It was happening again, Sheridan could feel it: the spiralling descent into oblivion she had clawed her way out of before. Roz was beginning to feel more like an unwanted pet every day. With Daniel gone, it was easier to pretend Roz wasn’t there at all. Sheridan had enjoyed playing with her in the beginning, but a show of power is only fun with an audience. Daniel was her safety net. With him, she knew how far she could take things. Without him, she could not trust herself with Roz alone. Why did he have to go away now, of all times? She loved the baby with all her heart, but Daniel had been right. It was all too much for her.
Lately, all she could see was Kelly’s face. Sleep deprivation brought waking nightmares as the young woman haunted her thoughts. It didn’t help that Leo was looking more like her every day. It had gotten to the stage where she could barely look him in the eye. It wasn’t his fault, which was why she had to put an end to this while Daniel was away. She picked up her phone. Inviting Mike to her home felt like a betrayal; Daniel would not be happy to have him under their roof. The phone rang only once before Mike picked up.
‘I need another favour . . . I wouldn’t ask unless it was important.’ There was an edge to Sheridan’s voice as formalities were dispensed with.
‘Hey, Sherry baby, are you all alone? I take it that’s why you’re ringing me from home.’
Shit, Sheridan thought. He must have saved the number on his phone. She was distracted, unfocused, and had broken the rules by not using a burner phone. ‘Daniel’s on location in Washington. He won’t be back for another week.’
She paced the floor, trying to straighten her thoughts. ‘I need you to come here. I have a job for you . . .’ A pause fell. ‘It’s time-sensitive. It won’t wait.’ Her muscles tensed. The thought of having Mike in her home made her skin crawl. It was an invasion of privacy afforded to the very few, and after their last meeting, she could guess the thoughts running through his mind.
‘I take it you’re after more than my company,’ Mike said. ‘When do you want me?’
She could almost hear the smile playing on his lips. She was grinding her back teeth so hard her jaw began to hurt. ‘Tonight. I need it done before Daniel gets back.’
She listened as he drew on the cigarette he was smoking, exhaled a long breath. ‘That’s short notice, baby. How much trouble is this going to get me in?’
‘It won’t get you into trouble if you keep it to yourself. I’ve been good to you, Mike . . .’
‘Yeah, and from what I remember, I’ve paid that debt in full. Or have you forgotten about your mom?’
Sheridan flinched. His words were a loaded gun.
‘Why do you keep coming back to me?’ Mike continued. ‘Surely someone else can do your dirty work.’
Sheridan pursed her lips as a swear word skimmed her tongue. It wasn’t as if he’d had to do a lot. Just let himself into her mother’s house and set the scene. A quick push down the stairs in exchange for a wad of money and a lifetime of health insurance. But she kept her thoughts to herself. You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar . . . Ironically, it was one of her mother’s sayings that popped into her mind. She thought her mother’s death would put an end to the memories of her. She was wrong. Sheridan fixed her smile and softened her words as she resumed playing her part.
The air conditioning came on automatically, making Sheridan spin around at the sudden whirring sound. She had sent the staff home, apart from the nanny, who was upstairs giving Leo a bath and knew better than to eavesdrop on Sheridan. One bad reference from her and the girl would never work in New York again.
She returned her attention to Mike, the words rolling off her tongue like scripted lines. ‘You and I, we go back a long way. You were my first kiss. You don’t forget stuff like that.’
She paced the tiled floor, waiting for his response. Wondering if she’d said enough. She would have to handle this carefully – reel him in, but not too much. Mike was strong, with enough muscle to overpower her if his frustrations