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“Sweet dreams, beautiful.”
And with that, he stepped into the still night.
Five
With the insistent drumbeat of anger and frustration underlying every minute of every day, Everly Briggs had a hard time spending her free time having dinner with friends or reading the latest bestseller. How could she have fun when her sister sat in jail for something that wasn’t her fault?
When Kelly had first been arrested, Everly had worked tirelessly to get her sister out of trouble. In the end, however, no amount of money or willpower could keep Kelly from going to jail. And as she’d been led off after being sentenced to serving two years, shocked devastation on her face, Everly understood that while she’d failed to save her baby sister, the real blame for what had happened belonged squarely on Ryan Dailey’s shoulders.
Right then and there, as her sister’s sobs filled the courtroom, Everly had determined she would do whatever it took to make him pay.
In the months following her sister’s sentencing, Ryan Dailey had become her obsession. Everly had spent every free second plotting and planning. She’d researched every aspect of his life, including family and friends, spending long hours stalking him wherever he’d gone, learning his routines, contemplating all the ways she could ruin his life.
Almost immediately one thing became clear. As much as she hated to admit it, Ryan Dailey hadn’t given her much to work with. Not only did his life appear impervious to meddling, his best friend was a cybersecurity specialist with friends in the Charleston PD and she didn’t dare risk attacking him directly.
During the months between Kelly’s arrest and her sentencing, Ryan had glimpsed Everly in the courtroom supporting her sister. Anything Everly might attempt that caused him or his sister harm would blow back in her face. That was when she’d come
up with the idea of finding like-minded women with similar grievances to help her out.
Giving over control of Ryan Dailey’s downfall to Zoe had been difficult, but necessary. Everly would not have chosen to partner with the former socialite. Zoe was too passive. Still, her pliancy made Zoe easy to manipulate and that was just as useful to Everly’s drive for vengeance.
At the moment Everly was sitting in her car down the street from Second Chance Treasures, parked where she could see the door through which Ryan had entered the store. What was he doing visiting Zoe at this time of night? She’d been suspicious when they’d had dinner earlier, but from Zoe’s tense body language as they’d said their goodbyes, the former socialite had looked uncomfortable with his interest.
Tonight when he’d showed up here, he’d been a man on a different sort of mission. His earlier flirtation had given way to anger. Everly wondered what had caused the change. Had Zoe somehow given their scheme away? If that was the case, Everly needed to formulate an alternate plan.
For days now she’d been following the political ramifications of Lyle Abernathy’s entrance into the state senate race. It was well known that Abernathy was a snake. He’d stop at nothing to take down an opponent. Digging up dirt to throw Susannah Dailey-Kirby’s campaign into chaos was something Everly had sent Zoe in to do. And if the pretty little former socialite couldn’t handle her part? Maybe Everly could make do without her after all.
Everly was smiling over the variety of options available to her when the back door to Second Chance Treasures opened, silhouetting the couple and highlighting a disturbing tableau. Even from thirty feet away Everly recognized the chemistry that bubbled between the pair.
Rage clouded her vision for several thumping heartbeats. No. No. No! Ryan Dailey couldn’t be allowed to seduce Zoe.
Zoe owed her allegiance to both Everly and London. Everly had ruined Linc’s love life for London, who was close to securing Tristan’s financial information for Zoe. Now it was up to Zoe to complete her part of the bargain.
It was imperative that Ryan Dailey be punished. Under no circumstances could he be allowed anything that might bring him joy. Especially not while Kelly was locked away because of him.
* * *
When a knock sounded on the back door less than five minutes after Ryan had left, Zoe almost didn’t answer. In the wake of Ryan’s kiss and the powerful emotions he’d roused in her, she was feeling shaky and raw. The idea that he might have returned for a second round of devastating kisses left Zoe filled with hope and dread.
From the moment she’d bumped into Ryan at Susannah’s campaign headquarters, Zoe recognized that something about him called to her. Whether it was his knockout smile, powerful physique or the hint of wariness when he looked at her, the urge to take her clothes off and rub herself against his hard body couldn’t be denied.
The knock turned to vigorous pounding and, with a grudging sigh, she went to answer. With a what now expression firmly in place, she swung the door open. But to her surprise, her visitor wasn’t Ryan. It was so much worse.
“Have you lost your mind?” Zoe demanded of Everly Briggs, dragging the woman into the store. Shutting the door, she rounded on her. “You aren’t supposed to be here. We weren’t ever supposed to communicate directly with each other again. Wasn’t the whole point that we’re strangers who can’t be connected to each other?”
“Why was Ryan Dailey here? Are you sleeping with him?” From her narrowed eyes and accusatory tone, it was pretty obvious that Everly already believed it was the case. That she thought she had the right to demand answers fanned Zoe’s temper.
“Am I sleeping with him?” After everything she’d been through tonight, this was the last straw. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You two looked pretty cozy just now.”
“What the hell, Everly?” Annoyance and apprehension battled for dominance as Zoe stared at the other woman. Not for the first time, Zoe wondered what sort of trouble she’d gotten herself into.
From their conversation at the Beautiful Women Taking Charge event Zoe had gathered that Everly had been distraught over what had happened to her sister. But they’d all been upset over their various problems. London’s fiancé had given her no warning before breaking their engagement. Zoe was living through a nightmare divorce. And Everly’s sister had recently gone to jail after destroying millions of dollars’ worth of engineering plans.
But discovering that Everly was stalking her pushed all Zoe’s buttons.
“Are you spying on me?” Zoe set her hands on her hips and gave Everly a disgusted look. “Because I really don’t need to be dealing with that right now.”
