Barbara Freethy - Played

Taken

Romance sizzlesin this riveting page-turner, which boasts a cast of well-drawn, memorable characters, including a fascinating, diabolical villain.

Library Journal

Terrific and twisty intrigue makes this novel choice reading. An amazingly gripping, fascinating mystery.

Romantic Times (4 stars)

Dont Say a Word

Barbara Freethy at her best! An absorbing story of two people determined to unravel the secrets, betrayals and questions about their past. The story builds to an explosive conclusion that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Barbara Freethys next book.

Carla Neggers, author of Dark Sky

Dont Say a Word has made me a Barbara Freethy fan for life!

Diane Chamberlain, author of The Bay at Midnight

Dark, hidden secrets and stunning betrayalpotent and moving suspense. Freethys storytelling ability is top-notch.

Romantic Times (4 stars)

All She Ever Wanted

A haunting mysteryI couldnt put it down.

Luanne Rice

A suitably eerie atmosphere.

Publishers Weekly

A gripping tale of romantic suspense. Barbara Freethy is a master storyteller. A fascinating blend of romance, mystery, and suspense. Dont miss it!

Romance Reviews Today

Sizzling. Freethys expertly penned novel is a true page-turner.

Romantic Times

Fabulousthe perfect story to curl up in front of a fire with.

RomanceJunkies.com

Golden Lies

An absolute treasure, a fabulous, page-turning combination of romance and intrigue. Fans of Nora Roberts and Elizabeth Lowell will love Golden Lies.

Kristin Hannah

Freethys smooth prose, spirited storytelling, and engaging characters are sure to send readers on a treasure hunt for the authors backlist books.

Publishers Weekly

Multidimensional characters at all levels (especially the strong-willed hero and heroine), realistic and sometimes funny dialog, and a well-constructed plot that Freethy unwraps with such consummate skill that the conclusion is at once a surprising and totally logical result in a rich and compelling tale.

Library Journal

Summer Secrets

Barbara Freethy writes with bright assurance, exploring the bonds of sisterhood and the excitement of blue-water sailing. Summer Secrets is a lovely novel.

Luanne Rice

Freethy skillfully keeps the reader on the hook, and her tantalizing and believable tale has it allromance, adventure, and mystery.

Booklist (starred review)

An intriguing, multithreaded plot, this is an emotionally involving storysure to please Freethys growing fan base. Like Kristin Hannahs novels, [it] neatly bridges the gap between romance and traditional womens fiction.

Library Journal

Freethys zesty storytelling will keep readers hooked.

Publishers Weekly

Freethy is at the top of her form.

Contra Costa Times

Further praise for Barbara Freethy

In the tradition of LaVyrle Spencer, gifted author Barbara Freethy creates an irresistible tale of family secrets, riveting adventure, and heart-touching romance.

Susan Wiggs

A fresh and exciting voice in womens romantic fiction.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Superlative.

Debbie Macomber

Freethy is an expert at creating believable characters.

Library Journal

Barbara Freethy delivers strong and compelling prose.

Publishers Weekly

If there is one author who knows how to deliver vivid stories that tug on your emotions, its Barbara Freethy.

Romantic Times

OTHER BOOKS BY BARBARA FREETHY

Companion book to Played:
Taken

Dont Say a Word

All She Ever Wanted

Golden Lies

Summer Secrets

PLAYED

Barbara Freethy

A SIGNET BOOK

SIGNET
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,
Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi-110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany,
Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright Barbara Freethy, 2006

All rights reserved

ISBN: 1-4295-0610-5

REGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADA

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 both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHERS NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors rights is appreciated.

To my brainstorming pals, Candice, Carol, Diana,
Barbara Mc., Lynn, and Katethanks for all the
fabulous ideas and delicious chocolate!

Contents

Prologue

He moved like a cat through the dark, narrow tunnels running under the city of San Francisco. The air was damp, filled with odors of dead, rotting animals and standing water. Cobwebs brushed his face at every turn. Rats ran over his feet, disturbed by his presence in a world that belonged solely to themuntil now. The secret tunnels had been built during Prohibition to run liquor under the hills of San Francisco and later had been used as escape routes for a band of criminals in the forties and fifties. Few people knew how to navigate the maze of passageways. There were too many stops and starts, too many blocked exits and detours. Fortunately, he had a map that showed him exactly what to do.

Pausing, he turned his flashlight on the yellowed piece of paper in his hand. The lines and directions had been scrawled more than seventy-five years earlier, and it had taken a long and complicated scheme to get his hands on this very important piece of paper. He hoped it had been worth the effort. It was possible that part of the tunnels had collapsed with the development of the city or perhaps due to one of the earthquakes that rumbled through the area every few years, but if his luck held, this path would provide him direct access to the object of his desire.

Redirecting his light on the tunnel in front of him, he continued, confident that he would get what he wanted, as he always did. Many men and a few women had tried to stop him over the years. No one had succeeded. He was quite simply invincible.

He felt a surge of adrenaline as the stream of light bounced off a series of spikes set into the wall in front of him. He stopped, running his finger over one of the ladder steps. Then he threw back his head and looked up. A trapdoor was just above him. Hed found his way inand his way out.

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