Eve froze. She had never said those words to anyone in her life, and the last person who said them to her was Adam. Hearing them from Darren made her heart soar, and at the same time scared the life out of her.
Lainey saw the terror in Eve’s eyes and moved in. “Kevin, honey,” she said cheerfully. “Why don’t you take your brother upstairs and make sure you have everything packed.”
“Okay, Mom. Come on, squirt.”
Eve let Darren go and watched silently as he hopped down off of the stool and ran after Kevin before she leaned her arms on the counter and bowed her head. “I couldn’t say it,” she said quietly, ashamed. “I tried, but I couldn’t say it.”
“It’s okay, Eve,” Lainey told her. “He knows how you feel.”
“How?” Eve demanded. “How could he? I don’t even know how I feel.”
“Honey, a very smart, very beautiful woman once told me that kids are more perceptive than we’d like to believe. I believed her. So should you.”
Eve smiled. “Smart and beautiful?”
“Very.” She took Eve’s hand. “I can’t imagine the pain you went through as a child...”
“Lainey.” Eve tried to pull her hand away, but Lainey held on tight.
“I’m not letting you pull away this time. Let me say this.” She hesitated, but for only a moment. “I can’t imagine what you went through, but, I know that your reluctance to open your heart to anyone is the direct result of what happened to you then. But that’s in the past, Eve. Let me in. Let me help you love.”
Eve wanted to tell her how much she had helped her. But not here. Not now. “Not now, Lainey,” she said. “We should get going.”
Lainey didn’t want to push Eve. She wished there was something she could say, something that would show Eve just how much she wanted to help her. Whether she believed it or not, Eve had helped her tremendously by bringing out a different side of her. She had made her feel passion and excitement again, and gave her a strength she had never felt before. But, for now, she would back off and wait for Eve to come to her.
When Lainey started past her, Eve reached for her. She glanced up the stairs to make sure they were alone, then brought Lainey into her arms, embracing her tightly. “I want to let you in,” she whispered. “I want to, Lainey. Give me a little more time.”
Lainey looked into Eve’s eyes. “I’ll give you whatever you need, Eve.”
Eve framed Lainey’s face in her hands and kissed her gently. She moved away when she heard the boys coming near. Thank you, she mouthed.
All four of them settled into Eve’s Jaguar. The flight back had been a somber one since none of them had wanted to return to “reality”. Eve had been especially quiet. She didn’t know how she was going to be able to drive Lainey and the boys back to the suburbs and leave them. How was she going to go to her apartment and the loneliness she knew was waiting for her there? She hadn’t noticed it before. Or perhaps she had and had refused to admit it, just as she had refused to admit so many other things until it was too late.
“All set?” she said, putting the car in gear just as her cell phone rang.
“You’re being tailed.” The phone went dead.
Eve took down her sunglasses from the visor, slipped them on and glanced behind her in the mirror.
“Something wrong?” Lainey asked her.
“No,” Eve lied. She had taken great measures to keep Lainey’s home safe from Tony. She wasn’t about to just lead him to her now. “I have to make a stop before taking you home. Is that okay?”
“Sure. Where are we going?”
“I have to stop by the gallery.” She looked back at the boys. “You guys want to see where your mom works before going home?”
It was a distraction and, as they cheered, Eve found herself praying that neither they nor Lainey would guess that she was taking measures to keep them safe.
The boys fidgeted excitedly on the elevator ride up to the gallery, clearly aware of how important it was that Eve would take them to the place where she and their mother worked. Even if it was a stuffy old art gallery. When the doors opened, Eve immediately spotted the two detectives talking to Mikey. Lainey noticed them, too, and tensed. If the police were here, it couldn’t be good news.
“Why don’t you take the boys up to your office and show them around,” Eve told her.
“Come on, guys,” Lainey said. “Let’s go see what you can play with in my office.”
Both men watched as Eve strolled towards them, her tanned body striking in short white shorts and a tight white tank top. Clearly her beauty distracted them, but only for a few moments before an ominous look crossed Carter’s arrogant features.
“Detectives,” Eve greeted them unsmiling.
“Where have you been, Ms. Sumptor?” Detective Carter asked.
“Out of town,” Eve answered shortly. “Why are you here?”
“Where is Katherine Bushnell, Ms. Sumptor?” Detective Harris finally spoke.
“I don’t make a habit of keeping tabs on my employees, Detective.”
“You don’t find it odd that she didn’t show up at work today?” Carter asked.
“I’ve been out of town,” Eve repeated deprecatingly. “I don’t know who has shown up for work and who hasn’t.”
“You don’t know, or you don’t care?”
“Both. Why should I care that Katherine didn’t show up for work? She’s been embezzling, she implicated an innocent woman of doing something she didn’t do, and she’s been slacking. Shall I go on?”
“You’re very indifferent, considering people are dying around you because of you and your connections,” Carter said accusingly.
“She’s missing, Ms. Sumptor,” Harris interrupted.
“Missing?” Eve’s eyes were blazing. “You consider her missing because she didn’t show up for work?”
“Her family filed a missing person’s report Saturday when she didn’t come home.”
“Where is she, Ms. Sumptor? And, where were you this weekend?”
Eve was becoming tired of Carter’s suspicions. “Am I under investigation, Detective?” she asked. “Because if I am, arrest me. My lawyers would have a field day with you. No wonder you haven’t gotten Tony off the streets. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Are we?”
“Such hostility,” Eve shook her head. She leaned in and put her mouth to Carter’s ear. “Tell me Detective, what bothers you more? That you think I’m guilty and have gotten away with murder, or that you want to fuck me but can’t have me?” She stepped back. “Arrest me, or get out of my gallery.”
“We’re not going to arrest you, Eve.” Harris stepped between her and Carter, playing the buffer. “We just want to know where Katherine is.”
“I don’t know where she is, but wherever it is, I’m sure she’s safe from Tony.” Eve’s eyes never faltered. “Stop investigating me and get him off the streets, Detective Harris.”
“Or you will?”
“I’ve been away all weekend and I have things to do,” Eve snapped. “Now, if there is nothing else.”
“We’ll be in touch, Ms. Sumptor.” Harris tipped his head and motioned for his partner to follow him.
“I’m sure you will. Hey, Mikey. How did things go this weekend? No problems?”
“Nope. No problems at all. Until – well, until those detectives came in here, asking all kinds of questions about you.”
“What kinds of questions?” Eve asked immediately alert.
“Where you were. How long you’d been gone. Whether you’d received any visitors or strange phone calls before you left. I didn’t tell them anything. Of course, I didn’t know anything, but I wouldn’t have told them if I did.” He puffed out his chest. “I don’t know what they want, but they’re not getting it from me.”
Eve gave Mikey a charming smile. “Hmm. Holding down the fort and watching my back. Sounds like you deserve a raise.”
“I didn’t do it for a raise,” the young man prote
sted.
“And, that’s precisely why you are getting one,” Eve interrupted. “You do a great job here, Mikey. I’d like you to join us full time when school is out.”
“Are you serious? I have a job?”
“Yes. On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t call me ma’am. Call me Eve.”
“My mother would kill me for being disrespectful.” The statement reminded Eve of Jackie. She didn’t understand why her family was refusing any kind of help from her. But Eve could only imagine the grief they were going through, so she wouldn’t push. She smiled at Mikey. “So we won’t tell her.” Eve laid her hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go and get something to eat. It’s quiet here and I’ll be here for a while. We’ll talk about your raise and everything else a little later. Deal?”
“Yes, ma’ - I mean, yes, Eve.” He grinned and all but skipped to the elevator.
Eve made her way upstairs to Lainey who was waiting for her in front of the double doors of Eve’s office.
“Is everything okay?” Lainey asked her. The presence of the detectives had made Lainey nervous. She didn’t know if she could handle more news like that about Jackie’s death, and she didn’t think Eve could either. She knew that underneath that tough exterior, Eve was just as vulnerable as anyone else. Maybe more so.
“Mmm hmm. Where are the boys?”
“In my office. They found the games on the computer and it’s keeping them occupied.” Lainey shrugged. “I guess the games are more interesting than art at their age.”
“I can’t take you home,” Eve told her abruptly. She had to make sure that Lainey and the boys were safe, and that meant she couldn’t be the one to drive them back to Jack.
“What? Why?” Lainey’s heart stopped beating for a split second.
Eve’s heart hurt having to say this to Lainey. She looked down at the sell slips in her hand. “I’m sorry, I have a lot of work to do and Mikey just went to lunch,” she told her. It wasn’t the full truth, but she couldn’t tell Lainey the selfish reason.
“Then we’ll wait for you.” Lainey didn’t want to leave Eve yet.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be. And, it’s a lot of tedious paperwork. The boys will be bored to death.”
Why was Eve trying to dissuade Lainey from staying with her? There was something here that was not being said. Something important. She was sure of it.
“They’ll be fine,” Lainey said evenly. “I could help you with the paperwork and they can keep playing games.”
“Honey, I can’t take you home. I’ve explained why.”
“We can wait,” Lainey said stubbornly. “I want to wait.”
“Lainey, I can’t. I don’t want to take you home,” she confessed finally. She would be as honest with Lainey as she could be right now. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t drive you to the house that you share with Jack and leave you. I can’t watch you disappear into that house, knowing he’s there waiting for you. I can’t drive away, drive back to my apartment, alone, without wanting to be with you and feeling jealous that you’re there with him.” She reached up and touched Lainey’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.”
Lainey was speechless. She had been so worried about how she would feel watching Eve drive away, that she hadn’t even considered Eve’s feelings. “Eve.” Lainey lifted her hand to Eve’s, taking it. She walked into Eve’s office, pulling Eve in with her and closing the door. “I should have been more sensitive about your feelings. I don’t want to leave you either. You must know that.” She brought Eve’s lips to hers and kissed gently. Lainey watched as Eve’s eyes fluttered closed.
“Go home with me,” Eve pleaded softly.
“God, Eve. I wish I could. If it were just me, I would.”
“I know I’m being unreasonable,” Eve told her. “But I had no idea it would hit me this hard. I have someone that can take you and the boys home. Let me just make the call.”
“You don’t have to do that. We’ll take a cab.”
“No, you won’t. I have a car to take you. Tomorrow, if I can’t pick you up, there will be someone waiting to bring you into work.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Lainey protested. She knew she had given Eve her word, but this was too much. It made her feel like a child who couldn’t take care of herself.
“Lainey, you promised me. Until all of this is taken care of, I don’t want you to be alone.”
“What is ‘all of this’? You tell me that I may be in danger, but you don’t tell me why. Don’t you think I deserve to know?”
“I will tell you everything, Lainey. Just not now. Let me take care of things, of you.” Eve brushed Lainey’s hair back from her face. “Until then, all I ask is that you not travel alone.”
“No, Eve,” Lainey told her, choosing her words carefully. “I’m not going to live my life like a prisoner in my own home. If I need to go to the store, I’m not going to wait for some stranger to take me. I’m not going to be dependent on you or anyone else. That’s what I’m trying to get away from. I know you’re used to getting what you want, Eve, but I can’t do that. If you’re not there to pick me up in the morning, then I’ll drive myself.”
“Then I’ll be there to pick you up,” Eve promised her. She would make sure that Lainey was safe without impeding her privacy. Eve walked to her desk and picked up the phone. “Tonight, indulge me, and let me call the car for you and the boys.”
“Fine, but this time only.” Of course, everything that she had said to Eve was true, but Lainey knew that her motive was a little more selfish.
Eve stood in front of Lainey and studied her after making the call. “You think you can fool me, don’t you?” she said, pushing the hair from Lainey’s neck and bending to brush her lips softly against Lainey’s skin. “We all have our motives.”
Surprise and arousal battled each other inside Lainey.
“Mommy?”
Eve and Lainey wrenched away from each other at the sound of Darren’s voice. Clearing her throat and smoothing her shirt, Lainey went to the door and opened it. “Yes, honey?”
“Kevin won’t let me play games on the ‘puter. He’s hogging it!”
“Am not. You just played.”
“Boys, that’s enough. Get your stuff ready, we’re going to be leaving soon.”
“Are we going home now, Mommy?”
“Yes.” Lainey hesitated when the phone on Eve’s desk rang.
“They’re here,” Eve said as she hung up.
“Isn’t Eve coming, too?” Kevin asked.
“No, honey. She has some work to do, so she won’t be able to take us home.”
Eve moved to Darren and Kevin. “I’m sorry but I’ll see you guys soon. If not during the week, then maybe next weekend. Okay? And remember, if you want to talk to me, all you have to do is call. Your mommy has my number, all right?”
“Okay. Are you going to be lonely without us?” Darren asked, his voice watery with tears.
“Very. Who am I going to play video games with?” Eve gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek and was almost knocked over when he threw his arms around her.
“Don’t be lonely, Eve,” he said. “If you need to talk to me, you can call me.”
Eve’s heart melted. “I’ll do that.” She looked over at Kevin who was standing there awkwardly and gave him a kiss as well. “I’ll see you guys soon, okay?”
“All right, guys, go get your stuff and make sure to turn off the computer. I’ll be there in a minute.” She waited until they left and then turned Eve to her. “You can call me, too,” she whispered.
Eve smiled. “You have wonderful sons. They take after their mom.”
“I don’t want to go, Eve. I want to stay with you.”
Eve laid her forehead on Lainey’s. “I want you to stay with me, too, baby.” More than you’ll ever know, Eve thought to herself. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Come on, before I never let you go.”
; “Kiss me,” Lainey whispered.
Eve obeyed and kissed Lainey deeply, passionately. It was all too fleeting, but it still left them both wanting more. “God.”
Eve touched a fingertip to her lips and then touched Lainey’s. “Dream of me.”
“How could I not? Dream of me.”
Eve smiled. “How could I not?” She knew she was doing the right thing. They would be safer this way. Tony was after her not Lainey, and the best thing to do right now was to not go with them. She couldn’t risk it.
She walked into the dimly lit room and sat in the chair in front of Katherine, who was nervously biting her nails, her pink slacks and matching silk shirt grimy from her surroundings. Slowly, deliberately she crossed her legs, remaining silent as Katherine stared at her.
“I should have known you were behind this,” Katherine spat out disgustedly. “You have no right to keep me here. This is illegal!”
“Embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars is illegal, too, Katherine,” Eve said quietly.
“You can’t prove that!”
Eve glanced at a figure hidden in the shadows and nodded her head slightly. “We were supposed to just alter the books.” On the tape, Katherine’s voice sounded harsh. “Sumptor would lose money and possibly the company and we would get paid.” Eve watched the horror fill Katherine’s face as she heard the recording.
“How did you get that?”
“I have my ways, Katherine. Are you ready to talk?”
“What are you going to do to me?” Katherine was becoming afraid again. “Why are you holding me here? I don’t know anything.”
Eve laced her fingers together and studied the other woman. “This is the safest place for you to be, Katherine. After you left Meredith’s office, she made a call. The same call she made before Jackie was found murdered.”
“You’re lying.” Katherine’s mouth was bone dry. “She wouldn’t do that.”
“She did.” Eve nodded to the shadow once again and a glass of water was promptly brought to Katherine. “I could let you go and leave you to fend for yourself, or you can talk to me and I can protect you.”
“I’ll run.” She gulped down the water. Clearly she was frightened and she had every reason to be.
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