Taken by Barbara Freethy Page A

decided to take him down right in front of her. Unfortunately, things went bad, and . . .” He stumbled, wishing he didn’t have to go back down that road, but it was too late now. He was already there, and maybe it was a good thing. He needed to remember just how dangerous Evan could be.
    “And what?” Kayla prodded.
    “Jenny got stabbed. She took a knife for Evan, and he left her bleeding on the floor.”
    “Oh, my God!” she breathed.
    “It was my fault Jenny got hurt. I blew it. I didn’t protect her.” He could still see his sister’s white face, her lifeless body, the slash of blood across her chest. He’d been terrified that he’d lost her.
    “Was she all right?” Kayla asked.
    “Eventually.”
    “And Evan?”
    “He went to jail and swore he’d get even.” Nick paused, remembering that day in the courthouse when Evan had been convicted, primarily due to Nick’s testi-mony. Evan had turned to give him one last hateful smile, and he’d said, “Someday, Nick, when you least expect it, I’ll pay you back.” Apparently that day was now.
    “I guess we know why he went after you,” Kayla said heavily. “But it happened so long ago. Why now?”

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    Barbara Freethy
    “I don’t know.”
    “And why me? How do you and I go together?”
    He couldn’t answer that question either. “That’s what we have to find out,” he said. “Hopefully your grandmother will be able to tell us more about the watch.” He paused as a two-story development of town houses near the Embarcadero came into view. “Is this it?”
    “Yes, her unit is down at the end. I think there’s a spot right in front.”
    He pulled into a nearby space and shut off the engine.
    He was out of the car before he realized that Kayla hadn’t moved. He leaned back inside. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you getting out?”
    “I’m trying to figure out how to tell my grandmother that I married a thief without giving her a heart attack.
    She’s an elderly woman. She lives a quiet life. This news will upset her. Yesterday I thought I was married to one guy. Now it turns out I’m married to another. None of this will be easy to explain.”
    He started at her words. Evan had married her using his name. He’d probably enjoyed that the most.
    “I didn’t mean I was married to you,” Kayla said quickly. “In fact, the marriage can’t be legal, because Evan used your name. Right?”
    “Right. I’m sure it’s not legal, but it’s another piece of red tape to untangle. Let’s talk to your grandmother. We have to find Evan before he can do any more damage.”
    “Is that even possible? What else is left for him to do?”
    “We won’t know that until we figure out what he’s after.”
    Kayla took her time getting out of the car. Nick was in a rush to learn the truth. He would roll right over her if she got in his way. But she wasn’t worried about herself TA K E N
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    as much as her grandmother. She wanted to make sure they did this as painlessly as possible. She put a hand on Nick’s arm. “Wait. Before we go inside, I want you to promise to let me handle this. I don’t want to upset my grandmother any more than I have to.”
    Nick looked like he wanted to argue, but thought better of it. “Fine. Just get the answers we need, and I won’t say a word.”
    They walked up the path to the front door. As Kayla put her finger on the buzzer, she could hear laughter and loud voices coming from inside the apartment.
    “Sounds like a party,” Nick commented. “I thought you said your grandmother lived a quiet life.”
    “She does,” she replied with a frown. As far as she knew her grandmother spent most evenings reading or watching television. “Maybe it’s her bridge night,” she said. Kayla rang the bell again. No one answered. She tried the door. It swung open. “I guess we might as well go in.”
    As she entered with Nick on her heels, she saw her grandmother sitting at her dining room table with three other women. They