Say It Again (First Wives, #5)(18)

AJ followed.

“I have a couple of names you can look into while I try and figure out if there was any connection between your sister and Miss Shrum.”

Walking felt easier and the sky was a tad bit brighter. “I can do that.”

“You need to do that from here. In Berlin.”

He hesitated. “Why?”

“How long have you been hanging around the outskirts of Richter asking questions?”

“Do you always answer a question with one of your own?”

She didn’t answer. “How long, two weeks?”

“About.”

“Long enough for people to recognize you and warn anyone who might be able to offer some information. It’s time you backed off and took your search away from Richter.”

AJ stopped walking altogether. A serious cloud of doubt started to hover over him. “You’re trying to stop me.”

Sasha pivoted; the wind blew fake blonde hair in her eyes. “I’m approaching this as if there is a shadow of truth in your theory. Let’s pretend that your sister is somehow connected to this other woman, if only by the person that removed them from this world—”

“There’s a connection.” AJ felt it.

Sasha continued. “If that person has ties to Richter, or has lumped them together because of Richter, then it’s safe to say they will have their ear to the grounds around the school.”

“My sister’s death was in DC, Keri’s was in Wales. I doubt the killer is in Germany.”

Sasha looked around them, lowered her voice and her head. “What makes you think this person works alone?” She paused. “You’re not.”

She had a point.

“You stay in Berlin.”

“But—”

“I make the rules, or I don’t help. This is not negotiable.”

Sasha’s eyes met his and held.

His chest tightened. “Fine.”

A satisfied smile crossed her lips. “I’m going to give you a phone number, someone I trust in the States. If you come across anything in your research, I want you to call Reed, not me. You and I will not have direct contact for the next three days. If Reed feels the need, he will get ahold of me on your behalf.”

“A middleman.” He hated middlemen.

She turned and started walking again. “I hope you’re taking notes.”

“I have a decent memory.”

“Good. Now why don’t you go find a hotel? Play tourist.” She started to cross the street.

He stopped, called after her. “What about that number?”

“It’s in your phone.”

Of course it was.

The woman was cunning. “Hey, Sasha?” he yelled.

She stopped, peeked over her shoulder.

AJ grinned. “The blonde doesn’t work for you.”

He was pretty sure his comment made her smile. Not that she stuck around for him to see it. Within a minute, Sasha was swallowed into the crowd.

As much as AJ cautioned himself not to trust her, he knew that he did.





Chapter Seven



“Twice in one week, are you okay?”

Sasha had ditched the wig and the housewife clothes, and sat in a café drinking coffee before heading back to Richter. With her phone to her ear, she watched Berlin’s rush hour traffic from a curbside table.

“Are you a dad yet?”

Reed released a sigh. “Obviously you’re fine.”

“I need you to do something for me.”

“W-what? You need me to do something for you?”

“Was I unclear?” She knew he was being facetious.

“Name it. Although we already have baby names picked out.”

That made her smile. Imagine if someone cared enough about her to name their child after her? Yeah, not in this lifetime.

“AJ Hofmann might contact you in the next few days and ask a question or need help.”

“I’m here.”

No questions asked. One of the many things she liked about Reed.

“Anything else?”

A tickle on her neck had her on edge. “Geoff Pohl. I need to know who this man works for and if there are any red flags.”

“You got it.”

Again, no questions.

“I’m in Germany. Spending time with the people who . . .” raised me. “The Internet isn’t secure there or I wouldn’t ask.”

“I’m glad I can do something for you for once.”

“Take care of your wife,” she told him before hanging up.



“You ready for this?” Brigitte asked on the sidelines of the obstacle course. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, as was Sasha’s. They were both dressed for the race that they would do as a team. The skies decided to open up enough to make everything soggy and that much more difficult. The two of them would need to work together in order to tackle some of the steeper terrain. Only the last two obstacles would be taken on solo, making the last eight hundred meters a true race.

“I’m ready, the question is, Are you?” Sasha lifted her chin in good humor.

“You always were cocky.”

Brigitte directed her attention to her students. In the mix, Sasha noticed the kid she’d delivered a fair amount of humiliation to the first day she’d been back, and Claire, who bounced on the tips of her toes with untapped energy. “Listen up.” Brigitte demanded everyone’s attention. “You’ve been paired with the student who came in closest to you on our last run. The only way to be paired with someone faster and stronger is if you overtake a teammate on the last eight hundred meters. The rules have not changed. You will not sabotage anyone’s efforts. The goal here is for your best time, not you’re better because the front-runner was tripped. You will wait for your partner through the slippery wall and the vertical rope climb. Officials are watching.”