Page 222 of Restless
They ignored her.
“If anything happened to Meggie, it would destroy Joe,” Logan argued.
“Meggie?” Dinah yelled. “What about me?”
“He’d survive,” Sharper said with certainty.
“Get out.”
“I’ve thought about your dilemma. How you’d like to tie Joe to your side forever.”
Dinah wouldn’t dignify that with an answer.
“Even for us, Joe has been getting a little hard to manage,” Sharper continued. He dug in his expensive suit pocket and came up with a syringe. He held it out to Dinah.
“Drugs?”
“Drugs?” Logan echoed, thoughtful.
“It’s a small amount,” Sharper reassured her. “We don’t want him addicted. Just manageable.”
“Joe’s a drug user, too,” Dinah said stiffly, betrayal slicing through her. “He’s a whoremonger, a criminal,andan addict.”
She didn’t see Logan’s fist until it was a fraction from her. It slammed into her mid-section, and she crumpled to the floor. Logan dragged her to her feet then threw her against the wall. Weeping, she bounced and fell to the carpet.
“Joe’s never used drugs a day in his life!” Logan roared, looming above her. Bending, he snatched her up. “I should kill you for smearing his good name.”
“No!” Dinah sobbed. “Think of Meggie.”
“I am. Joe’s daughter doesn’t need a sniveling, self-righteous cunt to raise her.”
“We can kill her and send the child to Roxanne,” Sharper suggested. The syringe had disappeared.
“No!” Dinah screamed again. “No! I’ll give the drugs to Joe. Shoot him up while he’s asleep. We both want the same thing. I just want to make sure he comes home to me. You need him to listen to your ideas. He trusts me most of all. I’m the obvious choice for the job.”
Sharper and Logan exchanged glances.
“She’s right, Logan. It’s only a small amount, administered every now and then.”
“But what if he starts to depend on the drugs?” Dinah asked.
Sharper smiled indulgently. “He’ll visit you more often, Dinah.”
“Then he’d love me. Perhaps, our broken engagement might be salvaged, and we’ll finally marry. I’ll start this weekend.”
“He’s been called away for a run,” Sharper said with sadness.
“That bastard,” Dinah hissed. “He didn’t have the decency to let let me know.”
“It was last minute.”
“I don’t care, Reverend Banks. He keeps disappointing me and hurting me. I want him to suffer.”
Logan studied every angle of her face. “Did you call Sharper for help with Joe or revenge against him because he’s spurned you?”
“He hasn’t spurned me! He’s filthy. He wants his cock sucked and his tongue between my legs. I’m a good girl, a God-fearing woman. I refuse to indulge his smut.”
“Answer my question, Dinah.”
