Luca didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Not even close, sweetheart.”
Looking up at the sky through the front windscreen, Evie seemed to contemplate his words. “He wasn’t always a bad guy. When we first started dating, he was kind. Sweet even. He would hold the door open for me. Kiss me on the cheek goodbye.” A shadow crossed Evie’s face. “Then, he changed. I don’t know why, but he did.”
“Tell me about him.” Luca hadn’t known Troy pre-Project Arma, but the man Luca had known was never a good man.
Wringing her hands, Luca had started to recognize it as a nervous trait of Evie’s.
“We dated right out of high school. He went off to join the Navy, and I stayed home with my parents. Then a few years into our relationship, he asked me to move to the country with him. I jumped at the idea. Stupid. I was young and thought I loved the guy. He was always away with his travel commitments, so I thought this would bring us closer together. At first, it wasn’t so bad. Then, over time, I started to realize how isolated I was. No job, no friends. I didn’t even have a car.”
Pausing, Evie closed her eyes for a moment. “It started with him losing his temper every so often. He would throw things, break things. In the end, he was angry all the time. When he didn’t get his way, he would explode. You didn’t want to be around him when that happened. At first he would always apologize after. Then when he started taking his anger out on me, it was like he stopped caring, and by that stage, I didn’t have contact with anyone. I couldn’t get away. I was stuck. Alone.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say sorry, Luca. I don’t deserve it. I shouldn’t have put myself into a position where I was helpless. And I won’t ever again.”
Placing his large hand on her smaller one, Luca leaned closer to her. “It’s okay to let people help you, Evie.”
Quiet for a moment, Evie’s expression turned thoughtful. “I keep pushing you away, but you keep sticking around.”
Because there was no question for him. She was it.
“You’re worth fighting for.”
Shaking her head, Evie turned away from him to stare out her window. “I don’t feel worth fighting for. I feel like he stripped me of every inch of self-worth that I possessed.”
Luca’s heart broke for the beautiful woman sitting next to him. “You have a right to feel damaged, Evie, but don’t confuse damage with destruction.”
Turning to face Luca, Evie placed her hand on his cheek. “I’m glad you keep coming back to me, Luca.” Leaning over, Evie placed a kiss on his cheek before exiting the car.
Watching her walk away, Luca finally allowed the rage to take the forefront in his mind. Troy was trying to destroy Evie’s life. Had already hurt her. Killed her family.
A deadly determination filled him. Luca was going to make damn sure that Troy got what he deserved for what he’d done. Evie would feel safe. He would make sure of it.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NERVOUS TENSION RADIATED through Evie as she drove to Marble Protection.
It was the day after she’d tried to run and the knowledge that all the guys now knew she’d dated Troy made Evie want to run under the nearest rock and hide. She knew Luca had explained her past to them, but they didn’t have the blind faith in Evie that he did.
There was also the fact that she now knew what they were capable of. What they had been turned into. Machines. Being Navy SEALs, they had already been the best of the best, but now that she knew they could do what Troy could do, they weren’t just dangerous. They would be unstoppable.
Evie hadn’t told Luca everything last night. In particular, she hadn’t mentioned that she knew what he could do.
She wanted to trust him. Oh god, did she want to. But there was a block there. Something that said trusting someone with your secrets was like standing at the edge of a cliff waiting for them to push you off.
Maybe Troy had broken her. Maybe Evie would never trust another soul again. But the thought of a life without Luca felt empty, and that scared the hell out of her. She knew she needed to make a decision on whether to trust him and let him in completely or stay away, but either option filled her with paralyzing fear.
Entering the building, Evie hadn’t made it to the desk before she was hit at full force by Lexie. Lexie’s arms wrapped around Evie’s body in a tight bear hug.
“Holy mother of pearl, girl. You scared the crap out of me,” Lexie exclaimed while pulling out of the hug, keeping her hands on Evie’s shoulders. “You leave the party with no warning and no goodbye. The guys tell me you’re sick. Then I can’t reach you. What the heck? Ever heard of friendship etiquette?”
Evie squirmed under Lexie’s intense stare. Hating that she had to lie to her friend. “I’m sorry. I think I just ate something that didn’t agree with me. I’m feeling a lot better today.”
By raising a brow, Lexie’s expression said anything but believing Evie. “Is that the truth?”
Technically, Evie had felt sick just not because of something she’d eaten. “Mostly.”
“Girl, you have too many secrets, and I would stay and hound you, but I know you’ll share when you’re ready. Plus, this girl needs some new shoes.”
With a relieved laugh, Evie walked around Lexie and set herself up behind the desk. “I thought this was a ‘no spend’ month.”
With a hurt expression, Lexie put her hand to her chest. “Do you have no faith in me? With the sales I intend to find, I’ll be saving money.” Flinging her bag on her shoulder, Lexie was about to leave before she turned back. “Next time, say goodbye, okay? There are people here who care about you.”
Feeling guilty, Evie simply nodded.
Once Lexie was gone, Evie got to work.
Throughout the day, she saw the guys come and go. Most smiled, Asher even stopped for a chat. Bodie had asked how she was going. They acted like nothing had happened, and for that, she was grateful.
Apart from seeing Luca when she left the house that morning, she hadn’t seen him all day. She tried not to think of him, but he kept popping into her thoughts. It was like the guy was tattooed on her eyeballs.
By the end of the day, it was just her and Eden. Something had changed between them since the night at the bar. She still wouldn’t be sending the guy a Christmas card, but at least she didn’t feel the need to hide behind the desk every time he was around.
Starting to shut down the computer, Evie startled when she looked up to see Eden on the other side of the desk.
Jeez, these guys need to wear a bell or something.
“I’ll be back in a sec, don’t leave until I return, okay?” Waiting for her to respond, Evie nodded, confused about what was going on. Then before she could blink, he was out the front door.
That was strange.
Evie watched him leave, wondering what it was he must have seen. Why did she have to wait for him to get back? It was getting dark outside, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t walked home at this time by herself before.
Still, better to listen to Eden than deal with his wrath later. He was being nicer to her now, but she didn’t want to risk the old Eden showing his face.
Tapping the desk with her fingers, Evie glanced around, wondering what to do while she waited. Spotting the cleaning supplies cupboard, she went to get some spray and wipes. If she was going to stay, she might as well do something productive.
Moving around the desk, Evie started with the big mat area.
As she began to wipe the equipment, a noise from the entrance door drew her attention. Thinking it might be Eden, Evie stood, turning to leave. But when she glanced at the front, there was no one there.
A nervous tingle climbed up Evie’s spine.
Moving back to the counter, she rummaged through the drawer and retrieved her phone. Feeling slightly safer with it in her hands, she glanced down at it.
On the first day at work, Luca had entered his number into her phone, but she had never called it. As another creak echoed through the silent room,
Evie searched her phone for his number. Agitation racked Evie’s body as her fingers hovered over his name.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Was she just being paranoid? Overreacting because of her past?
About to put the phone down, the room suddenly darkened as the lights went out. Her trepidation intensified, and Evie’s clammy hands shook as they hit dial.
Picking up on the first ring, Evie let out a sigh of relief.
“Evie?” Luca sounded a mix of surprise and concern. Just hearing his deep gravelly voice steadied her slightly.
“Um hey,” she muttered. Now that he was on the line Evie felt silly
“What’s wrong?”
Hearing the concern in his tone, Evie chided herself on calling him unnecessarily. What was she doing? She must be losing her mind now.
“Nothing, I shouldn’t have called,” she said. Nibbling her lip, Evie pushed herself to just tell him why she’d called and hang up. “I’m waiting for Eden at the gym, and the lights went out. It’s nothing. I shouldn’t have called?”
“Where’s Eden?” Luca’s response was immediate.
“Um, I’m not sure. He popped out and told me to wait for…” Before Evie could finish what she was saying, there was a shuffling noise in the corner of the room, which made her pause. The hairs on her arms stood up, and her muscles froze.
As if sensing that she wasn’t okay, Luca’s voice came through the line again. “Stay where you are, Evie. I’m coming now. Stay on the line for me, okay, sweetheart?”
Before she could respond, Evie cried out when she was grabbed from behind. Brutal fingers wrapped around her neck and forced her feet onto her toes.
The phone dropped from Evie’s fingers as she desperately grabbed for the ones preventing the breaths from entering her body.
Trying to suck in air, Evie’s throat felt glued shut. Black dots started to enter her vision and she began to drift into unconsciousness. Prior to passing out, the fingers around her throat abruptly released. Then, the hands grabbed her from behind and flung her body through the air. She hit the wall hard.
Gasping for air, Evie felt a ruthless boot kick her in the face, then in the ribs. The pain radiated through her body. Already she felt the throbbing and swelling in her cheek. She wouldn’t be surprised if a bone fractured in her ribs too.
A firm hand pushed her head into the ground, causing a shooting pain to shoot through her skull. She prayed for it to stop. Then a hot breath touched her ear.
“Tell lover boy I’m coming for him. Then, I’m coming for you.”
At the sound of his voice, the pain faded into nothingness only to be replaced by fear. It was so intense that her body froze in the fetal position, and a whimper escaped her lips.
He was here. In the same room. Touching her.
“I’m glad you get it, Evaline.”
The hand remained on her head for another moment as she felt his face in her hair, before pushing her head into the ground one last time and standing. Another kick landed on her ribs. Letting out another cry, Evie heard the footsteps retreat as the room went silent.
Lying against the wall, she vaguely recognized that her breaths weren’t coming in properly. There was a crackling in her chest that shouldn’t be there. Something was broken. Something was sticking where it wasn’t supposed to. As darkness started to work its way into her vision, she heard the subtle sound of footsteps echo in the distance. The sound was muffled, but that was likely her hearing more than the person.
Please don’t let it be him again. She couldn’t take any more.
Hands touched the uninjured side of her face. Rather than the violence and cold of the ones that had just been on her, these hands were soft. Gentle. That’s good. At least if she was going to pass out or worse, she wouldn’t be alone. Evie hated being alone.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“WHAT THE FUCK happened?” Luca shouted the words, shoving Eden up against the hospital wall. The guy had a couple inches on him, but Luca was just as deadly, and he had rage on his side.
All the guys stood in the hospital hallway except Asher, who guarded Evie inside her room. They weren’t taking any chances.
“Get off me, Rocket.”
Even though he said the words, Eden didn’t attempt to defend himself or push Luca away.
Grabbing Eden’s shirt, Luca pulled him forward only to shove him back against the wall again. Frustration ate at him as he was nearing the end of his patience.
“Why weren’t you there to protect her like you were supposed to be?”
Eden’s expression didn’t change. “There was someone outside.”
Stopping where he was, Luca paused for a moment. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Someone was staking out Marble Protection. I noticed about an hour before I left to check it out.” Luca stepped back from Eden. “I thought Evie was safe seeing as I was tracking the guy. I followed the tracks, but when I got down the street, I heard Evie and went back. I was too late. The guy who attacked her was gone.” Running his hands through his hair, Eden turned toward the wall. “I should have been there to protect her, and I wasn’t.”
The only thing stopping Luca from beating his friend’s ass was that he looked like hell. Worry glazed his eyes, and the veins on his arms bulged like he wanted to murder someone. As he damn well should.
“How did he get past you and away so easily?” Mason questioned, stepping forward.
He voiced the question everyone was thinking. She should have been safe with any of them. One of them was the equivalent of having a team of regular soldiers guard her.
“That’s what I want to know,” Eden said, raw anger that would put fear into most men, filling his voice.
From his place against the sidewall, Wyatt spoke up, “There could be two of them.”
“No, there was one guy,” Eden responded with clenched fists. “Don’t ask me how I know, but I do, and when I find him, I’m going to murder the fucker.”
“Not if I do first.” Running his hands through his hair Luca was only just keeping his fury in check. “Troy. It’s Troy, I know it.”
No one said anything. There was nothing to say. Everyone knew it was the most likely scenario.
Mason lowered his voice slightly. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, man, but that might be a good thing. We’ve been tracking him and his team for a year and have found nothing on our own.”
Luca’s blood boiled. Was he serious? Evie laid in a goddamn hospital bed, and Mason was describing this as a good thing?
With a quiet but deadly voice, Luca barely restrained himself. “A good thing? Evie’s not bait. That asshole could have killed her.”
Placing his hands in the air Mason moved back half a step back. “I wasn’t saying she is, Rocket. We’re all gonna stick on her day and night, you know nothing will happen to her from here on out. If this jerk’s around, we’ll get him.”
Trying to still the turmoil inside him, Luca shook his head as his eyes rose to the ceiling. “I hate this. I fucking hate this. I should have been there.”
How had he let this happen? He knew someone had been in her house, knew they were followed in the woods, and still, he let her out of his sight.
Walking forward, Luca opened the door to her room. “I’m staying with her tonight.”
Not waiting for a response, Luca stepped inside. As he turned to look at her, his breath hitched. She looked so small and fragile in the bed.
The left side of her face was a mixture of blacks and purples from where she’d been kicked, and he knew she also had three cracked ribs. The fractures just missed puncturing her lung.
Before he could take a step closer, Asher rose from the chair.
“How you doing, buddy?” The concern in his friend’s voice was apparent.
“Like one half of me wants to stick to her like glue, and the other half wants to go out and search for the fucker and rip him apart.”
An
d that was the honest truth. It’s like his mind was at war. For now, he knew he needed to be with her. Soon though, he would get the guy who did this.
Making to walk forward, Luca stopped at Asher’s hand on his arm.
“There’s something else. While I was in here, I checked out her chart. The doc wrote that they found evidence of a shit load of past trauma. Broken ribs, fractured wrists, ankles. Her list of past injuries looks like a damn shopping list.” Luca clenched his fists. The taste of acid filled his mouth at the thought of what Evie had been through. “We’ll find him, Rocket.”
“Damn straight.” Without another word, Luca pulled the chair to the side of Evie’s bed. He heard the door open but only had eyes for Evie. Gently wrapping his fingers around her hand, Luca pressed his lips to her wrist. Listening to her heartbeat and knowing she was alive, calmed him somewhat.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I should have been there. I shouldn’t have left you.”
Luca stayed like that for what felt like minutes but was more likely hours until he felt the twitch in her hand. Glancing up, Luca watched as Evie’s eyes opened. They darted around for a moment before fixing on him, a small frown on her face.
“Luca?”
“Yeah, darlin,’ it’s me.” Luca placed a kiss on her hand, his thumb gently stroking her wrist.
Trying to sit up, Evie released a grimace. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Luca slowly moved her back onto the pillows. “You need to rest. Don’t worry, I’m not leaving your side.”
Lying back down, Evie closed her eyes. Instead of sadness, anger washed over her face. “It was him.”
It was a statement, not a question. “Doesn’t matter who it was. He won’t get near you again.”
“I want to believe you, Luca. I really do, but you don’t know Troy.” Opening her eyes, a mixture of anger and contempt shone through. “I want to kill him, Luca. I don’t care if that makes me a bad person. He thinks he has the right to touch me, to hurt me, but he doesn’t.”
“You’re right. He doesn’t have the right to touch you and won’t ever again.” So damn proud of her strength, Luca squeezed her shoulder. “And I do know Troy, Evie, but even if I didn’t, the guys and I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
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