Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Kenny
J ack looked better rested than he had when we’d seen him a few days ago, but Evie looked far worse for wear.
All thoughts of Liz, our mind-blowing kiss, the feel of her under my hands, and everything I wanted with her, plus the healthy number of “how on earth can this work between us?” questions rolling around my brain got shoved into a corner while I focused on the here and now.
“Walk us through what happened, if you don’t mind. I know you’ve already spoken with Chief Whitaker, but it’ll help us do whatever we can to make sure you’re safe if you can catch us up from your perspective.” I hated to make her talk about anything she didn’t want to, but they’d asked us to come, even after reporting the incident to the police.
Jack sat on the couch one cushion away. He gave her space, but was close enough to support her when she needed. Again, I wondered at their dynamic. Clearly not a boyfriend or even someone interested in her, or I’d suspect he’d be hovering closer by.
I sat in a super comfy yet stylish chair perpendicular to Evie, and Liz stood somewhere over my shoulder.
“I got a call two nights ago that was just heavy breathing,” Evie said, eyes downcast. “I didn’t say anything because it just felt like a prank or… I don’t know.” She shook her head, seemingly frustrated with herself. “Then I started getting texts from a bunch of anonymous numbers saying how I’m a cheater and other lovely things.”
Her hands shook as she pushed a blond lock behind her ear.
“And this morning?” Liz prompted gently.
She swallowed and finally looked up, eyes meeting Liz’s. “This morning, I picked up a call and it was him.” She repeated the explicit and threatening message from her fiancé, the words disgustingly cruel, graphic, and concerning.
“We notified the LAPD, as well. He doesn’t appear to know where she is but found out her new number somehow.” Jack scowled, anger pulsing off of him.
“Cookie and Beast are running through all of her accounts now to shore things up and we’re told your assistant is obtaining another phone for her?” I said, trying to keep things moving toward the positive.
Jack nodded. Evie sighed and slumped back with her hands braced on her belly.
Liz moved around the couch and crouched next to her, one hand on the armrest of the couch. “We’re going to make it so he has no way to find you. For now, lie low, rest, and don’t let this steal your confidence in the plan.”
Evie’s lips pressed together and trembled, and then she threw herself at Liz. She hugged her tight enough Liz didn’t fall backwards until Evie released her suddenly.
“Thank you. I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m a wreck.” Evie swiped under her eyes.
“You’re not a wreck. This is incredibly stressful, and you shouldn’t have to deal with it at all. We’re doing everything we can.” My gaze shifted to Jack’s, and he clearly read between the lines. Based on the tension in his shoulders and neck, he felt the same as I did.
Evie said thank you a few more times and Liz stood when she did. “Let’s see if the housekeeper has something for breakfast lined up,” Liz suggested, gently setting a hand on Evie’s back to guide her toward the kitchen.
I watched them go, appreciating how gentle Liz could be. She seemed like she’d be cold, even with clients, but she’d been nothing but warm and thoughtful and ready to help. She’d be great at this kind of work if she ever wanted to do more of it.
“You two involved romantically?”
Part of me hated to ask it, but we needed to know. Romantic dynamics wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, but if this was someone who was eventually going to step out in public with a man more famous than most people on the planet, we needed to know that, too.
Jack stiffened. “Just because she’s a beautiful woman staying with me doesn’t mean we’re dating.” He swore, clearly tired of being asked.
I held up my hands. “I’m sorry, man. I just need to know what we’re dealing with in terms of going forward. If she’s about to go out to the movies with you or something and get caught by paparazzi, it’s good to have that on the radar.”
Jack scrubbed a hand down his face. “No. She worked for me, and we became friendly enough. My house manager started noticing bruises and she tried to ask her about it, but Evie never said anything. I acted like an ass and sort of… held up my hands like it wasn’t my problem and if she wasn’t going to say anything, then that was it. Then she came to the house last week and I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t seeing it, so I sat her down. She let me help her, and here we are.”
He huffed and gritted his teeth, his jaw flexing in a way that probably made women the world over swoon if it’d been caught on camera. “What’s the point of being filthy rich if I can’t help someone who actually needs it?”
The tone said he was actually asking me and I sensed this went deep for him.
“You’re helping. You’ve got security in LA, you’ve talked to law enforcement, and you’ve got us here. Between all of us, we’ll figure out the best way to keep her safe until this baby arrives and we’ll get her set up with a new life when the time comes.”
Jack nodded, face still hard.
“Evie’s eating some breakfast. I think it’s time we get back to the office,” Liz said, pausing a few feet from us.
“We’ll circle back this afternoon with an update. You call us if anything else comes up, but expect to see us on and off, too.”
The local PD would up their periodic patrols in the neighborhood even though we had no concerns this sack of excrement knew anything about this location. Jack hadn’t ever stayed at this house, and though he’d visited Silverton a few times, he’d visited quite a few other small mountain towns here and, largely, hadn’t stayed long enough to make it somewhere even a particularly intelligent person might look.
We said goodbye and found our way to the car, both settling in with minds full of thoughts. Cookie and Beast would be on top of any trails they could find to help out, and I’d work on some contingency plans for local action if we needed them.
“I hate this,” Liz said, her voice low.
“Me, too.” I didn’t know whether she meant the whole situation and the idea that a man would hurt a woman like this jerk had Evie, or the way he was harassing her, but I got it. It was different than what she did, and it all felt a little futile when Evie was technically safe, but still running scared from someone so cruel and determined to harm her, even at a distance.
We drove the ten minutes to work, compiling a list quickly. I’d run back to the house to check on Kit in a few hours, but for now?—
“What the hell?”
A group of people in winter coats stood at the base of the stairs leading to Saint Security chatting with Bruce, Adam, and a thunderous-looking Stone, oddly enough.
But weirder, the group was familiar, and only because I’d just seen most of them in Vegas last weekend.
It wasn’t just a random group of tourists, no.
It was my family.
My pulse jumped, body instantly on guard. They’d never been to Utah, never visited me or made so much as a text in my direction, and now they were here?
“There he is, our family’s favorite soldier,” my mom said, beaming at me like she really was glad to see me.
My dad and brother both made silly “heyyy!” sounds, my brother slapping my back as I approached.
“Hi,” I said, the confusion and skepticism clear in my tone.
“Oh, don’t pretend you’re shocked to see us! You invited us to come visit anytime!” My mom pulled me into a hug as though we did such things regularly.
My gaze found Bruce’s, then Adam’s, then Stone’s. Each man had a different degree of concern on his face, and I instantly felt at ease.
They weren’t falling for this either.
Also, did I invite them here? If I did, I’d mind-wiped it from all memory.
“I—okay. I mean, are you guys planning to ski?” Didn’t seem likely since skiing was definitely a rich man’s sport in the US, but maybe they were in a different place financially than they always had been. They’d been at the casino when I first saw them, after all, and that wasn’t a cheap place to stay.
“Nah. Just came to see you and maybe get you to show us your favorite dinner spot. We’re only in town a few days,” my brother said, pasting on a charming smile that raised the hair on the back of my neck.
It wasn’t particularly nefarious, but he didn’t smile at me. Was this all some weird show for Bruce and the guys? For Liz, who stood with a glare I imagined she’d given more than one international bad guy she’d encountered over the years.
Maybe this was some kind of olive branch? Maybe they wanted to reestablish connection. I didn’t know if I wanted that, but they were here, so what else could I do?