Susie barked out a deranged laugh. “But that’ll never happen. You dumped him. Accused him of terrible things! And since we’re friends, you’ll keep coming around, like a bad fucking penny. The only way to help him realize how much he loves me is to get you out of the picture once and for all. Then he can concentrate on me—and only me.”
Carlise shook her head. “But . . . he’s yours already. And I have Riggs. I’m hoping to move here, to stay with—”
“But that’s not enough!” she interrupted, ranting. “People are talking! Saying bad things about him! When the cops delivered the restraining order—at his workplace—it got him in trouble. They automatically assumed he’s a dirtbag, and he almost lost his job! You’ve ruined his reputation by spreading your fucking lies about being abused. He was never going to hit you. Your screwed-up childhood just made you see something that wasn’t there. You’re a liar—and you’ll never get him back!”
Carlise wanted to tell her friend that she didn’t want him back, but she didn’t get the chance before something unbelievable occurred to her. “Wait . . . was it you?”
“Was what me?” Susie asked.
The woman in front of her looked like her friend, but the gun pointed in her direction and the angry words were nothing like her best friend. “The notes. The texts. My tires.”
Susie smirked. “Yup.”
“Why?” Carlise asked, truly shocked and appalled.
“You tried to ruin Tommy! That wasn’t fair. I thought it was only right that you got some payback. Didn’t you say this Riggs guy would do anything to protect you? Well . . . I’m doing the same for my man.”
“I was terrified,” Carlise said, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the woman she considered a sister was the person who’d been threatening her for weeks. “I confided in you.”
“And Tommy and I laughed about it,” Susie said, her smirk turning cruel.
She was deranged. Carlise couldn’t think of another explanation for why Susie would act like this, why she’d do anything she’d done.
“But then you disappeared, and I couldn’t have fun anymore, and it pissed me off! It’s a good thing you called when you did because I was all set to have a little chat with your mom . . . use a little physical persuasion to find out where you were hiding. I was actually in her parking lot when you called.” Susie flashed another evil smile. “But when you were saying all that ridiculous shit and sounding so happy? Well . . . I couldn’t have that.
“I need you to suffer, Carlise. Like you made Tommy suffer! I tried to get you to come back to Ohio, but you were too damn stupid. So I did what I had to do . . . and here I am. Now—get that fucking piece of paper!”
Susie emphasized her point by pulling the trigger on the gun and firing at the floor.
Carlise jumped so badly at the loud noise, her entire body immediately began to shake. Her mind, though, was still frozen. Still thinking of everything she’d just heard.
She couldn’t believe her best friend had actually planned on torturing her mom.
Baxter growled in the bathroom. Loud, vicious growls that made the situation all the more terrifying.
“Now!” Susie screamed.
Moving quickly and trying to figure out how the hell she could get out of this, Carlise went over to the pad she used to take notes while translating books and tore out a sheet. She held it out to Susie. But her former friend merely shook her head.
“Write,” she ordered. “I’ll tell you what to say.”
Carlise didn’t want to, but at the moment, she had no choice. So she picked up the pen that was next to the notebook and began to write as Susie dictated.
She was crying by the time she’d finished.
When Riggs read the note, he was going to be pissed. But not at her. She had no doubt that he wouldn’t believe anything on that piece of paper. They loved each other. Truly and deeply. There was no way he’d turn his back on her because of a note.
Not to mention, as soon as he reviewed the cameras, he’d learn what had happened.
She hadn’t been so sure about the cameras, had thought more than once of taking him up on the offer to turn them off . . . but she trusted Riggs. And now? She was eternally grateful for them. If Susie hurt her, Riggs would know what had happened—and who was to blame.
“Now pack,” Susie ordered. “And hurry up. We need to be off this godforsaken mountain before that asshole returns.”