Taken (32 page)

Barbara Freethy

Jenny cast her a surprised look, as if she’d forgotten Kayla was there. “What?”

“Why did you call Nick today? Did something happen?”

“Yes,” Jenny admitted. “Evan came by earlier. He scared me. There was a gleam in his eyes that was a little off. He kept talking about impressing me with something.

And then he started talking about getting together, being a couple, making a family, the family we should have had. I said we’d never be together again, but he just laughed. And he said I’d see.” Jenny sat down on a nearby bench. She let out a breath of relief at finally having finished it all. “I’m sorry, Nick — sorry I let you down in so many ways. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t.”

Nick stared at her, his face cold, masking his every emotion. Kayla had never seen him look so . . . sad. That was it, she realized. It was sadness more than anger, hurt that his family had left him out of something so important. She knew that feeling. She’d spent most of her life feeling exactly that way. There were no words to make it better. Maybe nothing even Jenny could say.

“Did Evan tell you anything else today?” Nick asked a moment later, obviously finished with the personal end of their conversation. “Did he discuss his plans with you —

his plans for Kayla and me, maybe the fact that he tampered with the brakes on Kayla’s car and almost got us killed yesterday?”

Jenny’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“You heard me. We ran off the road in the mountains.

We were coming back from Reno — where Evan was, by the way.”

“He didn’t say anything about you or Kayla,” Jenny replied. “He just said that you think you know what he’s
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after, but you don’t. I’m sure he wanted me to tell you that. He was very deliberate in the way he said it.”

Kayla tensed. “What did he mean?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Jenny replied. “He smiled as if it were some sort of inside joke. And then he said he’d see me around.”

“What the hell is he up to?” Nick muttered.

Kayla sat down next to Jenny. “You know him, right?

Better than we do. Why do you think he does what he does? What’s your theory?” She put up a hand as Nick started to interrupt. “I know your opinion. I want to hear what Jenny thinks.”

Jenny gave her a sad smile. “Evan wants to belong. He wants to have a family, be a part of something. He was abused as a child and left to live on the streets. He didn’t grow up with the moral boundaries that we did. You know why he cheated his way into Berkeley? Because he wanted to know what it was like to be a carefree college kid. He wanted to have that experience. He told me that once, and I believed him, because I could see that it was true. Evan has had to lie to survive. I’m not saying it excuses what he does, but you asked me what I thought,”

she added. “I think Evan tries to fit in by taking over someone else’s life. I suspect that’s why he lived at your apartment for so long, Nick. He didn’t just want to rob you. He wanted to be you.”

“That’s sick.”

“I think he
is
sick,” Jenny admitted.

“I think so, too,” Kayla muttered.

“Which makes him dangerous,” Nick said. “Can we all agree on that?”

Jenny nodded. “Yes. And I promise, no more secrets.

You’ll know what I know as soon as I know it. But right
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now I really have to go back to work. I have customers.”

She got to her feet and gave Nick a hesitant, searching look, as if she weren’t sure whether or not she should hug him. In the end she just left.

Kayla stood up. “Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m terrific.”

“Okay, that was a little sarcastic.”

“My sister lied to me,” Nick said angrily. “My mother and my other sister covered it up. They all kept a secret from me. I don’t get it.”

“They were going to tell you when the baby was born.”

“Were they?”

“You would have eventually seen a baby. I know there’s nothing I can say that will make this right, so I’m not going to try to talk you out of being mad. But you need to stay focused. If Jenny, Evan’s best friend of all time, thinks he’s nuts, then he is. And we have to figure out what his next move is before he makes it. Let’s go home. We can check in with J.T. and formulate a plan of attack.” When Nick didn’t move, she took his hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

He gazed down at her. “You can’t make that promise Kayla.”

“You’re right, but I can make this promise: I’ll never lie to you. I’ll never keep a secret from you. And whatever it takes, I’m in this with you until the end. Okay?”

“You might be sorry —”

“I won’t,” she said. “I won’t be sorry. Now give me the keys. I’m driving. You need to catch your breath.”

Nick didn’t know how he could catch his breath when his heart was racing and a thousand hammers of frustra-TA K E N

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tion were pounding against his temple. He couldn’t believe his own sister had lied to him. He’d done everything he could to make sure Jenny was happy, that she had everything she needed. He’d never asked her to do anything in return, except stay away from Evan, and she couldn’t do that one thing, not even now, not even knowing that Evan had robbed him of his life. Jenny had chosen Evan over him again and again and again.

The knowledge burned through his gut, making his stomach churn. It reminded him of how he’d felt when his father had walked out, choosing someone else over him, over his mother, over his sisters. Where the hell was the loyalty? Wasn’t blood supposed to mean something?

Wasn’t family supposed to stick together? Obviously not his family.

He released a breath and rolled down the window, letting the air blow through the car. Kayla turned on the radio, searching for some music. He appreciated her lack of conversation. He needed to think.

A few minutes later, Kayla took an unexpected turn.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m hungry,” she said. “How about a late lunch? I know a great chowder place on Pier Twenty-three. What do you think? Feel like a little break?”

“We have a lot to do.” His protest was halfhearted. His conversation with Jenny had left him unsettled. He needed to get his feet back under him before they made another move.

“We’ll talk while we eat.”

“All right.”

The trip across town was fast and easy. They found a parking place right by the pier and even managed to snag one of the coveted outdoor tables on a deck along the bay.

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The sun was shining. The water was shimmering, and there was just enough wind to keep the air cool.

Nick immediately began to relax. He’d been feeling trapped ever since he’d come home and discovered that Evan had stolen his life. The view reminded him that the world was much bigger than the one he’d been living in the last week.

The waiter brought them drinks and an array of appe-tizers, from California rolls to fried zucchini, onion strings and beef ribs. Kayla thought it would be more fun to order a bunch of little dishes and share. And it was clear she was feeling more relaxed. The breeze was blowing through her long brown hair, but she didn’t seem to care. She wasn’t the kind of woman who had to be styled and perfectly made up every second of the day. She had a natural beauty: rosy cheeks, big eyes, long lashes, a sexy mouth. Even now, with her face scratched and cut, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

One look at her and he wanted her again, beneath him, on top of him, surrounding him. Making love to her was fast becoming an addiction he wasn’t sure he’d be able to beat. Someday they would have to talk about it. But not today.

Kayla glanced over at him. “Are you feeling better?”

He could see the concern in her eyes and appreciated the simplicity of her question. She hadn’t pushed for more discussion on Jenny or Evan, and for that he was grateful. “I’m okay,” he said, taking a sip of water. “It’s just been a long couple of days.”

“You can say that again. And by the way, I don’t think I’ll be taking any mountain drives in the near future. That
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crash really spooked me.” She shuddered at the memory.

“I can’t believe we didn’t die.”

“It was amazingly lucky.”

“It wouldn’t have been your fault, you know.”

He shrugged. “I was driving. I should have anticipated —”

“How could you have guessed someone would tamper with the brakes?” she cut in.

“Well, someone did knock me over the head and grab you. They didn’t get what they wanted. I should have figured they’d try again.”

“And they might try again,” Kayla said. “I know that, Nick. I’ve got my eyes wide-open. I’m looking out for myself and for you, and I know you’re doing the same.

That’s the best we can do right now. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re responsible for everything, for me specifically.”

As if he could ever not feel that way. “It’s my nature, Kayla. It’s who I am.”

She met his gaze, and he could see that she understood. “I know, Nick. But try not to be so hard on yourself. We’re not dealing with a rational person. Evan is a madman. He’s not predictable. He could do anything at any time. He could be anywhere.” She looked around as she finished speaking and tipped her head toward a man sitting alone, a newspaper in front of his face. “He could be that guy.”

Nick started, wondering if she was right. Then the waiter brought food to the man and he set his paper down, revealing a round face and a bald head.

“Okay, maybe not that guy,” Kayla said. “But you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

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“I will admit that I’m glad you’re with me,” she added.

“Evan has me rattled.”

“You hide it well.”

She sipped her Diet Coke, then said, “I want to stop by my grandmother’s house after this, check in with her.”

“Good idea.” He paused as a small band began to warm up behind the bar area.

“I think we’re going to have music,” she said.

“Looks like it. I used to play the guitar. Not that well, though.”

“Really?” she asked, resting her arms on the table. “I don’t picture you as the guitar-picking type. You seem a little too tense for that.”

“Are you saying I’m uptight?”

“No, just driven. You’re not someone who can easily relax or let go of the little things.”

“I’m afraid if I let go, all the balls I’m juggling will come tumbling down.”

“Maybe that would be a good thing,” she suggested.

“Perhaps you try to do too much.”

He sat back in his chair. “You might be right. I’ve been running for so long, I’ve forgotten how to go slow — if I ever knew. My jobs are always on deadline, with money riding on every second of delay. There’s a lot of pressure all the time. When I work on site, I work sixty-hour weeks. I barely sleep. The time just flies by. I look up and suddenly realize it’s been three months, and I thought it was more like three weeks.”

“I know what it means to get lost in work. At least it’s a happy lost. You love what you’re doing. I bet you’re good at it. You’re a smart man, very intuitive, purposeful.”

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“And I think you’re very intuitive for noticing how great I am,” he teased.

“Am I getting too complimentary for you? Making you uncomfortable?”

Her wide-eyed smile always made him uncomfortable.

“No. You can stroke my . . . ego . . . anytime.”

She laughed. “That was bad.”

He grinned back at her, wishing there weren’t a table between them. He wanted to kiss her long and hard until she was breathless, until she made those soft little sounds in the back of her throat that drove him crazy. He wanted to touch her, circle her breasts with his hands, slide into her warmth. . . . He cleared his throat and reached for his water again. A cold shower would have been better, and for a moment he was tempted to dump the water over his head, but he managed to refrain.

“We should get the check,” he said.

“You’re in a sudden hurry.”

“I am,” he agreed, giving her a look she couldn’t mistake.

She bit down on her bottom lip. “Oh.”

“Oh,” he echoed, waving to the waiter.

As he paid the bill, Kayla’s cell phone rang. She immediately stiffened. “If that’s Evan, I really don’t want to talk to him right now.”

“Do you want me to answer it?”

She let out a sigh. “I’m a big girl. I’ll do it.” Opening her phone, she said, “Hello? Yes, this is Kayla Sheridan.”

She paused, listening. “Oh, my God!” She put a hand to her mouth. “Yes, of course I’ll come. Right away. Thank you.” She hung up the phone and gave him a panicked look. “That was the hospital. My grandmother passed
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out. It might be a heart attack or a stroke. They don’t know yet. They’re running tests. I have to go there.”

Nick threw enough money down to cover their bill and they headed out of the restaurant. He took the keys from her hand. “I’ll drive. Where are we going?”

“Our Lady of Saints. It’s only a few blocks from here, near my grandmother’s house.” She grabbed his arm.

“She has to be all right, Nick. I can’t lose her.”

“Keep the faith, Kayla. Keep the faith.”

18

Bernice, her grandmother’s neighbor, was sitting next to Charlotte’s bed in a private room on the third floor of the hospital when Kayla walked in. She immediately stood up, her face lined with worry. “Thank goodness you’re here.”

“How is she?” Kayla asked.

“She’s drifting in and out of consciousness. The doctor says she suffered a mild heart attack. They’re going to keep her overnight and monitor her condition.”

Kayla latched onto the positive part of Bernice’s sentence. “Mild is good, right?” She walked over to the bed.

Her grandmother looked small, frail, and very pale. Her eyes were closed. For the first time Charlotte looked old.

She was usually so full of energy, with more sparkle than women half her age. But not tonight.