Page 96 of Riptide
She looked at the screen. Unknown number. But she knew. Somehow, she knew.
"It's her."
Wade moved closer. Tom's fingers hovered over his keyboard, ready to trace the call.
Cara put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence as she put the call on speaker, and answered.
"Sleep well?” Blaire's voice was ice. No warmth, no Instagram sparkle, no pretense. Just cold, calculated fury. “I certainly didn't."
"Blaire—"
"Don't." The word cut like a blade. "What’s the deal with that attack last night?” Blaire continued. "Your FBI boyfriend thinks the guy was after me, but he got you by mistake. Right after our little meeting where you promised me we were partners." A pause. "How did he know I'd be there, Cara?"
Cara's heart hammered against her ribs. Around her, the team stood frozen, listening. "I don't?—"
"I didn't tell anyone about that meeting. Which means you did. Too bad your little hitman made a mistake. Sorry. Not sorry." Blaire's laugh was bitter, brittle. "You were never alone, were you? This whole time—the FBI emails, the system crash, the partnership offer—you've been running a con. On me."
Cara closed her eyes. No point in denying it. Plus Blaire would never believe that Cara hadn’t called in a hit.
"I have to admit, I'm impressed." Blaire's voice dripped with venom. "I've taken down some heavy hitters, and I didn't see it coming. The scared little baker, begging for mercy, playing the victim. And the whole time you had a team. Resources. A plan."
"Blaire, listen to me?—"
"No. You listen." All pretense of calm evaporated. "You and your stupid friends destroyed my work. Do you have any ideawhat I built? It was worth millions, Cara.Millions.And you burned it all down in one night."
"I told you, I’m working on getting the money."
"You think fifty thousand dollars matters to me now?" Blaire cut her off with a harsh laugh. "That ship sailed. You cost me my entire operation. Mylife's work."
Silence on the line. Cara could hear Blaire breathing, trying to regain control.
When she spoke again, her voice was deadly calm. "This isn't about money anymore. You made it personal when you tried to make a fool out of me. When you looked me in the eye andliedwhile your sketchy friends tore down everything I'd built."
"Blaire, please?—"
"Here's what's going to happen. By midnight tonight, everyone in Haven Cove will know exactly who you are. Every lie. Every secret. Every inconsistency in your precious inheritance story."
Cara's blood turned to ice.
"I'm going to start with your police chief. Send him everything I have. The forged will, the fake identity documents, the gaps in your background that don't add up. Let him run you through his FBI databases. See what pops."
"You'll destroy your leverage?—"
"I don'twantleverage anymore." Blaire's voice turned venomous. "I want youruined.I want you to watch everything you've built crumble around you. I want you to know what it feels like to loseeverything.And then, I’ll find a way to rebuild. I win. You lose.Enjoy your last day, Cara. You earned it."
Click.
The basement was silent. Cara stared at the phone in her hand, her reflection dark in the black screen.
"Cara." Reagan's voice, gentle but urgent. "Cara, look at me."
She couldn't. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
"We can fix this." Tom's fingers were already flying across his keyboard. "There has to be something. A way to stop her, discredit her, buy more time?—"
"She's got offline backups," Wade said quietly. "You said it yourself. We can't destroy what we can't find."
"Then we find them. We have until midnight?—"
