He made his way to her door and knocked.
Megs answered. “We were just talking about you. Come in.”
Sasha stood and hurried over to him, and he could see she’d been crying. She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” Mindful of her ribs, he held her, the feel of her in his arms precious.
She was alive and safe, and he was so damned grateful for that.
“Maybe we should go,” Megs offered, “unless you think we should stay.”
Darius knew Megs was curious. “I’ll leave that up to Sasha.”
Sasha stepped back, the fingers of her left hand twining with his. “I’m fine if you all stay. I know you want to hear what happened as much as I do.”
They settled around the dining room table with a fresh pot of tea that Nicole had just made.
“As you know, the Slovak police have Reiter in custody. Authorities there have charged him with possession of marijuana, which he bought while he was here. The State Department is putting together a case for extradition. I won’t go into that, except to say that it’s a long process with no guarantees.”
Nicole frowned. “You mean he might never go to trial here?”
“That’s a possibility.” Darius took Sasha’s hand. “Reiter has been cooperative. He gave the Slovak police access to his mobile phone and his laptop, which they retrieved from his hotel room there in Bratislava. The embassy staff member who interrogated him has already uploaded all of that information to Forensics. It paints a very clear picture.”
Beside him, Sasha seemed to be holding her breath.
Darius thought the best thing he could do for her was to come out with it. “I’m so sorry, Sasha, but Maritza Braun was the driving force behind the attempt on your life.”
Sasha let out a little sob, her eyes filling with tears.
Megs rubbed Sasha’s back, leaned in close. “There is nothing that hurts more than being betrayed by someone you thought was a friend.”
“That fucking bitch.” Nicole stood, stomped across the room to retrieve a box of tissues for Sasha, and returned, her face red with fury. “She better never come near me.”
Sasha looked over at Darius, tears on her cheeks. “It was her idea?”
Darius nodded. “She and Reiter used bogus social media accounts to recruit Watts, preying on his loyalty to Riggs. They talked him into this over a period of months, with Braun acting as the mastermind. The original idea was for the two men to injure you enough to keep you from competing. Reiter says it was Watts’ idea to kill you, but it’s hard to say whether Watts came up with that on his own or whether the two of them worked him up to it.”
Sasha reached for a tissue, dabbed her eyes. “This can’t be real.”
“I’m sorry, angel. I wish it weren’t.” Darius told her how Braun had gotten Reiter in touch with Watts on social media, how she’d bought Reiter’s plane ticket, how she’d done her best to ensure they wouldn’t screw up and leave evidence. “She was counting on the police going after Riggs and Watts and blaming the attack on them. Given that Watts did, indeed, play a role, she used them as a smokescreen to hide her involvement.”
Megs still had a hand on Sasha’s back. “Jesus fried chicken. So, she was the brain, and they were the brawn?”
“That’s what Reiter alleges.” Darius had no reason not to believe him.
“But how did they knowwhento steal the vehicle?”
“They got that information from you. Remember your chat with Braun not long before you took off for your bike ride?”
Sasha nodded. “Right. I remember. So, she told them.”
“While the two of you were messaging back and forth, she sent a text to Reiter and Watts. They stole the car and parked near the roundabout to wait for you. Afterward, they ditched the vehicle, climbed into a rental that Reiter had parked near Boulder Falls earlier that day, and drove back into Boulder. Reiter dropped Watts off at Riggs’ place and drove to DIA to catch a flight to Slovakia. He and Braun were surprised when you texted Braun the next day and they heard you were still alive.”
Sasha was clearly reeling, the hurt on her face making Darius’ chest ache. “I thought Maritza really cared about me. I thought we were friends.”
“She cared about winning. Reiter says she knew she was moving beyond her prime and that this might be her last chance at the title. She told him she couldn’t win if you were in the competition. The avatar of the middle finger? That’s hers.”
“Where is Braun now?” Mitch looked like he might want to settle the score with her personally.
