“You sure it was Nottingham?”
“I’m almost certain. Question Hughes as well. Anyone who caused this is going to pay.”
Sliding his thumb over the screen of his phone, he tossed it aside, turning Evelyn to face him. Her expression was so vacant it worried him. He kissed her and drew her close, hugging her. “Hey, this sort of thing happens. It’s all right. I have people straightening it out now.”
When she still didn’t say anything, he tipped up her face. “Evelyn, you know none of this is your fault. I’m not angry. Not with you anyway.”
Her lashes lowered. He was going to strangle Nicole next time he saw her. “Evelyn, talk to me. What’s going through your head?”
Her face tightened and she drew in a deep breath. “I’m so sorry.”
“Hey! I told you. There’s nothing to be sorry for. This isn’t your fault. I don’t give a shit about what people think. I care about the stress the attention puts you under.”
“This is all that bitch’s fault!” she snapped with more venom than he was used to from her. “I should have knocked her on her ass when I had the chance.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
“Hey, hey, she’s not even worth your aggravation. That’s exactly what she wants.”
“That’s not all she wants. She wants to expose me and humiliate you so you leave me and go to her.”
“And do you know why that is? Because she’s intimidated by you. You scare her. She can say you’re just a girl from the tracks and expose your family’s flaws, but that doesn’t change the fact you’re still a better person. Sinking this low and playing dirty isn’t wise when she, too, holds a position in the public eye. She’s a fool for throwing the first stone.”
Evelyn shook her head. “Calling her stupid doesn’t take away what she did. This won’t just get swept under the rug, Lucian. We have enough challenges on our own. All our crap is about to be thrown out on the lawn for everyone to see.”
He considered her words. She was right. This wouldn’t just get swept away. People would want to know. But he had nothing to hide. He merely wanted to shelter Evelyn. “What is it you are afraid of them finding out? Is it Pearl?”
She gaped at him. “It’s all of it, Lucian. I’m an embarrassment to you! I was homeless for Christ’s sake. I ate out of dumpsters and slept in the dirt. My mother fucked strangers for drugs. I was born addicted to heroin. I was illiterate until I was in my twenties and I can barely read now. You’re Lucian fucking Patras. Do you have any idea what this will do to your reputation?”
Rage seethed inside of him. His jaw clicked. Her voice had grown shriller with each proclamation. He gently shook her. “Listen to me. You are not worthless. All of those things, they may be true, but look at you now. Who fucking cares about the past? You’ve overcome more obstacles than almost anyone I know. I refuse—refuse—to sit here and listen to you degrade yourself. Do you understand me, Evelyn? You do that, and all those assholes who told you you’d never be anything more, they win. Do you want them to win?”
“No.” She was breaking, but he needed her to see herself the way she really was.
“You have pride in spades, Evelyn. Don’t let them shake it. You’re smart, determined, beautiful, and caring. Anyone who doesn’t see that is a fucking asshole. And as far as all those other accusations, I’ll come out with a statement and own up to every single one, just give me the word. I don’t give a shit about what conclusions they draw. I love you. You, Evelyn, all of you.”
His words seemed to sink in. She nodded. “Okay.”
“Good.” He hugged her. He didn’t let her go until they reached his sister’s. Climbing out of the limo, he reached for her hand.
“Will Isadora be upset we popped in?” Evelyn asked, adjusting her clothing.
“She’s used to it.” He led her to the door and Sophia, Isadora’s maid, greeted them.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Sophia.” He nodded. “This is Ms. Keats.”
“A pleasure,” the maid replied. “Isadora’s in the kitchen cursing you at this very moment.”
“Wonderful,” he commented, leading Evelyn to the kitchen. Escorting Evelyn through the grand entrance, he found his sister chopping peppers at her granite island, a scowl marring her otherwise pretty face. “Isa.”
“Do I look like one of your employees, Lucian?”
He walked over and kissed her cheek. “Stop. We had a situation and needed to get out of the city. Evelyn was starving and we couldn’t go to the restaurant where we had reservations.”
Evelyn smacked his arm. “You’re blaming me?”
His sister paused from chopping. “What situation?”
“Let’s eat first and I’ll explain over dinner.” He plucked a slice of bell pepper from the butcher block and popped it in his mouth.
She scooped the peppers and dropped them over a salad, which she proceeded to toss. “Evelyn, will you tell me what’s going on?”
She sighed. “Lucian got involved with a she-devil—”
“I told you to stay away from Nicole. That girl doesn’t do casual dating. She can misinterpret a wave as a marriage proposal.” She turned to Evelyn. “He never should have accepted her invitation to the Slavonia affair last week.”
“Not helping, Isadora,” he grumbled in a warning voice.
His sister arched a brow. “What? You’re completely in love with Evelyn. You should have worked your crap out before involving that spoiled little Pomeranian.” Turning to Evelyn once more, she added, “I never liked her.”
Evelyn’s dimple appeared as she allowed herself a conspirator’s smile. Wonderful. “Well, I don’t like her either. She ‘looked into’ me—whatever that means—and she got the paparazzi involved. We were nearly trampled leaving Patras.”
Isa poured a glass of wine and offered them each one. They sat at the table and she sighed. “Dinner’s in the oven. You’re lucky I have casseroles on hand. So, what kind of dirt did she find? You’re very lucky you come from an ordinary background. The press can be relentless once they sink their teeth in.”
Evelyn nearly choked taking a sip of wine. She wiped her mouth and blushed, then looked at him with panic in her eyes. Here goes. Lucian took a deep breath. “Evelyn’s past isn’t exactly ordinary.”
Isa stilled. “What do you mean?”
“She actually has quite an extraordinary story, but it’s hers to share.”
His sister looked at Evelyn. “Will you share it?”
“Don’t pressure her, Isa.”
“It’s okay,” Evelyn said quietly. “I’d rather her hear the truth from me than some distorted version of it from the tabloids.” She cleared her throat. “I was born in the wintertime, I think twenty-three years ago.”
His sister frowned. “You think?”
“I don’t know. Until a month ago, I didn’t exist.”
“What do you mean?”
Evelyn sighed. “My father died before I was born, shot during a drug deal. My mother has been an addict all my life. She gave birth to me in an alley and I never had a home until now.”
Isa’s face slowly fell. She glanced at Lucian. “Is this a joke?”
“It’s not a joke,” Lucian said softly.
His sister looked at them both, gauging their sincerity. “How on earth did you two hook up?”
“Evelyn was a maid at Patras. I caught her rummaging through my stuff.”
His arm was smacked again. “Lucian! Don’t tell her that. I was not rummaging.”
He laughed and kissed her temple. She pushed him away and rolled her eyes. “Your brother made a rather inappropriate proposition and rather than sue his ass off, I took him up on his offer. I figured it would help my mother in the long run. Which it did, but in no way close to what I imagined.”
“You were . . . homeless?” His sister
said it like it was a word foreign to her vocabulary.
Evelyn nodded. “Lucian helped me.”
He needed to cut in. “She didn’t need my help. Don’t let her fool you. Evelyn has more determination than anyone I know, including myself. She would’ve gotten there with or without me, but I’m glad I was the one to help her.”
Isadora sat back, her arms crossing, one hand catching her glass of wine. “Wow. Does anyone else know this?”
“Dugan. Shamus. Slade.”
“Everyone will know now,” Evelyn commented hopelessly.
“Does Toni know?” Isa asked.
“Not unless Jamie told her, but I don’t think he would.”
Isa nodded. “Me neither. They aren’t there yet.”
Evelyn sat up straighter. “Jamie’s with your sister? Since when?”
He grumbled. “Apparently for some time now. I was the last to know.”
“Oh, stop bellyaching,” Isa snapped. “It’s only been for a couple weeks, and who knows where it’s going. Those two fight about the dumbest stuff. They don’t get along long enough for anything to be consummated.”
“Nobody’s consummating anything,” he snapped.
“Oh, I bet they’re consummating like bunnies right this moment,” his sister teased. She knew he couldn’t accept that his best friend was sleeping with his little sister. She turned back to Evelyn. “So, how did that little twit find all this out?”
Evelyn shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m more worried about what this could do to Lucian and your family.”
Isadora laughed. “Honey, the worst it could do is humble him. The paparazzi can’t hurt him with this petty crap. It’ll just add to the legend. Besides, that’s your past. You’ve come a long way. I never would’ve guessed you were homeless when I first met you. You own that!”
He smiled, loving his sister for affirming everything he tried to say on the ride over.
“But it will embarrass him. And he’ll lose business.” Evelyn was still protesting.
He tried not to, but knew he scowled at her. “I told you to stop that. You are not an embarrassment. I’m proud to have you beside me. I don’t give a furry rat’s ass what your past is.”
“And really, Evelyn,” Isa cut in. “If people aren’t doing business with the Patras name, who will they do business with? We’re everywhere.”
Lucian was surprised to hear his older sister make such a pretentious statement. It was true, but of all the Patras relatives, she was the most unimpressed with their wealth. Almost to the point of holding it in disdain because of what it did to their family.
Isadora turned back to him. “So what happens now?”
“Damage control. DeLaCruz will issue a statement when Evelyn’s ready. I find some homemade porno or some dirt on Nottingham and nail her to the wall. Our biggest concern is making sure this doesn’t affect Pearl.”
“Pearl?”
“Evelyn’s mother.”
“Oh. Where’s your mother, sweetie?”
“She’s in a rehab. Did that woman really make a sex tape?”
Isa snorted. “Probably. She’s a whore. And if she didn’t, we can at least start a rumor that she did. That’s always fun.”
“Isa!” Evelyn gasped and laughed. “We all know it was an affair with her cousin. It’s not nice to joke about.”
His sister and Evelyn cracked up, carrying on with Nicole Nottingham’s scandal, each time adding more fuel to the fire. He sat back and relaxed, glad to see the stress of the evening washing away. His sister was good for Evelyn in that manner. Good for him too.
The scandal would still be there when they returned to the hotel and likely in the papers tomorrow morning, but his greatest worry was protecting Evelyn. He’d grown up in the spotlight, but Evelyn’s privacy was something she cherished. He needed to make sure all this mudslinging didn’t hurt her.
Chapter 11
Match
A competition between two individuals
Evelyn dozed in the crook of Lucian’s elbow as the limo cruised into Folsom. Her shoulders tensed and he shifted. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“We’re going toward Patras?”
“Yes?”
She sat up. Her hair was slightly mussed and looking particularly adorable. “Lucian, I have to go home.”
They’d tiptoed around the reality of their situation all day. He’d been dreading the moment it came up. His jaw locked, but he forced his temper back. “My home is your home,” he said with measured patience.
Her eyes closed as she drew in a breath. This should be good. “Lucian, I have an apartment now.”
“Evelyn, we lived together before. You moving to yet another place is only a step backward.”
His molars locked as she scooted back. He didn’t like the stiff set of her shoulders. That’s how she looked when preparing to argue. “We did go backward. You can’t expect us to jump back where we were. Besides, I have work in the morning.”
Fuck. He’d forgotten she was working again. He was a selfish man, and her working always seemed to rub him the wrong way. He was worth billions for God’s sake. She shouldn’t have to work.
“Dugan will swing by so you can get your things and drive you to work in the morning.” Then he’d know where she was working.
Her mouth tightened. “No.”
“No? Evelyn—”
“Lucian, I said no,” she practically snapped.
He frowned, then growled. “Why? Why do you need to go there? What sense does that make?” He sounded like a petulant brat, but didn’t care. He wanted her in his bed. She’d said she loved him. They made love several times in the past twenty-four hours. Why was everything suddenly slipping through his fingers once more?
“Because it’s where I live now.”
“And for how long, Evelyn? Are we supposed to simply date like two teenagers who can’t afford more time or better circumstances? It’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe to you, but to me it’s smart. I need to look out for me. I have a plan and nothing’s going to get in my way this time, not your demanding needs or sex or even luxury. I need to be practical.”
“Which is what? All I keep hearing about is this plan, but you won’t tell me a single detail. Why the secrets?”
“Because if I tell you you’ll take over and I need to do this for myself.”
He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what she wanted to buy with thirty-five thousand dollars. “Why can’t you confide in me? I only want to help you. If this makes you happy, I’ll help you get it.”
“You don’t understand. Telling you would be like cutting corners. It would shave away the pride I get from finally doing something on my own. I need to be practical.”
He changed tactics. “How fucking practical is it to live in a less than pleasant section of the city when you could have everything you need at the hotel?”
“Well, it’s a step up from the shelter,” she hissed, and he saw he’d hurt her feelings. Her arms crossed over her chest and she turned away from him.
He sighed and pulled her to him so her back was to his chest. Rubbing gently over her stiff arms, he waited for her to unclench. “I know you want your own place. If it’s about taking baby steps, fine, we’ll go slowly. I’ll get you your own room. But the idea of you sleeping all by yourself, miles away, isn’t working for me.”
She scoffed and tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. “I’m sorry, Lucian, but it’s going to have to work for you, because that’s how it’s going to be.”
“This is ridiculous,” he growled under his breath. Then, more to the point, he said, “You’re being stubborn.”
“Guess where I learned that from?”
They were each silent for a moment, reining in their tempers. Finally, like a whipped, lovesick kid—pathetic—he asked, “W
hen will I see you again?” Jesus, what is she doing to me?
As much as he could try to play her game, tried to be flexible in a way he wasn’t accustomed to, her answer infuriated him. “Tomorrow night I have something to do. I guess Tuesday.”
“What do you have to do tomorrow night?” He couldn’t think of anything she’d be obligated to do aside from working at her job and she said that was in the morning.
In a small voice she mumbled, “I don’t want to say.”
His grip over her shoulders tightened. “Why?”
“Because it doesn’t have to do with you and I want to keep it that way.”
She was shutting him out. A terrible thought suddenly occurred to him. “Is it Hughes?”
She sat up and scowled at him. “I’m not an idiot, Lucian. Give me a little credit.” Huffing out an aggravated breath, she mumbled, “It’s my plan.”
This fucking plan. He didn’t want to say it, but the words fell out anyway. “You’re with me.” He flinched at how small his voice sounded to his own ears. What was this woman doing to him?
“Yes, I am with you because I love you. He never has nor could he ever compare to what I feel for you. But I will say this. I am not about to throw myself into something after going through these past few weeks. I need time. Need it, Lucian. It’s not something I’m going to negotiate. You either accept that I have these boundaries or we go back to the way things were a few days ago. You choose, but I will not be manipulated. I have a plan and I’m sticking to it. End of story.”
“Why did you need the money, Evelyn? Level with me. I know it’s not about Pearl. Tell me.”
She shook her head. “No. I just . . . needed it.”
“Do you owe someone money? Are you in trouble?”
“I told you it wasn’t anything like that.”
“Then why all the secrecy?”
Her narrow shoulders lifted as she sighed. “Because of all the reasons I already told you. You’ll get involved and then it won’t be my own.”
Coming Home Page 15