Page 46 of The Pakhans’ Curvy Prize

"Oh God," Sharon breathes.

16

RUSS

The cottage door swings open before we even reach the porch. Marla stands in the doorway, and I watch her face shift from confusion to recognition. She knows something's wrong. Behind her, Sharon's face goes white.

"Get inside," Nick says.

Marla steps back, and we file into the small living room. I position myself near the door while Alex moves toward the kitchen entrance. Nick takes the center of the room. We've done this a thousand times without discussing it. Control the exits, control the situation.

Sharon huddles near the kitchen counter, her eyes darting between us like a trapped animal.

"Sharon, thank you for coming by, but I think it's best if you go now," Marla says quietly.

"No," Sharon starts, but I step forward slightly, blocking her path to Marla.

"You're going to go home," I tell her, keeping my voice level. "You're not going to talk to anyone about this. Not your family, not your friends, not anyone at the club. You understand me?"

Sharon nods frantically, her whole body trembling.

"Call me," Sharon says, reaching for her friend's hand. "Promise me you'll call me."

"I promise," Marla whispers.

We wait until her car disappears down the driveway before anyone speaks. Marla stands in the middle of her living room, arms crossed defensively. I notice her glancing toward the back hallway, calculating distances.

"Last night," Nick begins, his green eyes fixed on Marla. "One of my captains was attacked at the warehouse. Beaten nearly to death. Multiple guards injured and merchandise stolen. The security cameras were disabled."

Marla's face goes pale. “I—I’m sorry."

"The attack happened at two in the morning," Alex says calmly, moving slightly to cut off her angle to the hallway. "The exact time all three of us were here. With you."

"During sensitive merger negotiations," Nick continues. "Negotiations that are supposed to be confidential. Someone knew the security rotations. Someone knew the blind spots and exactly what they were looking for."

She blinks in confusion. It takes her a couple of minutes to understand the implication. "You think I did this?" Marla's voice rises. "You think I orchestrated some kind of attack while you were here with me?"

"The timing is suspicious," Nick says.

"Suspicious?" Marla's hands ball into fists. "You guys showed up here! I had no idea you'd be here last night."

She has a point. In fact, I didn't know Alex or Nick were going to be here, either.

"My captain is unconscious in the hospital," Nick says, his voice going colder. "The doctors don't know if he'll wake up. Four guards were injured badly enough to need medical attention."

"I don't know anything about that," Marla says.

"They also accessed confidential financial records," Alex adds. "Records that detail our merger negotiations. Records that could destabilize everything we've been building."

"I didn't do anything," Marla insists, her voice shaking now. "I don't even know what you're talking about. Merger negotiations? I'm a writer. I write blog posts about travel and food, and most anything else my clients pay me to write."

"And romance novels," I say quietly. "Don't forget your research."

Her face flushes. "That's not fair."

"Fair?" Nick's voice cuts through the room. "You want to talk about fair? My organization just lost a quarter million dollars and one of my best men might die. Fair doesn't exist right now."

"I didn't do this," Marla says again, louder this time. "I was here with you. All of you. How could I have orchestrated an attack when I was in bed with you?"