Page 110 of The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold
They dated back a year and, suddenly, she held her breath and closed her eyes and waited for—
“It’s me.” Alex felt her heart stop beating—because he’d called her. Of course he’d called her. But it was like listening to a ghost when he said, “I’m sorry, Alex. I’m so, so... Come back. Please. Or call me. Just... I’ll meet you anywhere. I’ll do anything. We can go get Zoe together. Just call me, Alex. Please.”
There was a beep on the line and a new message from two days later.
“I hope Zoe’s okay. I hope you’re okay. Because I’m not.”
Beep.
“I heard about Italy. About Kozlov. And I know you know you’re safe now. I know you know... Come back. Please. I’m sorry.”
Beep.
“Merritt says she hasn’t heard from you, but she swears you’re probably fine. It’s been six months, Alex. Please tell me you’re fine.”
Beep.
“I miss you.”
Beep.
“I need you.”
Beep.
“Come back.”
Beep.
“Please.”
Beep.
“Come”—the voice slurred; her heart broke—“back.”
Beep.
The last message was the most recent, of course. She was expecting that. She just wasn’t expecting—
“Wednesday, January fifteenth,” the mechanical voice chimed, and Alex felt the world tilt for a moment because—
Wednesday.One of the missing days. Someone had left her a message. Someone had called her. Someone—
“It’s King.”
Wait. King had calledher?
She wanted to yell for him in the other room—stop the recording and hit the speakerphone. It was their best clue in days—theironlyclue. But—
“Look, I know you hate me and that’s fine, but I’m not calling for me. Sterling... it’s Zoe.” Her heart fell through the floor and her mind flashed to a million worst-case scenarios:Her sister was hurt. Her sister was dying. Her sister was—
“In Vegas,” the voice on the phone was saying. “Sawyer’s been trying to find you because... they’re eloping. Or they were. When they got off the plane, Zoe collapsed and... it’s her heart. And, Sterling, it’s bad. I’m trying every number I have for you because I know you might not get this. But if you get this... please. You need to go to Vegas. Now.”
It was so urgent. So convincing. So... real.
It sounded so real, but it wasn’t. Alex knew it wasn’t, because Zoe and Sawyer were already married—King had told her so himself. Her sister had been married for months, and King knew it. He knew it. But he’d lied.
Suddenly, Alex’s heart was racing and her mouth was dry because she finally knew why she’d dropped everything and gone back to the States. She knew what the bait in the trap had been.
