Page 24 of Fatal Attraction

I looked away, expecting her to slam the door.

When she didn’t, I nervously met her gaze, watching as she pushed the door wider and said, “I knew you’d show up eventually,” with a smirk on her face.

“You… You were expecting me?” I asked, swallowing to appease the sudden dryness in my throat.

“Oh yeah,” she said as she closed the door behind me, locking it. “For about,” —she paused and counted it out on her fingers— “hell, close to a year now.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Hell, her knowing who I was and the fact she willingly allowed me inside her home was gravely unanticipated.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m okay,” I kindly refused. “Thank you, though.”

I glanced around the living room, noting how remarkably beautiful it was. The walls were royal blue with perfect, hand-painted clouds spread along the top of each wall, with tons of family photos set up in framesbelow them. A black sectional sat in the heart of the room, and mounted against the left wall was a giant flat screen. Under it was a medium bookshelf filled to the brim with all types of books from paranormal, dark romance, fantasy, and crime thrillers. I couldn’t help but move closer and browse through the selections.

“You like to read?”

“I do when I have the time. You have a fascinating collection.”

“They’re not all mine,” she muttered softly. “Most of them belonged to my sister, Kate.”

I tore my sight away from the books to find Angel sizing me up, her eyes narrowed, challenging me.

“I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk.”

“About the lawsuit? There’s no need. It’s over with now that Karl is about to go on trial.”

“How do you know he’s—”

“Ben,” she flatly retorted. “He reached out to my parents, who reached out to me. He’s called me a few times, too.”

Huh. So, Ben really was telling the truth about that.

“And you haven’t called him back, why?” I asked as I sat down across from her.

She shrugged, then leaned back, comfortably spreading her arms across the back of the couch cushions. “I don’t know, really. Perhaps I’ve been waiting for you to come along and tell your side of the story.”

Now my anger began to flare.

Just what kind of game was she trying to play with me?

“I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say, Angel. I didn’t know they were seeing each other. I didn’t find out until the night of the accident, when I got the call about Karl being in the hospital.”

“I know that already.”

“Then what exactly is it you want from me?” I asked, my head cocked.

Angel sighed and then rose to her feet, and I noticed she was limping as she began stalking down a narrow hallway, entering what I’d guessed was a bedroom at the end. I wasn’t sure what to do, and I couldn’t ignore how this whole encounter had nothing but red flags flying over my head. So, just to be safe, I got up and steered closer to the door, wincing as the deadbolt slid back with aclickthat was definitely noticeable.

“You’re overdramatic,” her voice echoed from the bedroom. “I’m not going to hurt you, Charlotte.”

My brain instructed me to sit the fuck down, but my heart, it screamed at me to run and not dare look back. The war between the two went on for far too long because before I knew it, Angel was back, holding a large shoebox in her hands.

“My sister loved Karl,” she murmured, tears filling her eyes as she reclaimed her seat. “I know you may not want to hear this, but I really need you to listen to me.Please.”

Angel raised a hand, and it shook, weakly gesturing in a plea for me to sit.

Against my better judgment, I did, observing her a little too closely to both of our likings.

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