“So much for the whole ‘love conquers all’ theory.” Rivers unlocked the Jeep and slid inside as Mendoza got into the passenger seat and shot him a look. “You’re divorced, right? Go ahead, tell me about love being the ultimate victor.” He didn’t respond as he pulled away from the curb because he heard Astrid’s voice again, her deep-throated chuckle, as she said, “I guess she’s got you there now, darling, doesn’t she?”
* * *
“You know you’re an idiot, right?” Julia said, dragging her sister’s twitching body up the two steps and into the interior of the tiny house. Sophia was spasming and flailing, trying to gain purchase, hoping to strike her twin, but she had no control, couldn’t use her hands or legs after being jolted with the stun gun. Julia really hated to do this, but she had no choice. Sophia was going to ruin everything.
She turned on the heat, saw the propane fire spark to life, and watched Sophia struggle and flounder.
“Mmmmeeee . . . ggggggaaaa . . .”
“Megan? You want to know what happened to her?” Julia asked. “Oh, she’s here. Right out there.” She pointed to the front of the small building, toward the trees surrounding the clearing. “In the yard.”
Sophia’s eyes widened even farther, and drool started to slide from her mouth.
“Oh, come on!” Julia said. “You really believed she was alive? That I was stupid enough to think I could convince her to be a part of our plan and just pay her off and she’d go away and never bother us again? Get real!” She stepped over her sister’s twitching body, avoiding a weak kick Sophia attempted. “How lame are you?”
Of course, Sophia couldn’t answer.
“Pathetic!” Julia said.
Sophia started to cry.
Like a damned baby.
Tears running from her eyes, ruining her mascara, causing her nose to redden.
“Oh, stop!” Julia was having none of it. “Come on. You know we had to get rid of her. So that James could focus on you. On us.” She crouched down so that her face was close to her twin’s. It was like looking in a bloody mirror, she thought—well, aside from Sophia’s now mottled complexion and the waterworks making her eyes red and puffy. “You think I’m a monster, don’t you?” she taunted. “You wonder just how far I’ll go. I can see it in your eyes.”
Sophia reacted, coiling, trying and failing to hurl spit right in her twin’s face and failing miserably, the spittle running down the corner of her mouth.
“Oh, now you’ve just made a mess of your face.” Straightening, Julia scowled. “You’re just lucky I really wanted a sister and right now I can’t find it in my heart to get rid of you too. So you stay here, okay? And you think about everything we’ve done, how involved you are, how you tricked James, how you were a part of the scheme to fleece him and get rid of the other women in his life!”
“Nnnnnnnnnoooooo . . .”
“Oh, shut up!” She stared down at the wretched being that was her identical twin. So alike they were, and yet so very, very different. “Rebecca’s got to go,” she said and felt her heart warm a bit. Now that she had free rein, that she didn’t have to worry about Sophia messing things up, that she didn’t have to rely on her twin for every little, inconvenient alibi, she could deal with Rebecca Travers on her own.
In fact, if push really came to shove, she might find a way to use her sister as the sacrificial lamb, though she probably couldn’t go through with it.
Just like she didn’t have the heart to kill her.
A flaw. One she’d try to correct.
She remembered to slide Sophia’s phone out of her pocket, then started for the door again.
Sophia, damn her, lunged upward.
Nearly got her feet under her, but stumbled and twirled, her arm flailing outward in a wild arc.
Thwack!
Her fist connected, banging against Julia’s shoulder before Julia could spin away.
“You bitch!” Julia cried, scrambling to the door before her twitching, gurgling, wild-eyed thing of a sister launched herself again. Fingers fumbling, she locked the door and swore loudly, the wind tearing at her jacket and slapping her in the face. Never had her sister attacked her. Never!
It was time to get away before Sophia was able to control her body again.
She just needed time to cool off and put things in perspective.
Of course, Sophia would try to escape.
Who wouldn’t?
But soon enough, Julia thought, alone up here in the middle of no-damned-where, Sophia would realize that she had to acquiesce, that Julia knew what was best. For both of them.
They were twins, after all.
That should count for a lot—maybe everything.
Julia climbed behind the wheel.
As she drove through the surrounding forest, she plotted her next move and felt her anger returning. She’d have to do this alone.
“You stupid, stupid bitch,” she ground out, fury coursing through her veins. Her shoulder was really throbbing now, and she rubbed it. She’d probably have a major bruise. At the gate, she got out and locked it, worried a little about the tracks going into the woods, but couldn’t let it bother her. More snow was predicted, though, so the bad weather should take care of any impressions in the snow.
She should just let Sophia rot up there and die. Alone. Not knowing when anyone would come for her. If ever. Serve her right.
No way, no effin’ way was Julia going to lose out now. She got back into her car and headed back to town, the wheels of her hatchback slipping a little with the ice that had built up on this rarely used Forest Service road, the damned heater not throwing out enough warmth. God, it was hell to have to scrimp and save and sacrifice!
She was so close to the Cahill money, she could almost taste it. That fortune was going to be hers. While
