How had she been so stupid? Trusting the wrong person had almost killed her once, and here she was doing it again. She had seen his impossible strength and speed. Had noticed that he heard things an average human shouldn’t be able to hear, and yet she had refused to acknowledge it.
About to take off for the front door, her feet froze. She couldn’t run. If she ran, Luca would look for her within minutes. And he would catch her, there was no question about that. She needed time. She had to be smart. If she ran out, he would follow.
Straightening her spine and breathing out her fear, Evie left the room. Walking back into the yard area, she forced her body to slow. She prayed that she could convince Luca she was okay.
Before she made it outside, Asher appeared in front of her. Her heart momentarily sped up before she consciously tried to settle herself. Attempting to appear normal, Evie gave a small smile as she passed.
Asher’s expression immediately changed and his brows drew together.
“Everything okay, Evie?”
His hand lightly touched her arm. Evie wanted to shrivel away but used all her strength to remain still.
“Yeah, just not feeling well.” Relieved that her voice sounded relatively calm, Evie moved to pass Asher, but his hand remained firm.
Taking a calming breath, Evie looked up into his eyes and saw concern.
“Hey, anything I can help you with?”
“No. I’m okay. Thank you anyway, Asher.” Darting her eyes away from his, she gave another quick smile before continuing down the hall, relieved when he removed his hand from her arm.
Heading back outside, Evie prayed that the agonizing fear wasn’t showing on her face. Attempting a smile, she moved toward Luca.
Luca’s expression immediately changed to one of concern. “You okay?”
Confidence knocked slightly, Evie dug her icy fingers into her palm to subdue the panic.
“Luca, I’m not feeling too great. Might have been something I ate today. I’ll just meet you at home.”
Luca’s hand reached out to touch Evie’s jaw, and she had to will her body not to flinch away. “Okay, I’ll take you home.”
“No,” she said too quickly, then calming her voice, Evie continued, “You stay. You were looking forward to this. I’ll be fine, I just need to lie down for a bit.”
Luca’s eyes locked with Evie’s, questioning. Searching. Her heart rate accelerated for a moment. Did he know she was running?
Just when she thought her heart would explode from her chest, a slight smile crossed his face.
“Okay, I’ll see you at home.” Pressing a soft kiss to Evie’s head, Luca then lowered his mouth to her ear and uttered in a lowered tone, “Stay safe, sweetheart.”
Glancing up, Evie blinked the tears away. He still felt like her Luca. The beautiful man who made her feel safe. Nurtured. Oh god, she wished he was still the man she had thought he was, but she couldn’t get the image of him with Troy out of her head. Anyone who was a part of Troy’s life could not be a part of hers.
Feeling too choked up to speak, Evie nodded before turning to leave. On her way out, she felt eyes on her but kept her gaze straight ahead. She had to get out. Away.
As soon as Evie’s feet hit the path outside Marble Protection, the first tear dropped. Scrubbing it away, Evie moved her legs faster. She had let herself become too emotionally involved with the people in this town. She had survived just fine for the last ten months, she would survive now too.
How had she not seen it? Luca had always seemed stronger than the average person, and so much faster. And the hearing. He could hear everything. She had just refused to see it. Didn’t want to see it. Wanted to believe there was good in some people. Safety in the man she’d fallen for.
How stupid was she? She hadn’t learned a damn thing from Troy. The only person who could save her was herself.
Finally reaching her house, Evie’s hand shook as she opened the front door. Walking into her room, memories of what they had shared invaded her mind, and the tears fell harder. Evie didn’t bother wiping them away.
Pulling the bag out from under her bed, Evie started throwing things in. She wouldn’t be able to take everything, just the bare essentials. And the money, she hadn’t saved enough money.
Stopping, Evie closed her eyes and took a breath.
“You’ll be okay. You’ll work it out, and you’ll survive like you always have.”
Opening her eyes, Evie tossed the last of the essentials into the bag before turning to leave.
Looking out the window first, Evie was relieved to see that Luca still hadn’t returned home. With no sign of him or his car, she locked the door behind her. Moving to her car, she threw her bag in the back and put her key in the ignition.
It wouldn’t start. Taking the key out of the ignition, Evie banged her fist on the steering wheel out of frustration. Taking a moment, she stopped and dropped her head back on the headrest.
You’re okay, Evie. You’ve got this. You got away once, you’ll get away again.
The difference was that she had dreamed about escaping Troy. Escaping the fists and the abuse. This time she was running from the man who had shown her kindness. The man who had crept his way into her heart and filled a spot that had always been hollow.
Opening her eyes, a new determination filled her.
No. She would get away. She would be safe. Putting her key in the ignition again, Evie tried a few more times. On what felt like the tenth time, the engine sounded. Moving the car out of the driveway, Evie gave one last look at Luca’s house before looking ahead.
Just look forward, Evie. Everything will be okay.
Evie thought back to her time with Luca. She didn’t understand how this had happened. Yes, she had overlooked his superior skills, but never had he given her the impression that he wasn’t a good person. He had always been kind. More than kind. He had helped her heal and rebuilt her trust in men. Even when she had pushed him away so much, he had never gotten angry, always patient.
The further she drove away from him, the more her chest hurt.
Evie glanced back to see a car enter her rear-view mirror. As it got closer, her heart stuttered. Luca. His car was clear as day trailing behind hers.
Pressing her foot harder on the accelerator, Evie tried to push the car faster. As she sped up, so did Luca. Though he only sped up enough to keep her in his sights. He never got too close.
As she started picking up speed, a red light on Evie’s dashboard started blinking. Dread filled her chest. Her car wasn’t going to make it. It could barely cope with normal speeds.
Come on, Honda, just a little further.
A moment later, smoke started leaking from the hood of the car. At the sound of a bang from the engine, startling Evie, the car started slowing at its own volition.
Looking back, Evie noticed that Luca was getting closer now. Making a split-second decision, she slammed her foot on the brake, hitting the dash hard. Ignoring the pain, Evie jumped out of the car and made a run for the forest.
She couldn’t outrun him. There was no way. But with the head start, maybe she could hide before he got there. Make him think she’d kept running. What other choice did she have?
Pushing her legs to move, Evie ran through the trees. The memory of the last time she did this cascaded through her mind. A sob tore from her chest. She had to focus on placing one foot in front of the other. She needed to keep moving.
Falling to the ground, Evie pushed back to her feet. The branches scratching at her arms didn’t register. Neither did the cold wind across her face or the tightness in her chest. She had one focus. Hide.
As Evie ran, the skies opened, and the heavens came down in buckets of rain. It was like the sky was bleeding.
At the sound of a rustle behind her, she choked down another sob. Moving to the closest tree, Evie dropped to the ground behind it and focused on silencing her breaths and her heart.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SLOWING THE CAR, Luc
a kept a safe distance from Evie. She needed to slow down. Her car was not in good enough condition to drive that fast.
Luca’s concern for her had gone through the roof when she’d accelerated at the sight of him. Immediately slowing down, Luca hoped that by putting some distance between them, she would feel safe enough to slow slightly.
When Evie had returned from the bathroom at Marble Protection, she had not been herself. Luca had wanted to insist that he go with her, but one look at her expression, and he knew that if he did, he wouldn’t find out what was wrong.
That closed-off expression had been on her face. The same one that had been there when he first met her.
Something had happened between Evie leaving him and returning, and Luca was going to find out what.
A few minutes after she had left the house, Asher had come outside and walked up to Luca holding a picture.
“I caught Evie coming out of the office. This was on the floor.”
Taking the picture from Asher’s fingers, Luca had noticed it was the image of his team with the other SEAL team behind them.
Looking up, Luca had turned a questioning look to Asher. He hadn’t known what the hell was going on.
Pushing the picture back to Asher, Luca already started walking. “I’m going after her.”
The team had watched him leave, having heard what was happening. No one had challenged him because everyone wanted answers.
A curse escaped Luca’s lips when he was pulled back to the present at the sight of smoke coming from Evie’s car. Her vehicle came to a sudden stop, forcing Luca to slam his foot on the brake.
What the hell was she thinking? Luca watched as Evie abruptly opened her car door and raced through the trees.
Goddammit.
Coming to a stop behind Evie’s car, Luca wasted no time in getting out and going after her. Tuning in, he could hear her steps and heavy breathing. Fear raced through Luca that Evie had no idea what might be in the forest she was running through.
Pumping his legs and using his SEAL training, Luca followed her trail through the trees. He ignored the sound of the birds and the wind, focusing on just her. Quieting his steps so as not to startle her, he heard her drop to the ground.
Forcing himself to slow, Luca moved toward the tree the sound had emanated from. Making sure she wouldn’t see him until the final moment, Luca trod lightly.
Moving around the tree so that she was in his direct vision, Evie turned to look directly at him. Terror shone through Evie’s eyes.
What the hell?
Jumping to her feet, Evie made to run but tripped over a tree root on her first step. Luca’s arm shot out to catch her at her waist before she could fall.
Not anticipating her pulling her feet up and kicking out, Luca’s grip tightened and he dropped to the ground, rolling at the last minute to ensure it was his body that took the impact before rolling over and pinning her beneath him.
When her body kept flailing, Evie’s breaths became shorter, and her heart rate increased.
“Evie, stop!”
Ignoring his words, she abruptly kicked out her knees and thrust up at him.
Easily using his feet to pin down her legs, Luca dropped his hips, effectively paralyzing her where she was. Raising his voice, Luca repeated himself, “Evie, stop now.”
With a sob, Evie finally directed her attention at him. “Get off me, Luca. I want to go.”
Confusion swirled in his mind. Studying her face, he searched for some type of answer on what was going on. “Go where?”
“Away.”
Frustration welled in Luca. “Why?”
“I just want to go, please, Luca.”
The desperation in her voice almost undid him. Almost. “I need you to tell me why, sweetheart.”
In her silence, a lone tear slid down Evie’s cheek. Taking a chance, Luca let go of her left hand and wiped away the trail of water. “Was there something about that picture that upset you?”
Swinging her head back to his, a new terror entered Evie’s eyes, but still, she said nothing.
“Please, Evie. I want to understand.”
Evie’s indecision was clear to see, before she spoke quietly. “It was him.”
Confused, Luca frowned. “Who?”
Evie was silent for a moment before uttering something that Luca had never expected. “Troy.”
Even with his training, Luca struggled to keep from flinching. “You know Troy?”
Anger washed over Evie’s expression, but no words left her. Then it hit Luca. Troy was the ex. The ex that she was running from. Evie was running from Troy, the same man that his team was trying to find. “You were dating Troy”
Even as Luca said the words, they didn’t make sense in his mouth.
“Yes.”
Luca felt like he had been sucker-punched. How was that possible?
“And he’s the one that hurt you.”
Luca wanted Evie to say no. Deny the statement and make it untrue. But when her nod confirmed it, it took all his strength for Luca not to show the anger coursing through his veins.
That asshole had touched her. Hurt her.
“Please just let me get out of town, Luca. I promise I’ll stay away.”
Understanding dawned on him. “You ran because you think Troy and I are in on all of this?”
The silence that followed was the confirmation Luca needed. He tried to push down the hurt that Evie would categorize him with that asshole. All this time he thought he’d been building trust with her. Showing her that he was different. Had that all meant nothing to her?
“We weren’t part of the same team, and we’ve certainly never been friends, Evie.”
“But the picture…”
“SEALs go on the same missions sometimes, Evie. I barely knew the guy.”
Hope entered Evie’s expression before she quickly masked it. “Even if that’s true, I can’t be a part of anything that he has touched.”
Even if that was true? What would it take for this woman to believe him? Trust him?
Then another thought crossed Luca’s mind. Did she know what they could do? What was done to them at Project Arma?
“Why can’t you be part of anything that he touched?”
The sorrow that washed over her face made Luca want to wrap his arms around her and protect her from the world.
“Because I don’t want to make another mistake that I’ll live to regret.” Her words were soft.
“Tell me what you regret, Evie.”
Evie’s voice bled of the pain and anger that he was sure was drowning her. “Everything. I regret dating that asshole and falling for his lies. I regret trusting the wrong person. I regret letting him touch me and hurt me. But mostly I regret getting tired. I got tired, and I gave up fighting for myself. When someone treats you like shit for long enough, you start believing you are as worthless as they say.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Shaking her head, Evie continued. “And because of me, my parents are dead. He murdered them. I can’t prove it, but I know he did. They probably started asking too many questions. Raising too many red flags for him. They were good people, Luca. He could do what he liked to me, but my parents did not deserve that. I couldn’t be numb anymore. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. He left me with NOTHING. I was weak, but I’ll never be weak again.”
That son of a bitch. Luca would kill him. Tear him apart with his bare hands.
Pushing down the anger for a moment, Luca needed to keep her talking. He needed more answers.
As the rain became heavier, Luca asked his next question. “So, you’ve been running and hiding since you got away?”
Evie nodded her head. “I can’t let him find me.”
“He won’t. I won’t let him.”
“You can’t stop him, Luca, no one can.”
Speculation grew in Luca. “Why can’t anyone stop him?”
Evie chewed her bottom lip. Her lips were turning pu
rple from the cold rain that also soaked through her clothes, causing them to stick to her skin. His body sheltered her from the worst of the weather, but there was no stopping the wind.
“Once Troy decides something, that’s it.”
As her teeth began to chatter, Luca decided it was time to get to shelter.
Slowly standing, Luca took Evie’s arms and pulled her up with him. “Let’s go home, sweetheart, and get warm. Then you can tell me more.”
Shaking her head, Evie tried to wrench her arm from him. Luca let her, not wanting her to hurt herself. “I need to leave.”
Luca couldn’t allow that. He didn’t just need answers, he needed Evie. There was no way he was going to let her walk away and disappear from his life. He was going to protect her.
“Can you afford to leave right now?” The doubt in Evie’s eyes said what she didn’t say with words. “Stay. You have a job, a roof over your head, and we’ll look out for you.”
A laugh broke from Evie’s chest as her arms wrapped around her waist. “They hate me.”
“They’ll look after you.” As the rain fell harder, his urgency to get to shelter grew. “And they don’t hate you. They just have a hard time trusting.”
Shivers started racking Evie’s body. “I will leave, Luca. I al-lways do.”
Luca’s heart splintered. Was he fighting a losing battle?
Taking Evie’s hand, Luca was relieved when she didn’t pull away. As they headed back to their cars, he strategically positioned his body to block most of the wind.
“I’ll send one of the guys to fix your car and bring it home.”
Without a word, Evie got into Luca’s vehicle and buckled her seat belt.
The drive home was silent. Luca cranked the heater as high as it went and kept Evie in his peripheral vision, relieved when the shaking started to subside.
Parking his car in his driveway, Luca glanced over to Evie. Even being drenched from head to toe and red-faced from crying, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
After a few moments, Evie broke the silence. “So, you weren’t friends with him?”
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