Page 86 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

It’s Alexandra Jones. And I don’t like the look on her face.

“What are you doing here at this late hour?” I ask with a soft smile.

“Looking for you, actually,” she replies. I don’t like the tone of her voice either, or the dead look in her eyes. She takes a gun out of her coat pocket and points it at me. “We need to talk.”

“Whoa,” I manage, dread suddenly freezing my limbs. I stare at her in disbelief, my brain stuck, my breath gone. “What are you doing?

Alexandra steps forward. “I’m giving you the chance to walk out of here on your own two legs, Christa. I suggest you take it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Don’t make me shoot you so soon. My brother and I have quite the playtime planned for you, honey.”

It hits me. First as a fleeting thought. It sounds too crazy to even imagine. It’s nonsensical. I can’t make the appropriate connections either. There are pieces missing from the puzzle, so I’m at a loss for words.

“Your brother,” I whisper, “is Vince.”

Only when his name leaves my lips do I see the slight resemblance in the chin and the cheekbones, in the shape of their eyes, the upturned lips.

Alexandra gives me a wry smile. “Daddy was right. You are smarter than you seem.”

“You’re a Mancini.”

“No, Christa. I amtheMancini. Now, come. We have a lot to talk about.”

27

River

“Something’s happened,” I say.

I keep staring at Christa’s last text from this morning, and it still doesn’t sit right with me. It still doesn’t feel right.

“She asked us to give her some space,” Cassius replies. “This is not the right time for that, though. What’s going through her head? I’m fucking lost.”

“Let me see that message again.” Nathan reaches across my desk. I give him my phone and he reads it out loud. “I just need some room to sort a few things out. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Love you.” He takes a deep breath. “I’m not buying it either.”

My pulse races.

A slew of worst-case scenarios dart through my head while I try to keep my focus.

When I woke up this morning and didn’t find Christa in bed with us, I figured she’d be here at the office, even though we agreed she’d work from home for the rest of the week. I should’vespotted the red flag then.

“There has to be a logical explanation,” Cassius says. “I spoke to security. Her keycard wasn’t swiped at all since the last time she was here.”

“She’s up to no good,” Nathan mutters and crosses his arms. “Doing something she knows is going to get her in deeper trouble, but she didn’t tell us because she wants to protect us. I’m telling you, after everything she’s been through, Christa is still trying to protect us.”

“That’s pretty fucking noble, except it leaves her exposed,” I snap.

Nathan looks through his phone. “I’m going over home footage again. There’s no sign of her. Not since last night.”

“Do we see her sneaking out, at least?” I know she snuck out; it’s the only thing that makes sense. I don’t know whether to be angry or worried or both.

“This is Christa coming out of the bedroom,” Nathan shows us a piece of the footage. “See that robe she’s got on?”

“It’s a little big for her. Or am I going blind?” Cassius leans in to look as well.

“She’s wearing clothes underneath. Oh, and boots,” Nathan pauses and zooms in.

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