Taken by Barbara Freethy Read Free Book Online

never get anywhere. “Evan was a chameleon. He could fit in anywhere, look like he belonged. Once he pretended to be a visiting professor at the university. He went to a faculty tea and mixed in as if he truly were a forty-TA K E N
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    year-old teacher of astrophysics. Evan knew how to get people to trust him, and then he betrayed them. That was the way he worked then, and it sounds like the way he’s working now.”
    Kayla stared at him for a long time. He could see the indecision in her eyes, but at least she was still thinking and not jumping into rationalizations or defenses.
    “What else do you know about him?” she asked.
    “What do you know?” he shot back. “You married him a few weeks ago. You’re probably more up-to-date than I am.”
    She hesitated. He suspected she very much wanted to blow him off. She wanted to believe in her dream marriage. It didn’t surprise him. Evan had always known how to pick a trusting soul. He’d always chosen beautiful women, too. Dressed down in jeans and a T-shirt, not a speck of makeup on her face except a slash of red on her lips, Kayla had a beauty that was all natural: gorgeous hair, fine bones, clear skin, big, wide eyes, and curves in all the right places. He cleared his throat, reining in his wandering thoughts. He’d always been attracted to brunettes, not that he intended to be attracted to Kayla.
    He didn’t need that complication.
    “All right,” she said finally. “We’ll talk it out. I’m not saying I believe everything — yet. But I’ll listen. And I’ll tell you what I know.”
    “Good idea.”
    “I hope so. I’ve been a little short on those lately.”
    Kayla waved her hand toward the archway leading into the living room. “Why don’t you take a seat? Make yourself at home. I’ll get us something to drink.”
    As she walked down the hall, he blew out a breath of 38
    Barbara Freethy
    relief that she hadn’t kicked him out. She was his only link to Evan. He needed to know everything she knew.
    Entering the living room, he was struck immediately by the warmth of her home. There were colorful throw rugs on the hardwood floor, soft, pillowed couches along the windows, and flowers everywhere — on the mantel, the coffee table, the old piano that stood in front of a beautiful stained-glass window that seemed to catch the light from the rising moon. Knitting needles sat atop a pile of colored yarn spilling out of a wicker basket on the floor.
    The room looked lived-in and comfortable. It was a family home in a family neighborhood. He wondered if Kayla lived here alone. It didn’t seem like a house for one person. It also didn’t seem like a house Evan would choose to live in. It was too old-fashioned, too homey.
    What the hell had Evan been doing with Kayla, besides the obvious?
    Nick sat down on the couch, feeling suddenly tired. It had been a long trip home. With everything that had gone on the past few hours he’d barely had a chance to catch his breath. Stretching out his legs, he sank back into the cushions and let out a long, tense breath. It didn’t make him felt better. Fury raged inside him, eating him alive. If he found Evan tonight, he’d probably kill him. He could imagine himself putting his hands on Evan’s neck and squeezing the life out of him. The depth of his anger shocked him. He’d never felt so much hate for another person. But Evan had conned him before, and it infuri-ated him that it had happened again. This time Evan would pay. This time he would not get away.
    Nick looked up as Kayla reentered the room. She handed him a glass of red wine and sat down in the arm-TA K E N
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    chair across from him. Clasping her hands together, she asked, “Why do you think Nick — Evan — was pretending to be you?”
    “That’s what I need to find out. Obviously, Evan knew I was out of the country. He probably figured I had some money.” Nick took a sip of wine and then deliberately set the glass down on the coffee table. As