Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“What!” I scream at Rachel through the phone. She just told me she got the job in Seattle. She’s moving next week. “I can’t believe I’m going to be the only one left,” I groan. “My social life is over.”
“Says the one who’s currently in Vegas while I’m stuck at the hospital working my third consecutive fifteen-hour shift,” Rachel counters.
“You chose to be smart,” I remind her. “We can’t all be surgeons. But I’m happy for you. Sad for me, but happy for you.”
“Thank you,” she says. “So, how’s Vegas been? Seen Emmanuel?”
“I have, a little. But mostly I’ve just been hanging out with Charlotte.”
“I’m surprised he’s leaving you alone at all. The man is the definition of obsessed.”
“You have no idea.” I roll my eyes. I know Emmanuel comes off really strong, but I’ve kinda grown to love it.
I like the way he makes me feel like I’m the most important person in the room.
As if he’d do anything for me. Then again, he’s proven that he really would do anything for me. Over and over.
“Just don’t go running off and getting married without me,” Rachel says.
“I have no plans of getting married.” I laugh at her.
“Does Emmanuel know that?” Charlotte asks as she walks into the room with a cup of coffee in her hand
“Oh, I love you!” I moan as I pass her the phone and take the coffee.
“I know.” Charlotte smiles.
“Rach, tell her!” I call out.
“Tell me what?” Charlotte looks at the screen.
“I’m moving to Seattle,” Rachel says.
“What? When? Why? How?” Charlotte fires off question after question.
“I applied for that job there and I got it. I’m moving in a month,” Rachel explains.
“I’m so excited for you. Look at us all getting out of our little small town and moving to big cities. Who would have thought?” Charlotte squeals.
I raise a hand. “Ah, I still live in that small town.”
“About that.” Charlotte looks to me. “Rachel, help me out here,” she adds while eyeing the phone. “I have a proposition.”
“I don’t think I’m cut out for being a sister wife, babe.” I laugh.
“Not that kind of proposition.” She shakes her head. “I happen to know there is empty retail space in the mall downstairs. I want you to have it.”
I laugh harder. “Yeah, because my little burned-down boutique can afford a prime storefront in Vegas’s most popular casino.”
“It’s rent controlled. And it’s perfect for you. At least come and look at it. For me.” Charlotte gives me that pout of hers that always gets her what she wants.
“Fine, I’ll look. But I’m telling you I cannot afford it.”
“Yay! Keep an open mind, Evie. If Charlotte says you can afford it, then you can. She’s the most frugal of all of us,” Rachel chimes in.
“I’ll keep an open mind,” I agree before narrowing my eyes suspiciously. “Wait… Was this plan cooked up by Emmanuel?”
“No, it was actually Louie’s idea. And when he told me, I got so excited at the thought of you moving here.
He then went on to say it’s a done deal and that he’ll have the lease drawn up by the end of the day.
” Charlotte smiles dreamily. “He wants me to be happy, and having at least one of my best friends is what’s going to make me happy. ”
“Why would your husband be thinking about location spots for my shop?” I ask her.
“Because he has an empty store, and he doesn’t want an empty store.” Charlotte shrugs. “Just come and look at it.”
“Fine. But I need to shower first,” I say, sipping at the coffee.
“Deal, but let’s not make it a two-hour shower. Time’s a wasting, Evie.” Charlotte walks out of my room, taking my phone with her as she starts talking to Rachel about something else.
I follow her out. “Hey, you have your own phone. I need that one!”
“Why? Expecting a call?” Charlotte teases.
“No,” I lie. I have no doubt Emmanuel will call or message soon, and like the fool that I am, I’m waiting for him to do it.
I know! Yesterday I was ready to put distance between us, but he has a way of getting me to forget the outside world.
I get it. And honestly, if any of my friends were dating him, I’d be kidnapping them and running away with new identities.
But me? No, I’m the idiot who runs towards the dangerous man, despite knowing that it will likely be my undoing.
“Okay, not a call, but he did just message you. Damn, who would have known the man could be so sweet and cute.” Charlotte smirks.
“Give it to me.” I swipe for my phone, but she raises her hand.
“What’s it say?” Rachel asks.
“Mi alma…”
“Charlotte, I will find a way to drain that rooftop pool that you love so much. I don’t even care if I drown the city,” I say, threatening the one thing she loves most. Swimming.
“Pfft, you wouldn’t.” She squints her eyes at me.
“Maybe not, but I do happen to know one man insane enough to do it for me if I asked.” I shrug.
“You wouldn’t!” Charlotte gasps as she drops my phone back into my open palm.
“Sure I wouldn’t.” I laugh. We both know I would never do anything like that or ask someone else to. But the threat alone is enough for me to get my hands back on my phone.
“You play a dirty game, Evie,” Rachel says. “I gotta go. My break is over.”
“Bye, love you,” all three of us say in unison, and then the call cuts out.
I look to Charlotte. “I’m going to shower.”
“Tell Emmanuel I say hi,” she hums in her sweetest southern accent.
I don’t respond, but on my way to the bathroom, I do open his message.
E:
Mi alma, my bed is cold without you. I need you to come home.
Me:
Home would indicate we live together, E. We do not.
I set my phone down on the counter and turn on the shower. As I’m pulling my pajamas over my head, the phone vibrates across the marble.
E:
We do live together. You just haven’t accepted that fact yet. Doesn’t make it any less true, though.
Me:
You need serious mental health help.
E:
No, what I need is you.
Me:
I’m getting in the shower.
E:
I want to watch. Video call me.
Before I can respond, his face is flashing across the screen. I accept the call and place the phone back down on the counter, giving him a direct view of the ceiling.
“Evie, I want to see you,” Emmanuel says.
“I’m naked,” I tell him.
“That’s the point.”
“You’re not watching me shower, E. It’s weird. What did you get up to last night?” I ask as I step under the water.
“I went to see Jazzy. She asked about you.”
“Why would she do that?”
“She saw your name on my wrist. Asked if I was going to marry Evie. I told her I was.”
“You can’t tell her things like that. She’s a kid. You’re going to get her all excited for something that’s not even happening,” I chastise.
“It’s happening. How was your night?”
“Long,” I groan. I didn’t sleep. I haven’t slept since I got here. I’m starting to feel it too. “Charlotte wants to show me a retail space today, at the Royal mall.”
“Does she? That’s good. It’s a great spot,” E says.
“Mhm, I can’t afford a spot on the Strip. But I told her I’d look.”
“How much is the rent?”
“I have no idea,” I admit.
“Then you don’t know if you can afford it or not. Want me to talk to Louie? I can negotiate the rate for you,” Emmanuel offers.
“No,” I tell him. “Don’t do that. I’m not sure your negotiation tactics are suitable for my type of business.”
“My negotiation tactics have proven results. If you want the store, take it. Believe in yourself like I believe in you.” This man really does say the sweetest things.
“I will consider it.” Turning off the water, I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around my body. Then I pick up the phone, finally getting a glimpse of Emmanuel. He looks tired. “Did you sleep last night?” I ask him.
“No, I had some things pop up.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yes,” he says, but the tick of his jaw tells me everything is very much not okay. “I despise that towel. Lose it.”
I laugh. “You can’t hate a towel. I gotta go. Charlotte is waiting for me.” I cut the call to avoid the awkward goodbye.
I’m taking in everything that is the retail space Charlotte just unlocked for me. It’s perfect, like insanely so. But I’m trying not to get too excited. I can’t afford something like this. The place is already fitted out. I wouldn’t have to do much.
“I’m going to leave you to look a bit longer. I’m getting coffee. You want one?” Charlotte asks.
“Ah, yeah, thank you.” I spin around and try to take everything in.
There is another room off the back with a small kitchenette and then there’s a bathroom. Who would have thought these spaces had their own bathrooms?
This shop is insane. It’s huge, probably three times the size of my boutique. And there are four dressing rooms. Four. I had one. I know Emmanuel told me to believe in myself, but I feel nothing but doubt right now.
“Nice space.” A low whistle has me spinning around.
“Can I help you?” I ask as my eyes instinctively flick towards the exit.
“Actually, I’m here to help you,” the stranger says.
“How so?” The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Something is wrong, very wrong.
“Agent Shawn Jerrerys. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to meet you, Miss Carter.” The man extends a hand to me. I don’t take it.
“Why?” I fold my arms over my chest.
“Your boyfriend. I want you to look at these.” Agent Jerrerys holds up a folder and then walks over to the counter and opens it.
I don’t move. “You need to leave.”
“You need to look at what the man you’re fucking is capable of doing. You are in danger, Miss Carter. I can help you,” he says.
I laugh. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have no idea who you’re referring to.”
“Emmanuel Lopez, leader of the De La Sangre Cartel? Ring a bell.”
“No.” I shrug a single shoulder.
“You do know… the crimes he’s going down for, you’ll go down right alongside him for them. Are you prepared to spend the rest of your life behind bars for this man, Miss Carter?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Please get out of my store.” I aim a manicured finger behind the agent.
“Nice place. Tell me… how does someone like you afford a spot like this? From what I hear, your own store burned down just days ago,” he says. “Arson is what they’re calling it.”
“Is everything okay?” Charlotte walks in, two Starbucks cups in her hands.
“This man was just leaving,” I tell her.
“Mrs. Giuliani.” The agent nods at Charlotte as he swipes the folder back up and walks out of the store.
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” I tell Charlotte.
“Evie, what’s happening?”
I hug her. “That was a fed. He wanted me to talk about E,” I whisper into her ear. “Do me a favor? Ask Louie to text Emmanuel, tell him to meet me in room 666.”
“Um, okay,” she says.
I pull back to look her in the eye. “Go and find him, though. Don’t call or message him.”
“Okay.” She nods and we both walk out of the store. I leave Charlotte to lock up and head towards E’s suite.