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Samantha snorted. “He never tried to hurt me.”
The sadness turned into a churning ache deep in her stomach. Aaron had ruined and destroyed so many lives. “All he did was hurt you, Samantha. I know you don’t see it yet, but I hope someday, with a counselor or on your own, you’ll get it and be okay.”
“I’m fine.”
Lila gave up. Samantha wasn’t ready to deal with the truth and might never be. “Okay.”
“Don’t judge me.”
Once the defenses rose, Lila knew the battle was over. She couldn’t get through. She’d never get through. If she couldn’t save Samantha, at least she’d save herself. “I will pushto make sure you get more credit for unraveling Aaron’s private life.”
“Because you owe me.”
Lila stared at her untouched coffee. Thought about how a part of her would always worry that Samantha would sneak back into her life and threaten to expose the things shethoughtshe knew. “I actually don’t.”
“Really? I wonder what that investigator would say if she knew how much you knew about Aaron’s affairs before he was killed.”
She sounded ready to strike.
That made two of them. “Be careful, Samantha.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “You’re threatening me?”
“You’re the one who thinks I already killed someone. Be smart and don’t push me.” Lila slipped her hand in her pocket and took out a small tape recorder. She held it up for Samantha to see.
Samantha froze in the act of lifting the mug for another sip. “What’s that?”
“The recording of you where you talked about how much you wanted Aaron to pay for leaving you the way he did.” Because she wasn’t a novice. Lila had known what a wild card the teen victim of her husband might be and had taken precautions.
Samantha slowly lowered the mug to the table. “You recorded me?”
“Call it insurance. It’s one copy of many.” Lila put the recorder back in her pocket. “Have you studied the concept ofmutually assured destruction in your history classes? Simply put, it’s the idea that if one of us goes down, we both go down.”
Samantha’s mouth opened and closed twice before she said anything. “You’re a bitch.”
Lila signaled for the waitress to bring the check. “A bitch with evidence that points directly at you. Remember that before you run off to talk with anyone about me or what you think I’ve done.”
“Mutually assured destruction,” Samantha said in a faint voice.
“I will make sure you’re seen as a hero, and you will keep quiet.” Lila tried to conjure up an expression that passed for a smile. “That’s the only deal you’re going to get.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
“REALLY? YOU MET AT A DINER?”
Lila had a feeling Tobias would find out about her little trip in his car and tried to launch an offensive strike by telling him. “She called, and meeting privately seemed like it would raise more questions.”
“How about not meeting at all? Or telling me so I could tell you not to meet?”
“She’s a victim.”
Tobias balanced on the bar stool, somehow managing to look at home teetering while wearing expensive dress shoes. “Is that the point here?”
Kind of, yeah.
She sighed at him. “Lawyers are the worst.”
“Yes, we are, and you will listen.”
