Inevitable by Michelle Rowen

able to knock them out of their repeating pattern.
    It had worked before. It would work again. She was sure of it.
    Ryan was concerned for her safety, which was why he had caught her arm just as she’d placed her stiletto-clad foot on the first step. She appreciated that concern more than he knew, but it didn’t change anything. The Desidero potion’s effects continued to swirl around her, making it very hard to keep her head clear enough to do her job.
    â€œIt’s their anniversary tonight,” she explained. “Lorraine said he’ll be in hiding any other time. This is it if we want to help them.”
    Ryan studied her face, his mouth curving. “There’s that stubborn streak I remember.”
    â€œI’m not stubborn.”
    â€œHey, it was a compliment, not an insult. Maybe you should have brought Leo along. How many times have you been out with that guy, anyway? Is he your boyfriend?”
    She glanced down at where Ryan had his hand curled over her forearm. The contact was so pleasant it made her struggle against the need to get closer to him. “You seem very interested in him. I’ll have to ask if he’s interested in seeing you again. Maybe you can be a couple.”
    â€œSo funny I forgot to laugh. You’re avoiding the question. Are you into that guy or what?”
    â€œIt was our first date,” Emma admitted, not sure why she was even answering him.
    â€œHas there been anyone else since I left?”
    â€œWhy do you care?” She twisted a finger through her hair.
    His smile widened. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m insanely jealous.”
    She placed her hand on top of his and removed it from her arm so she could focus on the task facing her. “It wasn’t as if we were involved when you were here, Ryan. You were dating Charlotte. You were my business partner, that’s all.”
    â€œSeems like a million years ago.” He scanned the empty lobby, before his gaze moved up the stairway they had yet to climb. “How is Charlotte, anyway?”
    Strange that he hadn’t asked about her until now. “Never better.”
    â€œShe moved on, I assume.”
    â€œFrom you?”
    â€œYeah. She didn’t seem the type to pine away.”
    Emma nodded. “She’s seeing someone else.”
    â€œDo I know him?”
    â€œActually, yes. It’s Stephen.”
    His eyes widened. “Stephen Robbins? ”
    â€œThe one and only.”
    He laughed under his breath. “That son of a bitch moved in on Charlotte the moment I was out of the picture, didn’t he?”
    Stephen and Ryan had been friends while Ryan worked for the agency. Stephen had been shocked as hell to find out that Ryan was a thief, possibly even more than Emma herself had been. She and Stephen hadn’t been close so they couldn’t commiserate, but he and Charlotte had started seeing each other soon afterward. And they seemed to be very serious about each other now.
    â€œI guess you two haven’t stayed in touch,” she said.
    â€œNo, strangely enough, nobody wanted anything to do with me after I left. I’m like a leper. Charlotte didn’teven say goodbye. At least you said a few parting words to me.”
    â€œI believe I told you to go to hell.”
    He smiled. “At least it was an acknowledgment that I was leaving.”
    Emma searched his face. “Do you feel bad about what happened?”
    His expression shadowed and his smile faded. “You have no idea how bad I feel about it.”
    There was pain in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. It was something, though. Something she could hold on to. She felt like a bit of a masochist for wanting him to feel bad, but it was better than if he’d been completely blasé about it. Ryan definitely wasn’t blasé.
    â€œYou know,” she said, thinking things through. “If you were to recover the stolen merchandise and return it, it’s