Pretty Little Wife(47)

THE NEXT MORNING LILA CALLED TO RECONNECT THE SECURITY alarm and changed the code. She gave the new one to Jared and Tobias, but no one else. It would be up and running this afternoon. If Aaron breezed back into her life, he’d have to ring the bell or break down the door to do it.

Good luck, asshole.

Maybe she’d sleep again, but she doubted it. The calls had started. Threats and yelling. With the public search splashed all over the news and the podcast, her private life ripped open to expose a malformed core. People who claimed to be horrified by violence and what she might have done to Aaron promised to hurt her. She guessed they didn’t get the irony.

She turned the alarm system back on for one reason. The cameras. The person leaving the notes—getting close enough to make sure she knew she wasn’t safe—had to be Aaron. Maybe with some help, but Aaron. All she needed was for him to shift one inch too far and show himself. Then she would unleash Armageddon on his reputation. Too soon and he might not reappear, and then the focus would stay on her, not the pedophile.

No, she needed to wait. Hold on. Bide her time, just as she’d done through her entire marriage.

She mentally ran through the possibilities of who could be helping Aaron, keeping him hidden and quiet, which had to be tough, as she ran to her car. Ginny and her team had shown up at the real estate office with a search warrant, and she wanted to be there to keep Christina calm. Getting wound up and defensive wouldn’t be helpful, and those were Christina’s two go-to moves.

Lila got within five feet of the car and stopped. The telltale corner of white paper peeked out from under her windshield wiper.

She’d park in the garage from now on. Let him come up to the house and risk being seen.

Without bothering to look around and see which neighbors were watching, she swiped the card off the glass. For a second she held it, refusing to read the taunting message.

The temptation to scream Aaron’s name, to challenge him to come get her, swamped her. She fought against the tide, but the waiting was killing her. She’d bet that was his goal.

She turned the paper over and looked at the message.

YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP.

“Lila.”

She jumped at the sound of Brent’s voice. She’d been so lost in her head that she’d missed him driving up behind her, blocking her easy exit.

The visit likely meant bad news. He hadn’t been to the house since that first morning, but he called numerous times each day. He’d been interviewed on television. Very busy.

She met him as he got out of his car. “What’s going on?”

“That’s my question.” He slammed the door.

More anger. His rage didn’t reach Jared levels, but close.

His hands balled into tight fists at his sides. “Where is he?”

He’d turned some sort of mental corner and blamed her now. She could see it in the rigid line of his body and in the frown dimpling his forehead. “I don’t know.”

“You do.” He leaned in. His gaze held hers as his mouth twisted in hate. “You did something to him.”

He sounded so sure that it threw her off. She mentally searched through every conversation she’d had with Aaron about Brent. Remembered the number of times they’d gone off fishing, staying out all day. When Brent’s marriage collapsed, he’d leaned on Aaron for support. They spent a lot of time sitting on the couch, watching football and bitching about his wife.

Now it was her turn to deal with him. “What are you talking about?”

“You had that fight a few weeks back. He was devastated.”

She refused to let that nonsense stand. “He wasn’t.”

If he was devastated about anything, it was about being caught for being a piece of garbage, and even if that did bother him, he hid it well. But he was still garbage, and even though she had to fake-worry about him being gone, she had a limit. Brent pressed right up against it.

“He said you wouldn’t let it go. He tried to reason with you.” Brent’s eyes narrowed. “What was it about?”

She came so close to spilling the truth about his great buddy, Aaron. The timing was wrong, or she’d have him in a puddle from screaming the facts at him. “That’s none of your business.”

“Tell that to the investigator.”

“She knows all about it!” The minute she raised her voice, she fought to bring it back down again. Cassie was already out on her porch, pretending to water plants. “It was a fight, Brent. He wouldn’t listen, and I got angry. Typical marriage stuff.”

“Bullshit.”

True, but that wasn’t the point right now. “Did you and your ex get along fine all the time? Now things are supposedly settled. But does that mean you never argue or disagree?” It was a low blow, and she saw when it landed. “Don’t pretend, because I know better.”

“Meaning?”

“I was here for the end of your marriage. Your wife spent every day in tears, and you don’t hear me making accusations and blaming you for her misery.”

He grabbed her arm. She felt the bruising grip through her coat. “Be careful what you say next and who you say it to.”

The surge surprised her. She’d always thought of him as weak and easy to run over.

She put her face close to his, not backing down. “Let go of me or I will call the police.”