Taken by Barbara Freethy

held the back door open for him. He sauntered over, taking his time. He had not called this meeting, nor did he want it, but for the moment he would go along. . . .
    “You’re late,” Evan said, as he slipped onto the plush leather seat.
    “Do you have it?”
    His fingers curled around the watch in his pocket.
    “No,” he said. “Your information was wrong. You wasted my time.”
    “As you wasted mine. You took too long with that woman.”
    “I had my reasons.”
    “I don’t care about your reasons. I want results. We have only a few weeks to put the rest of our plan in motion, and failure is not an option.”
    “I never fail,” Evan replied. He got out of the car and shut the door quietly behind him. The limo disappeared into the night — as did he.

    3
    Evan Chadwick. The name ran around in his head like a maddening refrain from an old song. Nick couldn’t shake it loose; nor could he rid himself of the image of Evan on his wedding day dressed in a black tuxedo, a red rose boutonniere in his lapel, a knowing smile on his face, as if he couldn’t wait for Nick to know exactly what he had done. Damn him!
    Nick wanted to shout the words. He wanted to punch someone, preferably Evan, but he couldn’t do anything but drive, his hands curled around the steering wheel of the Porsche Evan had bought with his money. Damn him!
    “Are you all right?” Kayla asked, worry in her voice.
    “You’re going awfully fast.” She braced her hand against the door as he maneuvered around a bus, weaving in and out of lanes to avoid the slower traffic.
    “We’re in a sports car. We’re supposed to go fast,” he snapped back.
    “Look, I know you’re angry —”
    “You don’t know the half of it.” The tires squealed as he spun around a corner.

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    Barbara Freethy
    “If we die in a car crash, Evan wins,” Kayla said. “Do you want that?”
    Her words cut through his rage, and he eased his foot off the gas, realizing she was right. He wouldn’t give Evan the satisfaction of dying before he got even. Instead of blasting his way through the yellow light, he brought the car to a crashing halt, almost throwing them both through the windshield. “Sorry,” he muttered.
    Kayla shot him a wary look and straightened in her seat. “Why don’t you take a breath? Get a grip.”
    “I’m trying.”
    “Try harder. Or should I get out of the car right now?”
    she challenged, her hand hovering over the door handle.
    “I’m fine. Stay. Please,” he added. He couldn’t afford to alienate Kayla. She was the only lead he had.
    After a momentary hesitation, she let go of the handle and straightened in her seat. “All right. But slow down.”
    “I will. I’m just so pissed off,” he confessed. “I can’t believe Evan came back into my life and ripped me off. I should have paid attention, seen it coming. I shouldn’t have let my guard down, but it’s been so long. I never thought I’d see him again.”
    “How long exactly?” Kayla asked.
    “Twelve years. We met when we were juniors in college. We only knew each other a few months before everything blew up.” At her questioning look, he shrugged. “It’s a long, complicated story.”
    “Give me the short version.”
    He hit the gas as the light turned green, careful to keep his speed down as he maneuvered through the busy streets. “I thought Evan was just an ordinary college kid.
    But it quickly became apparent that he was far more interested in making money off his fellow students than get-TA K E N
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    ting an education. He ran cons, Kayla. Card games with marked cards, housekeeping services that were a front for prostitution. He sold drugs to kids who needed to stay up all night studying, and if someone needed copies of tests, he hacked into the college computer system and found them. Of course, it took me a while to realize what he was doing. By that time he was involved with my sister Jenny.
    I tried to convince her he was no good. She wouldn’t listen. I