Between the Lies (Between the Raindrops #2)

by Susan Schussler

  Cami picked up the remote and began flipping through the channels. “Oh my god. We have to watch this.” She stopped channel surfing. “It’s one of my favorite shows. See the guy with the blond hair? He is such a bastard. He makes Jonathan look like a freaking superhero.”

  Sarah broke out laughing. She couldn’t stop. There were tears in her eyes, but she was laughing. Cami was so funny. It felt good to laugh. She sat up shaking her head. Whoa, the room is spinning. She couldn’t believe Cami just said that. “That blond guy is one of Jon’s best friends. He’s actually a nice guy.” Sarah started laughing again. Liam was a really nice guy.

  “So Jon-a-thon is friends with Liam Nordstrom. I should have remembered that.” Cami’s words were as slurred as Sarah’s.

  That was funny. Sarah laughed even harder. How would Cami have known that? She probably followed the tabloids.

  “What?” Cami stared at the screen as if it would explain Sarah’s laughter.

  “His brother Jack used to call him Jon-a-thon. Whenever he and Jack would compete as kids, Jon would just keep going and going. He never gave up until he won. Jack used to say competing against Jon was like running a marathon. That’s why he called him that. That’s what Jon said anyway.”

  Cami started laughing. “You’re funny.”

  “Jack died.” Sarah didn’t know why she said that. Maybe it was because Jon hadn’t. He kept going even after his brother’s death. He never gave up. Sarah wondered if he would give up on her.

  Cami stopped laughing. “I hate Jonathan.”

  They definitely had drunk too much. Cami didn’t even know Jonathan. If she actually knew him, she’d love him. Everybody did.

  “You are so drunk,” Sarah said as she got up. “You’re going to have to stay here. I’m not letting you drive.” She looked back as Cami rolled over, burying her face in a pillow. “I’m not sharing my toothbrush, though,” she added, trying to find humor in their state. Jon always found humor.

  After she finished getting ready, she crawled into the bed next to Cami, who was already asleep.

  ***

  When Sarah awoke Cami was sitting on the end of the bed tying her cross-trainers. She had a life to get back to, while Sarah didn’t. Sarah sat up and watched as Cami pulled her red hair back into a knot on the back of her head.

  “I made some coffee, if you’re interested.” She pointed to the small coffee pot on the table near the window.

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ve got to get to the studio, but if you want me to go with you to get your stuff from the house, I can go. When’s he leave?”

  “Early tomorrow morning. I could use some support. Could you do it around ten?”

  “I think that will work. Do you want me to come over tonight?”

  “No, I think I’ll need some rest if I’m going to be driving for three days.”

  “I’ll pick you up here around ten tomorrow, then.”

  “Thanks, Cami. I really appreciate your help.”

  “No problem. You’re doing the right thing. That bastard doesn’t deserve a second of your time. You’re going to be so much better off without him.”

  Sarah pulled on a smile, though it was completely fake. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  After Cami left, the day dragged and dragged. Sarah knew she needed to contact her family. They would be worried about her, especially if Jon called looking for her. What if Jon hadn’t called? What if he didn’t even care she’d left? Sarah paused as she thought about that for a minute. No, Jon would be looking for her. She opened up her laptop to her contact list. She could call her friends from the hotel line to let them know she was OK, but what would she say to them? She lay on her stomach staring at the computer screen for a half hour unable to summon the courage to call anyone. Maybe she’d do it after her body had finished metabolizing the vodka from last night and her head felt a little clearer. She flicked the TV on instead.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Jonathan

  SARAH HAD BEEN gone for two days, and he wasn’t any closer to finding her than he was the day she walked out the door. She walked out the door. Why was she so stubborn? Jonathan knew that Sarah chose to leave him. He didn’t know what happened to her after she left, though, why she hadn’t called or at least replied to his e-mails. He even tried messaging her online with no response. Lunch with Mia must have thrown her over the edge. She must have realized Hollywood wasn’t worth the trouble—he wasn’t worth the trouble. Still he needed to know she was safe. And he didn’t. He couldn’t even think straight. How was he supposed to leave for two weeks of touring Europe when he didn’t know if Sarah was safe?

  The meeting with the FBI yesterday hadn’t shed much new insight into the identity of the stalker, but they did work up a profile—a profile that didn’t fit anyone he knew. The words chosen in the letters indicated the stalker was a woman. The FBI was positive about that. Paris Borel, the website manager who had abducted Sarah in January, was the first person to come to mind, but she was in a women’s detention center for six more months. Then she would be released on parole. Her sentence was so lenient that he thought the judge was joking when he heard it. Apparently she wasn’t considered a threat to anyone but him and Sarah. Besides, she had never been to the house. The agency felt that the stalker had definitely been at the house over a period of time, not just once. Jon racked his brain. Ex-girlfriends would be the obvious place to look, but Jon couldn’t think of any that he had really hurt enough to turn them into stalkers.

  He called Isaac again.

  “We made a commitment, Jon.” Isaac didn’t even say hello. “You said nothing would keep you from it, and after what you pulled at Cannes, you better uphold your word. You can’t wait around for Sarah to grow up and figure out what she wants. You have a responsibility to these people, to your fans. You can’t blow this off.”

  Jon shook his head, no words coming to his lips. He collapsed onto the couch and put his feet up on the ottoman table as Isaac continued.

  “You’ve done everything you can to find her. The rest is up to her.”

  “What if it’s not her? What if it’s the stalker?”

  “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but no one else is going to tell you.”

  “What?” Jon’s voice was severe.

  “If the stalker has her, there is nothing you can do anyway.” He paused like he was regrouping. “The chances of her being abducted again are nonexistent. You have to get that out of your head and do your job.” Then Isaac’s tone changed as he added, “She’s just trying to get your attention. You know that, right? All women do it before their weddings. Your two weeks away will give her a chance to get over her wedding jitters. You’ll come home exhausted from the tour, and she will be here waiting for you. It’s probably just what you need—some time away from each other. Hell, you’ve been joined at the hip since you got engaged. Give her some space.”

  “It just doesn’t sound like Sarah.” Jon remembered how he thought she had left him in January when she was actually drugged and shoved inside the trunk of a car. He was wrong then. Was he wrong now? He watched her leave on the security camera. She wasn’t abducted this time. She left on her own. And they hadn’t gotten any more letters from the stalker. The contact at the FBI said the letters’ frequency would most likely escalate before any direct contact was made by the stalker.

  “In your first interview…where is it?”

  “London.”

  “You let it slip that you’re not the baby’s father. You know that’s all the press wants to talk about anyway. That way you’re keeping your commitment to the film and at the same time you’re letting Sarah know you didn’t cheat on her. The producers will be thrilled that you bring in so much publicity for the film, and you get what you want. Screw Remi. I know she wants you to keep that info to yourself, but you’re no good to anyone if you can’t do your job. I’ll deal with her. Sarah will come crawling back the second she hears your announcement. You’ll see.
You just make sure you’re on the plane. The rest will fall into place.”

  Isaac was right. If Sarah was avoiding him, it was just because she thought he cheated and then lied to her. It wasn’t because she was abducted again. It couldn’t be. He ended the call with Isaac as Leslie walked in with her bags.

  “We’re sending the bags over tonight. They’ll be here to get them in about an hour. You’re packed, right? Or do I need to pack you?”

  “What did the car dealer say?” He’d get packed, but he needed to know what Leslie had found out first.

  “You’re not packed at all, are you?”

  “I will be. What did they say?”

  “They said they weren’t able to locate her car. Either the LoJack wasn’t working properly,” she hesitated, “or the car had been chopped up for parts and it had been disabled.”

  Just as he was starting to accept that Sarah left on her own, this was thrown into the loop.

  “They couldn’t verify that it has ever worked. It’s supposed to help you find the car if it is stolen. What he said doesn’t apply in this situation. We’ll find her. She’s just upset about Mia. I know you don’t want to, but I think one of us needs to call her friends or her parents to see if she’s contacted them. You’ll see she’s fine and we can leave on the tour guilt-free.”

  “I’ll do it,” he said, taking his phone out. “I should have done it yesterday.” He pulled Jessica up on his contacts and headed toward the stairs. She would be the first person Sarah would contact.

  “What did you do to my best friend? She won’t even answer her phone.”

  “Hey, Jess. I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” He swallowed and added, “I didn’t cheat on her. I’m not the father of Mia’s baby.”

  “Are you sure?” she said in a bitter voice.

  “Yep. I’m sure.”

  “Then why is she so upset?”

  “Have you talked to her? Can you tell her I didn’t lie to her?”

  “Did you not hear me when I said she’s not answering her phone?”

  “Sarah left her phone at the house and took off. I haven’t seen her since lunch with Mia.” He may as well tell her. She’d sent texts alluding to the restaurant incident. Besides, Jessica could tell Sarah and all this would resolve before it got worse. “I was hoping she called you. I don’t know how to get a hold of her. I tried messaging online, e-mail. I even tried to go to the website where we met, but it was shut down.” He hoped that wasn’t an omen.

  “She hasn’t spoken to anyone here. We thought you and she were working out your problems and she didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. You know how she gets when she’s really upset.”

  “Yeah. She runs away and won’t talk.” She did it when she was mad about Craig following her to Pilates. He thought back to when they were dating. The only misunderstanding they had when they were dating happened because Sarah shut down and didn’t ask questions about what he meant by the word break. He meant a break from seeing each other not a break in their relationship. She never asked. She just assumed the worst and shut down. That’s why it was so easy for him to believe she had left in January. He never thought she was abducted because it was more likely that she just needed time to herself to cool off. He stood in the bedroom doorway, staring into the room. It felt so empty without her. “If you hear from her, tell her what I said and that I love her, OK?”

  “I will.”

  “Thanks, Jess.” He ended the call, feeling worse than he did before making it. He held his finger to his temple as if it were a gun and blew that thought from his head. How could he even think that her leaving him was worse than her being kidnapped by a stalker? It was not worse. She had to have gotten his e-mails by now. She knew he wasn’t the baby’s father and she was still punishing him. She must not have been as strong as he thought. He turned around in the doorway as Leslie found her way to the second floor.

  “Anything?” she asked.

  He shook his head.

  “They haven’t heard from her?”

  “No, but when she’s really upset, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone, so it didn’t surprise Jessica. I think Sarah just needs time to check her e-mail. She’ll come around.” He lied. Jon doubted this mix-up about him sleeping with Mia was the real problem. Sarah didn’t trust him. She didn’t even give him a chance to explain. She ran off before he even knew why. She obviously had doubts about him or she wouldn’t have been so quick to believe Mia’s innuendos. That was the real problem. For the first time since he proposed, he doubted Sarah’s love. He didn’t know if he could fix it, and it probably meant their relationship would end up a casualty of Hollywood.

  Leslie pushed past him, walking into the closet, and he followed. “It doesn’t look like you packed at all.” She reached up and pulled down a medium-sized bag, setting it on the floor. Then she grabbed the bag for his suits. He just couldn’t put his head around his new revelation. Without trust, he and Sarah wouldn’t make it. He would lose her. He didn’t know what more he could do. He closed his eyes, pushing down the thoughts in his head and burying them deep inside his core.

  “Where are the suits that Grant sent over? You’re going to need all of them. How are you supposed to pack sixteen unique outfits in one bag? I hate these stupid tours. Oh…Here they are.” The suits were hanging on one end of the closet, and Leslie carefully stuffed them into the garment bag. “You’ve got to get packed. The car is coming for the luggage, and I’m not packing your underwear.”

  He took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to clear the fog in his head. He watched Leslie as she pulled his gear together. She knew how much Sarah meant to him. She knew all that was at stake, yet she kept moving him forward. He stepped to the T-shirts stacked on the shelves and pulled out about ten of them, handing them to Leslie. He didn’t really care which ones he brought. He spent the next fifteen minutes helping pack, making sure he had underwear and his man kit. Then he hefted both bags downstairs, setting them next to Leslie’s. He’d done all he could. Maybe leaving would be the best thing for him. He wouldn’t have time to think once the tour started—two weeks with sixteen countries and no time to breathe.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Sarah

  THE HOUSE WAS eerily quiet as Sarah and Cami entered. They wouldn’t have to be there long. Just long enough to grab the essentials Sarah hadn’t grabbed the first time she left, and then Cami would drive her back to the hotel. She’d be home in a few days. It was funny how this house felt like home to Sarah. She looked around the room. The Dali pencil sketch that Jon bought for her in France hung by the front door. And there was Pedro—the green, animatronic monster staring back at her with his big, bulbous eyes. She smiled thinking about all the times he had caught her and Jon making out in the living room. Jon used to give him a voice, a deep raspy voice, and Pedro would make suggestive comments between Jon’s kisses. “Hey, gorgeous. Why don’t you leave that wannabe and be with a real monster.” He’d kiss her neck and then add, “You know…once you go green, you never go back.” She shook the raspy voice from her head. She had to get her stuff and get out or she would change her mind, doomed to live a life of mistrust and frustration. She headed toward the stairs.

  “I’m going to use the bathroom,” said Cami.

  Sarah raised her hand to point her in the right direction, but she was gone, as if she already knew the way. Sarah made her way up the stairs, knowing it would be the last time she would see the room she and Jon used to share. Her phone was gone, so she knew Jon had gotten her message. Thank god he wasn’t here. She took the suitcase from the closet, laid it on the bed, and walked back to the closet. She unhooked as much of her hanging clothes as she could carry in one trip and brought them to the bed. She knew she couldn’t fit all of her clothes in her car, but she was going to bring as much as she could because Jon would have no use for them. She laid each item flat in the large suitcase and then removed the hanger. She figured it was the fastest way to pack them without too many wrinkles
.

  After she had all of the clothes she could fit in the bag, she zipped it closed and sat on the bed next to it. She reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out the lacquered wooden box—her engagement ring’s box. It would be easier if she just left the ring here. She wouldn’t have to worry about how she would get it back to Jon. She would leave it on the bed like her phone and he would find it when he got home from Europe. She twisted the gorgeous ring on her finger. Why was taking it off so hard? She had to leave him. He lied to her. She couldn’t marry a liar.

  She heard Cami coming up the stairs and knew she would argue with her if she saw what Sarah was doing. She would tell her she was stupid for not keeping the ring. Sarah quickly slid it from her finger, placing it in the box. She didn’t have time to think about it. She didn’t want to have to defend her actions to Cami. She knew what she was doing was right. There was no way she could keep it. She stuffed the box under Jon’s pillow and sat up as Cami stepped through the doorway.

  Sarah looked up and met her eyes, hoping she hadn’t seen her put the box under the pillow and wouldn’t notice the missing ring. But they weren’t Cami’s eyes staring back at her. They were the glacial blue, almost colorless eyes that could melt her into a puddle. She froze as her heart stopped.

  “Did you really think I could leave, not knowing you were safe?” His tone was hurt, as if she was inflicting so much pain he could barely speak. “I understand the phone. I know why you left it, but you got my e-mails.”

  She had gotten the e-mails, but she couldn’t bring herself to read them. Twenty-three e-mails in total sat in her inbox, unopened. Her eyes still locked on his, and she somehow felt relieved by his presence. It was the opposite of what she wanted, but being near him felt so calming and right. Her voice abandoned her and she nodded.