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believe Evan had the nerve to guilt her into staying after everything he’d done to her. He handed her to the Vargas Cartel on a silver platter. He was complicit in the destruction of her life. “I think I should go. I don’t want to interfere.”
    “Evan,” Senator Deveron called from the hall. “Can you come here for a minute? I want you to meet someone.”
    “Sure.” Evan tipped his head toward the ceiling. “Hattie, I have to talk to him. Join me in the entryway in a few minutes.” He didn’t wait for her to respond.
    “Can you meet me this week?” I asked the minute Evan disappeared around the corner.
    “I’m sorry, Ryker, but I can’t.” She shook her head. “It’s not a good idea.”
    “You said you missed me. Was that a lie?” My voice was intentionally soft, but it didn’t mask the anger burning beneath the surface. Rationally, I understood why she didn’t want to meet me. I knew what I did to her. If she stopped to think about it for a second and pushed all of her emotions aside, she’d run from Evan and me.
    “No,” she snapped. “But I need some space. I’m confused. I don’t understand why you’re here—”
    “Because I was invited,” I retorted, curling my hands into fists at my sides.
    “Exactly. Why the hell were you invited to my engagement party? Why the hell do you have two names? Why the hell are you in the United States? None of this makes sense.”
    “I’ll explain all of it later.” I kept my voice perfectly smooth and controlled. I didn’t know what I’d tell her. It couldn’t be the whole truth. I wanted to keep her sheltered from the reality of the way my world worked.
    “Later?” She scoffed. “Just like you explained everything that happened in Mexico.”
    I winced inwardly. “No. I’ll tell you everything I can.” I always added a qualifier to my answers. In my line of work, it was a necessary evil. I envied people who inhabited the world of black and white. I lived in a world colored with a thousand shades of gray. A world where black was white, and white was black. Hattie would never understand.
    “I’ve heard that before.” Her golden eyes narrowed briefly. “I know what that means. You won’t tell me a damn thing.”
    I couldn’t force this right now. She needed time to process everything. I plucked my wallet from my back pocket and handed her a business card. “Call me when you’re ready to talk.”
    She glared at the card, and for a minute, I didn’t think she’d take it. “I’ll think about,” she said, ripping the card out of my hand and crumbling it inside of her fist.
    “You do that.” I crossed the study, my leather loafers echoing on the herringbone wood floor. Everything about Senator Deveron’s house screamed of pretentious elegance. Crystals dripped from oversized chandeliers. Pristine white wood paneling covered the walls. A spiral staircase with a sweeping gilded railing greeted guests in the entry. It was all very Vegas, which was fitting. That’s where he got his start. He owned a casino in Las Vegas before the people of Nevada elected him to be their Senator. Too bad the tentacles of the criminal underworld were firmly embedded in Senator Deveron. He voted in accordance with their interests rather than those of his constituents. “But if you take too long, I’ll come find you.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    I winked. “You know exactly what it means. We’ve been down this road many times before.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
     
    Hattie
     
    “Vera,” I sighed as I stood up from the table and I wrapped my arms around her.
    I invited her to lunch this afternoon. After weeks of avoiding her, I finally decided enough was enough.
    I expected to see her at my engagement party two days ago, but she was noticeably absent. Clearly, my mom had a firm hand in the invitation process and neglected to invite her. She never liked my best friend.
    At first, I was pissed at my mom, but then I