Evelyn Nash had accumulated a little over two million dollars.
Reed took it all.
He shut the hatch and got into the X7. It was pure luxury. With all the upgrades, the vehicle was worth close to two-hundred grand. He wouldn’t get that much for a hot car, but he had a contact downtown who said he’d take the BMW off Reed’s hands for eighty thousand. It would be a nice cherry on top of everything else.
Will it, though? Do you really want to do this?
The voice filled his mind like a sudden rush of wind, and he had a strong impulse to get out of the car, walk back into the building, and take the elevator up to the condo he’d shared with Evelyn for the better part of a year. He could simply stay. In a strange way, he could see it; he didn’t love Evelyn in a romantic sense, not in the same way she loved him, but he cared for her. He cared for her more than he wanted to admit. She wasn’t like the other women who’d been scattered throughout his youth like a minefield, waiting to explode. She never manipulated his emotions or lied to get what she wanted. She never used her station in life to her advantage like most women with money did. Being with her was easy. That was the best word for it.Easy.She made him—he didn’t know, happy maybe? Or at least if not that, close.
Hecouldstay. He really could. It would be a better life than he deserved.
But Donald Nash would never allow it. He’d seen through Adrian Wallace’s mask from the start. He was always picking at it, chipping the paint and trying to pull it free. If Reed stayed, it would only be a matter of time before the man exposed him, and he couldn’t have that. He had to leave. He didn’t have a choice. So he’d take the money. But this was it—his last con. He’d never do something like this again.
“Just go already,” he muttered to himself as he fired up the BMW and pulled up to the parking garage gate.
The passenger side door opened.
Evelyn got in.
Reed’s heart carved through his chest. She wasn’t supposed to be here. But here she was sitting next to him, reeking of … booze? He’d never seen her take so much as a sip of alcohol before. It couldn’t be that. But then the scent hit him again—the sickly-sweet odor of alcohol-infused sweat—and he knew shehadtaken a sip. More than a sip. A lot more. She smelled like she’d been swimming in a pool of tequila.
He gaped at her. “I thought you were—”
“Out of town? Yes, I’m quite aware. Where are you going?”
You’ll never know,Reed nearly said. He scraped his brain for a lie, hesitated for a split second, then said, “Oh, just out for a drive. I’ve been feeling a little cooped up. Figured it might be nice to see some countryside.”
Evelyn turned toward the windshield, her glasses flashing. “That sounds nice. I will come with you.”
A fist formed in Reed’s gut. “Aren’t you tired? Why don’t you go upstairs and get some rest. I’ll be back in a bit and we can grab some lunch.”
“Just drive.” It was an order, Evelyn’s voice devoid of warmth.Shit.
It’s okay,he told himself.It’s only a bump in the road. You can figure this out.He did the math. His flight left at four. He’d been planning to sell the BMW and arrive at the airport a few hours early to have a beer before boarding. He still had time. He simply needed to find a way to get her out of the car first.
He drove. The buildings passed by in silence beneath a dark scoop of gray sky. He angled south out of the city, Evelyn sitting next to him not saying a word, just staring out the windshield as motionless as a human statue. It was how she got when she was upset about something, and it always made him want to crack her out of her shell.
“I’m glad to see you,” he said, reaching for her hand.
She pulled it away.
“What happened to the conference?” he asked.
She didn’t respond, and the smell of liquor hit him again, so sweet and thick it hung in the back of his throat like glue. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
Still no answer—which meant she knew something. He could feel it. But what, exactly? And how? He’d been rigorous in his planning, hadn’t slipped up at all.
But you did. Somehow you did.
Find a way to get her out of the car.
He had to. That was the only choice he had left. Get her out and then bolt.
Another urge rose then, a sudden insane need to do the opposite, to come clean with her about everything and beg for her forgiveness. A need he quickly choked down.
Goddammit, Reed, stop it already! Just get it done.
Miles passed. He drove aimlessly. They were somewhere close to Snoqualmie now, but he wasn’t sure, not through all the patches of fog that hung in the air like ghosts. The trees were becoming steadily less visible by the minute, the traffic thinning. In fact, he hadn’t seen another car for several miles now. Only mist.
