She Can Kill (She Can Series) by Melinda Leigh Page B

mouth?”
    He wasn’t too drunk to try and manipulate her.
    Sarah left without responding. There was no point, but guilt plagued her all the way home, where she decided she couldn’t sit and wait. She changed her clothes, grabbed a plastic container from the fridge, and leashed her dog. “Let’s go see Rachel.”
    Bandit rode shotgun. Fifteen minutes later, she parked her minivan in front of her sister’s farmhouse and checked her messages. Her phone had beeped several times during the drive. Her phone showed three missed calls and messages, all from Troy. Though she suspected nothing was wrong, she pressed Listen with a nervous hand.
    His voicemails accelerated from “You didn’t answer my message” to “Are you fucking that guy?”
    Instead of responding, Sarah phoned her attorney and dumped the situation in his lap. He’d mostly behaved while they were separated, but now that the divorce was final, he was ignoring the rules.
    She got out of the van and collected her bowl. The dog jumped over the console and out of the car like a mountain goat, and Sarah slammed the door shut. Straining at the end of his leash, Bandit ran to the back door and barked. There was no need to ring the bell when she brought him along. She rubbed her aching arm. Though the sun shone from a clear sky, the March chill lodged in the knitted bone, a permanent reminder of Troy’s temper.
    “Hey.” Rachel let them into the mudroom and used a towel to wipe Bandit’s feet. “Where are the girls?”
    “With Troy.” Sarah stripped off her coat and carried her container through to the newly renovated kitchen. She set it on the island, and tossed her handbag on a counter stool. The little dog bolted past. His furry paws slid on the hardwood as he rounded a corner and ran out of the room.
    “How did it go?” Rachel washed her hands at the white-aproned farmhouse sink.
    “Troy picked them up at eight. Alex yelled, and Emma cried. By nine I had a call from my attorney that Troy is accusing me of spousal alienation, or turning his kids against him.”
    Rachel snorted. “Like he needs any help with that.”
    “It’s been a long day.” Sarah rubbed her forehead. “They’ll be home in two hours. Then I can relax. I really don’t want to talk about it right now.”
    “I’m sorry. He’s a bastard. That’s why you divorced him. Want some coffee?”
    “Please.” Sarah accepted a full mug and wrapped her cold fingers around it. Bandit trotted back into the kitchen, tail drooping.
    “Sorry, buddy, Mike’s not here.” Sarah leaned over and stroked his head “I had to lock him up when Troy picked up the kids. He caught Troy’s scent at the front door and went ballistic.”
    “Good dog.” Rachel tossed him a piece of cheese. “He’s a good judge of character.”
    “He hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be on the angry end of Troy’s boot.” Sarah straightened. She hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be on the wrong side of Troy’s temper either. But she couldn’t let her fear stunt the progress she was making. She’d made a lot of mistakes, but she was damned if she’d let them define her. She’d thought moving forward would be easier once the divorce was final and custody settled. But why was Troy so determined to control her? Every time he looked at her, she could feel hate emanating from his body, as toxic as a radiation leak. If she wasn’t careful, it would bloom into something malignant.
    Sarah peeled the plastic wrap from the bowl and opened Rachel’s utensil drawer for a couple of spoons. “Taste this.”
    Rachel gave it a suspicious sniff. “What is it?”
    “It’s a lemon pepper dipping sauce. Just taste it.” Sarah waved the spoon. “I promise. No vegetables.”
    Rachel tasted the sauce with the tip of her tongue like a child. “Oh, it’s good.”
    “Why are you always so surprised?” Sarah asked.
    Rachel licked the spoon clean. “I don’t like fancy food.”
    Sarah said, “My three-year-old