All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [52]
"Laura came to me and said she wanted to have sex with Drew."
"I said I wanted to make love," Laura corrected.
"Whatever."
"Okay, fine." Natalie tried to remember the point of their conversation. "If Drew was planning Laura's seduction, why was he in Emily's room? Did she know about it, too?"
"Did she?" Laura echoed.
"No, that was about something else," Madison replied.
"What?" Natalie asked.
"I don't know. Drew said he had to speak to Emily before Laura came upstairs, and I should go downstairs and stall. So I went to find Laura."
"But you didn't find me. I didn't even see you downstairs," Laura said in confusion.
"It was crowded. I got distracted by some guys. The next thing I knew everyone was screaming and running outside ..." Her voice drifted away as they were all taken back to a time and place where they didn't want to go.
"So you never actually saw Drew in Emily's room," Laura said finally. "You don't know if he spoke to her or not."
"He told me he wasn't upstairs at all," Natalie said. "He told Cole and me that this afternoon when we were at your house. Why did he lie?"
"Probably because he thought you would accuse him of something," Laura said. "Look, he may not be the world's best husband, but he's not a bad person, and he didn't have anything to do with Emily's death. I know that for sure. You have to trust me."
Natalie wondered how any of them could trust each other. They had a decade of distance between them, and despite the warmth of their reunion, there were lots of things they no longer knew about each other. In fact ... Her gaze drifted over to Madison. "There's something else I've been wondering about since this afternoon," she said. "Dylan."
Madison set down her wineglass. "What about Dylan?"
"I remember seeing him at the sorority house that night. Was he with Emily? Or was he with you?"
"He sure as hell wasn't with me," Madison replied. "He wouldn't give me the time of day back then. Actually, he's not too crazy about me right now, but I'm working on him."
"Why?" Laura asked. "Why would you want to work on him?"
Natalie knew why. Because Madison had always had a thing for Dylan, and now that they had found themselves in the same town, she was determined to change his mind about her. "Because she hates to lose when it comes to men, isn't that right, Maddie?"
"I haven't lost yet."
"What are you two talking about?" Laura asked.
"Madison wants Dylan," Natalie said, looking Madison straight in the eye. "She wanted him when we were in Santa Cruz, and apparently she still wants him now."
"That's not completely true," Madison replied with a wicked smile. "I want him to want me. Then we'll see what I want."
"You're playing a dangerous game," Natalie said. "Dylan was never an easy man. He was moody, unpredictable, rude, and from what I can see that hasn't changed. He certainly doesn't care for me. He told Cole he wouldn't be surprised if I had pushed Emily off the roof."
"He didn't like you because you were always getting in his way, encouraging Emily to study instead of going to the magic club with him," Madison pointed out. "And I only play games that are dangerous. The rest are just too boring."
Her comment struck Natalie wrong. "Is this a game for you? Are you the one who did this, Madison? Is this book one of your dangerous games? Because if it is, your life from here on out will not in any way be boring. I can promise you that."
"If I was playing a game, do you think I'd tell you?" Madison answered. "But as it happens, I'm not."
Natalie searched Madison's eyes and saw nothing but the truth. "I don't want it to be you, Maddie. Not you. Not Laura. I couldn't take it if either of you was the one sticking the knife in my back."
Her words lingered in the air long after she'd said them, and the fact that neither Madison nor Laura immediately jumped into the silence did not reassure her of their innocence. Still, if one of them had gone to so much trouble to hide themselves behind Garrett Malone, it was ludicrous to think they would suddenly