Page 3 of One Bad Idea

After all, I'd driven ten hours for a reason, and it wasn't to exchange insults with whoever this guy was.

I mean, it was pretty obvious that he didn'townthe house. If I were being generous, I might assume he was the owner's son or grandson. And if I were being less than generous? Well, let's just say that if he were robbing the place, he was a total dumb-ass to be opening the door at all.

I glared at up at him. Speaking very slowly and clearly, I said, "Where is she?"

The words had barely left my mouth when an electronic ringing sounded from somewhere near my feet. With a gasp, I turned to look. The noise was coming from my cell phone, which I'd set face-down on the fancy brickwork of the top step.

The phone was attached to my charger, which I'd plugged into the outdoor electrical socket before ringing the doorbell.

Yes, I was bumming a charge.

It wasn't the kind of thing I normally did, but my phone had died hours ago, and Stuart's pickup was seriously lacking in charging ports.

Desperately, I dove for the phone and yanked it free of the cord as I checked the display.It was her. Thank God.

I answered with a frantic, "Cassidy?"

But it wasn't Cassidy's voice on the other end. It was a different female, a stranger, who seemed absolutely determined to make me crazy.

Just likehim.

Chapter 2

I'd been on the phone for less than a minute, and already, I wanted to scream – profanities mostly, because it was pretty darn obvious that the caller knew a lot more than she was letting on.

In a sly voice, she asked, "Cassidy who?"

My jaw clenched. "McAllister, like I just told you."

At this, her tone grew snotty. "Hey, you calledme, remember?"

The comment was annoyingly similar to what the guy in the doorway had told me just a few moments ago. Now, doubly irritated, I mimicked his voice in my head."You knocked on my door, not the other way around."

Jerk.

At the thought, I glanced toward the doorway and felt myself frown.

He was gone.

Odder still, he hadn't bothered to close the door.

My frown deepened. Maybe hewasrobbing the place.

On the phone, the girl was saying, "Did you hear me?"

I yanked my gaze from the doorway and murmured, "What?"

She sighed in obvious irritation. "I said,youwere the one who calledme."

I shook my head. "I did not. You calledme."

"When?" she demanded.

"Just now."

"Yeah, well you called me like a dozen times last night." She gave a little sniff. "And just so you know, I didn't appreciate it."

On this, she might've had a point. Ihadcalled a dozen times, but I'd been totally justified. Very late last night, I'd gotten a frantic phone call from a number that I didn't recognize. But Ihadrecognized the caller's voice. It was my best friend, Cassidy, calling me at our apartment.