CHAPTER 49
Ada
T hey don't have the same vantage point that I do.
They don't see what I see. Somewhere in this unhinged maniac’s rambling, I see her.
She's come for us . I don't know how, but I knew she would.
Eve is here, and she's not here to play.
She pokes her head out of one of the upstairs rooms until she gets my attention.
Once she has it, she uses four fingers in a walking motion across the air in front of her and then drops low quickly.
She nods her head, asking me to understand the signal.
I don't want to give anything away, so I wink, and she's gone in an instant.
I don't know how she got up there without being seen, but she did, and I am so thankful for that.
I hope she called the police and they're on their way.
Damn it. I have her phone and there's no landline here so unless she knew they were here before she got here, the police aren't coming.
Sometime after I first see Eve, the lights go out all over the house.
It's so dark in here. Even the streetlamp outside is off.
I know it was on when we got here because it backlit Cotton and Cal when they pulled up.
It threw their handsome faces into darkness, and I couldn't read Cal the way I normally can.
"What the fuck was that?" The psycho dad from hell yells as he turns circles around the room with his gun outstretched.
"It's him. He's here." The guy holding the gun on me says in a hushed, shaky voice. He's literally trembling. I can feel him shaking.
"It can't be. There's no way. We checked.
My guy had eyes on him in Colorado two hours ago.
There's no way it's him." The unbalanced dad sounds scared and unsure.
He's still turning circles, trying to see a threat that isn't visible to him yet.
These men are petrified of Eli. I have got to find out what that man did to warrant this stark fear.
Over the speakers, I hear the melodic voice of our savior.
"Looking for me, daddy? I know you prefer Master, but can I just say fuck a bunch of that shit.
" Man, I love this chick. The deadbeat dad seems to soften a little.
He's still cautious, but he's no longer spinning maniacal circles in pursuit of the boogey Eli.
"You're here. How long you been listenin' in? Did you catch the part where I shot the boyfriend?"
He's looking all around....waiting but, she doesn't respond, so he goes on. "He has to go, Slayer. No one touches what's mine."
"Still a dumb shit, I see." Eve taunts him again over the speakers.
There's no way to tell where the sound originates.
The entire house is equipped with surround sound and it's accessible from any room, plus the patio.
You can sit in an upstairs bedroom and listen to what's on the television downstairs in the living room.
I thought it was a little much, but I have never been so wrong in my life.
Master or whatever the hell his name is tenses at the dumb shit comment.
I suppose this is probably the first time Eve's had the opportunity to stand up to this asshole.
It probably wasn't easy to defy a grown man when she was a child.
Eve is no child now and she isn't scared of a damn thing anymore.
A loud noise comes from one of the rooms down the hall.
It's Eve. It sounds like she bumped into something or fell because we hear her say, "Ah, Shit.
" Like she was hurt, but this time, it doesn’t cascade across the room.
This time, it's clear where it came from.
Master smiles and turns his attention down the hall as he puts a finger to his lips.
He's looking at the man holding the gun on me, and he gestures to the men sitting at the table.
He's letting him know to keep them quiet.
He's letting them know that this guy is going to shoot me if they make a sound.
He walks down the long hall, keeping his footsteps light.
He has his head turned so that he can listen intently at each door he comes to.
It doesn't take long for him to be out of my sight because I'm still standing just outside of the foyer.
Two seconds after he disappears from view, something catches my eye.
Mulligan. Where has he been all this time?
They must have put him in the den when they left.
How did he get out? Eve. Eve let him out.
Why? Four fingers walking. Four legs. Dog legs.
My sign. Mulligan is my sign. I don't waste another moment second guessing myself.
Before the evil crony behind me can look up from the dog, I drop to the ground.
His grip isn't tight enough to hold me and I slide down with ease.
The moment that my head reaches waist high on the sidekick, I hear a whistling sound.
It's not a whistle like Cal does. It's like something fast. Something cutting through the air.
Then, I hear a smacking sound. Just one.
It sounds like when someone opens their mouth suddenly, and the saliva on their tongue separates from the roof of their mouth.
Come to find out, that's exactly what happened. I turn to look toward the smacking sound, and I see the evil assistant standing there with his mouth agape, jaw slack, and a small silver blade protruding from a gushing neck wound.
If I were a betting woman and I am, I would bet money that shiny little thing just severed his carotid artery. He's making choking noises as his body goes limp and he falls to the ground.
Eve walks out of the den looking like the damn Black Widow with longer legs and cooler weapons.
I've never experimented with a woman but if this chick wasn't my sister, I'd give it a go.
She looks around the room, taking in each of us.
First, me still crouched on the ground. Her look is pained, and I know she's thinking back on that night and feeling guilt even though she likely just saved my life.
Then, she looks to Cotton, who motions toward the hall with his head.
Then, to Adam. He closes his eyes with obvious relief at the sight of her.
Finally, she looks to Cal. He doesn't look good.
His skin has lost all color, and he doesn't appear to be conscious.
His entire body is sagging in his chair.
Eve's face morphs into unadulterated rage.
Her pupils are blown to the point that the beautiful green is absent and only an inky blackness remains.
She's transformed into something else entirely.
She seems to get taller and definitely becomes more menacing.
He should not have shot Cal. I don't know what will happen next, but I know she'll make him regret it.
She slowly turns her head to look down the hall toward the object of her fury.
Cotton stands from the table. He's the only one of the men who hasn't been shot. Adam hasn't lost as much blood as Cal, but there are thick streaks of his blood across the floor and a pool of it at his feet. He tries to stand too, but Cotton easily pushes him back down.
Cotton takes a step toward Eve, and she glares at him with murder in her eyes.
She shakes her head, letting him know that this is her fight.
Cotton hesitates. He's clearly conflicted about letting her do this alone.
Cotton is surprised by what happens next, but no one is more surprised than I am when my brother reaches up to grab Cotton's wrist and pulls him back down into the seat.
"She can do this." I hear him say quietly but firmly to his friend.
Without another word, Eve stalks from the room in search of her prey.