Page 87 of The Complete Truth Duet
Frustration built in my chest. She had that excited tone to her voice that did not bode well for me. When Lisa got her mind set on something, there was no stopping her. I never doubted that she loved me, but our marriage was never what she set her mind to. I took the back seat to every one of these little adventures she went on. I was fucking sick of it. I could have asked her to come home. She wouldn’t have done it. Not until she’d accomplished whatever harebrained mission she had her heart set on. This time, it was Cora Guerrero. Next time, who the hell knew. The only thing that was certain was that there would be a next time. And a time after that. And a time after that.
Money didn’t mean much to me. I’d made a fortune buying foreclosed beach property up and down the coasts of Florida when the housing market had crashed. But time with my wife? That was getting rarer and rarer by the year.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I suggested, “See if you can throw some cash at her. Get her out of there. Get you out of there. Whatever it takes to get you home. I don’t care.”
“That’s the thing though. She has money. Last night, I was watching some of the video. Above the frame of her door, she has this, like, secret compartment where she keeps a shit-ton of money. It’s all wrapped up in insulation. I have no idea how much is up there. But it was more than a little rainy day fund.”
I sighed, my head starting to pound. “And let me guess: You’ve got a plan.”
She smiled wide and toothy. “Yep.”
“Do I want to know?”
She swayed her head from side to side. “Probably not.”
Dread filled my gut. “Is it at least legal? Do I need to get a criminal attorney on retainer?”
She mocked horror. “Of course it’s legal. Who do you think I am?”
“You know, honestly, I have no idea anymore.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, maybe we should stop talking about me. What have you been up to?”
“Work.”
She twisted her lips. “That’s it?”
I looked down at my watch. “That and I’m supposed to meet Drew for beers in an hour.”
“Oh! So he’s speaking to you? That must be nice. He hasn’t answered my calls in weeks.”
“Yeah, well. He hates your Nancy Drew bit just as much as I do. However, he chooses to ignore it, while I’ve learned to embrace banging my head against the wall.”
“Hardy har har har. Tell him I said I love him. And that he sucks. And, if he doesn’t answer his phone next time I try to call, I’m never speaking to him again.”
Cora
I slapped around on the nightstand as my phone started screaming beside me. I blinked at the time, finding it well past three.
My head was groggy with sleep as I pressed the little green button and lifted it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Where are you!” Brittany screamed.
Instinctively, I pulled the phone away from my ear. “Jesus, stop yelling.”
“The building is on fire, Cora. Where are you?”
I shot upright, my whole body coming awake with a blast of adrenaline. Slinging the covers off me, I jumped from the bed. “What!”
“Cora,” River called, sleepily sitting up.
“Get dressed,” I hissed at her, before asking Brittany, “How bad is it?”
“It’s… Cora, it’s gone. All of it. The fire department is here. Police are crawling everywhere.” Her voice broke as she started crying. “Where are you?”
My breath lodged in my throat, and I slapped a hand over my mouth. “I’m…I’m at a hotel.”
“Do you have River with you?”
I glanced over at her and saw her dragging her hair into a ponytail with frantic eyes leveled on me. “Yeah. She’s right here. Listen, who’s with you? Everybody was supposed to be working tonight except Jennifer. I need a head count, Brit. Get in contact with everybody you can. I’ll try too. Say nothing to the police until I get there. We’re on the way.” I looked back at the bed, finding it surprisingly empty.
My pulse spiked as I searched the room, but there was no sign of him. My mind spun, trying to figure out if sleep was still clouding my memories. But he had definitely been there with me when I’d fallen asleep, his heartbeat playing in my ear like my favorite lullaby.
Maybe he’d gotten up early and gone out for a run. Yeah. That had to be it.
“Did you hear me, Brit? I need accountability on everyone. I’m gonna call Marcos—”
“He’s here already,” she rushed out. “Or at least his car is. Dante’s too. I haven’t seen them though.”
Surprise hit me like a brick wall. Why the hell would they be there this time of night?
And then she slayed me.
“Penn’s truck is here too. Have you seen the guys?”
