by Vi Carter
“I’m going to get Evie,” I say to Nic.
The doe-eyed woman takes three steps towards me, she’s glancing at the other woman who is ushering her back, but she takes another step towards me. “Did you say, Evie?”
“She’s been worried about you,” I say.
She shakes her head like she doesn’t believe me. “She’s here?” Her hand goes to her heart like she’s trying to keep it in her chest.
“Yes.”
The other women are all staring at me like they aren’t sure if I’m telling the truth. “I’ll go get her.”
I leave the guest house and pass the four security men who stand close to the front door.
She’s lying on the bed. Her arm is thrown over her face, and for a brief moment, I think she’s asleep. A part of me wants to leave her sleeping. She needs her rest.
Her arm drops from her face, and she quickly sits up on the edge of the bed. “Where have you been? You just left. I didn’t know…”
Her cheeks redden, and they are the perfect shade against the rest of her creamy skin. I hold out my hand, and she stares at it in confusion before she takes it.
“I want to show you something.”
“What is it?” Her voice shakes slightly.
My body rings with an excitement I haven’t felt in a very long time.
We leave Nicolai’s home, and Evie slows down, pulling on my arm. “It’s okay, Evie.” I glance at her but don’t stop walking.
She doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame her. She keeps walking, looking around the area. She’s hesitant, but she lets me drag her along until the security team comes into view, and then she stops walking altogether.
I release her hand, but she doesn’t run. Her hands hang at her side, her pulse pounds in her neck.
“What’s happening?” Her voice is a whisper, a terrified whisper.
“I found the girls. They are in the guest house.” I point to the front door.
She’s taking a step away from me. Her reaction wasn’t what I expected. “You’re lying.”
I don’t answer because deep down, she must know I’m not.
“They’re behind that door?” She’s pointing at the door now like it’s a fucking beacon of hope.
“Yes. Leah is there too.”
She bites her lip and frowns at me. Her eyes fill with tears, and she glances from the door of the guest house and back to me.
“If I walk through that door, I won’t be ambushed and taken by Igor?”
Her fear isn’t irrational, but it still irritates me. “I told you. You are staying with me.”
She stares at the door again. I don’t think she heard me as she starts towards it. Her steps grow faster until she reaches the door. She starts to turn the handle, but the door is pulled open.
A large pair of doe eyes take in Evie. No words are exchanged between the girls. They fall into each other’s arms and fall apart. The tears they spill and the sound of their sobs have the other girls arriving at the door. I’ve never been more uncomfortable watching seven wailing women. The security seems to move a bit away from the door.
All of them hug Evie, and it’s only now I see I did the right thing. Her happiness at this moment makes it all worthwhile.
I leave them and return to the house. Igor answers on the second ring.
“You killed my doctor. I really liked him.” His voice is tense.
“I didn’t. The same men that killed the security team broke into my home and killed two of my men and took Evie.”
There is a silence that stretches out, and I allow it.
“Yet you got away.”
“I did.”
His heavy breathing into the phone shows his temper that he is trying to keep in check.
“You broke into my office?”
“You had me investigated.” I fire back.
He pauses, but it’s brief. “You answer to me, boy, not the other way around.”
I turn and look out the back window that spans across half of the kitchen wall. From here, I can see the guest house. The front door is closed. Evie and the women must have retreated inside.
“Who do you answer to, Igor?”
There is silence, and I know my question throws him. “No one.” He’s nervous. His confidence is wavering.
“I got to the warehouse, but I was too late. I’m sorry. It was ablaze, and I saw several bodies inside.”
I change the phone to the other hand as I continue to look out the window at the guest house.
“You think you’re clever?”
His question pisses me off, and I move away from the window. “You’re a piece of shit, Igor. I know everything, and if you want to keep your balls in your pants and not have them relocated to your fucking throat, I’d just listen if I were you. You have the report for the fire already filled in, so file it.” I wait a beat, and when he stays silent, I regret not doing this face to face. How I would love to see the strain on his face as he fights to contain his pride that is now damaged. “It’s clear the men attacked my home and took Evie. I’m lucky I got away with my life. I think that will stand in your favor, that I’ve survived.”
I pause now.
Igor clears his throat before he speaks. “I’ll make a record of the fire and the attack. So the case is finally closed.”
“Yes. The case is closed. In a funny way, you got what you asked for.” He had, after all, set all of this up. It had gone exactly as he had planned; only the women didn’t end up in his hands but mine.
He hasn’t hung up, and I’m sure he wants to ask me where they are, what I intend to do with them, but he can’t bring himself to ask those questions.
“Goodbye, Igor,” I finally say.
I turn back to the guest house as Nicolai comes out the front door. He speaks to his men before walking back towards the house.
“You look like you need a drink.” He says the moment he steps into the kitchen.
I slip the phone into my pocket. “I think the drink is for you.”
Nicolai pours out two shots of vodka and walks to the window where I stand. I take the shot from him.
“I think I may be traumatized.” He downs the vodka. “They sound like a bag of cats.”
I grin as I drink my shot of vodka.
“I was afraid to move.” The fear is real in his eyes, and I grin again.
“Thank you for everything.”
Nicolai gives me a curt nod before going back and refilling his shot. He brings the bottle over to me, but I wave him off. I needed to keep a clear head. Evie will be highly emotional, and I wanted to be there for her.
“What are you going to do with them?” Nicolai asks before drinking the shot of Vodka. He doesn’t look as traumatized anymore and places the glass and bottle on the table. He drags out a chair and sits down.
“Let them go home, wherever home is for them.” I glance at the house again.
“They’ll need passports, new IDs, and money,” Nicolai speaks, and I turn to him.
“Then that’s what I’ll do. But, it will take time.”
Nicolai pours himself another shot. “How long do you need the guest house?”
“A few weeks?”
He nods and drinks the vodka down. “What about Evie?” The laughter is there in his eyes. He already knows.
“She’s staying with me.”
His laughter rings out. “Lucca, I never thought I’d see the day.”
Neither did I. I turn back to the house, wishing I could see through the walls. I wanted to see Evie interact with the women, but I also knew she needed that time with them.
And I would give it to her.
“She wants to stay with you?”
I grin at Nicolai’s question as I continue to stare out the window. “That, I’m not sure of.” I glance at him now over my shoulder.
His laugh is short. “I need to shower and get the smell of gasoline off me.”
He stands and reaches for the bottle of vodka. He doesn’t pick
it up but tilts it towards me. “I’ll leave it here for you.”
I wave him off. “You take it.”
Both his brows rise as he swipes the bottle off the table. “Who is this new Lucca?” His voice carries a teasing note as he leaves the room with the vodka.
I wasn’t sure about a new Lucca, but he wasn’t half wrong either. Evie had awakened something in me that I didn’t think existed anymore.
I wanted to protect her.
I wanted to keep her safe.
I wanted her to be mine.
EPILOGUE
EVIE
TWO MONTHS LATER
It’s been two months since Lucca rescued all the girls. Having them all around me in such a different environment had been amazing. I saw each of them in a different light. We were all free, and it didn’t take us long to dream big. We could do anything with our lives; well, they could. Lucca had arranged for each of them to return to their home countries. Each of them would have a fresh start, and they could do whatever they wanted.
Me, not so much. Lucca had said I would stay with him. I could settle for a life with him once I keep that small bubble of hope of seeing my home again hidden.
I couldn’t let it go completely, yet I knew I should. I’m alone again. Leah was the last to leave, and having the time with her made me miss her even more. We all said we would stay in touch. Each girl, before leaving, hugged Lucca, who was so uncomfortable, it added some humor to a sad situation.
Once everyone had left, we had returned to Lucca’s penthouse. Being here under different circumstances made me see his home differently. Everything in me was changing, but I still didn’t feel completely at peace. Maybe I never would.
I turn away from the sheets of glass that allow me to look down on the city.
“You’re up early.”
Lucca enters the living space, and my stomach tightens. My hold tightens on my mug. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to looking at him. He’s all in black, his favorite color. He’s freshly showered, and when he leans in, the smell of his cologne consumes me. He places a kiss on my lips, but a kiss from Lucca is never enough. It never satisfies the want I always have for him. He moves away and goes into the kitchen space.
“I thought I should pack for our trip.” I sip the coffee again while I watch him move around the kitchen, pouring himself a coffee.
“All you have to do is get dressed. Your bags are already packed.”
I raise a brow, and my stomach squirms when Lucca grins at me. His perfect lips rise slightly, and I try to hide how much it affects me. When his grin turns into a smile, my efforts of hiding anything from him are destroyed.
“Are you going to tell me where we are going?” I sound like a parrot and know he won’t answer.
“Go get dressed.” His smile slips, and his silver gaze holds wisdom that I can’t understand.
“What kind of clothes did you pack?” Maybe that would tell me where we were going.
Lucca drinks his coffee without answering.
“Fine.” I hate surprises. For me, they were never a good thing, but I was trying to rebuild a life, one that I had to accept that surprises weren’t always a bad thing.
I have no idea where we are going, so I dress in denim jeans and a pair of sneakers. I match it with a white t-shirt and a navy blazer. It’s comfortable but smart.
“No suitcases?” I ask, staring at Lucca’s empty hands.
“They are already in the car.”
Lucca is quiet the whole time we are in the elevator. I know there is no point asking where we are going because he won’t answer, but his silence isn’t reassuring.
We step out into the lobby. All eyes are drawn to Lucca. Several of his security team are fanned out around the lobby, but they don’t follow as we make our way to the car. Pavel is waiting and holds the door open for me. I’m watching him for any signs of fear or excitement, but he refuses to meet my eye. I climb in, and Lucca follows.
“Don’t look so terrified,” Lucca finally says as the car moves into the lane of traffic.
“Don’t be so secretive.” I fire back.
His grin is back on his handsome face. “You don’t like surprises?”
“You know I don’t.” I fold my arms across my chest, drawing Lucca’s gaze to that area.
“Did I ever tell you I spent time in prison?”
“Yes. That’s how you meet Nicolai.” I remember that, but he never expanded on why he ended up in prison. It didn’t take much of a stretch to think of why.
“It was my second time in prison.” Lucca starts.
“Second time? How many times were you in prison?”
“A few,” Lucca smirks at me. “The second time I was in prison, I met a man. Everyone called him Big E. He was huge. I’m not sure what E was short for, but that’s what we called him. He was an old-timer in his eighties, and he had already served thirty years.”
“Why was he there?” Thirty years made me think it was something very serious.
“He swore he was innocent. Said it was because he had broken into a police officer's home. He didn’t know it was an officer’s house at the time.”
“Thirty years?” I didn't exactly buy that.
“Yes.”
We stop at traffic lights. Lucca stares out the window like some scene is playing out on the window of the car. “The week he was set for release, we threw him a farewell party. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone so glum.”
Lucca frowns, and it’s an odd look on his face. The car starts to move again.
“Maybe he was nervous about returning to society after thirty years,” I say.
“After the party, he returned to his cell and hung himself.”
My heart stills in my chest before it pounds. I didn’t know this man, but from the look on Lucca’s face, he knew him. Maybe even befriended him.
“I’m sorry, Lucca.” I shift closer to him and take his hand. He looks down at our joined fingers.
“When I got out, I tracked down his family.”
I squeeze our joined fingers. “They must have been heartbroken.”
“He only had a brother alive. We sat and had a cup of tea, and it was then I found out why Big E was in prison. Thirty years of keeping a secret and hiding the truth is what had him taking that rope and tying it around his neck.”
A coldness seeps under my skin and slowly drips into my system.
“He had broken into the officer’s home. That part was true. He just hadn’t told us that he had woken the family up, and they discovered he had killed the officer’s wife and two children.”
Bile slowly rises up my throat. The sound of the air conditioner grows louder as the silence swallows the surrounding space.
“That’s a delightful story,” I murmur.
Lucca looks me in the eye. “Secrets eat away at us all, Evie.”
“Do yours eat away at you?” I ask.
Lucca doesn’t look away from me. He never hides, even when I can see the pain and uncertainty in his eyes.
“I’ve done a lot of bad things in my time.”
“You’ve also done a lot of good.” I remind him.
He doesn’t blink. “One day, I’ll tell you all my bad deeds.”
That didn't scare me. What scared me was his not telling me. The fact he would share all his darkness with me has me leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his lips.
Once I break the kiss, Lucca tucks me into his side. The airport comes into view not long after. I sit up as Pavel drives across the runway to a small plane. The door is open, and as we pull right up to it, the pilot comes down the steps.
“What is this?” I ask.
Lucca doesn’t answer but gets out and holds the door open for me. I climb out as Pavel gets our luggage out of the boot. There are a lot of suitcases, and that has me concerned.
Lucca takes my hand as we walk to the waiting plane.
The pilot greets us, and once we enter the plane, he follows, heading to the cockpit as we tak
e our seats. The inside is luxurious. The cream leather takes all the heat from my overheated body. It’s like a cold drink on a hot day.
“You have to tell me where we are going.” I plead, and Lucca laughs, a rare sound that has me smiling at him. No matter how annoyed I feel right now, I can’t stop the smile.
“Get comfortable; it’s a long journey.”
We take off down the runway to an unknown destination. I should be excited, but it’s more fear that consumes me. I know Lucca won’t hurt me, but that doesn’t stop all the possibilities from fluttering through my mind.
Lucca passes me a drink. I sniff the strong scent of alcohol before I quickly drink it all. Instantly my body relaxes, and I take the second one Lucca offers me. The alcohol has me sinking deeper into the chair, my mind going back to Big E.
“That was a horrible story about Big E,” I say with my eyes closed.
“It’s life. He could have left and tried to right his wrongs.” Lucca’s cologne has my mind foggy, and I glance at him.
Right now, I wish we were back in the penthouse and in the bed. My mind jumps back to our conversation that I should be focusing on. “He couldn’t make right what he had done.”
Lucca stares at me before taking a sip of his drink. “You think he can’t be forgiven?”
What had Lucca done in his time with the Bratva? How many people had he killed?
I had watched him kill four in my short time with him.
“It depends. If you feel remorse, maybe.” But did that mean if the people who took me felt remorse that I should forgive them?
The fogginess disappears as anger reheats my blood.
I don’t sound convincing at all.
After that, I allow the alcohol to silence my mind and drift off to sleep.
I’m moving. I smile as I snuggle closer to Lucca. “What are you doing?” Why was he carrying me? The car journey and plane ride come back, and I look up at Lucca; only the world is black.
I try to pull the blindfold off my face, but Lucca stops me. “You fell asleep on the plane. The blindfold is so you don’t know where we are.”
“That terrifies me,” I say, not liking having my sight taken from me. Laughter rattles Lucca’s chest, and that settles me.