Read Online The Kept Woman (Will Trent 8) by Karin Slaughter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karin Slaughter
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the new deadbolts. ‘Did you give her a key, too?’
He shook his head.
‘How long have you known that she’s been breaking into your house?’
He shrugged.
‘Are you going to answer me?’
‘You told me to shut up.’
Sara tasted bile in her mouth. She had left her laptop at Will’s. Her entire life was on that thing—patient files, emails, her address book, her calendar, photographs. Had Angie guessed her password? Had she gone through Sara’s overnight bag? Had she worn Sara’s clothes? What else had she stolen?
‘Look,’ Will said. ‘I’m not even sure she was in the house. It’s just that sometimes stuff was moved. Or maybe you moved it. Or I did. Or—’
‘Really? That’s what you thought?’ Will was congenitally tidy. He always put everything back in its place, and Sara was careful to do the same when she was in his house. ‘Why didn’t you change the locks again?’
‘For what? Do you think it’s that easy to stop her? That I can actually control her?’ He sounded baffled by the question, and maybe he was, because as stubborn as Will could be, as strong as he was, Angie was always the one who dictated the terms of theirrelationship. She was like an older sister who wanted to protect him. Like a twisted lover who used sex to control him. Like a hateful wife who didn’t want to be married, but didn’t want to let him go. Angie loved him. She hated him. She needed him. She disappeared, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks, months, more than once for a full year. That she always came back had been the only constant in Will’s life for almost three decades.
Sara asked, ‘Have you really been looking for her?’
‘I showed you the divorce papers.’
‘Is that a yes?’
There was a flicker of anger in his eyes. ‘Yes.’
‘Have you seen her before without telling me?’ A bitter panic filled her mouth. ‘Have you been with her?’
The anger glowed white-hot, as if she had no right to ask the question. ‘No, Sara. I haven’t been fucking her behind your back.’
Was he telling the truth? Could she trust what he was saying? Sara had upended her life for this man. She had silenced her gut instinct. She had compromised her morals. She had taken this job. She had made a complete fool of herself in front of everyone she worked with. Not to mention what her family would think, because there was no way to hide this awfulness from them without turning herself into a bigger liar than Will.
He asked, ‘Do you think she’s still alive?’
‘I don’t know.’ The truth had the benefit of a cruel uncertainty.
Will looked at his watch. He was actually timing this, waiting for the second the lift came back up so he could jump on his white horse and save Angie yet again.
They had looked at open houses yesterday, the day after he’d seen his wife. They were out for a walk, and they had joked thatlookie-looing air-conditioned houses was a good excuse to get out of the heat. Unbidden, Sara had found herself thinking about coming down that particular set of stairs to kiss Will hello or planting flowers in that yard while Will cut the grass or standing in that kitchen eating late-night ice cream with Will when what she should’ve really been thinking about was what kind of lock she should put on her fucking bedside drawer.
‘Christ.’ Sara covered her face with both hands. She wanted to wash herself with lye.
‘She wouldn’t give up.’ Will picked at his eyebrow, a nervous tic Sara had noticed the first time they’d met. ‘Angie. She wouldn’t give up. Even if she was hurt.’
Sara didn’t respond, but he was right. Angie was a cockroach. She left disease wherever she went and nothing could destroy her.
Will said, ‘Her car isn’t here. But her key is. But she could have another one. A key.’ He dropped his hand. ‘She was a cop. She was the toughest girl at the home. Tougher than the boys. Tougher than me, sometimes. She knows how to handle herself. She has people, a
He shook his head.
‘How long have you known that she’s been breaking into your house?’
He shrugged.
‘Are you going to answer me?’
‘You told me to shut up.’
Sara tasted bile in her mouth. She had left her laptop at Will’s. Her entire life was on that thing—patient files, emails, her address book, her calendar, photographs. Had Angie guessed her password? Had she gone through Sara’s overnight bag? Had she worn Sara’s clothes? What else had she stolen?
‘Look,’ Will said. ‘I’m not even sure she was in the house. It’s just that sometimes stuff was moved. Or maybe you moved it. Or I did. Or—’
‘Really? That’s what you thought?’ Will was congenitally tidy. He always put everything back in its place, and Sara was careful to do the same when she was in his house. ‘Why didn’t you change the locks again?’
‘For what? Do you think it’s that easy to stop her? That I can actually control her?’ He sounded baffled by the question, and maybe he was, because as stubborn as Will could be, as strong as he was, Angie was always the one who dictated the terms of theirrelationship. She was like an older sister who wanted to protect him. Like a twisted lover who used sex to control him. Like a hateful wife who didn’t want to be married, but didn’t want to let him go. Angie loved him. She hated him. She needed him. She disappeared, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks, months, more than once for a full year. That she always came back had been the only constant in Will’s life for almost three decades.
Sara asked, ‘Have you really been looking for her?’
‘I showed you the divorce papers.’
‘Is that a yes?’
There was a flicker of anger in his eyes. ‘Yes.’
‘Have you seen her before without telling me?’ A bitter panic filled her mouth. ‘Have you been with her?’
The anger glowed white-hot, as if she had no right to ask the question. ‘No, Sara. I haven’t been fucking her behind your back.’
Was he telling the truth? Could she trust what he was saying? Sara had upended her life for this man. She had silenced her gut instinct. She had compromised her morals. She had taken this job. She had made a complete fool of herself in front of everyone she worked with. Not to mention what her family would think, because there was no way to hide this awfulness from them without turning herself into a bigger liar than Will.
He asked, ‘Do you think she’s still alive?’
‘I don’t know.’ The truth had the benefit of a cruel uncertainty.
Will looked at his watch. He was actually timing this, waiting for the second the lift came back up so he could jump on his white horse and save Angie yet again.
They had looked at open houses yesterday, the day after he’d seen his wife. They were out for a walk, and they had joked thatlookie-looing air-conditioned houses was a good excuse to get out of the heat. Unbidden, Sara had found herself thinking about coming down that particular set of stairs to kiss Will hello or planting flowers in that yard while Will cut the grass or standing in that kitchen eating late-night ice cream with Will when what she should’ve really been thinking about was what kind of lock she should put on her fucking bedside drawer.
‘Christ.’ Sara covered her face with both hands. She wanted to wash herself with lye.
‘She wouldn’t give up.’ Will picked at his eyebrow, a nervous tic Sara had noticed the first time they’d met. ‘Angie. She wouldn’t give up. Even if she was hurt.’
Sara didn’t respond, but he was right. Angie was a cockroach. She left disease wherever she went and nothing could destroy her.
Will said, ‘Her car isn’t here. But her key is. But she could have another one. A key.’ He dropped his hand. ‘She was a cop. She was the toughest girl at the home. Tougher than the boys. Tougher than me, sometimes. She knows how to handle herself. She has people, a
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