Free Around: Wrapped Around You by Evelyn Adams Page A

was familiar with all the accounts Blake Enterprises handled. At least she’d thought she was.
    “It wasn’t exactly legal, and you know how you get. Besides there wasn’t any reason for you to know.”
    “Fuck Caleb! Do I need to know now? They’re planning to kill us. That guy didn’t even try to hide his face. He doesn’t expect me to live long enough to identify him. And you’re still working an angle.”
    He at least had the decency to look sheepish. “It’s not as bad as that. Your rich boyfriend will pay won’t he?”
    Julie froze, her blood going cold. “How do you know about Eric?”
    Something flickered across his face, but it was gone before she could name it. “I heard them talking about it. Eric Auxtres, huh? It’s been a long time.”
    Julie didn’t want to talk about Eric while she was stuck in this filthy awful place. It hurt too much, and it wouldn’t help her get back to him. And she especially didn’t want to talk about him with her brother. If the kidnappers weren’t trying to squeeze Eric out of his money, she was afraid Caleb would be. She’d wanted to keep Eric out of the mess, and instead she’d dragged him into the middle of it.
    “Not now,” she said. “None of that explains why we’re here. What did you do to make them take you?”
    “Like I said. I did some work for them, and Balducci was please. When I needed a business loan, I went to him.”
    “And he was happy to help,” said Julie, shaking her head unable to believe her brother could be so stupid.
    “I don’t need you judging me.”
    He shot her a glare, and the fact that he chose now, when they were likely going to die, as the time to argue with her, made it clear to her exactly what kind of relationship she had with her brother.
    “I got in over my head, okay? I thought I could get things worked out on my own. The Smithfield account was going to help.”
    The fuckwit was still trying to pin part of this on her. She’d take responsibility for her part of it up with Eric, but hurt or not there was no way she’d let Caleb pin any of his fuck up on her.
    “What was the loan for?” she asked, knowing she’d hate the answer before he gave it.
    “The car, entertaining clients, things I needed to do business. You have to look like money to make money.”
    She couldn’t listen to any more. She’d kill him herself.
    “Enough,” she said, holding up her hand to stop him while she clutched her ruin shirt with the other. “Give me your shirt and help me figure out how to get us out of here.”
    Caleb glanced down at his shirt and back up at her, puzzled. “What am I going to wear?”
    “I’m almost naked here,” she said not believing her ears. Instead of trying to protect her, he was still looking out for himself. “I need the shirt more than you do.”
    “You can have my wife beater,” he said, stripping off his shirt and tank. “That will keep you covered. Handing her the tank, still warm from his body, he slid the shirt back over his head.
    Not willing to argue, Julie turned her back to him, peeled off her ripped things and slipped on his tank, pulling her ruined Henley on over top. Without a bra, she still felt exposed. Her breasts had always been too full to go braless, but at least she wasn’t naked anymore, and she could think about something other than keeping her shirt together.
    “Thanks,” she said and watched as he nodded grudgingly. “Any ideas on how to get out of here? How many guys are there?”
    “Just three that I’ve seen. Balducci and the two guys that work for him. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to escape. They have guns. Eric will pay, right?”
    He was kidding. He had to be kidding. He couldn’t think they were just going to let the two of them walk out of there.
    “I mean I know ten million is a lot, but he’s worth more than that.”
    Julie’s legs went limp, and she slid down to the edge of the desk. Ten million dollars. That’s how much her colossal