Lifting her eyes toward her house, she caught sight of Luca standing by his open front door. His eyes followed her. Watching. His usual goofy smile was gone, and he had a focused look on his face. That lasted a moment before his whole demeanor seemed to flick back to relaxed.
Evie had a feeling Luca made an effort to appear less threatening and less dangerous for her benefit.
At the sight of his powerful body so close, some of the fear started leaching out of her body. Reaching her front yard, she gave Luca a small smile before heading inside. She turned and bolted her door, leaning her back against it.
When would this end?
Closing her eyes against the threat of tears, Evie balled her fists. She was tired. Tired of the running, tired of hiding, and tired of the constant fear that threatened to consume her.
She didn’t just want to survive anymore. She wanted to live. Live without the paralyzing fear of every shadow. She wanted to be able to see a man like Luca and have the courage to flirt and ask him out like the old Evie would have. She wanted to be able to walk home from a day at work without being scared of rustling noises behind her.
Pain cut through her chest. Evie swallowed a sob that threatened to break out. She pushed off the door, tamping down all feelings. She would not feel sorry for herself. She would not let Troy win. He’d already stolen enough from her. She would not allow him to take anymore.
Evie made her way over to the kitchen, pulling out her favorite mug. She would make herself hot cocoa. As Evie heated the milk, the whiskey caught her eye.
Why the hell not.
Grabbing the bottle, she added a generous amount to her mug.
She heard the same scratching at her door as yesterday. Checking the window, she saw it was the same cat. Evie opened the door, and this time didn’t hesitate to lean down and pick him up.
“Hey Misty, I’m glad you’re here. I could use the company.”
Feeling better already, Evie nuzzled her face into his fur.
As she headed back to the couch, Evie snuggled up with Misty and her hot cocoa and pulled out the laptop. She was so close to cracking the file, she could feel it. She wanted answers. No, she needed them.
Faster. Evie had to move her body faster.
Branches scratched her bare feet as she pumped her legs faster than she ever thought they could go. Her feet pounded the unequal ground of the forest, and she stumbled every few steps. The feeling of wet soaked through the soles of her feet and up her legs. Whether that wet was blood or rain, she wasn’t sure. She hadn’t had time for shoes. Only time to get out. To run.
Since he’d been back, since he’d changed, he had never left the door unlocked. He knew she’d try to escape.
Months she’d been locked inside. A prisoner. Months of fear, of pain, of heartbreak. But today he’d slipped. Whether he’d grown cocky that he’d catch her or complacent that she’d stay, she wasn’t sure, but the moment she saw the unlocked door, Evie hadn’t thought, just run.
She’d been dreaming about this day for months. She thought it wouldn’t come, that she’d die in that house. She’d almost given up.
She had planned though. Hopeful that the day would come. Evie knew exactly where she would go and how she would get away, but she had to get as far as possible before he realized she was gone, because he was fast. Faster than he should have been. Faster than humanly possible. It was just another change since being involved in that project. Another mutation of what was once the man she loved.
The pain to her feet didn’t register. She’d had worse. HE’D done worse. The rain pounded down from the skies, softening the ground and making each step seem impossible. Her heart felt like it would beat out of her chest as the fear almost choked her.
Evie didn’t feel the broken rib that he’d given her the other night, or the fractured ankle from where he’d grabbed her two weeks ago. She felt nothing but the all-consuming need to get away. If he caught her, she would die. She felt it in her soul.
“EVALINE.”
At the sound of his voice, Evie’s foot tangled with the earth, and she tumbled down. Not staying down long, she shoved her hands into the wet dirt and pushed herself up with an urgency she’d never felt before. Her feet stumbled a few more times on the wet rocks and branches before she could keep going.
Not allowing herself to look back, she focused her gaze ahead. She could just make out the highway between the clusters of trees. That’s where she had to get. That was her goal. The busy road where there would be people and safety. Safe for the first time in months, years even. There was no other option because if he found her, if Troy caught her, it would all be over.
Behind her, the sound of breaking branches and pounding feet made her heart lurch. He was here, and he was getting closer.
Another sob threatened to break out, but Evie pushed it down, forcing her exhausted body to run, move.
The sound of cars drew her eyes up. She could almost see the cars ahead. Her body wanted to give out on her, begged for her to stop, to take a breath, but freedom came first. Run now, breathe later.
That’s when she saw the break in the trees, saw the flashes of cars and trucks. She was so close.
“I SEE YOU, BITCH. STOP NOW, AND I MIGHT NOT BREAK YOUR NECK.”
Pushing his voice to the back of her mind, Evie focused on breathing. On moving her feet. She just had to make it to the road before he did. Surely he wouldn’t drag her away with so many people as witnesses. Evie was betting her life on it.
“EVALINE!” He was so close, so much closer than he should have been.
Just before Evie reached the road, she turned her head. She had to see where he was. Her breath hitched again as she made out his figure in the distance. He was almost a blur from moving so fast. Evie turned back. She had to focus. She couldn’t let fear slow her down.
A couple more steps and she’d be there. Safe.
Evie pumped her legs for the last few yards and even as her feet hit the highway, her body wouldn’t let her slow. She turned her head just in time to see the truck, and the world went dark.
Evie’s eyes popped open, and she sat up from where she’d fallen asleep on the couch. It was just a dream. She wasn’t back there again. He wasn’t close.
Placing her hand on her racing chest, Evie shut her eyes, and focused on her breathing. In and out. She expanded her chest and breathed as deeply as she could.
Sometimes she swore she could still feel the metal of the truck colliding with her body.
As her breathing slowed, Evie opened her eyes. Lifting her gaze to the hall, she saw a dark figure standing in the darkness. Troy. Evie released a scream of terror that she wouldn’t have been able to hold back if she tried.
CHAPTER SIX
THE SOUND OF Evie’s heavy breathing pulled Luca from his sleep. How he was so in tune with a woman he’d just met, he wasn’t sure. His greatest concern at the moment was the unnatural nature of the breaths.
Then, as quickly as they’d started, the breaths turned into silence. Luca considered going back to sleep for a moment. Then a scream pierced through the night.
Luca shot out of bed. Throwing on some shorts, he sprinted out the house and across his yard. He didn’t worry about a weapon. He was a weapon.
Jumping the fence dividing his and Evie’s homes, he raced up the steps. Stopping outside the door, Luca forced his body to calm. He called on his SEAL training and relaxed his body muscle by muscle before listening to the other side of the door. The heavy breathing had returned, but other than that, silence. Only one breath that he could hear, which meant she was probably alone.
Even though it almost killed him, Luca knocked, not wanting to break in and give anything away when things might be okay. When he was greeted by more silence, he knocked again.
Speaking with a calm he didn’t feel, Luca called out to her. “Evie, it’s Luca. I heard you from next door. Are you okay?”
The breathing on the other side stopped for a moment before he heard his
name whispered.
“Luca?”
With a sigh of relief, he let his body relax at the sound of her voice. There was a quiver in it, but if she was talking, it meant she was there. Alive. He needed to see her though. Now. “Yeah, sweetheart, it’s me. You okay?”
There was a slight shuffling of feet before the door cracked open. This time no chain separated them. At the sight of Evie, he did a quick body scan from head to toe.
“I… I think, um, someone was in here.” Hearing the terror in her voice, he glanced at her knuckles, noticing her grasp on the door was so tight they were going white. Slowly placing his hand over hers, he untangled her grip from the door and took her hand in his.
“How about I check it out?”
Nibbling on her bottom lip, Evie gave a slow nod before she opened the door further and stepped to the side. Good. She trusted him. “Okay, sweetheart, you wait here.”
As Luca was about to step around her, Evie’s hand popped out and grasped his arm.
“No.” Her voice was strong. Firm. “I want to stay with you.”
A wave of protectiveness filtered through Luca. Taking Evie’s hand in his, Luca stepped inside and placed Evie behind him.
“Stick behind me, okay?” At her nod, Luca moved forward. It was freezing in her house. He’d never actually stepped inside, but the place was falling apart. The paint was peeling from the walls, and there was mold stench in the air. It really did look as bad on the inside as it did on the out. Was this even safe to live in?
Pushing that thought to the side, Luca needed to focus on this issue first, then he would deal with the house situation.
Keeping Evie behind him, Luca stepped into the living room. Nothing. Moving through the kitchen and toward the backdoor, Luca stopped. There was a man’s scent. Keeping his expression neutral, Luca didn’t let Evie know he suspected anything. As he moved past the window, he noticed the slightest signs of someone coming through there.
Looking down at the lock, Luca’s jaw clenched. A child could probably break through that.
Moving on down the hall, there were only two bedrooms and one bathroom to check. No other signs that someone had been there.
When he returned to the front room, Luca noticed there was a familiarity in the scent of the intruder. Strange. Maybe it was someone from town thinking the place was still empty.
When they returned to the living area, Luca turned to Evie, keeping emotion off his face.
“All clear, Evie.”
Dropping to the couch, Evie placed her head in her hands. When she looked up, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She looked so small and fragile that Luca had an overwhelming urge to shield her from whatever was causing her so much fear and pain. He wanted to carry her away and rid her of the demons that were plaguing her life.
“I’m sorry, Luca. I had a nightmare, and when I woke up, I thought I saw Tr… someone.” Standing, she rubbed her arms. Whether she was trying to ward off the chill of the night or the terror of an intruder, Luca wasn’t sure. Likely both.
Luca couldn’t stop himself. Walking over, he wrapped his arms around her. For a moment, Evie’s body remained rigid, then she all but melted into him. She was soft to his hard and so small in comparison to him.
They stood like that for a moment, but all too soon, Evie started to pull away. Luca reluctantly released her and stepped back.
“Want to talk about it?” Evie’s eye’s shuttered, and she shook her head.
“Thanks for coming over to check on me again. I think this is becoming a bit of a habit.” A hint of a smile showed on Evie’s face.
“A good habit, I hope.” Trying to think of a reason to stay for a bit, Luca eyed the kitchen. “I could really use a cup of coffee if you have one.”
Evie couldn’t hide the surprised expression. Dropping her eyes to Luca’s chest, her cheeks flushed a pretty rose color.
Remembering for the first time that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, he should probably feel self-conscious that his chest was bare. Having Evie’s eyes on him felt good though. Right. Darting her eyes to the kitchen and back, Evie nodded.
“Sure.”
Luca followed Evie into the other room. In the corner, a solid bookcase was lying on its side, blocking half the space.
So, this was the source of her foot pain.
Righting the piece of furniture, Luca glanced up to find Evie’s eyes on him.
“That weighs over two hundred pounds, and you just lifted it like it was nothing.”
Pausing for a moment, Luca casually shrugged his shoulders. “We run a tight ship at Marble Protection. No slacking allowed.” Luca’s attempt at humor failed. Instead of the expected chuckle, Evie’s brows pulled together in a frown. “Next time, call me over. You shouldn’t be trying to move something that heavy anyway. Now talk me through what happened tonight, Evie.”
Evie’s eyes turned haunted. Twisting around, she reached to fill the kettle. “It must have been nothing. My mind plays tricks on me sometimes. As I mentioned, I had a bad dream, and when I woke up, I thought I saw someone standing in the doorway.”
“That doorway?” Luca nodded toward the hall that led to the front door. When Evie nodded, Luca continued. “Do you remember what he looked like?”
Evie’s eyes slid away quickly before meeting his again. Disappointment filtered through Luca. She was going to lie.
Luca had become an expert at reading body language and knew that the next words to leave her mouth weren’t going to be the whole truth.
“Not really.” With a quick shrug, she pulled the coffee out of the cupboard. “It was just a shadow. A man, maybe.”
As her eyes focused on the counter, Luca noticed a slight tremor run through her shoulders.
“Is there anyone you can think of who might want to break into your home?”
Darting her eyes away from his again, she fiddled with the wood on the edge of the counter. “I don’t… I’m not ready to talk about that, Luca.”
Fair enough. At least she didn’t lie to him again.
“You can trust me, darlin.’ I know we just met, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m here to help if you need it.” He wanted her to trust him. To confide in him.
When their gazes clashed, Luca could see the yearning in her eyes. She wanted to trust him. She probably wanted someone else to help shoulder some of whatever weight it was she was carrying.
As she set the coffees in front of them, Evie’s eyes shuttered again. “Trusting someone can be dangerous.”
“Only if you trust the wrong person.”
Pausing for a moment, Evie picked up her coffee, considering Luca’s words. “Is there a way of knowing who the right person is?”
No. But damn it, he was the right person, and he wanted her to feel that as much as he did.
As Evie placed the cup back on the table, Luca reached over and wrapped his fingers around Evie’s wrist.
“Go with your gut, sweetheart.”
Her eyes glistened for a moment before she blinked it away. Pulling her hand from Luca’s, Evie nodded but remained silent. She had that pensive look on her face again.
“Guess that’s something I’m working on.”
Silence followed as Luca and Evie drank their coffees. His mind flicked back to the intruder, questions running rampant through Luca’s head. Who was he? What did he want? Is that who she was running from? One look at Evie, though, and he knew he wouldn’t be getting his answers tonight.
Standing, Luca took both their empty cups to the sink before turning back to Evie. “Thank you for the coffee, sweetheart. You going to be okay?”
Evie’s eyes shifted up to his and softened. “Thank you, Luca, I’ll be okay. It just shook me a bit, but I’m fine.”
“I can sleep on the couch for the night.” Luca eyed the uncomfortable looking piece of furniture knowing sleep wouldn’t be involved.
“No, no, that’s okay, Luca. Really.” Before he could push the issue, Evie stood and headed
to the door. “Thank you so much for coming and checking on me. I’m sorry I woke you. I must have been loud. I hope I didn’t disturb anyone else.”
“I’m just next door if you need me.” When he reached the front door, he turned to find her standing directly behind him. She was close.
Seemingly with a mind of its own, Luca’s hand reached up and stroked down her cheek. Soft. So damn soft. Leaning down, Luca placed a light kiss on Evie’s cheek. Was it just him, or had she leaned into him ever so slightly?
“See you at work tomorrow?” At Evie’s nod, Luca turned to open the door before he did something stupid. “Lock up after me, okay?”
Waiting for her nod of confirmation, Luca turned and pulled the door shut behind him. Once he heard the click of the deadbolt, he started down the steps.
After stepping onto the grass, something made Luca stop. Turning, he noticed mud tracks down the porch. Bending down, he touched the track. Fresh. Quickly rising, Luca’s gaze scanned the area, grateful his vision allowed him to see through the late-night darkness.
There had definitely been someone in Evie’s house tonight. He looked back at the house and saw Evie’s figure turning out lights from the window.
So, the asshole had entered through the back window and left through the front. How had he locked up after himself? Had he left through the front window? He hadn’t taken her and hadn’t harmed her. He’d just wanted to scare her. Why?
Questions raced through Luca’s head. Who was she running from? Why was she running? Even more so, who was trying to find her by breaking in while she slept?
Pulling out his phone, Luca pressed dial without caring what time it was. Even though it was early morning, Wyatt picked up on the first ring.
“Yo, Rocket, what’s up?”
Luca didn’t start with any pleasantries. “I need a background check on Evie Scott stat.”
Wyatt didn’t hesitate. “Done, I’ll have it to you by morning.”
“Also, tomorrow, I want one of the team to sweep Evie’s house for fingerprints and evidence. I also want a new security system set up there.”
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