Substitute Seduction (Sweet Tea And Scandal 2)

Everly handled the branding for his numerous golf resorts up and down the coast. In the year since Kelly had been arrested, his account had become the bulk of her business.

“The one I texted and called and emailed you about yesterday and this morning. Where are you?”

Everly silently cursed. “Tell him I’ve been delayed.”

“How long?”

A quick glance at her watch showed it was a quarter past four already. London usually left work by now.

Earlier today Everly had secured a little bit of tech that could help them all out. After deciding London was neither computer savvy enough nor equipped with the right tools to get dirt on Tristan Crosby, Everly had taken matters into her own hands.

The USB drive in her purse had come from a source connected to a friend of her sister’s. In college Kelly had run with a group that hacked for fun. Everly hadn’t known about it at the time or she’d have warned Kelly away from such recklessness.

The drive contained software that, when plugged into a computer and with a few commands, could bypass passwords and copy everything on the hard drive. The question remained if London was up to the challenge of gaining access to Tristan’s computer.

“Reschedule him for tomorrow,” Everly said, calculating how much work remained on the presentation for his newest acquisition. “Or if you can push him to next week that would be even better.”

“He’s not going to be happy.”

“Make something up. Tell him I’m dealing with an emergency.” Everly spotted London exiting her office. “I have to go.”

Hanging up on her assistant, Everly exited the coffee shop and followed London, doing her best to behave like an unremarkable woman window-shopping along King Street.

London walked briskly. Obviously she had some place to be. Rushing off to another date with Harrison, no doubt. The thought made Everly grind her teeth.

Honestly, what did London think she was doing? Did the event planner imagine she and Harrison had any sort of chance? Even if London was merely engaging in a bit of fun with the handsome race-car driver, her priorities were skewed. Irritation flared that Everly needed to remind her of this fact again.

London had almost reached her car. Everly lengthened her stride until she was jogging and her timing was perfect. As London pushed the unlock button on her key fob, Everly drew within several feet of her.

“Where are you running off to in such a hurry?” Everly demanded, speaking with a more accusatory t

one than she’d planned, causing London to whip around.

“What are you doing here?” Eyes wide, London glanced from side to side, scanning the area to see if they were being observed.

“Relax. Nobody’s going to see us.” Everly crossed her arms and regarded the younger woman with disdain. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Harrison Crosby. Have you been able to get any information out of him that we can use against his brother?”

Everly suspected she already knew the answer, but asked the question anyway. From the way London’s gaze shifted away, it was obvious she wasn’t taking their revenge pact seriously.

“Look,” London quipped, “it’s not as if I can just come out and ask Harrison about Tristan’s secrets.”

“Of course not.” Everly reached into her purse and pulled out a USB drive. “That’s why I got you this.”

London eyed the slim drive for a long second. “What is that?”

“It’s a USB drive with a special program on it. You just need to insert it into a port on Tristan’s computer, key in a few commands, and it will get you all the information you need off his hard drive.”

“Where did you get it?”

“What does it matter?” Everly snapped, her irritation getting away from her. “All you need to know is that it will work.”

“How am I supposed to get access to Tristan’s computer?”

London was worthless. She was letting her feelings for Harrison distract her from their mission. Fortunately, Everly had thought everything through and had a plan prepared.

“There’s a charity polo event coming up at Tristan’s plantation,” Everly explained. “Make sure you’re invited. It will be the perfect opportunity for you to get the information we need.”

“That sounds risky.”