A Harmless Little Game (Harmless #1)

 

And that makes her dangerous, too.

 

“I’m sure my MBA is better resume material than your degree, Lindsay. Where did you get it again? During your stay at the mental institution? You were there for four years, right? Did they give your daddy a bulk-rate discount?”

 

Stepping closer, she tries to physically intimidate me in addition to her verbal onslaught. Taller because of her heels, she towers over me.

 

Come here, my pretty....

 

Drew steps closer out of protection. Mandy and Jenna just come in to watch what they think is about to be an entertaining catfight.

 

Drew’s slow inhale tells me he’s getting pissed on my behalf, but it’s fine. Really. She’s walking right into my trap, and if I play this just right—

 

“You would know all about daddies and bulk discounts now, wouldn’t you, Tara? Sugar daddies, that is. You’re the expert.”

 

I say it low enough that everyone around us can hear, but if there’s sound on a video camera, it might not pick my words up.

 

Mandy shrieks with surprise, tittering in the background as it happens. Tara reaches for me. I step back.

 

“You slutty little no-good bitch,” she growls.

 

“Whats the matter, Tara? Can’t handle it when your victim can actually talk back?”

 

She reaches out with her fingers, curled like talons, and touches my shirt. Her face is a mask of pure hatred. I have no idea what I did four years ago to deserve what she did to me then, and I’ve never seen her this angry. The fact that she’s reacting like this, and that her rage is bubbling beneath her fake-pretty surface is telling.

 

I pivot just enough to teeter on my heels, then free fall backwards, letting myself, making sure her back is facing the shop wall.

 

The distance between us is inches. Her arm is stretched out as if she’s pushing. I grab the strap of her purse right at her breastbone and yank her with me.

 

SPLASH!

 

I push off from the wall of the pier and get over to the left as fast as possible, the shock of water and swimming all I can think of. Tara’s thrashing beside me. She’s a strong swimmer, but her purse floats on the surface, makeup and receipts and dollars starting to ripple out of it. Two big shopping bags she had on one arm are half-floating, half-sinking.

 

I go back under so I don’t have to listen to her screaming at me. When I come back up, I surface at the wall and look to see Drew right there, an arm extended to help me up, his palm open.

 

I take it.

 

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!” Tara is screaming. “You did that on purpose!”

 

Wedging one foot on the wall, I use my other knee to climb out, Drew’s arm much stronger than I judged. The force of his pull upward has me on land. I don’t dare sit down, because I need to be ready to run.

 

“Lindsay didn’t do anything, Tara. You did,” Drew says evenly to her. He turns to me. “You okay?”

 

All I can do is nod.

 

“WHAT!” Tara sputters. Her shopping bags look like the Titanic, unable to maintain buoyancy beyond a certain point. “OMIGOD, Mandy and Jenna, help me!”

 

They both look like deer caught in headlights.

 

“What should we do?” Jenna asks.

 

“Drew! Help me out!”

 

“I’m assigned to Lindsay. She’s my security priority,” he snaps.

 

Tara’s swishing and splashing in the water. I have to bite my lips not to laugh. Drew gives me a speculative look, like it’s occurring to him that maybe I’m not so innocent after all.

 

Not in this instance.

 

Tara’s not wearing waterproof mascara. She starts to look like a deranged football linebacker. She’s treading water and screaming. Local security officers start to appear, men in their sixties, with grey Santa-like beards and bald heads, friendly and concerned.

 

“What’s going on?” one of them asks no one in particular.

 

“SHE PUSHED ME IN!” Tara screams, pointing to me. As she lifts her arm, her purse strap floats off and the entire bag starts to sink.

 

“Quit lying, Tara,” Drew says evenly. He looks at the security guard and rolls his eyes, thumbing toward the water. “That one is a little...you know.” He twirls his finger around his ear in a universal gesture.

 

Mandy gives Drew the side-eye. Jenna giggles.

 

One of the other officers tosses a red flotation device to Tara, who grabs it and screams, “My clothes! My purse! Someone get in here and find everything!”

 

No one moves.

 

“You’ll pay for this, Lindsay! I’m filing assault charges against you!”

 

“We have video surveillance of this entire area, ma’am,” one of the security guards assures her. “We can review those tapes and provide them to the police so they can make whatever determination they need to make.”

 

“Good!” she crows. “Because this crazy little bitch just got out of the nuthouse and now she’s stalking me!”