27. Evangeline
Chapter 27
Evangeline
E very day I spend with Phoenix, I fall farther down the rabbit hole. By the end of the week, I crave his company. I’m so aware of him that I’m distracted by him lounging a few feet away from me on the couch. Currently, he’s frowning at the tablet in his hands, possibly looking at something his father sent him since that always seems to frustrate him.
Unable to focus on my book, I gave up on reading a few minutes ago, playing with the PopSocket on the back of my e-reader instead. Pushing it down and pulling it back up. Push, pull. Push, pull. Pop, pop, pop.
“Angel.”
His voice has a warning tone to it, and I stop immediately.
“Sorry.”
“Ask what you want to ask.”
I grimace. Of course, he sees right through me. “Are you sure? ”
I internally cringe at the memory of how our conversation went last night when I asked him if he and Connie ever had sex. I didn’t want to ask, but I really needed to know the answer. The relief that rushed through me when he told me their relationship was purely platonic almost knocked me off my feet.
Phoenix puts the tablet on the cushion next to him and turns my way. “That was our rule, right? AMA. Ask Me Anything, and you shall receive an answer.” He bites the corner of his lip. “Maybe.”
My gaze follows his movement, and I stare at his lips. Craving his company hasn’t been the only urge that has grown. I’m also longing for his touch. Not just his lips or hands on me but also the comfort his embrace provides.
“Eve?”
Heat rises up my neck, but I pretend he didn’t just catch me ogling him again. “Do you know how everything with Connie and Chris happened? Like were they dating, or was it a one-night stand situation? I still don’t really know much about it.”
Phoenix stares at me for a moment, like he’s trying to decide how much to tell me. “She never told me when or how exactly it started, just that they were involved, and that he told her he was in the midst of separating from his wife, which wasn’t easy because of the kids. They continued to meet in secret for months, and when she told him about the pregnancy, he laughed in her face and said she was delusional if she thought he’d want a baby with her.”
“He said that?”
“That’s what Connie told me. ”
“What an asshole.” I mull over this new information. “I’m glad you beat him up.”
The instant the words leave my lips, I slap a hand over my mouth, and Phoenix laughs. It’s deep and rich, and my stomach does a weird flutter thing.
I chuckle. “I can’t believe I just said that.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“Stop.” I chuckle some more. “You know what I meant. I appreciate what you did for her. It means a lot.”
With that, the happy moment is over before I’m ready, and something changes in Phoenix’s expression.
“Since we’re asking questions. Holden and I have been thinking about suspects. Did you ever have a hunch who Freddy could be? I’m sure you’ve thought about it plenty of times.”
I sigh. “To the point of migraines. But no. For a while I suspected everyone, but no one made sense. No one I’ve ever met was outright hostile to me. So either Freddy is a good actor or I’ve never met him. Assuming it’s a guy, of course.”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been thinking too. Overanalyzing. Wondering who could be Freddy.” He pauses. “Do you remember when I was in the city the week before the explosion?”
The week something changed between us. “Of course.”
“I ran into two guys from school in the hotel lobby after one of my meetings. They came out of the hotel bar with a group of friends, all of them drunk off their asses. Anyway, they’ve always been total shitheads to me, but to a degree I didn’t blame them because my dad slept with both of their moms, destroying at least one of the marriages as far as I know. Maybe both. ”
My eyes widen. “What on earth?”
His eyebrows lift. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard about it since my dad never even tries to be discreet about his affairs. Not even for my sake. Once, in high school, I told him some of the women are my friends’ moms and because he can’t keep his dick in his pants, my friends turned on me. You know what he said? To stop being such a pussy and to use it as a learning experience to show them who’s superior.”
I’m so stunned, I just stare at him. “Your dad is just . . . wow, I don’t know what to say. And then those guys stopped you at the hotel?”
He sighs. “Yeah. I saw Michael at another event last month, but he only sneered at me from across the room. This time, he got in my face. Both of their dads used to work for my dad, but I didn’t know until later on they were fired. One, years ago, and the other just recently. Which might be the reason why they approached me now. Michael said I’m scum and don’t belong in their circle after my prison time. That they should have kept me locked up forever because people like my dad and me always ruin everything. Then his best buddy, Owen, had to chime in too and?—”
“Wait. Owen? My brother brought an Owen home once from college for some event. Preppy guy, sleazy smile, short blond curls. His dad used to work with my dad back then too. Dang it. What was his last name again? Something with R?”
Phoenix tilts his head to the side. “Rodgers?”
I wrinkle my nose. “Yes, that’s him. Owen Rodgers. Total douchebag. Tried hitting on me and didn’t take no for an answer. I’m pretty sure he was trying to get into my room that one night he stayed, but I made sure to lock my door when I went to bed. ”
Phoenix’s eyes are small slits as he stares at me. “He what?”
“Nothing happened.” I shrug and put my hand on his arm.
The veins in his neck pulse angrily. “Now it makes a lot more sense what he said.”
“What did he say?”
His gaze softens a fraction when he looks at me. “That he hopes I’ll rot in Hell with my prude bitch of a fiancée.”
A laugh bursts out of me, and I wave my hand around in front of me. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t funny, but, man . . . it’s just so stupid.”
Now that I’ve started, I can’t stop laughing. And it feels good, cathartic even, and so much better than crying too.
Phoenix stares at me with such an odd expression that I stop and brush over my face.
“Is there something on my face?”
He shakes his head and lifts his hand as if to touch me but drops it again. “No, everything’s perfect.”
His gaze is so intense my cheeks heat. “So, do you think one of them could be Freddy?”
He exhales loudly. “We checked them and their dads again, but without any luck. And like you said, it could be anyone, and it’s not like we have any solid leads.”
“Gosh. I wish it was over already.” I grab my mug from the table and take a sip of my tea.
Phoenix clears his throat. “There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”
I swallow the warm liquid so fast, it almost goes down the wrong pipe. “More secrets? ”
“Yes and no.” He pauses. “The only reason why I haven’t told you yet is because he’s been quiet for a while, and you’ve already had enough shit on your plate.”
A chill goes down my spine. “He?”
“Someone’s been sending me messages too, and I think it might be the same person as Freddy.”
“What?” Tea splashes over my hands and clothes, but I ignore the mess. “Did he make you do things as well?”
He immediately shakes his head. “No. My messages weren’t like yours, which is why I wasn’t sure if they came from the same person. For me, it started a few weeks after I was arrested. My dad, being the controlling and shady person he is, had arranged a phone for me that I had access to when specific guards were on rotation. When I checked it a few weeks after my arrest, there was a message from my dad but also two messages from an unknown sender. One of them was the recording of your nine-one-one call.”
I swallow, the guilt trying to eat me alive like every single time.
Phoenix blows out a breath. “He told me to call him Angel and was acting like he was my friend, helping me uncover your betrayal. From then on, I got messages from him several times a month, updating me about your life and sending pictures of you. Pictures of you smiling at school and having fun with your friends. Doing all the things I couldn’t do because you took that from me. He stoked a fire in me until thoughts of revenge were all I could think of.”
“He pitted us up against each other.” The breath is stuck in my airway until I gasp. “And he told you to call him Angel? ”
He nods.
I huff a laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “He told me to call him Devil.”
Phoenix shakes his head. “Very original. Angel and Devil.”
I’m still reeling from all the new info. “I can’t believe he was watching me the whole time and taking pictures of me.”
Phoenix’s Adam’s apple bobs. “I’m not proud of myself, but nothing riled me up more than seeing you happy and free while I was locked away. At that point, I’d already met Holden, and since there was no hiding the phone from him, I told him everything. One time, I imagined how you’d react when you saw me again and realized that’s probably the last thing you’d ever want to do. He joked about me marrying you, but over time, I became obsessed with the idea of making your life a living hell by forcing you to be with me every single day. The continued updates on you kept that obsession burning like a wildfire.”
The words rush out of him, like his brain wants those nasty thoughts out of his head as quickly as possible.
I shake my head in a daze. “He knew exactly what he was doing.”
“I hate myself for falling for the whole charade so easily.”
Unable to stay away, I close the distance between us until I’m almost in his lap. “How could you not buy into it? You were in prison because of me. None of that was a lie, no matter how much I wish it was. I hated you for what you did to me and then my sister, but my heart still broke into a million pieces when I made that call.”
With each new secret we reveal, a puzzle piece clicks into place, exposing how endlessly screwed up this entire situation is. Way worse than I ever could have imagined.
The paranoia isn’t helping either.
Just thinking about the engagement party tomorrow has me on edge. Will we be able to make it through the event without anything crazy happening?