Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Her eyes hardened, turning icy blue. Her jaw tightened. He could see her fighting with herself, but what she hadn’t realized was that she’d already lost.
He wasn’t letting her stay.
“I’ll say when it’s over, thank you,” she snapped. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. You know nothing of what I’ve been through, or what I’m willing to go through to win this battle. Nothing.”
The last word was hard and bitter. He understood being driven by ghosts, but he also knew that you never outran them. He’d been trying for the last seven years. He was proud of who he’d become. But he wasn’t proud of who he’d been.
“Brandon’s ready to walk in here and force you to your knees, Eva. He’s tired of you holding out on him. What are you gonna do then?”
Fear blossomed in her eyes. But then her jaw tightened and anger replaced the fear. “I guess I’ll have to shoot him after all.”
“There’s a better way. We get the fuck out of here and you testify about what you heard. And anything else you know about the Brothers and their operations. BDI will follow the trail and get the evidence to back you up.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” Because BDI would also be working with HOT. Not that he could tell her that. But what BDI couldn’t find, HOT could. They had the kind of access few organizations could boast. Hell, the president’s son-in-law was HOT. Shit got done when HOT got involved.
Her eyes flashed. “Where were you when Heather was killed? Did you see him hit her? Threaten her?”
His gut was a knot of anger and guilt. But he wouldn’t lie. “Yeah, I saw him slap her around sometimes. I’m not proud of that, but I was eighteen and that’s how it worked in the Brothers. Old ladies knew their place—and when they got out of line, they got knocked back into it.”
A lone tear slid down her cheek and his heart twisted in sympathy. “That’s fucking disgusting.”
“It is. But I’m sure you’ve seen your share since you’ve been here.”
“A little.”
“I was in jail when your sister disappeared. Breaking and entering. Theft should have been on there too, but my attorney got that one thrown out. And then I met Judge Mason and everything changed.” He sucked in a breath.
“He saw something in me, I guess. Saved my life. I couldn’t save your sister—but I’m damn sure gonna save you. ”
She sniffed and crossed her arms. “So what’s the deal?
You just think we’re gonna stroll out of here or what?
You know that won’t happen. You know the Brothers won’t let us go.
You just came back. They might have welcomed you with open arms, but they won’t let you leave without someone shadowing your every move.
Brandon may play nice with you, but he doesn’t trust you, I promise you that. ”
“I know he doesn’t. When we break out of here, it’s for real. No strolling, no joyriding. We’re going through the fence, and we’re going tonight.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re crazy! Even if I agreed, how do you expect us to get away with it? There’s nothing but woods out there for miles.” She shook her head. “I won’t leave my machines and my portfolio behind.”
“Are they worth your life?”
She swallowed. “No, of course not. All I’m saying is I don’t think this is the way.”
“You got a better plan?” She didn’t answer, and he nodded. “Then we go tonight, and you can leave the machines. They’re replaceable.”
“I’m not ready.”
“Judge Mason is hanging on by a thread. If he dies, the FBI is storming this place. And when they do, Brandon’s gonna know someone betrayed him. Who do you think he’s going to blame?”
Her lip quivered. “You’re the new guy. You tell me.”
He snorted. “Nice try, Eva, but it’s gonna be you. I’m not the one who was here when they were still making plans. They’ll question him, but without real evidence to go on, they’ll have to let him go. And when they do, he’s going to be tying up the loose ends. You feeling me?”
“Yes.” The word was clipped, but she got the point.
“Good. Now you planning to do anything about this tattoo or what? If I walk out of here with no work done for the third time, Brandon’s gonna start asking questions.”
She rose and went over to get her drawing, thrusting it at him. “This is what I planned.”
She’d completely redrawn the Brothers of Sin. He’d told her no skulls, but of course she hadn’t listened. The skull fit the logo and would help cover the worst of the old lines on the tattoo.
“Fine. But only if you add a rose.”
She blinked. “What for?”
“For you.”
She shook her head. It wasn’t a shake of denial so much as a gesture of disbelief. “You’re crazy.”
“Sometimes. But if I’ve gotta wear this tattoo that reminds me of when I was a fucking piece of shit, I want some of you in it.” He looked pointedly at the roses on her sleeves. Clearly, she liked roses.
She reached for her pen and set the page on her drafting table. Her fingers trembled as she hovered over the drawing—and then she touched the pen to paper, and all traces of her agitation seemed to disappear.
“I won’t put a lot of ink on you if you don’t want it, but we can start with a rose if you prefer.”
“Yeah, I prefer.”
“Okay.”
After a few moments he said, “I’d have never thought you’d end up as a tattoo artist. Not at all the vibe you gave in high school.”
She shook her head. “No, I wanted to be an interior designer. But that was before Heather died.”
He couldn’t help but be astonished over her transformation from the shy girl in high school to a sexy, tattooed ballbuster.
This woman didn’t take shit from anyone.
He kept looking at her, searching for traces of Evelyn.
Eva had erased everything she could of her former self.
All she had left was the bone structure.
“You did all of this to get close to the Brothers. You changed everything about yourself, and you covered your body in ink.”
She shrugged. “You do what you have to in war, right?”
He felt the truth of that comment all the way to his bones. “Yeah, you do.”
She held up the paper. “How’s this?”
His gaze slipped over it, but what really drew him was her.
Her blue eyes, the brown hair with golden tips, and the dark lipstick and eyeliner.
Her jaw was angular and slightly prominent, but it didn’t detract from her beauty.
She looked cool and determined, and his admiration at all she’d accomplished notched up.
“Beautiful,” he said. But he wasn’t talking about the tattoo.