Something About Eve (An Eve Sumptor Book 1)

by Jourdyn Kelly

  “You couldn’t run fast enough.”

  “I can get out of the country or hide.”

  “There’s nowhere to hide,” Eve assured her. “You have no idea who you are dealing with. I do. I know you’re scared of me, Katherine. I know you don’t trust me. But I’m the only one who can keep you safe now. Tell me who you are working for.”

  “I don’t know. I swear to God, Ms. Sumptor, I don’t know.” Katherine’s hands began to shake. “Meredith talked to him. She never told me anything about him or how she contacted him.”

  “Are you protecting Meredith?”

  “Why would I protect that bitch? She’s trying to get me killed! I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know.”

  A man in a dark suit came up behind Eve and whispered in her ear. Eve sighed and leaned up in her chair. “You have a choice, Katherine. Your family has filed a missing persons report. You can call them and tell them you are okay and stay in hiding with my protection, or...” Eve paused. “Or, you can go out there and take your chances at ending up like Jackie. It’s up to you.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  Eve remained silent for a moment. “I don’t like what you did, Katherine,” she said finally. “You stole from me and you had an innocent woman killed. I don’t want any more killings and however I feel about you personally, you are human.” Eve rose and smoothed a hand over the gray slacks she had changed into at her office. The crisp, gray button down shirt topped off her outfit giving her an air of authority. “I hope that when this is over, you have learned from your mistakes. I hope you’ve learned never to cross me again.”

  “I just needed the money,” Katherine protested, pushing an uneasy hand through her hair. “I was tired of living paycheck by paycheck. I wanted to live like you. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

  “In this world, you earn what you’re worth. You don’t take it from someone else.” Eve paused on her way to the door, her expression somber. “Be careful what you wish for, Katherine. You wanted to live like me. Now you are.”

  “She’s been in there for a while. She has to come out sometime.” Carter blew on his coffee before risking a sip of the steaming liquid.

  “Be patient,” Harris told him, sipping from his own cup.

  “I told you she was up to something. She’s more involved with this than you want to believe, partner.”

  Eve slapped her hands down on the opened window of the car door and leaned her head in. “Did you bring enough coffee for me, boys?” She chuckled when both cups overturned. “Ooo. That’s gotta hurt.” Her smile faded. “What are you doing here?”

  “We could ask you the same thing, Ms. Sumptor.” Harris responded, blotting at the scorching stain on his lap.

  “Why don’t we take a look inside the warehouse and see?” Carter said, still wiping at his trousers.

  “Do you have a warrant, Detective?”

  “We don’t need one. This is public property.”

  “No, it’s not. I own this warehouse. So unless you have a warrant, I suggest you leave.”

  “What are you hiding, Eve?” Harris asked. The news that Eve owned the property surprised him.

  Eve gave him a humorless laugh. “Do you think I’m holding Katherine in there? She would certainly be safe from harm if she were here and away from Tony. Not that I have to explain anything to you, but I’m thinking of turning this warehouse into a shelter for homeless people. My lawyer called and asked me to come out to discuss the details.”

  “This late at night?”

  “I’m a busy woman, Detective. When I have an opportunity, I take it.”

  “You expect us to believe that story?” Carter demanded becoming increasingly irritable as a man wearing a dark suit came around the side of the building. “Who’s that?”

  “My lawyer,” Eve smiled as the two policemen slid out of the car, their hands on their revolvers.

  “Do you have ID?”

  “Am I doing something wrong? This is a public street and I have every right to be here without being harassed.”

  “Don’t you just love lawyers?” Eve grinned and nodded to the man.

  “Happy?” he said, showing them his ID. “Now may I ask why you are following my client?”

  “We’re not following anyone,” Carter snapped back.

  “No? First you show up at her gallery and now this? I may file a stalking complaint.”

  Carter took a step towards him and was stopped by Harris’ hand.

  “Please, let him follow through,” the man suggested pleasantly. “Then I can file a police brutality complaint, as well.”

  “Why don’t you just tell us what you’re doing here,” Harris said as calmly as he could.

  “My client, being the generous woman she is, has decided to turn this warehouse into a shelter. I’m here discussing the details with her.”

  “Do you have the paperwork for this ‘discussion’?”

  “You produce the warrant, Detective, and I’ll produce the paperwork. Now, since my client has done nothing wrong, I suggest you leave her alone.”

  Harris looked at Eve and she raised an eyebrow. “I told you, you are investigating the wrong person,” she told him. “You wanted me to trust you to take care of this, but how can I when I’m the one you want to accuse?”

  “Let’s go,” he muttered and then, when Carter started to protest, “Let’s go. There’s nothing to see here. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Ms. Sumptor.” He tipped his head and walked back to his car.

  Carter stepped close enough to Eve for her to feel his breath on her face. “I know you’re hiding something. I’ll be watching you,” he said quietly.

  Eve closed the gap, her lips almost touching his. “Don’t ever get in my face again, Detective,” she retorted and shoved him back. “Don’t test me.”

  “That was close,” the man with the dark suit said quietly when the detectives were out of earshot. “You’re going to have to...”

  “I know,” Eve interrupted. “I’ll take care of it. Just make sure the papers are in order.”

  “Goddamnit, Harris, she’s hiding something. Why did you just give in like that?”

  “I’ve been in this business a lot longer than you, partner. She’s hiding something, yes, but she’s right. She’s not the one we should be investigating.” He looked over at his partner with disgust written all over his rugged features. “Are you trying to piss her off? You play too hard, Carter, and she’ll play it safer. Back off. Let her make the mistakes, not you.”

  Harris made a mental note to visit the warehouse again when no one was around. Eve was involved with the disappearance, that he was sure of. But, what she had said about Katherine being safer here than where Tony could get to her was playing on his mind. She was right, but Harris needed to make sure that Katherine was safe.

  By the time Eve reached the front door to her apartment, she was exhausted. After Lainey had left with the boys, she had busied herself, doing as much as she could to keep her mind off of being alone. She’d finished paperwork, made calls to clients, visited Christine in the hospital, and even tried contacting Jackie’s parents once again to no avail. Then, of course, there were the sessions with Katherine and the detectives.

  Eve ran a hand through her hair and sighed wearily as she dug her keys out of her pocket. Behind the door in front of her was a loneliness that Eve had been trying to avoid since she watched Lainey walk out of the gallery.

  “Hello, Mrs. Jenkins.”

  The old woman gave a curt nod and slammed the door shut.

  “Well, looks like we’re actually getting somewhere,” Eve said to herself as she pushed open the door and flipped on the light inside. Empty. Just like her. Locking the door behind her, she threw her keys on the glass-topped table where the maid had left her mail. As she sorted through it, she hit the play button on her answering machine on the way into the living room, and threw herself onto the couch.

  “Eve?” The sound of Adam’s voice made Eve�
�s pulse jump. “Are you there? It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m at the gallery, but you’re obviously not here either. I have a couple of things to do, but I’ll stop by a little later to see you. I miss you. Talk to you soon.”

  The message made Eve feel even more miserable than she had felt already. She missed him as well, which confused her even more about what was going on in her life right now. How could two people mean so much to her? And, when or if it came down to it, how was she going to choose which one to hold on to?

  “Hello, Ms. Sumptor. This is Dee Cummings with Channel 9 News.” Eve frowned. Her phone number was unpublished and it annoyed her that a reporter had somehow obtained it.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the recent death of one of your employees. According to the police, foul play was involved and I hope to get your reaction to that. If you could call me back here at the station, I’d appreciate it.”

  As she left the number and her extension for Eve, thanked her and hung up, Eve made a mental note to find the source feeding this Dee Cummings information, including her phone number. She would play hardball with this woman if she had to, but Dee Cummings would not make Jackie’s death into a media circus.

  The messages continued. “Eve?”

  Eve’s eyes closed at the voice. “Lainey,” she whispered in her empty apartment.

  “I guess you’re not home.” Lainey’s voice carried a hint of accusation and sadness.

  “I’m not with him, Lainey,” she said to the answering machine.

  “I just thought I’d call and see. God! I miss you. I guess I should hang up now. I wish you were there.”

  Lainey paused for a moment as if she didn’t want to hang up, or didn’t know what to say. “Don’t pick me up tomorrow, Eve,” she said finally. “I’ll drive myself. I’m sorry.”

  Eve let her head fall back on the couch. She knew that Lainey thought she was with Adam. Call her, Eve told to herself. Call her and let her know she’s wrong. Fuck Jack if he gets upset by the call. Eve reached for the phone, but before she could pick it up and make that call, the next message began.

  “Hello, little Eve.” Tony’s voice chilled Eve to the bone. She could feel the bile racing up her throat and she swallowed hard to keep it down. How had he gotten his hands on her number?

  “Didn’t think I could find you, did you, little Eve,” he drawled on, his voice menacing and arrogant. “I’m one step ahead of you. That’s a point for me. Soon, it will be time for a nice family reunion. I’ve seen how beautiful you’ve grown to be, little Eve. I’m sure you’re definitely more - experienced as well. I’ve seen how you are with that young man of yours. I’ll get a taste myself soon when we’re reacquainted. It’ll be just like old times. Until then, little Eve.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Eve cried out. She had grabbed up the phone ready to throw it across the room when the idea hit her like a lead pipe.

  “Let’s see who’s one step ahead,” she said, smiling sardonically. “Let’s see who wins this time, Daddy.”

  Tony sat at his desk, grinning, still in the good mood he had been in ever since he acquired Eve’s phone number. It was going to be much harder than he expected it to be to get into her building, but that was only a matter of time. The best security in the world wouldn’t be able to keep him from his little girl. Tony let out a quiet laugh as he sat back in his chair and played his messages.

  “One step forward, two steps back, Tony.” The voice was Eve’s. “Can’t really blame you, I suppose. You’ve been away for a long time, and you’ve lost your - edge.” Her voice dropped to an icy whisper. “I’m not a little girl anymore. I’ll be waiting for you, Daddy. This time, I’ll be the one who wins.”

  Tony picked up the first thing he could find and threw it across the room. The letter opener stuck in the door with a vengeance that he wanted to use on Eve herself. One of his men tentatively opened the door.

  “Is everything okay, sir?” he asked.

  “No. Everything is not okay,” Tony growled. “Get in here!” Eve was not going to get away with this. It was time for him to teach her a lesson, and he knew just how he was going to do it. Because, better than anyone else on earth, he knew exactly how to bring Eve to her knees.

  The object of Tony’s obsession stepped out of the elevator and into her gallery. Eve’s night had been extremely restless and she was feeling the effects of it now. Already on her second cup of coffee, she greeted Mikey who told her that there had already been a call for her.

  “A Miss Cummings,” he said.

  “What did you tell her?” Eve interrupted. Her voice was terse.

  “Nothing, ma’am.” He looked at her curiously. “I told her that you were not in.”

  “I’m sorry,” Eve told him. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. If she calls again, please tell her that I’m not interested in talking with her. Now, I need you to do something for me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He was still a little cautious of Eve’s mood.

  “There are a couple of deliveries that have to be made today and I would like you to go along and see that everything goes smoothly.” She took a set of keys out of her pocket. “Our first priority here at Sumptor Gallery is customer satisfaction. See that all of our clients are handled with care and courtesy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Mikey, call me Eve,” she said, giving him the keys. “I apologize for snapping at you earlier. I’ve had a long night, but that’s not an excuse. Two deliverymen will be here in about ten minutes. The list of the client’s addresses and their purchases are in the computer, so you’ll have to print them out. Make sure they take special care of the merchandise when they are loading and unloading. You know where the van is parked. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call me, okay? I should be in my office all morning.”

  “Okay. I shouldn’t have any problems. Piece of cake.”

  When Lainey heard the light knock on the door, her heart began to pound almost painfully in her chest. She wanted so much to hear Eve’s voice, to touch her, but she was so afraid of what she would see in Eve’s face. How was she going to handle knowing Eve had been with Adam? How much would it hurt?

  “Come in,” she said, starting toward the door, her palms dampening. Her new navy skirt and cheerful, floral blouse did nothing to help lighten her mood.

  Eve was also wary about seeing Lainey. Had she made love to Jack last night? If Lainey had thought that Eve was with Adam, would she have been with Jack in retaliation? God, she hoped not. She didn’t know if she could handle that right now. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the office and almost melted with relief.

  She hadn’t, Lainey thought with immense relief. And then, determined to be direct, “I was afraid that you were with Adam last night. And I knew that if you were, I’d see it in your face this morning.”

  “I know. I wasn’t with him, Lainey,” Eve said quietly. “I’m so sorry I missed your call, but I was alone last night.” She opened her arms and Lainey walked into them, holding on to Eve tightly.

  “I wanted to hear your voice.” Lainey leaned back enough to kiss Eve gently on the lips. “I missed you so much last night.”

  Eve ran her fingers through Lainey’s hair. “I missed you, too. I didn’t sleep at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see you with him.”

  “I wasn’t...”

  “I know. I knew the moment I saw you.” She brought Lainey’s lips to hers and gave her a long, slow, deep kiss, the one she had been dreaming of giving her all night. Eve cleared her throat and took a step back. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this right now.”

  “You’re probably right.” Lainey’s lips still tingled. “Mikey’s downstairs.”

  “Actually, he’s on his way out to make some deliveries. He’ll be gone most of the morning.” She saw Lainey’s eyes darken with desire as she stepped closer to her.

  “Really? We’ll be all alone?”

  Eve smiled. “Yes.”

  “All alone. Whatever shall we d
o?”

  “Hmm, unfortunately, the gallery is still open.” Eve pulled Lainey to her, their bodies meshed together. “But, tell me what you had in mind and when Mikey comes back, we’ll take a long lunch.”

  Lainey laughed and whispered exactly what she had in mind in Eve’s ear.

  “Mmm. A very long lunch,” Eve reiterated, her voice full of desire. “What are you working on?” She needed to change the subject and fast or she’s not going to care if anyone walks in while she and Lainey did what Lainey had just described.

  Knowing exactly how Eve felt, Lainey walked back around her desk and sat. “Just a little bookkeeping and inventory. Picasso is very hot. So is Dali.” She looked up at Eve. “What do you do when you run out of them?”

  “Go shopping for more.” Eve smiled. “There’s an auction that I’m going to in a couple of days. They’re going to have some beautiful pieces. I should come back with an armful of wonderful items.”

  “An auction? That sounds fun.”

  “It can be. Would you like to go with me?”

  Lainey’s smile broadened. “I’d love to. Is that how you get most of your items? From auctions?”

  “Mostly. I go all over the world to find the best pieces. It’s a dream for the true art lover.” She studied Lainey for a moment.

  “There’s another auction that I have to go to,” Eve paused and flipped through her mental schedule. “Next week sometime,” she said a little unsure. “I have it marked down. I’ll be gone for a few days.”

  Lainey frowned. “A few days? Where are you going?”

  “Paris.”

  “Paris? France?”

  Eve chuckled at Lainey’s surprise. “Yes, Paris, France.” She had made the arrangements months ago and had been looking forward to it. But, just now, looking at Lainey, and thinking of being away from her, turned that excitement into a bit of dread.

  “Go with me,” she said. The words were out of her mouth before she even had a chance to stop them.