Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
Eva
When the security guards informed me they worked for Kain, I was numb with shock. As I watched Bryan speak to him, confusion and anger spiked in me.
Why didn’t Kain show up to our date? Why hadn’t he replied to my texts? Where the hell was he?
When my phone rang, the two security guards stepped away, talking to the police officers as if they were friends.
“What?” I barked into the phone, knowing it was Kain.
“Hey . . . Are you okay?”
“What do you think?” I couldn’t restrain the question throbbing in my head. “Why didn’t you text me? I was waiting for you at—”
“Fuck!” he exclaimed. “I’m so sorry! I had a reminder on my phone, but there was no reception in this area until now.”
Catalina’s words echoed in my head. Kain is hardly ever late. But if he is, that means he’s with another woman.
“Are you with another woman?” I fumed, hating myself for sounding jealous, but I couldn’t help it.
“What?” he exclaimed. “Where did you get that idea?”
“Your ex, Catalina.”
Spewing a curse, he said, “I wasn’t with a woman. I was meeting with your grandfather.”
“What?” I blinked at the idea. “Why?”
“Long story. I’ll tell you when I get home. I’m so sorry I missed our date. Let’s go out tomorrow.”
Knowing he had met with my grandfather should’ve eased my irritation, but it didn’t.
“Not in the mood.” Still annoyed, I added, “Because you didn’t show up, I had dinner with another man.”
“Who?” His voice carried an edge.
“You don’t know him.” I glanced at his security men. “I’m sure your men will tell you everything.”
“They sure will.”
Silence fell between us.
Then I broke the silence. “Why didn’t you tell me about the bodyguards? They scared the hell out of me.”
“I had planned on telling you tonight. Their job is to keep their distance and make sure you’re safe.” He blew out a frustrated sigh. “With all the recent deaths, I didn’t want you in danger.”
I felt honesty in his words.
“I’m not the only one who had bodyguards watching over you,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“Your grandfather did too. He hired someone to follow you around before he arrived.”
“My grandfather?” I couldn’t believe he’d do something like that. “Why?”
“Like me, he cares about you.”
“I’m so confused. My grandfather watches MacGyver, loves to cook, and plays bingo with his friends. Why would he hire security for me?”
“Because he knows about Hawthorne too. I’ll explain when I see you.”
An ice block dropped to the bottom of my stomach, stirring up fear and nerves. How was Grandpa connected to Hawthorne and Kain? My head throbbed with so much information colliding into each other.
We didn’t speak for a while, just listened to each other’s breathing.
After a moment, Kain said, “Eva.”
The anger in me subsided, replaced by confusion and wonder. Today’s emotional whirlwind left me drained with a throbbing headache.
“Yes?” I rubbed my temple, trying to ease the pressure.
“I really wanted to be there with you today. You can ask your grandfather about our meeting.”
“I will.”
“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”
I rattled off the street, hung up the phone, and walked over to apologize to Bryan and Garvin, who were just doing their jobs.
“Did you enjoy the Food and Craft Loft?” I asked.
“It’s cool,” said Bryan. “I’m going to take my girl there.”
“Me too.” Garvin smiled.
I told them they could go home because Kain was coming to pick me up.
After they confirmed it with him, the bodyguards took off.
The police verified everything was just a misunderstanding and left the drugstore.
Making my way out to the front entrance, I stood and inhaled the fresh air, but the nerves of the whole experience still clung to me.
My intuition was right. Someone had been following me, watching me. I wished Grandpa had told me so I wouldn’t be terrified, assuming it was a stalker.
“No! Someone help me!” shouted someone from the parking lot.
I hurried toward the shouts and saw a man grabbing an old woman’s purse. She wouldn’t let it go, and he shoved her to the ground.
“Hey! Stop it!” I ran over, crouched, and grabbed the old woman’s arm. “Are you okay?”
When the old woman didn’t reply, I looked at her.
A sly smile slid onto her face. As I stepped away, something sharp stabbed into my neck.
The man who had shoved the woman wrapped his muscular arms around me.
I punched and kicked him, using the self-defense techniques I’d learned, but my body went limp.
I couldn’t lift my arms, much less punch him.
“Help!” I screamed, but my voice came out garbled.
The old woman I tried to help covered my face with a cloth, and the man tossed me into his white van. My foot hit something sharp, but my body was too numb to sense anything. The woman ripped off her wig, revealing the face of a man.
But I lost consciousness before I could study his features.