Sasha smiled. “What do you want?”

“I’ll have a large hot apple cider with caramel. Oh, and a slice of their Lemon Velvet cake.”

“I know it’s summer, but I can get you an iced coffee if you’d prefer.” I shook my head, and Sasha’s expression changed quickly from confusion to understanding. “Oh, right. The baby. Okay, I’ll be back in twenty.”

I smiled. “I’ll be here.”

My keys jingled in Sasha’s hand as she disappeared behind the elevator. I leaned against the wall, wondering if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. How could I trust Sasha with my most precious possession? She hated me.

I bit on my thumbnail, and paced back and forth a few times. I thought about the different items in my car. Would she go through it? Was anything incriminating inside that might hint at the truth about Jared? My cell phone rang in my pocket. I quickly fished it out.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“Then why is your blood pressure going through the roof?” Jared said. His voice alone slowed my heart rate. “I can stop her if you don’t want her to take your car.”

I walked through my office to the large window, looking down to the street below. “Yes, because that won’t look suspicious at all.” The lights of Fleet Rink were bright enough to illuminate the entire block, and I watched as Sasha followed the sidewalk, her red hair bouncing against her silk olive blouse. The headlamps of the Beemer blinked, and a short blip sounded when the alarm was deactivated.

“Her car seems in good shape,” Jared said, trying to comfort me. He was in the Escalade across the street, pressing the cell phone against his ear as he smiled up at me.

I took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I’m worried. It’s only a mile awa—” I began, but the words were cut off by a loud boom. In the same moment, the space where my car once sat turned into a billowing fireball. The glass vibrated, but it didn’t break. The windows of the Escalade didn’t fare so well. I could see Jared’s shocked expression as he sat in the driver’s seat. Flaming debris shot into the sky and fell into the street.

“Oh my God! Help her, Jared! Help her!” I screamed.

“Stay inside!” Jared yelled over the noise. He jumped from the Escalade and ran to the roaring flames. He covered his face with his arm, testing different sides of the car. I could see from three stories up that he couldn’t breach the flames. Even if he had, Sasha was gone.