"Be quiet!" Tiffany broke in. "You're talking too loud. Just get rid of her."
He let go and folded his arms. "What if I don't want to get rid of her?
What if I want another pet--a mother-daughter combo?"
Tiffany's knees went weak. She'd been afraid of this, afraid of where her husband's mind had been wandering. "We can't keep her!"
"She won't be able to escape any easier than Sam. And she'll be no harder to dispose of when we're through."
"She's not a child. She'll be cunning, more resourceful, stronger. So it will be different. And who knows how many people she told that she was coming here for dinner?"
"But imagine how she'd react to finding her daughter again. In a way, we'd be doing her a favor." He laughed, cocking his head as he gazed down at her. "We'd be giving her what she wants."
And what he wanted at the same time. He couldn't wait to witness that painful moment when she realized she'd been stabbed in the back by someone she considered a friend.
Tiffany bit her lip. Sometimes he truly frightened her.... "Colin, no--"
"Yes! Then she'll understand that you and I have an open relationship.
That she doesn't have to resist her attraction to me," he argued. "You're a big stumbling block for her. I can tell. All she does is talk about you."
Tiffany felt her jaw drop. She was losing Colin, and this was proof.
That realization alone was enough to make her feel faint. As much as he frightened her, she was more frightened of living without him. "We don't have an open relationship," she breathed.
"You're going to have sex with my friends tonight. What do you call that?"
"You're the one who begged me to go along with it!"
"But if I don't mind, you shouldn't mind. I told you, casual sex is casual sex. It's just for kicks, a new twist to an old party."
"Kicks? We'd be slitting our own throats if you kidnapped Zoe. Don't even think about it."
He pressed her up against the counter and started kissing her neck.
"Come on, babe. For me?"
She began to waver, as she always did when he pleaded with her.
Colin was so much fun--and so loving--when he was happy. But it was getting harder and harder to keep him happy. "She's been in constant touch with the police and that investigator. What if she mentioned her dinner here?" she asked again.
"Why would she? It's dinner at a neighbor's. She doesn't give them a schedule, only a phone number where they can reach her if they find Sam."
Tiffany heard the flush of the toilet, knew they were running out of time. "It's too risky."
"Come on. Even if she told them she was having dinner with us, I can cover."
"How?" she whispered.
"Leave that to me."
"But I don't want to do this!"
"Sure you do. When I'm done using the collar on her, we'll let James and Tommy have her."
Now Tiffany knew Colin was going too far. "Then James and Tommy will know she was with us!"
"We'll give her a roofie, tie her up and put a bag over her head. They'll be so high they'll think she's a friend of yours and it's all in fun. Anyone would struggle being choked by that collar. That's the exciting part."
She wouldn't struggle if they mixed the roofie with more alcohol.
She'd be completely out of it.
Tiffany curved her nails into her palms. Was that all it would take?
Some drugs and a few hours? If Colin got what he wanted, would he be satisfied?
Temptation beckoned. She couldn't tolerate his sudden crush on their former neighbor. Not only was Zoe pretty, she was a few years older and would probably be more of a challenge to Colin's intellect, keep him interested longer.
Tiffany refused to go back to being undesired. Anything but that.
Which meant she had to put an end to his infatuation permanently--or she'd have to wonder if her husband was dreaming about another woman. If he continued to pursue Zoe and it turned into a full-fledged affair, Tiffany stood to lose a lot more than if she gave him one night of sexual freedom. Colin knew how to charm people. Tiffany could easily imagine him buying Zoe flowers and jewelry and supporting her in her grief until he'd worked his way into her affections. Better to give him what he wanted now than to pay a higher price later.
"What do you say?" he coaxed, caressing her br**sts. "Will you let me do it?"
Her resolve slipped even further. She loved it when he treated her with such tenderness. "How can we manage it?"
The faucet in the bathroom was turned off as he removed a foil-wrapped packet from his pocket. "Put this in her drink. She'll never expect it coming from you."
She stared at the little white pill inside the bubble. She'd seen Rohypnol before, had even taken it for Colin a time or two, because he'd been curious to see how long it took to work and what she'd remember afterward.
"If I do this, you have to kill her. I won't have her living in my house."
At least then it would be over; Zoe would never be a threat again.
"You're getting vicious," he teased, pulling her earlobe into his mouth.
"I guess it's true what they say about jealousy."
Tiffany imagined her former neighbor drying her hands, oblivious to what they had planned for her. "Is that a yes?"
"I'd rather not have to get rid of her so soon. She'd make a great pet."
He gave an exaggerated sigh. "But...one pet's enough, I suppose."
"So you'll do it?" she said. "Tonight's the end?"
"If that's what it'll take to get you to agree."
The door opened down the hall, and Tiffany's heart jumped into overdrive. "Colin, wait. I don't think I can go through with it."
"Sure you can." With a smile and an encouraging nod, he put the pill in her palm and closed her fingers around it. "She's a snooty bitch. She deserves it."
The high he'd achieved just before he left work was already wearing off. A single line never lasted long, only about an hour. Colin wanted to snort some more--he had a baggie of cocaine in his briefcase--but he forced himself to wait.
That'll come later. It's gonna be one hell of a night.
Now that he knew he'd get what he wanted, and soon, he could forget the frustration he'd felt before and focus on the charade, the image he and Tiffany needed to portray in order to make it all happen. We're just a fine, upstanding young couple eager to help our neighbors and the community.
See? He perfected his expression of concern. Look at me working hard to organize this search.