“Maybe you’re right.”
“What?” Sasha said softly, clearly caught off guard.
“I don’t have any redeeming qualities to speak of. I don’t know why Grant has that ridiculous crush on me—if that’s even what it is—and I am the first person to admit that I don’t deserve Jared. He probably just fel in love with me because it’s his job to be around me twenty-four-seven, and he didn’t have time to date. He disagrees, but I’ve always thought….”
“Wel ,” she cleared her throat, “you’re not…you’re not that bad. I mean, you’re not funny at all but sometimes you make Grant laugh. And I’ve seen you be sort-of kind to Beth. Once. No, you don’t have any redeeming qualities, but since when does anyone need to be extraordinary to be loved?
Most people are average. Not me, of course, but it’s perfectly fine that you are.”
I took a deep breath. “I can see why you’re upset with me. I haven’t handled our situation in the best way. I should have talked to you. I didn’t realize…I mean, looking back, I knew about Grant. But I thought it was the position you wanted, not necessarily him. Now that I know, I get it. I don’t think he’s all that attractive, but I see why others do.”
“He’s very cute,” Sasha sulked. “He real y does care about this company and the employees, and he’s so smart—and sweet. When he’s not trying to figure out how to keep Titan on top, he’s talking about you. It’s infuriating. You are never kind to him.”
I frowned. “I’m not. I wil try to work on that.”
“No! Don’t do that!” she said, shaking her head. “I just meant that...don’t go out of your way on my account.”
“I’m sorry. I would like us to get along better,” I said. Now that I knew the source of her disdain, it was easier to understand the motives behind her hateful remarks. “You stil can’t put your feet on my desk.”
“You’re right. Total y out of line. I apologize.”
I wasn’t sure what to say next. We had never been civil to each other, and now that we had come to an understanding, all that was left was an awkward silence.
“I was, er…I was just about to get some coffee. I’m going to be here all night reorganizing the file room. It’s atrocious. So…do you want some?”
“Coffee?”
“Yes,” Sasha said, trying a smile.
“Here,” I said, pulling a twenty dol ar bil from my pocket. “I can’t drink coffee, especial y not the sludge in the break room. I’ll grab me an apple cider and you a coffee at that place on Spruce. It’s my favorite.”
Sasha snatched the bil from my fingers. “I’ll get it. I need a break, anyway. I just need a flashlight.”
“Why?”
“I had to park four blocks down in that parking garage because of the construction, and the lighting is nonexistent.”
“Why don’t you take my….” I had to stop myself and think. Jared was surely back by now, but he couldn’t take her in the Escalade, for many reasons. My car was parked at the curb just outside. The only people I had all owed to drive it were Jared and Bex, and that was only because they had supernatural powers of precision and lightning reflexes. It was too late, now. I’d opened my mouth, and a retraction would shake our already fragile cease-fire. I would have to let Sasha drive the car my father had given me.
“Why don’t you take the Beemer?” I said, nearly choking on my words.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said, holding out the keys. “Just be careful, please.”
Sasha smiled. “What do you want?”
“I’ll have a large hot apple cider with caramel. Oh, and a slice of their Lemon Velvet cake.”
“I know it’s summer, but I can get you an iced coffee if you’d prefer.” I shook my head, and Sasha’s expression changed quickly from confusion to understanding. “Oh, right. The baby. Okay, I’ll be back in twenty.”
I smiled. “I’ll be here.”
My keys jingled in Sasha’s hand as she disappeared behind the elevator. I leaned against the wal , wondering if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. How could I trust Sasha with my most precious possession? She hated me.
I bit on my thumbnail, and paced back and forth a few times. I thought about the different items in my car. Would she go through it? Was anything incriminating inside that might hint at the truth about Jared? My cel phone rang in my pocket. I quickly fished it out.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Then why is your blood pressure going through the roof?” Jared said. His voice alone slowed my heart rate. “I can stop her if you don’t want her to take your car.”
I walked through my office to the large window, looking down to the street below. “Yes, because that won’t look suspicious at all .” The lights of Fleet Rink were bright enough to il uminate the entire block, and I watched as Sasha fol owed the sidewalk, her red hair bouncing against her silk olive blouse. The headlamps of the Beemer blinked, and a short blip sounded when the alarm was deactivated.
“Her car seems in good shape,” Jared said, trying to comfort me. He was in the Escalade across the street, pressing the cel phone against his ear as he smiled up at me.
I took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I’m worried. It’s only a mile awa—” I began, but the words were cut off by a loud boom. In the same moment, the space where my car once sat turned into a bil owing firebal . The glass vibrated, but it didn’t break. The windows of the Escalade didn’t fare so wel . I could see Jared’s shocked expression as he sat in the driver’s seat. Flaming debris shot into the sky and fel into the street.
“Oh my God! Help her, Jared! Help her!” I screamed.
“Stay inside!” Jared yel ed over the noise. He jumped from the Escalade and ran to the roaring flames. He covered his face with his arm, testing different sides of the car. I could see from three stories up that he couldn’t breach the flames. Even if he had, Sasha was gone.
Jared watched the fire in horror, grabbing each side of his blonde hair with his fists. He shook his head, and then grabbed his knees, leaning over. After a few moments, he ran back to his Escalade and took off at ful speed. The wheels squealed against the pavement.
I ran to my desk and grabbed at the phone with trembling hands. I tried to dial 911, but my fingers shook so much that I kept hitting the wrong keys. After the third try, Jared was beside me.
I col apsed into him, tears final y wel ing up in my eyes. “What happened?” I cried. “Where did you go?”
“I wanted them to think I panicked and drove off. It was a bomb, Nina. They wired your car with a bomb.”
I paused, my eyes widening. “I kill ed her. I gave her the keys to my car and sent her to her death! Oh my God, Jared, she’s dead! She’s only twenty-two years old! She just got off the phone with her mother not half an hour ago!” My voice grew shril er with every fact.
Jared hugged me to him, unable to find words of comfort. “I should have sensed it. I should have smel ed it—something.”
“Nothing?” I said, looking up at him with wet eyes.
He shook his head. “Not a damn thing. The baby and how it affects your body saturates my senses. They must have wired it after you arrived at work. I don’t understand. I wasn’t half a block away. I should have seen it.”