Page 65 of Playing With Forever

Evan: There’s an accident. Taking the long way. See you in 20.

Of. Course. There. Was. An. Accident.

I barely contained my desire to bang my head on my desk.

I don’t know how long I’d been lost in my emails when I heard footsteps.

Thank God.

I was so ready to go home.

“In my office, honey,” I yelled.

I sent the email I’d finished and was closing down my computer when it dawned on me Evan hadn’t come back to my office. I grabbed my phone and my purse and went in search of my man.

It was time to go home, eat Lindy’s food, and relax in front of mindless TV, or alternately go straight to bed.

For a day that started out phenomenal—not that every morning didn’t start out phenomenal now that I woke up next to Evan—this one certainly turned to crap.

I made my way into the lobby, but no one was there.

“Evan?” I yelled.

No answer, but someone was definitely in the bathroom.

A few more seconds went by, and still no Evan.

I just wanted this day to end.

Footsteps.

Finally, I could go home.

I don’t know who was more shocked—me or Tyler Havarth.

“Tyler, sweetheart, you’re not allowed in the center after hours.”

His eyes went round with a fear I’d never seen come from him. Tyler was tall for his age, popular—or he had been. He exuded self-confidence.

But that was before his big brother was shot.

Correction: before his big brother was gunned down picking him up from a place he should not have been.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” he told me. “Your car’s not here.”

“Tyler, I run the center. Why shouldn’t I be here?”

“No.” So much panic drenched that one word. “You need to…”

Tyler’s gaze swung to the doors, mine did as well, but instead of Evan, a man I’d never seen before came strolling in like he owned the place.

“Thought you said no one was here,” the man snarled.

If Tyler was here to rob the center, there wasn’t much he could take beyond the computers.

“She’s not supposed to be here, Dad.”

Dad?