Chapter 55
Chapter Fifty-Five
Kain
I stood beside Eva in the hospital, watching Dr. Gerhard put a cast on her right foot. He had wavy brown hair, sharp blue eyes, and a tenderness that patients appreciated. I tried my best to contain my rage, wanting to shred the two men who had kidnapped her.
Bryan and Garvin arrived with more team members to ensure Eva’s friends and the teens were taken care of at the local hospitals.
I had taken Eva back to Mass General in Boston, where I knew some trustworthy doctors.
Dr. Kenneth Gerhard was a longtime friend, and I could rely on him to keep her name out of the spotlight for now.
Tony was still missing, so he could target Eva again. Based on what she told me, Tony had been lenient toward her because she looked like his sister Laura. My team was already searching for information about her.
I couldn’t believe he was still alive all these years later. Not only had he not perished during the explosion twenty years ago, but he’d also become one of the top guys working for Hawthorne. I wished I’d paid more attention to him back then.
Eva’s friends Avery and Hailey and the four teens had returned home safely to their families.
About fifty percent of the underground complex was destroyed in the explosion.
When the boilers erupted, it created a second exit for people to escape.
Some died while trying to avoid the guards chasing after them again.
But the majority of the people survived and were now being interviewed by the authorities and Detective McNally.
My team had killed fifteen of Hawthorne’s men, but Tony had escaped.
“You’ve a mild sprain on your ankle. It also has a deep cut,” said Dr. Gerhard. “Rest for two weeks, and you should be good to go. You can protect the cast with the waterproof boot cover. I’m giving you a walking boot for when you’re well enough to walk. But don’t overdo it.”
“Two weeks?” Her eyes widened. “I have a lot to do.”
“You need to rest.” I squeezed her shoulder. “Everything else can wait. I’ll help you.”
I drove Eva to my place instead of her apartment.
“Harry will worry more if he sees you like this. Stay with me, and I’ll pick him up to see you later.
” I glanced at my watch, which showed five in the morning.
“For now, just call him and ease his worries. Emilio, Camila, and Milo are waiting for the good news too.”
“Okay, but I need a shower first.” She shivered. “I need to wash the nasty energy off me. I want to be relaxed when I talk to them.”
Nodding, I gestured to her cast. “You’ll need my help in the shower.”
I covered her cast with the waterproof boot and helped situate her on the bench in the spacious shower.
Helping Eva shower brought on a different intimacy between us.
I discovered more about her body with gentle caresses, and she explored mine with astonishing patience.
After showering and putting on comfy pajamas, I carried her to bed.
“I could get used to this treatment.” She looked up at me, patting my chest.
“I can make it happen every day for you.” I moved the crutch from the nightstand to lean against the wall. “Just let me know when you need to use the restroom.”
She laughed. “I’m not that incompetent.”
“I don’t want you tripping or falling. Use my phone to call your grandfather. I’ll get you a new phone tomorrow.”
I turned to leave, giving her privacy, but she grabbed my hand. “Stay.”
I slid into bed beside her while she talked to her grandfather. Our hands remained interlaced during their conversation.
“I’m fine. Just extremely tired. Go to sleep. You’ve had a long day, Grandpa.” Her eyes gleamed with tears as she tried her best to downplay the horrendous experience.
Harry knew more than Eva understood. But like me, he wanted to protect her as much as possible. So he agreed to everything she asked of him and didn’t press on topics she dismissed.
She smiled into the phone when she offered the same information to Milo, Camila, and Emilio.
Then she clicked off, snuggled into me, and closed her eyes.
I reveled in the warmth of her body against mine and the gentle ebb and flow of her breathing.
She was alive and home with me, and I was grateful for her.
Eva had given me a snapshot of what happened to her.
Right now, she appeared resilient, part of which was because of the adrenaline rush.
But I knew fear could linger like a ghost, whispering awful things to her when she least expected it.
Not only that, but the situation also forced her to face her monster.
I hated knowing she was forced to pack organs.
I caressed her hand with my thumb, wanting to erase all her pain and terror. Though what happened to Eva wasn’t my fault, I still blamed myself. Hawthorne was targeting me. He sent Tony Hesselberg to do his bidding. I knew he’d return for Eva.
I’d be ready for the fucker when he returned for her.
Eva had ruined his business, which would get back to Hawthorne.
Where was Hawthorne hiding? What was his agenda?
Something about this ordeal felt bigger to me, and Tony was just one small piece of the puzzle.
This was something I needed to discuss with the boys soon.
I gathered her into my arms and held her tightly.
My body relaxed, knowing she was safe in my arms. We stayed like this for a long moment, listening to each other’s heartbeat.
Silence stirred in the house, comforting us.
I thought back to the path I’d taken to arrive at this moment where I held the most important person to me.
As long as I had Eva, I’d endure all the suffering again.
I kissed the top of her head, and her body trembled.
I glanced down at her. “Are you okay?”
She looked up with teary eyes. “You lived in hell for so long.” She placed a hand over my chest, rubbing gently. “People are so evil.” She turned toward my chest, dropping delicate kisses that soothed me more than she’d know. “I’ll protect you from now on.”
A chuckle rose in my throat, but I appreciated her intention. “Thank you.”
“I mean it. Whenever you feel the nightmares returning, let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to obliterate them for you.”
A smirk crept onto my lips. “Anything?”
She met my gaze and saw the sexual innuendo. “That depends on the nightmare.” Her eyes warmed as she kissed my jaw. “No more pain. No more suffering.”
“We’ll protect each other.” I smiled, remembering her thanking MacGyver for teaching her how to unlock a door and create explosions. My woman was smart and brave.
She glanced up at me. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
“You’re welcome.” I brushed a knuckle along her cheek. “I’d turn the world upside down for the woman I love.”
Her love was etched into my soul like a heavenly tattoo that healed me from within.
She froze and sat up, staring at me with emotions filling her eyes. “You love me?”
“Who wouldn’t?” I touched her chin. “It was love at first sight for me. You knocked the breath out of me on that day at the shop.”
Tears slid down her face. “I love you too,” she choked, throwing her arms around me. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was scared.”
“Scared of what?” I ran my hand up and down her back.
“Rejection.” She sniffled. “That you wouldn’t love me back.”
I pulled back, grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand, and dabbed her eyes.
“I felt the same way, wondering when the right time was to tell you. But when you were kidnapped, I regretted not telling you. Life is unpredictable, and I should know that by now. Loving you has transformed me, Eva.” My chest tightened from the flood of emotions. “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” She placed a hand on my chest. “You once said that your tattoos are reminders of how dark the world is.” She lifted my shirt, revealing the artwork on my abdomen.
“There’s wisdom, discernment, acceptance, and survival embedded here.
Etched in ink are precious things money can never buy.
” Her eyes gleamed with honesty. “And I love the darkness in you. The pain shines right through you, showing me how spectacular you are.” More tears slid down her face, gleaming like streams of diamonds.
“Your darkness saved me. It became my map.”
Warmth bloomed all over my body as though it heard her powerful words and shifted itself to take them all in.
“Your secrets are buried under art and ink. You hide them well, but I see them.” She traced my tattoos with her fingers and triggered a healing process, rejuvenating me.
Feeling revived, I grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers. “You’re the medicine I didn’t know I needed.”
She smiled. “Like the oxygen plants need to survive?”
“Exactly. We’ll go on a date to the Food and Craft Loft restaurant again when you’re healed.”
“I almost forgot!” Something flashed in her eyes. “Can you please pick up two ceramic bowls from there? I painted one for you and one for me.”
“Okay.” I kissed her. “So, tell me, how did you escape the maze?”