Page 12 of The Weekend Getaway

Alex said, “Listen, we can’t lose focus worrying about things that don’t matter. Obviously, Phil knows what we did. He knows we lied to his dad?—”

“How can you be so sure?” Sarah challenged, walking toward Alex.

Alex exhaled. “Phil is not stupid. He obviously put two and two together and figured out what we did. He knows we tricked his dad.”

Mia shuddered. She’d known Alex’s idea to scam Mr. Richart would be a bad idea. She’d tried to persuade him notto do it. Tried to tell him the decision would come back to haunt him, but Alex had insisted. Like he always did, whenever he made up his mind. You either went along with him, or you were against him.

“We can’t let Phil ruin us,” Alex said. “We have to stop him before he destroys our lives. Everything we care about. Everything we’ve worked for.”

“You sound just as crazy as Phil,” Grace said. “Do you hear yourself? I doubt very highly that Phil is out to get us.”

Mia agreed with Grace, but she didn’t want to censure Alex in front of their friends. She didn’t want to risk his public rebuke or his private wrath.

“Phil was serious about getting back at us,” Alex said. “We need to be just as serious about making sure he doesn’t get the chance to make our lives hell.”

“And how would we do that?” Sarah asked.

Alex paused, then said, “Well, we’re on a private island in the middle of the Caribbean.”

“And, so?” Grace said, frowning.

Mia stiffened, wanting to hear Alex’s answer, and yet wishing Grace hadn’t asked the question.

“And so …” Alex paused again, then said, “You know, accidents happen.”

Feeling something deflate within her, Mia looked away, tried to focus on one of the framed antique maps.

“What does that mean?” Sarah asked.

Alex said, “What do you think it means?”

Jason said, “You can’t be serious.”

“Phil wants revenge,” Alex said. “He’s going to make uspay, whether you believe that, or not. He’s got the resources to cut us all off at the knees. I don’t know about you, but I like having the ability to walk.”

“So, you’re suggesting …” Grace trailed off. “Wait. What are you suggesting? You want to …”

Jason said, “He’s suggesting that Phil have an accident while he’s on the island.”

Sarah glared at Alex. “Is Jason right? You want to … ”

“I want to live my life without the threat of some ungrateful billionaire plotting to take me down,” Alex said. “In order to do that, we need to eliminate the threat.”

“That was not the plan,” Jason seethed, stabbing a finger toward Alex. “You did not say anything about … I did not agree to?—”

“Plans change,” Alex said. “We get rid of Phil before he gets rid of us.”

CHAPTER 10

GRACE

“We’re not going to get away with murder,” Grace said, stepping out of her heels.

“Not murder,” Chris said. “An accident. There’s a difference.”

“We’re not going to participate in a murder,” Grace said, stripping off her clothes. “Or an accident. That’s what I meant to say.”

“But you heard what Alex said,” Chris told her. “Phil’s out to get us. We can’t let that happen.”

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