Betrayal by Fern Michaels

point. Is Sara all right or what?”
    â€œNo, she’s not, Alex. She’s in a very bad way. Deb has had to take her to the hospital twice in the past two weeks. She’s been having anxiety attacks since she left your house. The doctor gave her sedatives to calm her.”
    Alex shook his head, hoping to clear the alcohol fog in his brain. He still couldn’t understand why Don was telling him all of this. Maybe he needed money? That had to be it. Maybe Sara needed to be hospitalized, and he couldn’t come up with the cash.
    â€œListen, Don, you know if you need money for hospital bills, just say the word, and it’s yours. I’ll have my bank wire it first thing in the morning.”
    â€œI don’t need your damn money, Alex. I need you to shut up and listen to what I have to say. Just one time, I wish you wouldn’t mention money.”
    Alex was puzzled. Don had never had trouble accepting loans from him in the past. Had his pride kicked in all of a sudden? Alex didn’t care if Don paid him back or not. They’d been best friends since elementary school, they were as close as brothers. Maybe even more. Money was beside the point as far as Alex was concerned. He had plenty of it to share with his friend. He’d always made sure Don knew that, too.
    â€œHey, I’m sorry. What’s wrong, Don?”
    Alex could hear Don’s intake of breath. “This isn’t easy for me, Alex.”
    â€œOkay. Just spit it out. We can deal with it, no matter what it is.”
    â€œSara . . . she says the last time you guys came to Florida to visit us . . . she says you, uh . . . you touched her, Alex. Sara says you touched her in an inappropriate way.”
    Silence. And more silence.
    Alex’s hand shook, and he felt the blood flow from his face to his feet. Surely he hadn’t heard what he thought he’d just heard. “Say it again, Don. I’m not quite sure I heard you. Apparently, I did have too much to drink.”
    â€œI think you heard me right the first time. Sara says you’ve been touching her for years. She says it only happens when you all come to our house to visit, except for one time during Easter break. Goddamn you, Alex! How could you? She’s just a little girl! I swear, if I was in the same room with you right now, I would kill you with my bare hands! You son of a bitch! Do you realize what you’ve done to her? You’ve ruined her for the rest of her damned life,” Don sobbed into the receiver. “You bastard, I loved you. And now look at us.”
    More silence.
    Alex cleared his throat. He downed the cup of cold coffee in front of him. His hands trembled like dry leaves. “I don’t know what to say, Don. This is . . . I don’t know why . . . I would never . . . Let me talk to Sara. She’s just, hell I don’t know what I’m saying.”
    â€œThere isn’t anything left to say. You’ve molested my daughter. My best friend, more dear than a brother to me. I don’t think there are any appropriate words for a conversation of this nature. You’ve ruined my little girl, Alex. I’ll see you in hell before I allow you to get away with this. I will see you in hell, old man!” Don shouted, then slammed the phone in Alex’s ear.
    He continued to hold on to the phone as though it were a lifeline of sorts. If he hung it up and acknowledged his conversation with Don, that would make it real. There had to be an explanation. Surely, Don was playing a cruel joke. But to do so at Sara’s expense wasn’t like Don. He could be a prankster, but this went too far, even for Don. No, there had to be another explanation. Maybe he had a bet with a friend down there in Florida, maybe Don just wanted to see how many hoops he’d jump through before he got in his truck and hightailed it to Florida to kick his ass. But that was too lame even for Don. The only possible explanation—and