“James, James, please wake up.” I try to calm him, softly patting his arm and whispering.
He is sweaty as moves around in bed and the sheets are wrapped around his leg.
“Eva. Oh, I am so sorry.” His voice is weak as wakes, realizing he has called out for Lily.
“There is no reason to be sorry, silly. I am here. Try and calm down, it was just a nightmare.” I make some soothing noises to help James manage his fear and disappointment.
He sits up and the terror still shows in his eyes as he peers at me through the dark. The city lights glow through the shades, a soft light illuminating the room.
“I need a glass of water—want anything, Eva?” He slips on his boxer shorts. Is it bad to enjoy watching his gorgeous body move, knowing that he is so upset?
“Yeah, actually, that would be great.” I decide to wait in bed to give him a chance to shake off the bad nightmare.
I want to know about Lily but I am afraid of the truth. What if he is in love with Lily? I can’t bear to lose him, particularly to another woman.
Jealousy surges through me and I am ashamed of it. Obviously I want him to be happy so I need to be able to let him go if that is what makes him happy. Ugh, I am so screwed.
As he walks in, I can see improvement in his demeanor. He gives me that charming lopsided smile and my heart melts.
“Here you go.” He hands me a glass of water and I take a big gulp. I am a bit dehydrated from all of my waterworks earlier.
Sitting silently with him in the dark I finally get enough courage to ask him the question, “Who is Lily and what happened to her?”
He snuggles with me in bed and breathes out a big sigh. “I think that this conversation is for another day. Tonight has been tough for you and I don’t want to burden you with my problems. We will talk about Lily and your Aunt Patti tomorrow. Let’s just get some sleep sweetheart.”
I don’t argue with him. Tonight has been a huge milestone for us. I enjoy his arms wrapped around me and savor the moment before I drift back off into sleep.
I wake to the smell of coffee and I find myself smiling from head to toe. This is really happening. I am really here with James.
Slipping out of bed I walk into the bathroom to quickly assess my appearance. I have never stayed over with someone and I know what I look like in the morning. It is not always pretty.
Oh dear, my hair is a rats nest like usual. Brushing it out can take awhile so I inspect my face for smeared mascara. I pretty much cried it all off last night so I am good there. I quickly brush my teeth. Feeling a little bit better about how I look, I walk into the kitchen to find James cooking breakfast in his boxers. Damn, he is hot!
“Good morning beautiful, want some coffee?” James asks with a twinkle.
“Yes, I would love some. Thanks.” Walking over to him, I wrap my arms around him and enjoy his warm skin with a long embrace. I am still a little sleepy and I want to snuggle all morning.
“Oh, Eva, you feel so good. How did you sleep?”
He passes me a big mug of coffee and sip it slowly as the cobwebs clear from my foggy brain.
“Hmmm?”
“Hey sleepyhead, are you awake yet?” Giving me a kiss on the cheek he laughs and I register what he has just said.
“Yes, I slept great. Better than I have in years. Did you have any more nightmares?”
“No. I slept great.” He gives me a half-hearted grin and my heart breaks for him. We both have our demons to deal with.
My stomach is growling and I try and cover it up with my hand. Like that will help, Eva!
“Ahhh...someone is hungry. I am making waffles and bacon.” He motions for me to sit at the table by the large windows overlooking the city.
It is a sunny morning with blue skies and I can see Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. It is so rare to have sunny skies in winter. It usually rains all winter long and, when the sun comes out, Portlanders act like its summer, regardless of the temperature.
“What time is it, James? If it is sunny outside already it must be about 8:30 am.”
“It is actually is 10 am, sweetheart. I couldn’t bear to wake you.”
Cupping my face in his hands he gives me a delicate kiss and sparks fly through my body. Geez, just a little kiss and I am ready to go again. He sets down the plate in front of me with a glass of orange juice.
“This looks wonderful. I am starving.” I dive into the waffle and dip a big bite into warm maple syrup. “Mmm. This is so good.” Trying to mind my manners, I wait until I almost finish my bite before I talk. The bacon is crunchy and salty and the contrast to the sweet maple is divine.
“You are so sweet to make me breakfast! It’s my favorite meal of the day.” Grinning ear to ear, I take a sip of the juice. It is a rare thing to get breakfast like this when you live at the Parish.
We eat together in a comfortable silence and I feel so at home with him. The fact that we have only known each other for two days is incredible.
I have read about love at first sight and all of that, but always thought it was just fiction. I feel like this is a wonderful dream and I pray I don’t ever have to wake up.
CHAPTER 9
GOING BACK
The questions are gnawing at me and I need some answers. Time is not on my side. Soon, I will have to leave and go back to my hell-hole.
“James, I think that it is time that we talk about Lily.”
Images of him kissing a beautiful blond girl keep flashing in my head and I am green with envy.
“I guess it is time, huh.” Walking over to the window, he surveys the city. He rolls his shoulders forward and back and then says with his face backlit by the sun, “Lily is my fraternal twin sister. Her name is Lillian Marie. She was kidnapped when we were both 16 years old.”
James pauses for a moment and looks out of the window as if in a deep thought, “I have been searching for her ever since.”
His sister! The thought of his sister being mixed up with the Parish jerks makes me sick. I have so many questions that I want to ask. Instead I just nod and keep my mouth shut.
I see James pause for a moment and turn to me. We lock eyes as if we’re both seeing how each other will react. He breaks eye contact and stares intently out the taking a deep breath.
“We were both at this party that she begged me to go to with her. We were over in Northeast Portland and we didn’t know the kids hosting the party. One minute she was standing in the corner talking to this guy that she knew and the next she was gone. She vanished into thin air.”
Pacing back and forth in front of the window, I see the his beautifully sad face reflected in the glass.
“She met this boy at a football game the week before and he asked her to the party. I found out later that he was much older and wasn’t even in high school. I was supposed to watch out for her. She was my... sister.” He barely chokes out that last word and I can see the tears well up in his eyes.
I can’t stand seeing him like this. Jumping up out of the chair to hug him I can feel his body tremble.
“It is not your fault, James. I am so sorry.” Starting to feel my throat constrict and tears form, I stop myself. I need to be strong for him.
“Yes it is, Eva. It is all my fault! Our parents were pretty much out of the picture for most of our lives. Even though we are both the same age, I was the one that stepped up to take care of us. I was her brother. I was supposed to protect her.”
“How do you know that she was taken by the Polski thugs?” I ask.
“You know Felix runs the prostitution ring. He has a brother named Chase who runs the drugs side of their criminal enterprise. Have you ever met Chase?”
Now that question brings some unpleasant memories back. “Yes, I have,” I slowly admit to James. “After my father died, we left that night for Portland. They wouldn’t even let me stay for the funeral. Both Polski brothers were there to inspect me.”
James looks at me intently.
Inspect is a nice wo
rd for assault and abuse. I suspect James knows this, but considering his sister is involved with these creeps, there is no reason to fill him in with the gory details.
“Your half-brothers, Max and Matthew, were at that party the night Lily was taken. I traced them to the Polski brothers. I thought at one point she was in Turkey but it turned out that it was a different girl.” The pain and frustration he must feel is evident in his voice.
He hugs me tightly and whispers, “I have searched the globe for my sister. I will do anything to get her back.”
“I am so sorry James.” I hug him back and nuzzle my head into his chest. “You know for sure that she is here in Portland?”
If this is true then perhaps Gabi has heard of her. I know that I can help him find her.
“I traced her to a drug smuggler in Texas who also operates in Mexico. His name is Salvador. I forwarded the lead to my connections at the FBI but Salvador was tipped off before we could get there.”
He lets go of me and starts pacing again. I can see that he is tortured by guilt. I move in to comfort him but I can see the anger in his eyes so I don’t touch him. I am not sure what to do or say at this point so I just stand there.
“Lily was sold back to the Polski brothers almost five years ago. I know that she is here in Portland. Knowing that I am so close again to finding her kills me. I cannot fail this time.”
I ignore his angered expression and I take his hand in mine. “James, we will find her and get her back. I will help you.”
“No! Eva, you are not going back. We are both leaving tonight and I am taking you somewhere safe. You can finally be reunited with your family. I am not letting you go.”
Looking at me square in the eyes, I can see he has made up his mind. I would love to leave this place and never go back to the Parish but I can’t do that.
If we go to the authorities they will be tipped off. They will pack up and move and we will never find Lily. I will also lose my best friend Gabi. I have no choice but to go back. I just can’t tell James.
“What about finding Lily? We have to get her. You are so close, James.” I plead with him knowing that I can’t change his mind but I have to try.
“Eva, I am not letting you go. End of discussion.”
“Okay, James. But what about Lily?”
“Remember Dobbs? He is my private investigator. He is ex-special ops and an experienced hostage negotiator. He is more than capable of handling it. I’ll take you to my safe house and I will come back to help Dobbs with the rescue mission.”
“What was that argument about when he was here last time?” I couldn’t shake the feeling that I caused it.
“It was just a disagreement on how to handle the situation with you. It’s nothing.” He shrugs his shoulders and doesn’t really give me an answer.
“James, that is not good enough. What about me?” I ask.
He sighs deeply and runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Eva, we didn’t know before if you were in on this operation since you are related. He had doubts. I didn’t. It is that simple.”
“Oh. So we were both getting bad advice from our friends, huh?” I smile at him and kiss his cheek.
“Who gave you advice about me? Did you tell anyone about us?” Worry wrinkles his face and I wish I could take back what I said.
“James, don’t worry. She is my best friend in the whole world. She has looked out for me since the very beginning. We tell each other secrets all of the time. Gabi is the only person that I could trust before I met you.”
“How do you know that she didn’t tell the Polski brothers?”
“Because, she is like my sister. She would never tell anyone.” I try and convince him of this but I suspect that it is a lost cause.
“James, we talked about you after our first date. I just told her that you were different. That you were a gentleman. That I thought that I was falling for you.” I look up at him and I can see a big smile on his face.
“Oh, Eva, I fell for you that night, too. You are the most amazing woman that I have ever met. You deserve the best of everything. I am not letting those scumbags put another hand on you ever again.”
Kissing him I can feel our connection stronger than ever this morning. I feel my body heat up with each flick of his tongue and soft caress of his lips. “Oh, James. I love you.”
He stops kissing me and looks down with his smoldering eyes, “I love you, too. My Eva.”
His phone rings and our romantic kiss is interrupted.
“Hey, Dobbs. What’s up?” James stands up and moves away from me.
He walks into the other room and again I am left out of the conversation. Argh! It is so frustrating!
I have so many more questions but I know that I need to go back and find Lily. If it wasn’t for my creepy brothers, Lily would be safe and sound.
Lily is somewhere within the Polski brother operation and I know that Gabi can help me find her. I have never been so happy in my life. James is responsible for this, so it is clear I need to do everything possible to make him happy by finding Lily.
I know what it is like to be loved, cherished, and free. I owe this all to James. He has saved me. Now it is my turn to return the favor.
My mind is made up, I am going back in to find Lily and also get Gabi out.
I tiptoe back into the bedroom and slip on my clothes and I find his wallet. I look around in it and find twenty bucks for cab fare. Tucked behind a receipt I find a piece of paper and open it up to find a picture. I know that it is Lily. Even though they are not twins I can see a resemblance. She has his eyes and that great smile of his. I flip over the picture and there is a note scribbled on it, Lily Marie 14th birthday.
I take the picture and stash it in my pocket along with the cash and try and find something to leave him a note with. Since I can’t find a pen, I take my lipstick from my purse and leave a note on the mirror.
Had to go back and find Lily.
Until tomorrow.
XOXO, Eva.
I slip out the front door as I hear him on the phone outside. I pray that he forgives me. I know that I agreed I wouldn’t go back and the idea of that was fine with me until I thought it through. But now I know I have to do this.
I need to tell Gabi what is going on. I am not abandoning her—leaving her to die in that hell-hole. We need to figure out a way to escape and help James rescue Lily.
CHAPTER 10
THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS
Riding back to the Parish compound, I study the photo of Lily. She standing by a tree and it looks like a warm day. She is dressed in a cute, blue sundress and a red bow tied around her head. She looks happy and carefree.
I know that Lily was taken when she was 16 so the photo was taken two years before her abduction. I wonder how much her appearance has changed. I am betting not too much if James still carries her picture. It’s all he had left, before me.
As I near the compound, I start to tremble. I feel different after last night. Going back to the Parish compound, voluntarily, is a strange feeling. I can feel Eva start to shrink back, and hide, as Sophia emerges from the dark. Surviving this world has meant that I have had to create this other person and it is bittersweet to need her again.
I take my hair and tie it up in a bun and tuck the picture in it. I can’t think of anywhere else it will be safe. Felix loves to inspect me when I come back from dates and after last night I know that he will be especially curious.
Jumping out of the cab a block away I quickly walk up to the gate. Usually clients drive me back to a meeting spot, or Alexi picks me up. I had to wing this one. My heart is pumping and I try to calm my nerves.
“Hi, Alexi. I took a cab home. Our client passed out. He asked me to leave and gave me some cab money.”
He opens that gate while snickering at me. “Ah poor Sofa, can’t keep your man awake? Did you bore him to death?”
I shrug, “I guess so, Alexi.” I try to be as passive as I can. I need to skate through easily
and make it up to my room fast.
“Felix will want to see you. I will let him know you are here. Don’t move.”
Damn it! Please, don’t find the picture. I should have left the picture there with James. If I did, it would be difficult to explain her looks to Gabi. Damn it all to hell!
I stand there and try and look casual but as every minute passes I can feel my nerves take over. Calm down, Eva. You can do this. Give Felix what he wants and get the hell out of here.
Standing outside in my boots and dress from last night’s date with James trepidation crawls up my spine. It is sunny out but cold and I am grateful of freezing temperature. I hope that I can pass off my trembling nerves as a result of the weather.
Finding Eva (Sophia Noire Series) Page 6