Page 102 of Liar's Point

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Tears burned her eyes, but she blinked them away.

“If it’s something urgent,” Leyla said, “I can text him for you.”

“No.”

Leyla’s eyebrows arched.

“I mean”—Cassandra took a deep breath—“it’s nothing urgent. Nothing like that.” She fixed a smiled on her face. “There’s no need to bother him. I can talk to him tomorrow.”

She rushed away before Leyla could ask any more questions and got back in her car.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

She’d been counting on Alex, and she couldn’t do what she needed to do without him.

Cassandra wiped the tears from her cheeks and started her car. She pulled out of the space and headed... where? She didn’t know what to do now. Her entire plan—like all of her plans—was falling apart.

She turned off Main Street and drove past the yoga studio. Her heart squeezed as she saw the pile of flowers and cards left at the door. The pile had doubled since yesterday as word spread about Danielle’s death. The funeral was scheduled for Saturday, and Reese had already asked her to go.

Cassandra gripped the steering wheel. Her breath started to come in short, shallow gasps, and her heart started pounding. Sweat broke out on the back of her neck.

Not again.

She pulled into a parking lot and shoved her car into park. She clutched the wheel and bent her head forward.

Breathe.

In... and out. In... and out.

She wasn’t trapped.

Her plan was shot to hell, yes. But she could make a different plan that didn’t involve Alex Breda or talking to police.

She had options.

Breathe through it.

She leaned back and stared through the windshield at the brick side of a building and the sign painted there: Rosita’s Mexican Café. Flipping the visor down, Cassandra checked her face in the mirror. Her hair was oily, her skin looked pale, and the puffy bags under her eyes hinted that she’d been crying. No wonder Leyla Breda had seemed worried.

And maybe it was good that Alex was out of town. Cassandra looked like a basket case. She was in no condition to talk to him or anyone else right now.

She flipped the visor up and took a deep breath. The moment was over. Her pulse began to return to normal, and as she stared at the brick wall, a plan started to take shape. Mexico.

It was a new plan. A better one.

The only plan, really, that stood a chance of succeeding, and probably the one she should have had all along.

***

Nicole crutched past Cynthia’s empty desk, relieved not to be waylaid with questions about her injury. David’s office door was closed, and she stopped in front of it, listening in case he was on the phone.

No sounds from the room. But she hesitated anyway, debating what to say.

“Hey.”

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