Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
It took a couple of weeks, but finally Eva was standing in a prison waiting room with Jake, waiting to be taken back to the visiting area. Ian Black had arranged everything like Jake said he would.
He’d been waiting for them when they arrived earlier. He was a tall man, handsome, and he exuded danger. Not in a way that made her want to run, but she had the distinct impression he was a man people shouldn’t cross.
He’d clasped her hand in greeting. “Thank you for helping us, Miss Gray. You got the ball rolling. Without you, we might not have him.”
She’d swallowed as he let her go. “I wish I’d killed him when I shot him, but this will have to do.”
Ian grinned. “Understood.” Then he’d looked at Jake. “Don’t fuck this up, Ryan. You lose this lady, there’ll be a lot of guys willing to take your place.”
Jake took her hand. “Not happening, Black.”
Ian had laughed. They’d spoken a few more minutes and then he’d disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
Not really, but she felt like he should’ve.
Now, they waited—and Eva’s stomach roiled. Why had she wanted to do this?
She chewed a fingernail until Jake squeezed her hand. “Hey.”
She looked at him. Smiled, though it was forced. “Yeah?”
“You don’t have to go through with this.”
“I want to. I need to.”
“Then that’s what we’re doing. I’ll be there with you. And the guards will be monitoring the visit.”
“Everyone would be happier if I didn’t.”
There’d been some concern about witness tampering or intimidation on Brandon’s part, but she’d assured Ian that nothing Brandon could say would stop her from testifying in court if it came down to it.
“They would, but I don’t care about them. I care about you. There’s not a court-ordered no contact order between you, so you can visit him.”
“Then I want to.”
A few minutes later, a guard came for them.
They were shown to a room with booths that had glass windows and phones.
Brandon Cox sat on one side of the glass, wearing orange and looking annoyed.
She didn’t see any evidence of where she’d shot him.
If he was wearing a bandage, it was under the jumpsuit.
When he spotted her and Jake, his brow squeezed in a hard line. Anger boiled in that expression. Confusion, too.
Too fucking bad.
Eva sat down and picked up the phone. Brandon picked up his. Jake stood behind her. She could feel his presence as a wall of support and safety.
“What the fuck is this, Eva? Why are you here and why are you with Harley?”
Eva took a deep breath. Glared through the glass. “Actually, my name is Evelyn.”
“And I care why?”
“Evelyn Collier.” Her stomach twisted. “Heather Collier’s little sister.”
His teeth ground together as if were trying to control his temper. “The baby sister. All this time you were under my roof. Lying to me.”
“Yeah, I was. Trying to figure out how to make you pay for murdering my sister.”
He leaned back, phone still to his ear, but now he was acting like nothing of consequence was going on here. “Nah, that was some crazy motorist picked her up and did her in.”
Eva’s belly twisted tighter. “No, it was you. You know it. I know it. The Brothers of Sin know it. How many of them are going to keep lying for you, Brandon? Some will, but they won’t all do it.
They have families, lives, and nobody wants to deal with your sorry sick ass anymore.
You’re done. Fucked. You aren’t getting out of here.
Heather won’t ever walk free again, but neither will you. ”
“I might not get out of here anytime soon, but I will get out. And I ain’t gotta be outside to be in touch. Just so you know.”
She squeezed the phone in her fingers. “Not worried about you, little man. Not at all. You aren’t coming for me. You’re gonna have your hands full with other problems. They’re turning on you, Brandon. Without the Brothers, you’re nothing.”
“You listen here, bit—”
She put the phone down and stood. Brandon stared at her in disbelief, then surged to his feet and slapped the glass, roaring obscenities.
Two officers were on him in moments, tugging him away from the window as she turned her back and faced Jake.
He took her hand and they walked out of the jail together.
“You okay?” he asked when they were on the sidewalk. She stopped. He turned to face her.
Something inside her struggled to break free. A giant bubble of emotion that rose to the surface. She thought she would cry or laugh or scream—but the bubble left her body and floated away until she felt lighter and freer than she had in years.
She put a hand to her chest. Held it there to feel the steady beat of her heart. Yes, it was quick, but she’d just faced her sister’s killer. It would go back to normal soon.
“I feel as if I’ve let go of a huge weight that was keeping me anchored to one place. One time in my life. I finally feel like I can move forward, Jake. And that’s scary, but it’s also amazing.”
His smile was tender. “I know the feeling. It’s how I felt when I joined the military and realized life was so much more than I’d ever thought possible. Welcome to your future, Evelyn Collier.”
She took his hand and put his arm around her, stepping into his body until they were touching from breast to hip. “Do you think you might join me for some of it? I know it’s too soon to talk about a future or anything, but maybe we could see how things go for a while?”
He wrapped his other arm around her. Gazed down at her with amber eyes she would never tire of seeing. “I think I’d like to join you for as much of it as you’ll let me. Whether you’re Evelyn or Eva, I’m yours.”
She pulled in a breath, let it out in a laugh. Hugged him hard. “I’m sure this is the wrong place and wrong time, but I think I love you, Jake Ryan. So think hard about what you mean when you say you’re mine.”
He laughed too. “I already did.” He dipped his head to hers, kissed her until she was breathless. “I think I love you, too. Want to go to my place over in Maryland and explore these feelings together?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”