Chapter Five
Evelina Bianchi
I knew as soon as we settled into the second safe house that there was something important I needed to do. Something that couldn’t wait any longer.
I spent the first three hours watching Zeke’s movements, holding the same silence that I had for the past five days. I watched as he got up every half hour and checked all the windows and doors of the small apartment. Every hour, he would go outside and assess the surroundings of the building, holding a pack of cigarettes in his hand as he left.
He never came back smelling like the cigarettes, though.
Nothing had changed between us—not really. I wanted to be angry with him for leaving suddenly, though he had never insinuated we were more than a one-night stand.
But the night we had shared felt different.
I had been so consumed by the throws of lust and passion that I hadn’t bothered to look at the situation logically. And Zeke? He had no idea that he had left me with a pregnancy.
I didn’t doubt that leaving women like that was common for him, and those antics—the lack of responsibility or awareness of possible consequences—drove my decision.
I would not tell him about Beatrice.
But I still had to make sure she was okay.
A few minutes before Zeke planned to go out to check the perimeter, I moved toward the small kitchen beside the front door. I opened the fridge and the cupboards, finding them nearly empty. I grabbed a can of peaches and a fork, waiting for the telltale sign of his approach.
And when he finally did come, I moved.
I slammed my body into his chest, reaching for him as if to correct my balance. My fingers slipped into his pocket, and I intentionally dropped the peaches as I slid the phone free and tucked it into my own back pocket swiftly.
His expression showed no sign of noticing as he placed a hand at my waist, holding my wrist as if to keep me upright with his grip.
“Jesus, I’m so sorry,” I told him, mumbling something else about being clumsy before grabbing the can of peaches from the floor—unopened, thank God —and rushing off into the back bedroom.
I didn’t allow him even a moment to reply, and as I pressed my ear to the door, I finally heard the distinct sound of him leaving the apartment. I peeked outside, glancing around to be sure, before I dialed the number I knew by heart.
It rang a handful of times before a familiar voice answered. “Hello?”
“Maggie,” I said with a deep exhale. “It’s me.”
She gasped. “Jesus, Evelina. Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for weeks. I thought you either died or fled the country, my God. What the hell? Are you okay?”
“I don’t have long, and I have a lot I need to tell you. How is she?”
“Beatrice is doing great. She laughs and coos constantly. Evelina, where are you?”
The sound of general frustration in her tone sent my heart racing. I couldn’t blame her. I hadn’t sent her any financial support or help, and I had all but disappeared off the face of the earth. I wondered what she thought about all of it.
“You didn’t call the police, did you?”
“I know your situation, Babe.”
I exhaled a long breath. She knew all about my father and his… occupation, and I had never felt so grateful to have told her the truth of it all. I didn’t doubt they would have come and taken my daughter if Maggie had called them.
“Good,” I said through an exhale. “Listen, Maggie. I’m in a bad situation. I need time to sort through it.”
I went on to tell her everything about my father and the human trafficking debacle. I told her about the women I had met there and the ones who had never returned. I didn’t mean to give her all the details, but they slipped out before I could stop them. I did not have anyone to confide in about the situation. I had Zeke, but he seemed more interested in keeping a distance than listening to what had happened.
But it lingered.
Their faces and everything I had seen in that place settled deep inside of me, and letting it out felt like a welcomed reprieve.
Maggie’s comforting presence on the other end of the line was all that held me together. She had always been that way. She had spotted my artwork before I dreamed of selling it or making a name for myself, and she had insisted on representing me as a talent specialist even before I believed in myself.
From there, she had become the best friend I could have ever asked for.
“Oh my God, Eve,” she whispered in disbelief. “I—I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“I just need you to keep Beatrice until I can get somewhere safe and away from this man who is hunting me. Is she safe there?”
The long pause had my spine straightening. “She is.”
But she didn’t sound confident.
“Maggie…”
“It’s probably unrelated,” she started. “But three days ago, I noticed that Beatrice and I were being followed. My boyfriend was paranoid because of the baby and my pregnancy, and he called the police before anything happened. They showed up and couldn’t find the guy.”
“Do you really think it was just a one-time thing?”
“I want to think that,” she replied.
“Are the police monitoring the area?”
“They have too much other stuff to worry about. The file is open, but they can’t spare a cruiser to sit in front of the house when we were followed in a different location altogether. They didn’t have reason to think it was more than an isolated incident.”
“I never told anyone about you or Beatrice. It’s unlikely that they would know about you since my own father didn’t, but you need to be careful.”
The silence that drew on between us made me nervous. I knew there was more that she wanted to say. I hated to ask her to keep Beatrice longer, especially when I was meant to have her out of their home by now. I knew she was ready to have her home back.
“Evelina, I’m almost nine months pregnant. I want to help you. You’re my best friend, and you made my career with your artwork. I’m honored to be able to keep Beatrice for you, and she’s such a joy to be around. But… honey, I’m just worried that this danger is further reaching than you think.”
“I am, too,” I admitted with a long sigh.
“And you know I can’t keep her once I give birth. I really do want to, but we have a studio apartment, and we can’t have more than one baby here.”
I was asking her to do so much for me. Would I have made these same sacrifices for anyone in my life? I wasn’t sure. “You’ve kept her longer than I should have ever asked of you. I’m not asking you to keep her once you give birth. I’m going to figure this out. I swear, I will. I just need you to know that I’m trying to get out of this right now, and I’m going to come for her soon.”
“I know you will, Evelina.”
Maggie knew how I felt about being separated from Beatrice. It had been the most difficult decision of my life, and as my best friend, she had been there and done whatever was necessary to make it a little easier.
I would never forget that kindness.
I realized quickly how little time I had left until Zeke returned and stood. “I’ve got to go, Maggie. I’ll figure this out as fast as I can. I’ll be in touch whenever possible, but don’t call this number back. You won’t reach me here.”
“Be safe, Evelina. I’ll make sure Beatrice gets extra hugs and kisses from her mama.”
“Tell her I love her more than anything.”
At the same time as I ended the call, Zeke came inside. I made quick work of deleting the call history before hiding the phone behind my back as I left the bedroom and made my way back into the living area. I walked by the chair where he had been sitting before and dropped the phone into it before facing him in the kitchen.
“We’re clear,” he said as he adjusted a motion-censored alert system to face the door.
“Are you against answering all of my questions?” I asked.
That captured his attention.
I decided that was enough attention to call for pushing my first question. “Why did you buy all of my paintings on the night we met?”
His eyes flashed, but he shook his head. “Not that one.”
“Are you keeping secrets from me for a reason or just to make yourself feel superior?”
“I always have a reason for what I say and do, Evelina.”
“Then what was your reason for having sex with me and leaving?”
“Am I not allowed to sleep with a beautiful woman because I’m attracted to her?” he asked. “Do I have to have a reason beyond general attraction?”
Maybe it was my intuition failing me, but I did think there was another reason. His refusal to answer so many of my questions was enough to tell me that there were things he didn’t want me to know.
“Okay, fine. So why are you keeping so many secrets from me? Why won’t you answer any of my questions?”
“Why are you so interested in asking them when you plan to leave the moment you are cleared to do so?”
I considered the question, staring at the counter between our bodies. I told myself it was important to know more about Beatrice’s father. Genetics meant so much, and she shared so many of his features. His bright eyes. The dark, Middle Eastern hue of his skin. The dark hair. She was unmistakably his clone, so what if she inherited more from him than the physical?
Who was I kidding?
I wanted to understand him. I had been curious to know more about him from the moment we had met, and though we would never be anything more, I still wanted to understand him and his complexities.
“You’re interesting,” I admitted. “You kill people for a living, but you seem to be afraid of being a true monster. You didn’t kill the man who was following us until you were sure he was a threat. You have morals, and it’s not something I’d expect from someone in your occupation. Hell, my father doesn’t have any. And if we’re going to be together until this is sorted out, I want to know who I’m living with.”
He leaned his elbows on the counter as he narrowed his eyes and sucked his lip ring into his mouth in contemplation. “I’m not a good guy, and that’s all you need to know. I do what I’m hired to do, and right now, that’s protecting you.”
“Okay,” I replied. I glanced around as I thought about the conversation I had with Maggie moments ago.
I knew nothing about him, and he clearly didn’t plan on divulging anything further.
Being around him dragged up too many thoughts from a time in my life when I finally allowed myself to do something reckless and free. I couldn’t reminisce on it without wanting to experience those emotions and feelings again.
Most importantly, I needed to get Beatrice, and I couldn’t do that with Zeke here.
“Good,” he said. “Now that we have that settled, we—”
“I want someone else to take your job.”
His mouth slammed shut. “What the fuck do you mean?”
“I. Want. Someone. Else—”
“Evelina,” he scolded, his lips pulled into a tight line.
“I said what I said. I either want to be released or protected by someone else until this all passes.”
“There is nobody else.”
I shrugged. “Then I’m going to leave.”
“Nobody else is even half as good at their job as I am. You won’t be safer with anyone else. Not a single other person would deal with your bullshit and still keep you out of danger.”
“ My bullshit?” I countered. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“The hot and cold. You’re content to sit in my presence, and then you want to pick a fight. You’re pissed that a one-night stand didn’t become anything more, and then you seem like you accept it. Then you ask for someone else five fucking minutes later. I am the best at my job, and I am sought after by everyone in the industry. You’re stuck with me until Giovanni Rissi tells me otherwise.”
I crossed my arms and turned my back on him, practically stomping away as my anger fueled my words. “I doubt you’re half as good as you think you are.”
As I closed myself in my room, considering any other ways to get my daughter back, his words followed me. His voice was set in frustration and almost a threat.
“I hope you never have to see how good I am at my job.”