“Why weird?”
“I dunno. It just seemed weird is all since he just popped into my head. Anyway, then I thought, I should have wine, a bath, and then just go straight to bed since I was beat from pulling almost doubles since Thursday because I had an order go wrong. Manny stopped me just as I got off on my floor and started yapping about some guy who kept calling. I got annoyed when he said he went into my place to answer the phone just to shut it up.”
“He has a key?” I frown, my eyes narrowing at the thought of that weirdo having access to her place with such ease.
Evie smiles, a killer that pops a dimple in her right cheek and shakes her head.
“He’s harmless and really protective if that look is telling me what you’re thinking, but no, Merle has a spare in case she needs something and can’t get to the store since her daughter started seeing this guy…whatever, you don’t want to hear that.”
“No one should have keys, Evie.”
“Calm down, Blaze, they’re cool. Merle waters the plants and grabs my mail for me, and Manny let the landlord in last week and watched him like a hawk while he repaired a leaky faucet in the bathroom. They’re my peeps, and I trust them.”
I don’t; I don’t trust a soul when it comes to protecting this little woman, but I don’t say the words out loud and nod for her to continue.
“I wasn’t real pleased that he went in to answer the phone...that is not an emergency…but I get it since his mom is a nag sometimes, and it may have been bothering her.”
“Who was it? Did he say?”
“Er, no, I don’t think so. I can’t remember, but I do remember getting really pissed—and thought of Jericho again—when he told me that he told the guy I’d be home around eight.”
“Christ,” I mutter, watching her face go droll.
“I know, right? Jericho would shit his shorts if I ever gave anyone such telling information or didn’t change up my habits every few days. I was not impressed since he just told some stranger when to come a callin’, especially considering he didn’t take a name either. Rookie.”
What an asshole! Everyone should know that a single woman living alone only has vigilance and surprise on her side when it comes to a violent aggressor bent on hurting her.
“Carry on.”
“I…” She blushes a little, and the dimple pops as she peers up at me mischievously. “I was not in the mood for another hour-long conversation about Manny’s day, so I told him I had to pee, and he left me to go into my apartment. Jericho called just as I was unlocking the door.”
Okay. Good. She’s remembering specific thoughts. So far so good.
“What did you talk about? What exactly did you do when you got inside? In detail.”
She sips at her coffee and completely forgets her half-eaten muffin as she narrows her eyes and thinks back.
“I locked the door and leaned back while I said hello. Then I walked slowly to the fridge—”
“Why slowly?”
“It was dark. I never turned the lights on.”
“Why?”
“I don’t mind the dark, and I’d just have to come back and turn them off since I was going to get some wine, take a bath, and go to bed.”
“Still talking to Jericho?”
“Yes. He was complaining about me paying him back the loan he gave me to start Speak Geek to Me, and I was telling him I needed to. I opened the fridge, poured a glass of wine, and went to the bathroom. We spoke more, and by the time I’d soaked for a good while, we were arguing about me moving.”
“Why?” I ask, wanting to know as well as try to jog her memory for more.
Every detail counts, and people often leave them out because they assume it’s not important; most of the time they’re right, but every once in a while, they remember something significant. I’m hoping for that here.
Evie frowns back at me and relaxes back into her seat, biting her lips as she stares at her mug and starts playing with the handle.
“I like the city.”
Lie. I can spot one easily most of the time, and I see this one for what it is when she refuses to meet my eyes and blushes, her teeth sinking into her lip.
“You’re lying.”
“No—”
“Yup. Tell me why, Evie. It’s just me, Blaze the stranger, and I told you I need to know a lot—everything—if we want to crack this.”
Her face is pale with just the softest hint of color when she meets my gaze and her shoulders fall.
“I keep telling myself that living in the same town as Jericho would be like snapping on a chastity belt.”
I snort and watch her grin at my expression, her eyes sparkling as she fiddles with her coffee and gets serious.
“But?”
“Look, we’re family, and yet we aren’t. He’s taken care of me so well and showed an interest in my future and my well-being, but that’s all we have. He calls me once a month, sometimes twice, to catch up and grill me about how I am, but that’s it. The only reason I went to the wedding and endured the awkwardness is because it would have been an insult not to.”
Ahh, I get it. Damn shame that Jericho and this little thing are basically estranged because I know he loves her. Hell, he loves her more than the other one that’s married to the cop, and he threatened an officer of the law with death if he cheated on his wife.
“You’re trapped in an awkward place.”
“Ya think? I only talk to him more now because of Cleo, and she’s the one who’s insisting on the move because she wants to get to know me better. Jericho and me…we weren’t all that close these last eight years despite my trying to get to know him.”
I’m shit at this emotional stuff, and I don’t appreciate opening this up and taking it to a place it doesn’t need to go. Admitting to wanting to get to know her better makes my mind whirl in panic, so I just shut that down in its tracks and clear my throat.
“Okay. So then what?”
Her smile is knowing, accepting, and I see her relax as if she didn’t want to travel that road with me in the first place. For some reason, I don’t like that, but I go on.
“Evie.”
“We said goodbye, and I was laughing out loud because I’d called him Jerry again and he was about to lay into me when I hung up.”
I chuckle at that because one guy in the service had tried it once and Jericho made an example of him in the second week of basic. I still laugh thinking of that poor shmuck hoisted up the flagpole in his skivvies. The guy was so scared of Jericho that he told the captain he woke up there.
“So…the guy waited until you hung up.”
Evie shivers and nods, her fingers going white as she grips the cup and breathes deep, probably resisting the urge to react with fear at the memories.
“Yeah. The minute I tossed my phone on the bed he moved. I wouldn’t have noticed him at all but for the fact that my eyes were adjusted to the dark and…”
“And?”
“And I think I kind of noticed that the curtains were drawn then. Not consciously, I think, but now that I think of it I remember that. I never close them because I’m on this floor and…they were closed. He came at me fast, so fast I almost froze.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Jericho.” She smiles, her eyes going soft. “One time, when he was on leave, just before I started college, he made me do these drills.”
I groan, knowing exactly what a crazy bastard like Jericho would deem fit for a female he loves. This poor woman was either very lucky to have learned all that, or very unlucky, seeing as the training came from a gruff, hard-to-handle bear of a man.
“Yeah, I did that too when he was training me, but boy am I glad for it now. I kicked out instinctively. I think my brain just went on autopilot, and I got him in the balls. Roundhouse kick was next.”
My whistle is filled with admiration, and she smiles, losing that pinched looks she’s had with me since our meeting.
“Yeah, I kicked his ass, but the man w
as huge, Blaze. He hardly stumbled before he came at me low. Took me right down and wrapped his hands here.”
My eyes go hard the moment I take in the bruising around her throat again and see the size of the fingers that had her fragile throat in their grip. Those alone put the guy at no less than six feet.
That’s my first assessment and one that makes me want to rip him apart. Evie is no taller than five five—I saw her driver’s license—and that makes him quite a bit bigger, without the muscles even taken into consideration.
“Good girl. If Jericho weren’t so worried, he’d be proud.”
“Thanks, but I should never have let him take me down at all.”
“It happens, sweetheart, to all of us, big or small. It was dark.”
“Huh. He also hit me really hard. I don’t remember if it was before or after, but it hurt like hell. I almost passed out.”
“Okay, so he had you pinned.”
“Yeah, and the mutt was big and weighty. I was terrified and fighting the need to struggle, but Jericho drilled it into me to never panic and waste what strength I had, so I just focused I guess and then nailed him—balls, gut, eye. When he reared back, I scooted enough to kick him away and he went flying. I think I rolled over the bed, but he caught me. He smacked me pretty hard that time too because I’d started screaming, and Manny and Merle were at the door. The smack was to daze me, I think, while he got away through the bathroom window.”
“Anything else? Any tiny little thing, Evie. Anything.”
She blushes and looks down, her throat working.
“My towel fell off, but I couldn’t stop to think of modesty.”
I freeze at that, my fists tightening, and force my facial expression to stay blank.
“When? When did it fall off?”
“Um…”
“Think, Evie,” I prompt, my nerves going ice cold the longer she seems to take.
“Uh, well, I kicked him in the balls…roundhouse kick…wait! I slammed my palm into his nose and then he hit me the first time, that’s right! The towel fell off then.”
“Before he pinned you?”
I dread her answer, and yet I know what’s coming before she nods to confirm what I feared. Jericho is right. This was someone coming for her straight up. Not a druggie out for money because—sure as shit—she’d have stopped any guy in his tracks when those boobs came out to play.
It also tells me that theory two is out as well. No stalker would kill before touching the object of his obsession. Fuck!
“Blaze? You okay?”
I shouldn’t tell her this. I should call Jericho and tell him what’s happening, but the crazy mofo would be on Evie like a rash, and for some reason, it doesn’t sit well with me to have her forced to fight the brother whom she obviously adores from afar (where she thinks he’s put her).
“I’m going to be straight with you, Evie, dead straight. I don’t want to scare you, but after this morning, it may be better that way since you need something to shake you up. This? It’s not smelling of a burglary gone bad or even some sick pervert out to have himself a party with you. This, this is bad, sweetheart. Just the fact that he went for the kill when you were naked tells me that killing you—and that alone—was his objective.”
Chapter Five
Evaline
Hell.
I am in hell, as I slouch back into the couch and listen to Blaze growl into the phone. Part of me is numb, I think. I can’t say since the other part is split between anger, guilt, and shame that this has happened.
I didn’t miss the way Blaze deflated a little at the news that I am in fact in real trouble and that he’d have to stay. That right there is one of the rare times that I felt an honest kick to my soft nethers.
No, I can’t say we like each other, despite the real effort I made after coming to a decision while finishing off the coffee. He’s rude and abrasive, and he barks most of the time, as if I’m one of the men he works with. What I can say is that I don’t dislike him anymore. I can’t afford to because I need him here with me even though it may cause me some problems, mostly of the juvenile-crush kind, and that’s not even considering that I have some of my most important meetings coming up this week.
I can’t afford this right now, not when I am so close to making Geek work. This is my chance to turn it into a real brand, something that will be sold in exclusive places while still remaining affordable.
I want class and mischievous playfulness to be the brand, not elite or unattainable. For that reason, I have dragged this out and waited and waited until online sales became so great that I have a pitch worthy of the line I want to supply to some of the stores.
So yes, this week is big news…though I have got to admit that I’m second-guessing this. Not that I don’t want success, I really do; I just never imagined my life becoming all work, all the time.
My passion is fashion. It sounds contrived and corny, maybe clichéd, but it’s true. I enjoy creating and giving people quality, eclectic pieces that they can mix and match and never have to get rid of as trends change.
That’s me in a nutshell. Kimber’s more bottom line driven, but since I landed these meetings Friday afternoon and she became aware that we could be a success, we’re in agreement.
That, at least, is another worry off my back, as she accepts my need not to sell out, more than happy with what is to come. This has been years of work, hardship, and ambition, though God knows I sort of feel like a sellout too because some of the stuff I know those boutiques will want are pieces that are not me.
I made them to toe the line, end of story, and each one makes my stomach roil with distaste.
“Fine! But I swear to God, anything goes down and you lay blame where it belongs. With you.”
I feel terrible as he stops yelling at my brother and ends the call, falling into a chair to face me. He does not look happy with me, and I can’t blame him.
After his little reveal, he went all stone-cold soldier and called Jericho, letting him know that things have changed and I need to get to him immediately.
I promptly asked to talk to Jericho, and I think Blaze let me because he thought I was still so horrified that I was just giving in. Not likely. This girl? Got places to go and shop owners to convince to sell my clothing line. No way, no how will I allow some idiot with murder on his mind, for whatever messed up reason he’s targeting me, to derail this week’s meetings.
I need this, and poor Kimber is so excited I had to calm her down once she heard about this. I can’t, I won’t allow this to be ruined. Anyway, isn’t Blaze some badass protector in that agency Jericho runs with Nick Storm?
The guy can keep his panties on till Friday when I ply my wares at people, and then he can rest easy, knowing I’ll go visit Jericho like a good little girl while the cops head up their investigation.
See, I can be reasonable.
So what if I had to fake cry to get Jericho to see reason? I ignored Blaze’s glares and did what I had to do, and I don’t care one bit if he’s pissed at me. Not really, even though it hurts me a little to see his anger when really all I want to do is get with the guy.
You thought I’d be all shy and demure, denying that? I snort here, people, because if there is one thing I am not, it’s shy. I’ve learned over the years that it will get me nowhere to stand back and let others take before I get a chance.
That usually leaves you with crap if you’re lucky and nothing if you’re not. Me, I go at life full bore, optimistic to the last and ready to crack nuts if anyone so much as messes with what I need.
Blaze for instance. The man sure can scowl.
“Oh, stop that already. I told you earlier I wouldn’t go before my meetings and I meant it.
“Someone tried to kill you,” he says slowly, as if he’s talking to a simpleton.
“No duh, Blaze, I kind of got that when Jericho was arguing with me, and what with you growling every five freaking seconds, I can’t miss the point. Look, I get it, and you know I
am beyond grateful to you for being here with me. I know that if Jericho chose you to look out for me, I’m safe as can be. I just need five days—five measly days—to get my stuff in line and make sure everything goes off without a hitch. I have two boutiques to pitch on Tuesday and Thursday and then the bigger one on Friday. If this works, my business is set. Please?”
I’m begging, but I don’t care. I’m willing to do anything here to make him do this, and though I’m certain he’ll have to anyway no matter if I beg or not, I’d rather have a grumpy man thinking he’s in charge than have one I had to force.
The devil, as they say, is in the details.
“Fine, but I am in charge. You do what I say, when I say, and you do not argue. You got that?”
“Promise.”
“One, I have to get Gus in here to set up alarms. Two, you need to work from home.”
“But—”
“You want me to call Jericho back?”
“Fine!”
I can swing that. I think. He never said no one was allowed to come here, and if I call Giselle and Heidi tomorrow morning, I can have them here for fittings to make sure everything is perfect.
I also need my machines, fabric, my sketching books, and… well…I need a lot, but I’m sure Kimber and Maurice will handle all that.
“Good,” he grunts, glaring at me from his seat. “You’re a pain in the ass. Anyone ever told you that?”
“Well…yeah. You’ve met me right, or were you waiting for me to just magically change? Blaze, I came from a good place but was always aware that it was a holding station. I have one brother, who doesn’t know how to handle me, and my business. That’s all I have. I’m not about to lose something I’ve worked years to make happen just because of one little attack.”
I hold my tongue and stop from telling him that it would kill me because not only will I not be able to pay off the loan, but also I will have failed, and I want so desperately to earn Jericho’s pride in me that I would do anything, even risk injury, to make sure this deal goes through.
THE WATCHERS: 6 Military Romance Bundle Page 33