“I’m not hungry,” I said while staring at her.
Her surgically enhanced nostrils flared, but then she peered down at her plate, avoiding my stare. Had I made her nervous? Even for a split second? Yeah, probably not. She thought she had total control, but I wasn’t going to allow her to treat me this way.
“Anyway, after what happened...” Britney paused long enough to shove food into her mouth.
Had I heard her correctly? Was she really going to talk about what happened? Maybe she had second thoughts. Was she going to suggest that we go to the police and explain everything? How many years would we get for moving a dead body? If we had no record, they would let us off lightly, I hoped. Well, some of us had never been in trouble. Misdemeanors shouldn’t count. I watched Britney, waiting for her plan.
“It’s just that it was all so easy.” Britney pushed the food around on her plate.
What did she mean ‘all so easy’? Bumping a dead man in the desert wasn’t effortless. In fact, it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Well, one of the hardest. I didn’t like the sound of what Britney said. Whitney and Sophie watched with curiously. They waited with their forks mid-air as if they’d actually been eating.
“What was all so easy?” I asked hesitantly.
Britney glanced over her shoulder to survey if anyone was listening. “Getting rid of the body.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I wouldn’t call that easy by any means.”
“It’s just that he’s gone now. No one knows what we did. Do you realize what this means?” she asked with a wild look in her eyes.
I shifted in the chair again. “No, I don’t know what this means.”
“If it was that easy once, then why not do it again?” A grin appeared on Britney’s face.
I thought I might hyperventilate. Maybe this was just a dream. Nothing this bizarre could be real, right?
“Come on. Don’t tell me that none of you have thought about getting rid of someone before,” Britney said with an evil smile.
“Like murder?” Sophie asked.
“Shh.” Britney peeked over her shoulder again. “Yes, that’s what I mean. It doesn’t have to be that bad. I mean, some people deserve it.”
I got up from the table. “That’s it. I’ve heard enough.”
Britney jumped up and stood in front of me, blocking my exit. Fury raged in her eyes. “Sit down.”
“I’m not going to listen to your sick talk,” I said, trying to step around her.
Britney thrust her arm out and stopped me. “Remember the trailer park?”
“I don’t care. It’s not worth murder.”
“Fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Then I’ll tell the police that you killed the homeless man. You’ll spend life in prison.”
“You can’t do that,” I said. “No one will believe you.”
“Why not? I have witnesses.” Britney turned to Whitney and Sophie for confirmation.
With their stares fixated on me, they didn’t refute Britney’s claim.
“You would do that to me?” I asked.
Sophie studied her plate.
Whitney shrugged. “Sorry, it’s the way it has to be, Alexsis. You understand?”
“Now that that’s settled have a seat and we can finish this discussion.” Britney gestured.
Nausea overwhelmed me in waves. The room tilted back and forth until I gripped the edge of the table to keep my balance.
“Do not retch on our table.” Disgust filled Britney’s words and lingered on her face well after she’d finished the sentence.
How would I explain to the police that I hadn’t killed the man? This left me with no choice but to do as Britney said. I sat back down, pushing the plate away. If I smelled the food, I might not be able to stop from vomiting on the table.
Britney stabbed a chunk of lettuce with her fork. “It’s just that I’m sick of my husband’s assistant. She’s always around.”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean? If she’s his assistant isn’t she supposed to be around?”
Sophie fidgeted in her chair again.
“She’s screwing my husband and I want her gone.” Britney checked over her shoulder after realizing how loudly she’d spoken.
“So tell him to fire her, for God’s sake,” I said.
Britney scoffed. “Do you think that will stop them from meeting at a hotel?”
I hated to break it to her, but I was almost sure that the assistant wasn’t the only one her husband was meeting for hook-ups.
“He’ll just find someone else,” I said.
“That’s true. They always do,” Whitney said before taking a sip of her water.
“Are you going to help me or not?” Britney narrowed her eyes.
“Help you what?” I asked.
I knew what she meant but wrapping my mind around the words was almost impossible.
“Help me get rid of her.” Britney’s voice held an edge of excitement.
“I will not help you murder someone.” The anger brought back my accent.
“Did you already forget what we just talked about? God, are you that stupid?” Britney tossed her napkin onto the table.
Was Britney blackmailing me to help her murder someone? This was insane.
“If you want her dead then kill her yourself,” I said.
I’d heard enough. There was no way she could blackmail me into doing this. I jumped up from the table and raced for the door before she had a chance to stop me. Panic surged inside me. What if she went to the police? Was she just telling me that to scare me into doing what she wanted? She was manipulative like that. Still, how could I be sure? I didn’t want my life ruined for something she’d done. Maybe I shouldn’t have left the café. It would only set her off. Nevertheless, I rushed down the sidewalk, headed for the Starbucks’ parking lot. The traffic noise muted, and the beauty of the day faded as if I was in an alternate reality.
I glanced over my shoulder. So far there was no sign of my psycho pals. I didn’t care if I ever saw them again. When I reached my car, I fumbled with my key fob, trying to push the button. It felt as if all eyes were on me. Though when I scanned the area, no one seemed to pay attention to me. My anxiety was leading to paranoia. I climbed behind the wheel and started the car.
Once out of the parking lot, I released a deep breath. I’d successfully gotten away from them. They’d be back though. I knew they’d be back.
Chapter 5
As I drove down Wilshire Blvd. toward my house, I realized it had been a long time since I’d been home this early. Not that Patrick would be there. The housekeeper would be the only one home to greet me. Stephanie came Monday through Friday because I couldn’t be bothered to clean or run errands.
She had been helping with the house for about six months now. We didn’t chat much. Honestly, I knew only a few things about her. I suppose that was because I’d never asked. She was a single mom with one daughter. Other than that, I had no clue any details of her life. She would surely think I was ill when I returned at this hour. Actually, I was sick. I just wanted to climb into bed and pretend none of this had ever happened.