Past Sins Read Free

as their glasses clinked. “And a lovely evening.”
    She returned the smile and drank deeply from her wine.
    Now was all that mattered.
    Her new life…this moment.
    The unmistakable sound of her cell phone chimed from the hall. She groaned.
    “Don’t answer it,” Jeffrey suggested, looking mildly annoyed at the intrusion.
    Olivia sat her glass down. “I shouldn’t.” She took a deep breath and rose from her chair. “But one of my patients is having a crisis. If he needs me…”
    Jeffrey rolled his eyes but said nothing as she left the table without finishing the statement. He understood her dedication to her work even if he didn’t like it at times. He was every bit as dedicated as she was.
    She walked to the hall table and fished her phone from her bag. Jeffrey was right. She shouldn’t answer. If it was one of her patients, he could leave a message.
    The display flashed an icon she didn’t remember seeing before. She frowned as she attempted to remember what it meant.
    Then she knew.
    Never count on anything to last.

Chapter 2

    F or ten seconds Olivia couldn’t breathe.
    This was impossible.
    She told herself to inhale. Instinctively she reached up and fingered the necklace that served as a constant reminder of all she wanted to forget.
    “Is everything all right, Olivia?”
    Her gaze shot to the dining room where Jeffrey stared at her, concern marring the smooth features of his intelligent face.
    She swallowed. “I have to take this.”
    Before he could give her a disappointed look for allowing the intrusion during dinner—during their time—she escaped out the front door.
    This was not a call forwarded from her office number or her home number or any other number represented by some part of her present life.
    This was the past calling. An old cell number she’d once used as a lifeline…a number she’d tried for three years to forget but could never bring herself to let go.
    By the fifth ring she had reached the edge of her driveway. She flipped open the phone, her heart pounding. “Yes.” It was a miracle her voice didn’t quaver.
    “Sheara?”
    The earth shook beneath her, or maybe it was her rigid frame doing the shaking. She tried to steady herself but the name reverberated through her like the aftershocks of a major quake.
    This wasn’t possible.
    She licked her lips. “Yes.”
    “I have a problem that requires your kind of special attention. You were highly recommended.” He cleared his throat. “I would like to arrange a meeting as soon as possible.”
    Olivia blinked, glanced around the neighborhood to ensure she hadn’t attracted any unnecessary attention. It wasn’t dark yet but the temperature had dropped significantly, making her shiver.
    Or maybe it was the call sending that bone-cold chill rushing through her veins.
    Sheara didn’t exist any more. How the hell had this guy gotten her old number? This wasn’t supposed to happen. She’d kept that number for one reason only…
    “Sheara? Are you there?” The caller cleared his throat again. “Maybe I have the wrong number.”
    “No.” She said the word more sharply than she’d intended. “You have the right number.” What the hell did she do now? She was a psychologist, for Christ’s sake. She didn’t do this anymore.
    Sheara was dead.
    She’d been dead for three years.
    She bit back the need to ask how he’d gotten her number. “Where would you like to meet?”
    There was only one way to find out who this guy was and how he’d gotten her number. Meet him. Right now. Tonight. This couldn’t wait. Her heart rate climbed with each new realization.
    “The location is your choice…right? That’s what I was told.”
    Olivia squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to take another breath. He was right. She had to focus. “What’s your location? And I’ll need a name.” She tried to block the sound of her heart thundering, pumping blood so fast it roared in her ears. What was she doing? This could be a trap. But