pierce wasn’t so sure he would live. He kept slamming imaginary brakes on the floorboard.
“So, are you going to tell me everything,” he asked calmly, “or are we just going to threaten people’s lives the rest of the day?”
She bristled. “I haven’t decided.”
“Sasha,” Pierce warned. “Tell me what happened—right now.”
“You warned me not to go.” Her lips quivered. “But I didn’t listen. That was my stupid mistake—again.”
“Sasha—”
She flexed her fingers on the steering wheel. “I can’t believe he wasn’t even there.”
“If he wasn’t there, then who did you see?”
“Andromeda.”
“Who?”
“His wife.”
Pierce whistled. “Wow. Didn’t see that coming.”
“And I did?” Sasha swerved to dodge a cyclist. “She was the one who sent for me and purposefully led me to believe it was Milo. She set me up. You know, she even sent her butler, assistant, spy, or whatever he was. If that isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is.”
Pierce stared at Sasha in surprise. “Come again?”
“Remember that man from the restaurant? The one that asked for our autographs for his wife?”
Before Pierce could answer, Sasha replied, “He works for her. Jeffrey Smythe, or whatever his name is. The slimy little weasel must’ve been following us the whole time.”
Pierce winced as she braked suddenly to avoid a taxi. He tried to stay focused.
“Does she make a habit of keeping tabs on her husband’s ex-girlfriends?”
“She wants me to do her a favor.” Sasha shifted gears, and the RPMs soared.
“Let me get this straight: His wife wants you to do her a favor? I can’t imagine what that’d be.”
“Oh, nothing much,” she shot back. “Just to take her husband back, to pick up where we left off.”
Pierce’s head snapped around. “Now that’s twisted. She can’t be serious.”
“Oh, she was dead serious. In fact, she offered to make me rich in one breath, then threatened me when I wouldn’t accept her offer in the next.” She spared Pierce a glance. “She knew about the scorpions, Pierce. How can I be sure she didn’t have anything to do with all the rest?”
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “So she flat out admitted she was responsible for every incidents?”
Sasha frowned. “Not exactly.”
“Well what exactly?” he snapped.
“Don’t yell at me. I’m trying to tell you what happened.”
Pierce sighed and softened his features. “I’m sorry, but this is beyond bizarre. So did she admit to being behind all this or not?”
Sasha’s face fell. “No. She just mentioned the scorpions and told me they’d be the least of my problems if I didn’t do what she wanted. Still…I can’t rule it out, can I? I mean, how else can you explain it? She just happened to be watching the morning show I had an interview on, or perusing the internet? I find that hard to believe. Besides, I’m hardly newsworthy.”
“I wouldn’t say that. Three weird attacks back-to-back?”
“Well, that’s definitely enough to get the media buzzing. Especially after your live interview. Maybe she did hear about it on television.”
“But what if she did it or got her creepy minion, Jeffrey, to try and scare me? He’s already misrepresented himself to us. Who knows what else he’s capable of if Andromeda snaps her fingers?” Sasha took a deep breath. “I should call the authorities and tell them about our conversation, shouldn’t I?”
“That would be a safe bet,” Pierce reasoned. “We can’t rule out that she’s not having you followed or is to blame for the other stuff. You don’t know what she’s capable of—or do you?”
“How would I? We just met. She said that…”
Pierce propelled forward when she stopped short to keep from running a red light. The tires screeched loudly.
When he’d settled himself back against the seat, he said, “Tell me.”
“She said that Milo told her all about me…that she approved of me because I didn’t like to draw attention to myself. It was almost like she handpicked me or something. It all just sounds so bizarre, Pierce.”
As she resumed driving, the tears welled up in her eyes. “I–I don’t know what to do. How could I have gotten myself into such a mess? “You know, I actually thought she was the victim.”
Sasha laughed, but it was a harsh, tortured sound. “I was wracked by guilt at having been the cause of it, but all the while I was a pawn in their twisted marriage from the very beginning. If it weren’t me, it would’ve been some other woman lured into their sick game.” She fought for composure. “Besides, it’s obvious he couldn’t have loved me…I was just a means to an end.”
Pierce was thoughtful. “Why do you say that?”
“Because…I’ve already been replaced.”
Sasha’s hand flew across her face to wipe tears out of her eyes. They almost side-swiped a car.
Pierce stomped his foot on his imaginary brake again. “Okay, that’s it. You need to pull over and let me drive, Sasha. I mean it. You’re a wreck, and you may be driving on the correct side of the road, but you’re scaring me to death, and that’s no easy feat.”
“It’s not as bad as all that,” she said, sniffing.
He opened her glove compartment and searched for a napkin. When he found one, he handed it to her. “Really? Because you almost hit a pedestrian, two parked cars and a tour bus. You may have hit rock bottom, but I still have something to live for—and a Super Bowl ring to boot.”
Instinctively, Sasha tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “I’ve got it.”
“Uh-huh. That’s what they all say. Now pull over.”
Despite being upset, Sasha burst out laughing. He stared at her like she was a little touched.
“Okay,” she conceded. “God forbid something happened to the great Pierce Deveraux, but if it does, I hope Vaughn sells your Super Bowl ring on the Internet.”
“That’s not funny,” he replied in a serious tone that contradicted the smile forming on his lips.
Sasha eased the car over and parked in the first space she found. She got out and walked around to the passenger side so they could trade places. He squeezed her shoulder and held the door while she got in. After Pierce slid behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and mirrors, he checked for oncoming cars before maneuvering them back into traffic.
“Remember, we drive on the left here,” she warned.
“Yes, I noticed. Where to now?”
Sasha leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. “Home. I want to go home.”
Pierce took his hand off the car’s gearshift, then squeezed her fingers in a gesture of comfort.
“Sure. The door should be fixed by now anyway, but be warned, it probably still smells like an ashtray.”
“I still want to see it.”
“Then lead on, Miss Lambert.”