Keeping his gaze on that spot for a moment longer, Eden then turned back to Evie.
“You okay?” The anger in his voice was still present, but it was softer than usual. Unsure how to react, she nodded before he continued, “Why are you out here?”
Clearing her throat, Evie forced her vocal cords to work.
“I thought I saw someone I used to know.” Evie’s brows knitted together. Now she just felt dumb. There was no way she could have seen what she thought she saw. It had to have been the drinks. “I didn’t,” she mumbled, glancing back up at Eden.
For the first time since she’d met him, Evie felt relief at his presence rather than dread. He was so big that Evie felt nothing could penetrate this guy’s armor. “Next time, bring one of us with you.”
Nodding, Evie glanced around one last time but still saw nothing. Moving her inside, Eden shut the door behind them.
Stumbling a bit on her own feet, Eden frowned at her. “How much have you had to drink?”
Lifting a shoulder, Evie realized she didn’t feel all that steady. “Not much.”
Giving her one more once over, Eden gently took her upper arm and started heading toward Mason and Lexi.
Glancing down, Evie noticed she was still holding her drink. Throwing her head back, she downed the remainder. Lexie was right, she needed to relax.
As she followed Eden, she made a decision. Tonight was her night off of being Evie, a victim of her ex and girl on the run. Tonight she was just plain twenty-six-year-old Evie who would drink and dance and have a good time.
Stepping into the bar, Luca’s gaze did a quick scan until they landed on Evie. His eyes narrowed when he saw the guys dancing around her. Too damn close.
Done with caring about whether she thought they were in a relationship or not, Luca started moving toward her.
He had been at Marble doing the books with Asher when the call from Mason had come through. Neither of them had given it a second thought, they just left.
She might see what they had as casual, but Luca knew it was anything but. The more time he spent with her, the more certain he was. She was his.
When he reached Evie, she had her back to him. His eyes narrowed at the shaggy-haired asshole who was dancing on her.
Not hesitating, Luca placed a possessive arm around her waist and pulled her into his side.
Turning her head in surprise, Evie gasped. “Luca?”
“What the fuck, dude?” Shaggy hair took a step closer to Luca. The guy was either stupid or drunk. Luca would put his money on both.
“You should go.” Luca took a step closer to the guy, emphasizing their size difference.
For a moment, he seemed to contemplate a confrontation but abruptly decided to reconsider and walk away. “Whatever.”
Turning, Evie stumbled. Luca caught her arm to steady her before pulling her to his chest. “Well, that was rude.”
A hint of a smile touched Luca’s lips. “Have you been drinking, Ms. Scott?”
Putting her hand on Luca’s chest, Evie attempted to push him away. Luca remained where he was, but she did push herself back in the process. “I don’t have to answer to you, Luca. I’m having a girl free night.”
Confused for a moment, Luca frowned. “Do you mean boy free night?”
Pulling a face as if Luca was, in fact, the one who had said the wrong thing, Evie crossed her arms. “That’s what I said.”
Damn, she was cute.
Not giving it a second thought, Luca ran his hand up her back. As a shiver ran down her body, he lowered his mouth next to her ear. “Dance with me.”
A frown crossed Evie’s face. “I can’t. Boy free, and you smell good.”
“Mmm, you smell good too. You feel even better. Dance with me, sweetheart.”
“No.” Even though she said the word, her whole body leaned into his, leaving barely an inch of them not touching. “You’re so big and warm. I could snuggle up to you every minute of every day.”
A smile stretched across Luca’s lips. “Darling, you can snuggle up to this old body any time you want.”
Sighing, Evie turned her head leaning on his chest. “I miss hugs. I don’t get many hugs anymore.”
Tightening his arms, every instinct told Luca to keep this woman close. “I’ll hug you any time you want, Evie.”
As Luca and Evie rocked to the music, he vaguely recognized that they were dancing much too slow for the upbeat tempo, but Luca wasn’t complaining.
“I miss them, Luca.”
Not sure what she meant, Luca glanced down at her. “Miss who?”
“My parents. You would have liked them. They were nice, like you.” There was a slight pause before she continued, “You never know it’s going to be the last time you talk to someone. You think they’ll always be there.”
Moving his hand in a slow, circular motion on Evie’s back, Luca lowered his voice. “I’m sorry.”
Nodding against his chest, Evie sighed. “You guys are like family. Brothers. It’s nice.”
Knowing Evie was talking about the other guys at Marble Protection, Luca had to agree. “When you’ve been through as much together as we have, you become family.”
“I wish I had a family.”
The sadness in Evie’s voice ate away at Luca. “Well, this family was formed on blood, sweat, and tears. Training camp was like being on the brink of death each day.” Luca joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Been there.”
Stiffening, Luca stared at the top of Evie’s head.
“Been where, sweetheart?”
Ignoring his question, Evie continued, her words slurring slightly, “Maybe I didn’t do enough to get away earlier? Like I always thought I was the victim, but maybe it was my fault. Caused it all.”
“You didn’t.” Luca’s muscles clenched. His voice was firm, leaving no space for confusion. Luca didn’t need her to explain to know the answer to that one.
“I wish I’d killed him. My life would be so much easier right now. That makes me a terrible person, doesn’t it?”
Insecurity leached from Evie’s voice, Luca’s head lowered again to beside her ear. “No, it makes you human.”
Head suddenly popping up, a frown pulled Evie’s brows together. “Trying not to like you is like the most exhausting thing I have ever had to do, you know. Well, except for that day. That day was exhausting.”
Pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, Luca was starting to get lost in this conversation. “Which day?”
“The day I got away. The day the world went black. I’d almost given up hope. Almost accepted what was happening, but then I got out. And then the world went black.”
Confused even more Luca started to get a bad feeling. “How did the world go black, Evie?”
Before she could answer, Lexie scooted up to them.
“I’m going to get going now, Asher’s going to take me home. Want a ride?”
Before Evie could respond, Luca turned to face Lexie. “I’ve got it.”
Raising her brows, she quickly turned back to her. “Evie?”
Noticing Evie was now looking more tired than drunk, Luca wrapped his arm tighter around her waist.
“You guys made up.” Luca didn’t try to understand what Evie was talking about, or the sappy look she was giving to Lexie. “I knew you would.”
“Evie, ride?”
Shaking her head, Evie leaned further onto Luca. “I’ll go with Luca. I’ve decided that tonight doesn’t count.”
Lexie’s face softened. “I’m going to pretend to understand what you’re talking about.”
Leaning down, Lexie placed a kiss on Evie’s cheek before turning to Luca. “Get her home safe.”
With a nod, Luca watched her leave with Asher closely on her tail.
“I’m tired, Luca.” Darting his gaze back down to Evie, he noticed she was leaning on him heavily. Bending down, Luca wrapped his other arm around her legs as he scooped her up.
Instead of resisting like
he thought she would, Evie snuggled her head into his chest and closed her eyes. Walking out of the bar, Luca nodded at Mason and Eden on his way.
Evie slept the entire drive home. Luca listened to her deep breaths along the way. Once they arrived, instead of taking her into her house, he carried her through his. He’d make an excuse to Evie that he had better heating, but really, he just wanted her in his home. His bed.
Once inside, he moved up the stairs to his room, not even considering the guest bed. Gently placing Evie under the covers, he was about to turn around when Evie’s fingers touched his arm.
“Don’t leave me, Luca.”
Turning, Luca sat on the edge of the bed. Evie hadn’t opened her eyes, but the sadness on her face was clear to see. “I won’t, sweetheart, I’m just going to lock up and then I’ll come back to bed.”
“Promise me, Luca. No matter what happens, you won’t leave me. I’ve been so lonely and scared.”
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. And you won’t be lonely or scared anymore. I promise.”
With a soft sigh, Evie turned over and fell back to sleep.
Watching her for a moment longer before moving away from the bed, Luca got up to leave. He knew she was going to push him away again. It didn’t matter, though. Luca wasn’t going to let her go. That was a promise he intended to keep.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LUCA EYED EVIE from across the lawn at the back of Marble Protection. The beer he held almost empty. She stood with Lexie, a smile curving her lips.
The team had decided to have a family barbecue to break down some of the pressure. They had been so caught up in finding the extra people involved in Project Arma they hadn’t had time to stop and appreciate the business they had built together.
Evie had woken up in his arms that morning, and Luca had every intention of making it a regular occurrence. She hadn’t seemed to recall her drunk ramblings last night, or if she had, she hadn’t mentioned it.
She said she had been lonely and scared. That’s exactly what the woman he had met a month ago outside her house had been. The woman he was looking at now was different. She was confident. Happy.
Knowing he had something to do with the change was all the confirmation Luca needed that what they were doing was right.
Looking over to Luca, Evie’s eyes softened. A slow smile crossed her face. She was so damn beautiful, and she was his. He was a patient man. He could give her time.
“You guys get home okay last night?”
Mason stepped up to Luca, holding out a fresh beer. Taking the beer, he returned his attention to Evie. “Yeah, thanks for the call, buddy.”
“Anytime.” Mason’s gaze scanned the lawn as he drank his own beer. “Did you get a chance to talk to Eden?”
Luca’s grip tightened on the beer at the sound of Eden’s name. He had been monitoring Eden’s attitude toward Evie, and even though it had improved, it still wasn’t where it needed to be.
“Haven’t had a chance to talk today. Is there a reason you ask?” As Mason’s eyes narrowed, Luca turned his full attention to his friend. “What is it?”
“There was someone there last night. Someone was watching Evie.”
Luca’s body stilled. “Who?”
“Didn’t see his face.”
“What the fuck do you mean you didn’t see his face? Did you go after him?” Hearing his own voice rise, Luca attempted to tamper down the anger. The guys would be able to hear him regardless, but he didn’t want the women to. Speaking in a milder tone, Luca continued, “Tell me what happened.”
“The girls showed up, so we watched them until you got there. Not long after they arrived, a guy turned up wearing a cap and a jacket. Wouldn’t normally think anything of it but the way he walked, Rocket…”
“What?”
Taking a moment before he continued, Mason’s eyes moved from the yard to Luca.
“He was like us.”
Luca’s fists clenched. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
How the fuck was this happening? Evie finally gets comfortable around here, and some asshole from the facility comes after her. It had to be because of him. “Damn it. Someone’s following her because of me. I brought this to her.”
“We thought that at first too.” Mason’s expression didn’t change, but Luca knew he was about to tell him something he wouldn’t like. “We wanted to get to the girls first. Check-in. Eden kept the guy in his vision. When we were with them, Evie saw him, and whoever he was, she recognized him.”
Swinging his gaze back to Evie, Luca’s mind raced. “Shit.”
“She followed him outside.” Luca’s gaze swung to Mason, and he almost shattered the glass with his tense grip. “She locked herself out there with him by accident. Eden went out and found her. Whoever it was, Rocket, it wasn’t someone she was happy to see. She was scared.”
“Why the fuck did she follow him?”
Giving a shrug, Mason had a drink of the beer in his hand before he continued, “I think there are a few questions we should be asking her. We need answers.”
Luca’s mind raced.
“Okay, tomorrow, I’ll chat with her.” Knowing Mason was about to argue, Luca pushed on. “It can wait one more night. She must have her reasons for not sharing. It’s not like I’ve shared all my secrets. Tonight’s about family. It can wait until tomorrow.”
The irritation was clear on Mason’s face, but he didn’t say anything.
Needing to be closer to her, Luca headed to where Evie stood with Lexie. Placing a hand around her waist, he pulled her close.
“Well, if it isn’t the knight in shining armor. I heard you got my girl home safely last night. And by home, I mean your home.” A smile on her face, Lexie moved her eyebrows up and down.
“In the future, I would appreciate an invite to these girls’ nights.”
With a laugh, Lexie placed a hand on her hip. “You’re dreaming.” Turning to Evie, she held up her drink. “Want another?”
When Evie shook her head, Lexie turned to leave.
Twisting Evie in his arms, Luca lowered his head before she had a chance to pull away. Her lips were soft and made him want to deepen the kiss. Nibbling on her bottom lip, Luca pulled her body tighter against his. When Evie opened her mouth, Luca took advantage and pushed his tongue inside. Feeling himself hardening, Luca reluctantly pulled away.
“You are too irresistible, Ms. Scott.”
Smiling up at him, Evie had both her hands on his chest, but this time they didn’t make to push him away. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?” Luca asked innocently.
“Make me feel like I can’t get enough of you. Like I need more.”
Luca’s expression turned serious. He didn’t want to sugar coat it. “Because nothing will ever be enough for you and me.”
Looking a bit taken aback, Evie glanced down at her hands. “You say some really big things. I don’t always know how to respond.”
“I think direct is best with you.”
A hint of a smile settled on Evie’s face. “Guess I better stop pushing you away then.”
Luca’s smile broke out across his face. “She finally gets it.”
Lowering his head to hers, Luca’s lips touched Evie’s. A calmness settled inside him.
Leaving the group to head to the bathroom, Evie couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. For the first time, real hope bubbled inside of her that maybe it could all work out. This whole time she’d been trying to find a flaw in Luca, but so far, she found nothing. He seemed to be every bit the perfect guy he let her believe.
The bathroom was down the end of the hall, and the walk gave her time to reflect. Was she caught up in the moment, or could she trust her feelings? Evie had terrible instincts, but when she looked at Luca, she couldn’t find any signs that warned her to stay away.
On her way back outside, Evie passed the office. Glancing inside, she stopped as something on the desk caught her eye. Brows pull
ing together, Evie stood for a moment, undecided on whether to go in.
Darting her gaze around to check that it was just her, Evie slowly entered the room. Halting just short of the desk, Evie paused, her nerves eating at her. She shouldn’t be in here. If someone saw her snooping… if Eden saw her snooping… But something in her gut was telling her not to leave.
Moving deeper inside the room, a picture sat on the desk.
Leaning down to pick it up, Evie’s world stopped. Fear almost swallowed her. Those same hateful eyes that had tormented her for so long were staring into her own through the picture. His evil almost tore through the image and consumed her.
Dropping the picture like it was burning her fingers, Evie took a step back. Closing her eyes, she was bombarded by memories of the nightmare that was her life with him.
Taking a breath, Evie opened her eyes. Leaning down, she picked up the picture again with shaking fingers. Glancing at the other soldiers in the image, she saw what she’d missed the first time. Luca. Standing front and center. It was him, there was no denying. Standing next to him was Asher, Mason, Wyatt, Bodie, and Eden as well two other guys she didn’t recognize.
Time stood still for Evie. Luca knew Troy. Luca completed missions with Troy. That had to mean that they were part of the same project. The project that poisoned good men. That ripped a man’s soul from his chest and replaced it with ash.
The symbol on their vests then caught her attention. It was the same symbol that had been printed on all of Troy’s vests. The same one she had recognized through the envelope.
“No…”
Dropping the picture once again, the room began to spin. This couldn’t be happening. Luca could not be connected to such evil. Could he? The evidence was right in front of her.
Did he know that he was her Troy? The Troy that had almost destroyed her? Was still trying to destroy her?
Was getting to know her all one big ploy and Troy was behind it? Oh god, did Troy know her location right now?
Pivoting, Evie slammed her cold hand on the wall and took deep breaths. The bile in her stomach began to rise, but she forced herself to calm down. She had to get out. Not just out of Marble Protection but out of Marble Falls.
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