Flawed Perfection (An Eve Sumptor Novel)

by Jourdyn Kelly

  “We don’t even know if he’s the shooter, Eve.”

  “If James said he was the shooter, then he was!”

  “Eve …”

  “Fix it, Agent Donovan. Get him back.”

  “I am having him followed, and tracing his calls. If he is the shooter, maybe he’ll call whomever he’s working for.”

  “I hope he does. Keep the others informed.” Eve hung up without a goodbye. She was too pissed off to offer him any pleasantries. If he let this guy go, and he was the shooter, Billy may have just helped whoever is putting her family in danger. She was about to dial Charlie when Mikey buzzed.

  “Yes, Mikey?”

  “Ms. Cummings is here to see you, ma’am.”

  Fantastic. “Send her up. How are things going down there?”

  “Busy! But, I have it all under control,” he said quickly.

  Eve chuckled. “I’m sure you do. If you need any help, just let me know.”

  She would have to wait to call Charlie, instead she typed out a quick text.

  Thinking of you.

  She hesitated for a moment before hitting send, but was rewarded with an immediate response.

  Thinking of you 2. Call me later?

  Eve had just enough time to respond to Lainey with a yes before Dee knocked lightly on her door.

  “Come in, Dee.”

  “There’s certainly not a dull moment in your life, Mrs. Riley.” Dee gave her a sly smile, sitting herself in the seat in front of Eve’s desk, and crossing her legs.

  “At least you waited until I came back to work to irritate me.” Though she was only half teasing, she offered Dee an amicable smile. “How did you know I was here anyway?”

  “I’m an investigative reporter, Eve. I know things, and if I don’t know, I obtain someone who can find out for me.”

  Eve’s eyes snapped to Dee’s. “Eduardo Martinez.”

  Dee frowned. “The Brazilian hitman?”

  Hitman? Billy didn’t mention that bit of information. Either he was still keeping things from her, or he didn’t know as much as Dee did. “You know him?”

  “Of him. Thank God, I don’t know him. Why are you interested in a hitman?”

  “I’m not. Apparently, he’s interested in me.”

  “No shit?” Dee’s response was so out of character, both of Eve’s brows raised in surprise. “That is not good, Eve. He’s notorious in Brazil. Who the hell did you piss off there?”

  “I don’t know anyone in Brazil,” Eve responded distractedly. She searched her memory for anyone that could be connected to her and Brazil, or even Tony. It’s possible she doesn’t know all of the people he owed, of course. “Do you know how to find him or contact him?”

  “You want to contact the man who wants to kill you?”

  “No. I’m not suicidal. I want to give James something to work with. If you have contact information, maybe he can work backwards and find out who hired this Mr. Martinez.”

  “You’re taking a big risk, Eve.”

  “I think the bigger risk is sitting back and doing nothing while this guy is out there hunting me and my family.”

  Eve closed the door behind her, shutting out the black sedan that follows her. Annoying, she thought. At least when she had Adam and Lainey followed, she made sure they were discreet. But, after a call to Charlie and James about this apparent hitman, she supposed security being visible to everyone wasn’t such a bad idea.

  “Eve?”

  “Yeah, baby, I’m here,” she called. After a heavy sigh, she squared her shoulders, and went to find Adam to tell him about her day. Shit. She was not looking forward to this.

  “A hitman.”

  Eve took a bite of her stuffed Portobello mushroom, and nodded nonchalantly. Bella was banging her sippy cup on her highchair tray, talking about what was obviously extremely important baby things. Eve gave Bella a smile, and a small piece of mushroom.

  “A hitman, Eve?”

  Adam had been stunned like this ever since Eve told him the story. She couldn’t blame him.

  “Yes, amant, that’s what Dee said. Charlie and James are on it, and doing everything they can to find who hired him.”

  “How can you be so blasé about this?”

  “I’m not, baby. But, I refuse to let this take over my life, especially here at home.”

  “I get that, beautiful, but we still need to be on alert. Even here.”

  “We are. James put more security around the house, we have a state of the art alarm system, and just because I’m calm, that doesn’t mean I’m not careful.”

  Adam nodded, and tried being calm himself. “And, you don’t know anyone in Brazil?”

  “As I told Charlie, I’ve only been to Brazil once, and I doubt my dealings there left anyone wanting to kill me. I bought art there for a lot of money, then left.”

  “Tony?” Fuck, he hated saying his name, especially to Eve.

  “I can’t be sure, but I’m hoping James will have better luck on that end.” Eve caught Bella’s sippy cup as she chunked it at her. “Momma doesn’t want to talk about this anymore either, baby girl. How about you, me and daddy go play before bath time?”

  Adam smiled at both of them. If she wants to give Bella normalcy, he would give it to her. But, he would be calling James and getting a full report.

  Eve lay on the bed, her legs bent and crossed at the knee. She tapped her toe to an imaginary beat as she waited for Lainey to answer her call.

  “Hey, there. How was the gallery?”

  “Busy. Seems having drama in my life really boosts patrons.”

  “You know, I can come in and help tomorrow,” Lainey said hopefully. She missed Eve, of course, but she also missed the gallery as much as Eve did.

  “I really don’t think Jack will approve after I tell you about my day.”

  Lainey was eerily quiet while Eve told her everything, only emitting a small gasp when she heard the word hitman.

  “Where is Adam?” Lainey asked softly when Eve was finished.

  “On a call to James.” Eve was pretty sure Adam didn’t think she knew what he was up to, but she did. And, she was fine with it if it gave him any sense of control or safety.

  “He’s still letting you go to the gallery?”

  Eve balked at the word ‘letting’. It was petty, she knew, but she didn’t like feeling as though she needed permission.

  “I have security, Lainey,” she said coolly.

  “Eve, honey, don’t get upset with me. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. This is a lot to process …” Lainey picked up a jade statue of Buddha with rubies and diamonds encrusted in the necklace around the neck, and held it close. The portly little fella had been a gift from Eve. A sixty-thousand dollar gift that sometimes made Lainey afraid to even touch it, but she loved it nonetheless. “I’m going to the gallery with you, tomorrow. Jack knows there’s still a risk. He doesn’t need the details.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “No. Now ask me if I care. I want to be near you, Eve. Please?”

  A slight pang filled Eve’s heart. Lainey was afraid. Afraid of being with Eve, but also afraid of not being there and losing Eve. “Alright. You should know, though, we are surrounded by security. Everything will be okay.”

  Eve glanced up from her iPad to see Adam watching her. The memory of the night before flooded her mind just then as she saw the raw emotion in his eyes. There was no hurry last night, no demands, just pure love and devotion. He took his time with her, kissing every inch of her until it built a need so fierce in both of them, it was impossible to stay apart. Even when he took her, he did it slow—almost painfully so—building up her orgasm to the highest peak, she had nowhere else to go but come crashing down in a powerful euphoria.

  She leaned over and kissed Adam chastely. “I’ll be okay, baby. I won’t leave the gallery until I’m ready to come home. I promise.”

  Eve couldn’t forget the threat against Adam, the knife lodged in the portrait
she had painted. While he was worried about her, she was more worried for him. But, she couldn’t keep him from his job. He had worked way too hard to get this prestigious account, so she had to trust in the men James had watching over Adam.

  “Promise me you will be careful,” she demanded.

  “I promise, beautiful. I won’t let anyone take me away from you or Bella.” He kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her chin, as though his lips were memorizing everything about the way she felt beneath them. “I’ll be at the site today, near the warehouse. I’ll go over and take a look during lunch.”

  Eve frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  Well, this was an odd turn. Now she was worried about him going out. What a pair they made.

  “I have security, too. Plus, I want to get the new offices going soon while I’m still being recognized for the Griffen account. I’ll be quick. I just want to check out the layout, take a few pictures, and get an idea.”

  Eve stood and walked to the small built-in desk area of the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she shuffled a few things around before finding the key. She took it back to him, held it out, then snatched it back before he could take it.

  “Be careful.”

  “I promise.”

  Eve stood with Adam at the front door and kissed him deeply. She didn’t care that guys in dark sedans were watching them, or the neighbor watering her plants looked on in shock. She wanted him to know how much she love him, and poured every ounce of that love into the kiss.

  “I’m so in love with you, baby,” she whispered.

  Adam pressed his forehead to hers, his hand on the back of her head to hold her there. “And, I’m so in love with you, beautiful. I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”

  “Yes. Maybe I’ll make pork tonight. Sound good?” It was her attempt at normalcy, and he smiled.

  “Perfect.” Adam gave her another quick kiss before turning towards the car. “Good morning, Lainey.”

  Lainey grinned at him, having seen the Eve and Adam kissing show herself. For once, she wasn’t jealous. Well, not completely anyway. She stood by Eve, watching her watch Adam, winking that sexy wink, and waving until he disappeared. When Eve’s smile faded, Lainey became concerned.

  “Eve? What’s wrong?”

  Eve shivered next to Lainey, and crossed her arms to rub her hands over them. The beautiful spring day had nothing to do with the chills, but, still, she looked at Lainey and smiled. “Nothing. Want some coffee?”

  They sat silently for a time, watching Lexie with Bella, just enjoying the moment. Bella’s beautiful laugh made Eve smile and tear up at the same time. Eve’s baby girl was everything to her, and the thought of something happening …

  “Lexie, could you take Bella into the other room, please?”

  Lexie looked up in surprise. Eve usually loved this time of the morning with Bella, but something seemed off today. “Yes, ma’am, of course.”

  Eve held her sigh in at the ‘ma’am’, taking Bella’s chubby cheeks in her hand. “Momma loves you, baby girl.” She kissed her loudly, making Bella laugh. “I’ll be in to say goodbye before I have to leave,” she told Lexie, then waited until they were gone.

  “Why do I feel like I’m not going to like whatever you have to say?” Lainey sat back in her chair, and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t give me that sexy eyebrow thing, I know you. You’re about to piss me off, aren’t you?”

  “There’s just something I want to talk to you about. I should have done it a while ago, but … well, this stuff that’s going on made me think I should do it now.”

  Lainey looked at Eve wearily. “I’m really not going to like this.”

  Eve took a breath. No, Lainey wasn’t going to like what she had to ask, but it needed to be asked. “Lainey, honey, if something happens to me …”

  “No! No, no, no, no. Nothing is going to happen to you, so just stop right there!”

  “Lainey, please. I’m not just talking about now. If anything, no matter when it is, happens to me and A …” Eve stumbled on Adam’s name, not even wanting to think of that possibility. She cleared her throat and tried again. “If something happens to us, I need to know you will take care of Bella.”

  Lainey didn’t want to think about this, especially now. But, one look at Eve told her Eve needed this peace of mind. “Of course I would! I love Bella, Eve. But, nothing is going to happen to either of you!”

  Eve just smiled, and continued. “If something happens to me, help Adam? Be there for him?”

  “Eve, you have to stop this, please.”

  “I will, Lainey, as soon as I know …”

  “Yes! I will be there for Adam.” Good Lord, she hoped Eve was done, because she didn’t know how much more of this she could take without bursting into tears.

  But, Eve wasn’t done.

  “And, if something happened to … if …” Eve couldn’t finish. She couldn’t imagine a life without Adam, not now. Just the mere thought had her trembling, and her eyes watering.

  Lainey laid a hand on Eve’s and squeezed gently. “I’ll be there for you,” she said quietly.

  Eve nodded and sniffed. “If something happened to him because of me, I don’t know if I could live with that.” Eve shook herself mentally, and heard Bella’s laughter from the other room. “Don’t let her forget about me.”

  “Eve, baby, Bella is going to have you around for a very long time. You’re going to teach her wonderful things, annoy her when she becomes a teenager, and see her grow into a beautiful woman, just like her mom.” Lainey felt Eve’s hand grasp on to hers, and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I will never let her forget you, honey.”

  “The locket that my mom gave me is in the top drawer of my desk at the gallery. It belongs to Bella. Give it to her?”

  “Okay, that’s enough. Eve, I can’t listen to you talk like this anymore. You’re scaring the hell out of me, not to mention depressing me.” Lainey stood up and walked to the window overlooking the backyard. “I will do what you ask, Eve, because I love Bella and I care very much for Adam. But, did you ever think about how I would cope without you?”

  Eve’s heart ached. Yes, she thought of that, quite a bit. She just didn’t know what to offer Lainey as comfort. She went to Lainey, touching her lightly, and leaning her body in to hers.

  “I love you. I will always be with you no matter where I am.”

  Lainey trembled as a tear slid down her cheek. She knew it was all Eve could offer her, but to Lainey, it was everything.

  Eve had been on edge all day. The gallery was full of people, but she left them in Lainey and Mikey’s capable hands, and retreated to her office. She tried sketching, hoping it would help, only there were more pieces of wadded up paper on the floor than sketches in front of her.

  She called Dee, who told her that all the information she came up with she passed to Charlie and James. Eve called Charlie, who told her nothing solid has come up, yet, but he’s working closely with James. She even called Billy to see if his traces produced anything. They didn’t. Son of a bitch, she was becoming one of those people. Those annoying, calling constantly for updates, ‘are-we-there-yet’ people. But, she couldn’t help it. If she could just find one piece of this damn puzzle, it would give her something to go on. When Tony was after her, at least she knew her opponent. However, now Eve was completely in the dark, and grasping at straws did nothing to help calm her down.

  She hated this feeling. Sickness sat in the pit of her stomach, churning into a fear she couldn’t tame. Even years ago, when she was being brutalized, she’d had a plan. She had survived because she knew she would get out. Eve couldn’t guarantee that she would get out of this one. Nor could she guarantee the safety of those she held so dear. It was a humbling and terrifying feeling.

  Unable to sit and basically twiddle her thumbs, Eve got up to pace. She found her feet taking her to the balcony overlooking her gallery. It was clean now, all reminisces of the vandalism were gone with fresh paint
and restored art. Everything looked … normal. She could stand here and pretend that everything was normal, if it weren’t for uneasiness she felt inside.

  She watched Mikey push his glasses up, and smile genuinely at a customer. He would make the sale, she knew. Being so personable always worked in his favor. Her gaze switched to Lainey, who was also with a customer—a full gallery was the silver lining of all of the drama. Eve knew Lainey would also make a sale, or three. She was charming and witty, and extremely intelligent about the art she spoke of. Of course, being beautiful didn’t hurt with the male—and some female—customers.

  Lainey felt a tingle down her spine, and turned to look up. Her eyes locked with Eve’s. She tried to identify all of the emotions she saw flicker across Eve’s features, but was pulled back into the conversation with her customer. When she got the chance to look again, Eve had disappeared.

  Eve sat at her desk, pen poised. Maybe it was morbid to do what she was doing, but better safe than sorry. Isn’t that what they say? She turned off the chatter in her mind, and wrote from her heart.

  Adam, my love,

  When you first came into my life, I wasn’t in the best frame of mind. I told myself over and over again that I didn’t want a relationship. But, one look at you, one touch of your hand, or brush of your lips, and there was no way I could stay away. You enchanted me from the very beginning, and I should have known then that I wouldn’t be able to keep my heart out of it. The first time you kissed me, I fell in love with you. Of course, I denied it, and you, out of fear, but I know now that what I felt for you was pure. I never knew what it was like to be kissed and made love to until I met you. You opened my eyes to so many things, and for that I will always be grateful. I’m sorry it took me so long to let you in, but I can’t tell you how happy you made me by waiting for me. You’ve given me your love, your devotion, your everything, and best of all, you gave me Bella. The gift of our baby girl is like giving me back a part of my soul that I lost when I lost my mom. I will never be able to thank you enough for that. You are my love, my life, and I am completely honored and blessed that you chose to be with me. If you are reading this letter, my love, it means I can no longer be with you or our daughter. I’m sorry I had to leave you, but I will be with you always. I am so in love with you, baby, and I will be for eternity. Take care of yourself, and our baby girl. Tell her how much I love her every day. And, every day, remember how much I love you. Forever and always yours.