Read Online The Seven-Day Target by Natalie Charles - Free Book Online
Authors: Natalie Charles
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plastic bag that held her wedding dress and Libby paused. She hadn’t thought about that dress in ages. The perfect dress for their perfect June wedding: a strapless gown that was fitted to her waist before collapsing in elegant layers of chiffon. The perfect dress to match the perfect cake, the perfect flowers and the perfect meal. She’d thought of every little detail for that day, a hundred ways to announce to the world that she and Nick were in love.
Libby tightened her jaw and closed the closet door. Nothing was perfect.
She turned to her dresser and opened her jewelry box. Libby didn’t wear much jewelry and she didn’t have anything of real value except for a small silver charm bracelet that had belonged to her mother. Even then, the bracelet was more valuable for sentimental reasons and she couldn’t imagine leaving it behind knowing that the killer could come back to her house. She clasped it across her wrist.
As she looked up, she caught Cassie watching her in the reflection of the mirror. “You know, if someone like Nick swore to protect me no matter what, I’d be swooning. Especially if I’d told that person point-blank that I didn’t love him.”
“Cassandra—”
“Do you realize what he’s doing, Libby? He left his job, took a leave of absence, to be at your side. Do you know what I’d give for someone to be that devoted to me?”
Cassie’s voice clipped as she fought her emotion. She’d never told Libby about Sam’s father and Libby had never asked, but more than once Cassie had suggested that the father had rejected her. Libby may have envied Cassie’s ability to have a child, but her heart broke for the circumstances under which it had happened.
“Please keep your voice down. Of course I appreciate all Nick is doing. I hope that when this is all over we can continue to be friendly.” She lifted a stack of light sweaters from her drawer and refolded them before tucking them into her suitcase. “He’s doing what anyone in his position would do.”
“Don’t be so sure. You treated him like crap.”
Libby spun around. “Cassie!”
“He thought you walked on water and you dumped him for your career. How much courage do you think it took him to get into that car and to drive over to meet you, knowing how much you could hurt him again? And knowing Nick, I’ll bet he did it without a thought.”
A raw ache pulsed across Libby’s chest. She’d told Cassie that she’d broken up with Nick because he would have made her leave her job, knowing how shallow the excuse had sounded. She could handle shallow more easily than the pity she would have seen if she’d told Cassie the truth: that Nick was better off without her. Breaking off their engagement had given him a chance to have the family he’d always wanted. She’d done him a favor.
She turned her back to her sister. “Nick left me. He moved away and put his own career first.” Libby pursed her lips and continued to fold her clothes. “None of that matters, anyway. I don’t love him, and he doesn’t love me. We’ve both moved on.”
Cassie paused. “Maybe I’m being unfair to you.” She sat back against the pillows. “But I was sad when you two broke up. You always made each other happy. He makes you better than you are. You do the same for him.”
Libby shook her head. “I’m not having this conversation.”
“Fine.” Cassie rolled onto her side. “It makes no difference to me. Do you think you’ll be packing for twenty minutes? I just want to get a nap in. I can’t handle all of this right now. Any of it.”
Libby didn’t respond. She watched her sister drift into sleep, quickly and deeply. Me neither, she thought. Any of it.
Chapter 4
C assie shivered as she pulled Sam out of the car and sped toward the little house she rented. The lights were off and the neighborhood was silent. Her fingers trembled as she slipped the key into the front door. Sometime after leaving Libby’s house the reality had
Libby tightened her jaw and closed the closet door. Nothing was perfect.
She turned to her dresser and opened her jewelry box. Libby didn’t wear much jewelry and she didn’t have anything of real value except for a small silver charm bracelet that had belonged to her mother. Even then, the bracelet was more valuable for sentimental reasons and she couldn’t imagine leaving it behind knowing that the killer could come back to her house. She clasped it across her wrist.
As she looked up, she caught Cassie watching her in the reflection of the mirror. “You know, if someone like Nick swore to protect me no matter what, I’d be swooning. Especially if I’d told that person point-blank that I didn’t love him.”
“Cassandra—”
“Do you realize what he’s doing, Libby? He left his job, took a leave of absence, to be at your side. Do you know what I’d give for someone to be that devoted to me?”
Cassie’s voice clipped as she fought her emotion. She’d never told Libby about Sam’s father and Libby had never asked, but more than once Cassie had suggested that the father had rejected her. Libby may have envied Cassie’s ability to have a child, but her heart broke for the circumstances under which it had happened.
“Please keep your voice down. Of course I appreciate all Nick is doing. I hope that when this is all over we can continue to be friendly.” She lifted a stack of light sweaters from her drawer and refolded them before tucking them into her suitcase. “He’s doing what anyone in his position would do.”
“Don’t be so sure. You treated him like crap.”
Libby spun around. “Cassie!”
“He thought you walked on water and you dumped him for your career. How much courage do you think it took him to get into that car and to drive over to meet you, knowing how much you could hurt him again? And knowing Nick, I’ll bet he did it without a thought.”
A raw ache pulsed across Libby’s chest. She’d told Cassie that she’d broken up with Nick because he would have made her leave her job, knowing how shallow the excuse had sounded. She could handle shallow more easily than the pity she would have seen if she’d told Cassie the truth: that Nick was better off without her. Breaking off their engagement had given him a chance to have the family he’d always wanted. She’d done him a favor.
She turned her back to her sister. “Nick left me. He moved away and put his own career first.” Libby pursed her lips and continued to fold her clothes. “None of that matters, anyway. I don’t love him, and he doesn’t love me. We’ve both moved on.”
Cassie paused. “Maybe I’m being unfair to you.” She sat back against the pillows. “But I was sad when you two broke up. You always made each other happy. He makes you better than you are. You do the same for him.”
Libby shook her head. “I’m not having this conversation.”
“Fine.” Cassie rolled onto her side. “It makes no difference to me. Do you think you’ll be packing for twenty minutes? I just want to get a nap in. I can’t handle all of this right now. Any of it.”
Libby didn’t respond. She watched her sister drift into sleep, quickly and deeply. Me neither, she thought. Any of it.
Chapter 4
C assie shivered as she pulled Sam out of the car and sped toward the little house she rented. The lights were off and the neighborhood was silent. Her fingers trembled as she slipped the key into the front door. Sometime after leaving Libby’s house the reality had
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