Page 54 of The Weekend Getaway

“No, but … Chris is not … huge … “ Grace mumbled. “And he doesn’t always know what he’s doing and?—”

“We need to find Sarah,” Mia interrupted, repulsed by the idea of Grace and Chris making love. “We need to make sure she’s okay because Alex wants to leave.”

“I think we went down this hall,” Grace said, leading the way.

Following Grace, Mia scowled at her friend’s gelatinous ass wobbling.

Sighing, Mia told herself to chill with the anger and judgment toward Grace. The criticism was just a mask for envy, which coursed through her veins like poison and pissed her off. It was stupid to be envious of Grace, but Mia was irritated at the idea of Grace hooking up with a guy other than Chris, who was all she deserved. The thought of Grace with a football player was especially galling. She didn’t want to believe it but Grace was too bubbly, her face flushed and pink. She had that post-orgasmic smile. She looked like she’d had a good time. Another thing that pissed Mia off. Since when did a fat, piggish bitch like Grace deserve good sex?

And yet, if Grace wasn’t fat, if she was tall and slender, like Sarah, Mia would hate her more. So, in the end, having a fat friend was probably better. She certainly didn’t have to worry about Alex wanting to hook up with Grace. He often wondered how Chris could stomach banging a flabby sow.

“This way…” Grace said.

Mia exhaled, annoyed as they headed down yet another long, wide hallway decorated with antiques and expensive art. It still amazed her that people lived like this. That most of her classmates had unlimited wealth and privilege. Not that those snooty, stuck-up bitches deserved all that money and power.

“In here …” Grace said, darting through a half-opened door.

Cautious, Mia stepped inside, looking around, taking in the lush, immaculate surroundings. She couldn’t help thinking what it would be like if this was her bedroom shewent home to every day. Admiring the expensive décor and French Provençal furnishings, she imagined herself as an oil and gas heiress, with a father who adored and spoiled her. A father she knew. Not a deadbeat who was basically a sperm donor for as many times as he’d visited Mia.

The last time had been when she was eight or nine. She hardly remembered what he looked like. He’d bought her a stuffed animal, which was dingy and smudged with dirt, but she’d clung to it because it smelled like his pungent aftershave. She’d slept with the threadbare thing, which she named Mr. Toppins, every night until her mother set it on fire, out of spite, and threw it away.

“Oh my God …” Grace whispered.

Looking away from Grace, Mia stared toward the bed, her gaze flitting from the tangled sheets to the smears and splotches of blood to the … bruises.

Confused, her stomach dropping, Mia turned to Grace. “What the fuck happened to Sarah?”

CHAPTER 51

Fifteen Years Ago

3:37 a.m.

Alex

“Sarah was fine when I left her, I swear!” Grace said, pacing back and forth next to the bed, crying, her face red and bloated. “She was just sleeping!”

“Are you sure?” Mia demanded, stepping in front of Grace, forcing her to stop.

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing Grace would stop squealing like a fucking pig so he could talk to Mia, get her on board with the next phase of his plan. As expected, Mia had come to him for help after finding Sarah in bed with Phil Richart. Fifteen minutes before, he’d been standing near the bar, flirting with the girl whose number he’d just gotten, when he spotted Mia, pushing and shoving through the crowd.

Her expression apprehensive, but also slightly annoyed, she clutched the front of his shirt, stood on her toes, and leaned closer to him. “Something bad happened to Sarah.”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked, as though he didn’t know. “What happened?”

Shaking her head, Mia said, “I don’t know, but … can you just come upstairs with me? Please?”

Nodding, Alex followed her through the crowd.

On the second floor, in the lavish bedroom, Alex allowed Mia to lead him toward the bed, where Sarah and Phil lay passed out, tangled in bloody sheets.

Sarah and Phil strategically positioned, according to Alex’s plan.

And now here they all were. Alex pretended to be stunned. Mia and Grace hysterical. Although, Mia wasn’t as hysterical as Alex thought she would be.

“What the fuck happened?” Alex asked, making sure to sound shocked and horrified. “Why does Sarah have bruises all over her?”

Shrugging, Mia said, “I don’t know.”

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