Page 119 of Enemies with Benefits

“Define recently. Like, maybe—”

“Like, the past couple hours,” I snap.

“Geez, no. I’ve been studying and had my phone off. Why? You sound grumpier than usual. Is something wrong?”

“I think Jenny’s up to something.”

She sighs into the phone. “Tell me about it. She’s a strange bird, right? I mean, every time—”

“I don’t have a good feeling right now.” Mak’s stubborn, but she wouldn’t have left with Jenny.

“About what?”

The line beeps, and I see Levi calling in. “I gotta go.” I take Levi’s call. “Tell me you have something.”

“Nothing on her name, but my assistant is a mastermind and may be getting a raise. I went into the Matthews’ Ring camera history and got some screenshots. Lila did a reverse Google search of Jenny. Googledidfind her, but her name’s not Jenny Swanson. Her name is Rebecca Taylor. Lives about forty miles from here. Nothing really out of the ordinary, but there is one thing that threw up a red flag.”

“What?”

“Going through her Facebook page, we found a photo with a man.”

“And?”

“She tagged herself with Christopher Fischer.”

* * *

Makayla

“Why did he hurt me?”

“I don’t know, honey. Sometimes bad people do bad things.” Aunt Karen hugs me tightly to her, and I embrace her comfort. “He’ll never hurt you again, baby girl. No one will.”

* * *

Something startles me awake. I groan. Pain radiates in my chest, and I gasp for air. I blink rapidly, but my eyesight is too blurry, and I struggle to focus.

“About time, Sleeping Beauty.”

A shadow crosses my line of vision. I’m on the floor, laying on my side. I attempt to sit up but can’t catch my balance and realize my hands are tied behind my back. “Jesus, Jenny, what are you doing?” I push myself to sit up but sway to the right. “Are you crazy? Untie me.” I pull at my restraints, but the zip tie only digs deeper into my skin. “Come on. We’re friends. If this is about Ben—”

She comes at me, rears her leg back, and hammers her shoe into my ribs. I cry out, falling to my side again. “Please,” I choke out. “We can talk about this. This is insane.”

“What’s insane is how naive you are. How pitiful.” She moves to kick me again, and I curl my legs into my chest to block her. “Oh, come on. Don’t be a little chicken. Open your eyes. I want to see your face when you finally figure it out.”

I’m hesitant, but I blink away my confusion and take in my surroundings. My mind has to be playing tricks on me. There’s no way we’re here. “What are we doing here?” I groan, the spasms in my stomach making me ill. “Why did you bring me here? How did you even—?”

She picks up a golf club and rests it on the bed Christopher and I once shared. “We’ve had sex on your bed. More than once. One time, you went to some teacher retreat and left him alone. Well, he wasn’t really alone. He was with me. I spent the whole weekend dolled up in your things. Wore your robe. Slept in your bed. I even pretended I was you, married to the man I loved.”

My brain can’t comprehend fast enough. “What are you talking about—?”

“God! See!” She slams the club against the floor. “Again, being so fucking naive. I’m laying out the facts right in front of you, and you’re still playing the coy, helpless victim. Woe is me!” She comes at me, and I duck as she slams an open palm to the side of my face. My ears ring as pain jolts across my cheek. “I don’t understand how he stayed with you for so long. Why he wanted to go back to you. You were nothing to him. It was me who made him happy. Me!”

The world around me spins. Finally, I fight passed the dizziness, and her words start to have more meaning. I roll my head to the side, bringing her into view. “You’reher. . .”

“I’mher.” She walks around me like a predator waiting to pounce. “He was going to leave you, you know? He told me how dull you were. Couldn’t satisfy him for the life of him. I was the reason he smiled. When he came home at night, did you ever smell me on him?” She leans in close. “Did you ever smell thesexon him?”

She pulls back. Her mocking laughter ripples at my skin. “Jenny, you already know I don’t want Christopher. Seriously, untie me. You don’t have to do this—”

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