Deceived 5 - New Beginnings (12 page)

It was a photograph of Nina and a woman who could only be her sister. It was the same picture like the painting I had seen earlier in the library, with the girls in the same pose and taken at the same vacation spot, only now the girls in this picture were grown up. I moved the picture under the light to get a better view, my stomach twisting. It couldn’t be. My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. To my shock, there, glaring up at me was the face that made me realize I already knew Nina’s sister. She was none other than the Baroness Anna Von Lamberg.

My stomach clenched and I felt ill. I couldn’t breathe. Nina’s sister was the Baroness? The evil bitch Baroness who’d nearly ruined my life and had plotted to kill me? How could that be?

I took a step back, holding the frame to my chest, still gasping for air. My head was spinning, thoughts whirling like a tornado through my mind. Was Nina even really my friend? What about the pedicures and massages we’d gone to together? Why would she fly me all the way to her house in Florida? Her house?
This
house probably wasn’t even hers. It must’ve belonged to the Baroness.
That’s
why she didn’t sleep in the master bedroom and that’s why...I backed up further, feeling like the walls were closing in. I had to get out of this room. I needed air. And I needed Patrick. I had to show him this picture.

A cold voice from behind me froze me in my tracks. “I guess you figured out my little secret.”

I spun around, still clutching the photograph to my chest. Nina glared at me, her beautiful face twisted and now it was clear. As I looked into her eyes, I could see the resemblance. All those lunches when I’d looked across the table at her, I’d felt like there had been something familiar in those eyes. I’d thought the familiar feeling was a sign of friendship, a synchronistic kind of kinship, but now it was obvious. I’d just been recognizing the Baroness. And Patrick, he’d sensed it. So had, I realized with a start, Ryan.

“I…I…” The words stuck in my throat. I didn’t know if I should run – as if I could – or play it cool and calm. I just knew I had to get the hell out of there. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Baroness Von Lamberg is your sister?”

Nina began to walk towards me, but stopped when she was between the nightstand and me. She looked down at the open drawer and reached in, snatching up her bracelet. She spun around, her expression moving from anger to outright rage. I drew back as she scowled and hissed, “Were you trying to steal this?” She clutched the bracelet as she shook her fist at me.

I was completely flabbergasted. How could she even think such a thing? I didn’t need to steal her bracelet. I had plenty of money of my own, and I’d never steal from a friend...or someone I’d thought was a friend. I shook my head and backed up even more, hoping I was aiming for the door as I walked. I tried to tell
her.“No
! No, Nina, that–”

“Were you taking it for you and Patrick? Like you took everything from me? Like you took my sister from me and sent her to jail?” Her voice got louder, rising in pitch as she growled out the words through gritted teeth. “My sister and I are about to lose this house because of you and now you want the jewelry.”

“No! I–”

“Give me that photograph. You’re not taking that, too.” Her eyes were wild as she lunged forward.

My brain was screaming at me to get to Patrick and I had a moment of panic as I thought maybe he’d gone out to the yacht without me. All I could think was that everyone at the party was out on the yacht and no one would hear if anything happened. My heart pounded against my ribs and I began to hyperventilate. I didn’t know what Nina would do, what she was capable of doing. I didn’t trust her anymore. I couldn’t think straight. All I knew was that I had to hold on to this picture no matter what. I had to show it to Patrick. It was my proof.

Nina was still screaming at me about her sister and how Patrick and I had ruined their lives. I didn’t want to take my eyes off of her, but I threw a quick glance over my shoulder to see where I was, knowing I needed my bearings before I could try to get away. The glance was enough to show me that I’d made my way to the top of the stairs. All I had to do was turn and run, but no sooner had that thought entered my mind when Nina came at me again and made another grab for the photo.

I should have just let it go, but the thought stuck in my mind that I wasn’t going to let her get her way. She clawed and scratched at me with her nails until finally, something in my brain clicked, and I let go of the stupid thing. Her arms flailed in the air as the sudden release threw her off balance. She stumbled and the picture slipped from between her fingers.

Everything after that seemed like it happened in slow motion. I saw her mouth open wide, like she was screaming, but no sound was coming out. She dove for the picture and her shoulders hit me in my shins, knocking me backwards.

I could hear a scream and felt myself falling. And then I realized I was the one screaming.

The last thing I heard when I hit the bottom of the stairs was Patrick’s panic-stricken voice as he screamed my name.

And then everything went black.

To be concluded in the final part of Deceived
. Deceived 6 – Ultimate Deception coming September 22
^nd
.

If you would like to get notified when Deceived 6 is released, be sure to sign up for my free newsletter:
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Other books by Eve Carter:

Deceived 1 – New York (Free
ebook
)
 

Deceived 2 - Paris

Deceived 3 - Chloe’s Revenge

Deceived 4 – The Wedding

Breathless – Jesse 1

Fearless – Jesse 2

Carpe diem – Jesse 3

Pure Temptation – Tempted 1

Raw Temptation – Tempted 2

Coming in the Autumn :

Broken Temptation – Tempted 3

Deceived 6 – Ultimate Deception

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Eve
xoxo

First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

A big “thanks” goes out to all my Twitter followers and Facebook friends, all several thousands of you, who keep me tweeting into the wee hours of the night.

Thanks to Shannon Hunt. Your help and guidance is amazing.

Finally, I would like to thank my editor, Cindy at http://www.smashingedits.com/ and my book cover designer, Primrose Book Design. Thanks for all of your help and clever ideas.

Eve Carter is a USA Today and New York Times Bestseller, and with a modern contemporary erotic twist to her romance novels, you had better fasten your seatbelt, as the ride is always fun, exciting and fiery.

Living in Southern California, but a Midwesterner in origin, Eve finds plenty of inspiration for her books in her own exciting life. Eve has always loved the arts and as a young girl, she took dance classes and spent the summers reading books from the local library. Fascinated with the written word and its power to guide the imagination, Eve started writing short stories and later took Creative Writing classes in college. Eve graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Higher Education.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 Eve Carter.

Published By Belmonte Publishing.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.