Cheat (Karma Inc. Book 1) by Gillian Zane

tried to will her to calm down. Her eyes filled with tears and I let go of her wrists as they spilled out.
    “What does that say about you?” she whispered, looking over my shoulder at Bishop. “What does that say about me?” she sobbed.
    “Nothing. What does it say about him, is what you should be asking yourself. I’m leaving.” I stepped away from her, skittish, but confident she was done with her tirade.
    I found Drake’s eyes boring holes into me. I was jumping from one fire into another. There couldn’t be a good reason he was here. He was supposed to have been done with me.

Chapter 18
Put up. Shut up.
    “ W hat was going on in there?” he asked me the moment the door shut behind us.
    “Bishop was stealing from the bar,” I said, leaving out a few details.
    “That looked like more than stealing. Why did you get fired?”
    “We were screwing around,” I shrugged. “The owners CCTV cameras are working properly.”
    “Got caught with your pants down, Ms. Hail?” he said through tight lips.
    “Dress up, if you want to be specific,” I laughed morosely, flipping the material of my dress and rolling my eyes at him. I didn’t need more bullshit. I only wanted to go home and decompress. “Did you need something, Drake ?” I emphasized his first name.
    “Get in the car, Ms. Hail. I’m assuming you didn’t drive here, since I wasn’t able to track down a vehicle registered under your name.”
    “Are you looking into me even more now?” I fumed.
    “Yes. Get in the car,” he repeated and motioned to a sleek black muscle car idling at the curb. The windows were tinted so dark you couldn’t see inside. That couldn’t be legal. He opened the door and huffed impatiently when I hesitated.
    “Where are we going?” I asked, suddenly very unsure. I didn’t know this guy. I didn’t know what he intended. Could I die again?
    “I need to show you something.”
    “I don’t trust you,” I said defiantly.
    “I don’t trust you, either, Ms. Hail. But, there is something I need to show you.”
    “Does it have to do with Cassandra?” I asked.
    “Yes,” he answered, but gave me nothing more. My curiosity battled with my nervousness. Curiosity won.
    “Fine.” I slid into the car. It smelled brand new and was lit up like a space ship. Finding stuff sure paid off well for Drake. I didn’t know much about cars, but this screamed expensive. I didn’t even recognize the icon in the center of the steering wheel, which was saying something. “What kind of car is this?” I asked.
    “A Veyron.”
    Like I knew what that meant.
    “Toyota?” I asked and he laughed darkly. It was the first time I had heard him laugh. It was dark and guttural like the rest of him. I trembled.
    “Where are we going?” I asked again.
    “I need to ask you a few questions first.” He leaned over and helped me buckle the complicated seat belt. Everywhere his fingers touched burned. I felt the lust from earlier raise its ugly head and I tried to think disgusting thoughts to keep in check.
    Cock roaches. Wrinkly old men. It didn't work and I saw Drake’s nostrils flare as he buckled the final belt around me. He sat back with a muttered curse and threw the car into gear.
    The car tore from the curb like a race horse right out of the gates. I was pushed back into the leather seat with a gasp. I gripped my knees nervously, my palms were sweating.
    “I want to know one thing, Cassidy Hail. You are still maintaining that you have no idea what happened to your friend, the one you hired me to find? Cassandra Mercier?” The way he said it sounded forced, like a script.
    “Are you recording this?”
    “No. Tell me the truth. You hired me to find this girl, this Cassandra Mercier, and I knew the name, even though I had to search it on the internet to remember why I knew the name. You didn’t think to search the internet, Ms. Hail?” I should have been nervous he was driving so fast, but the speed matched the racing of my heart and