She went as ordered at 6pm, the diamonds burning a hole in her briefcase the way that the folder had. The bill on rideshares was getting absurd, but there was no way she was walking down the sidewalk, however short a distance, with this small fortune in her bag. Besides anything else, she’d probably just combust from anxiety. Or disbelief. Or anger.

What was Kade doing? So much for “nothing romantic.” Where the hell did she stand with him now?

She punched the ...