Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Evelise
Standing in my salon, I spin around, taking in everything I’ve accomplished in the week since Lucian and the guys made my dreams come true.
I can’t believe I have contracts with designers to showcase their one-of-a-kind clothing.
I’ll also include a small section dedicated to bridesmaid dresses and wedding gowns.
A few renderings of my designs are on display on the wall as well.
Seamstresses are working hard so we can sell them in multiple quantities, sizes, and colors.
I’m still wrapping my head around this being my new life. Next week is Thanksgiving, and I’m excited because Lucian promised he would try to get my parents and Gigi back here so we can celebrate together. Ruby called the other day and said she could be coming home soon, too.
To keep Justin at bay, Lucian is having our engagement announcement spread across the state. I’m sure Justin has given up, though. What would be the point of his coming after me now? I’m with Lucian. I’m not about to marry anyone but him.
Just this morning, I found out I was pregnant after taking a test. I swore Lach to secrecy; I want to be the one who tells Lucian.
If I can keep the secret long enough, I might not tell him until my parents arrive, but that likely won’t go over very well either, so I’ve ordered a special gift to surprise him.
“Hey, Evie, that state police dude is back again.” Chump breaks me from my thoughts.
“Call Law,” Loco says to Rusty, who steps through the back door to make the call.
Loco moves to stand next to me from where he was helping me hang some patterns and materials for customers to preview my works-in-progress.
This visit is unexpected, and the fact that Chump didn’t stop him concerns me.
Looking through the shop window, I see Detective Grimsley walking to the front door. Something about his movements causes me to step back. Loco gets closer in front of me as if he feels something off, too. Grimsley enters the store, looking at Chump before focusing on me and Loco.
The hairs on the back of my neck rise, and I push Lucian’s icon on my phone, which Mal set up as a shortcut. I slip the device into my jacket pocket, which lies on the counter.
November finally decided to abandon the fall weather, and this morning was our first snowfall, so I have the thick black jacket with me. Slipping it on, I act as if we are getting ready to leave.
“We were just leaving, Detective Grimsley. How may we help you?”
“Oh, I thought you said you still have an hour of work,” Chump comments, revealing that to the detective. Loco just shakes his head in exasperation.
“I need you to come to the station for some further questioning about your attack.”
He glances at Chump before pulling a weird-looking gun from his pocket and shooting Loco.
Rusty comes running from the back, and he’s taken down, too, but Grimsley doesn’t shoot Chump; he hits him in the head with it.
Not once did Chump try to stop what was happening, which makes me wonder if he’s in on this or just wants me taken. He certainly doesn’t care for me.
When Grimsley points the weapon at me, I hold up my hands. It’s then that I realize it’s a tranquilizer gun and not a real one, but I don’t want anything to hurt my baby, so I comply.
“Detective, I’ll go with you. Just don’t hurt me,” I say loud enough for Lucian to hear.
“Let’s go. I don’t have time for this bullshit.” We step out onto the sidewalk, and there stands Justin. The detective says, “I told you to wait for me at the motel.”
“I don’t trust you. You could take her to him before me, and I need her still.”
“It’s too late for that. You know he said he wants her first. He has his revenge plan in mind. You can’t get what you want from her now; she’s engaged to Judge.”
“No.” Justin pulls a gun, and this time it’s a real one.
I cry out, attempting to pull away from the detective when I hear the explosion of the weapon.
Screaming, I begin to fall to the ground as the man drops back.
My other arm is then jerked, and I’m twisted around to look at Justin’s furious face.
“Don’t do this, Justin. Judge will kill you.” I use Lucian’s road name in the hope it intimidates him.
“Too late. When everything is said and done, you’ll marry me. I need your inheritance to get out of debt with the Albanians.”
“Nothing is going to save you. You shot a cop.” I wave my hand to the body of Grimsley, who’s dead on the ground, having been shot in the head. I had no clue Justin was this dangerous.
He yanks me toward him.
“Let’s go, Evelise. You had no idea what I was capable of, but now you do.” He drags me to his car. I fight him, and he punches me in the face so hard I see stars.
Judge
The phone rings in my ear. I promised Evie I would do this to help her feel better.
She’s been very emotional the last couple of days, and when she realized that Thanksgiving was only a week away, she cried.
It would be her first holiday without her family, and I know how important family is to her, so I’m going to do everything I can to make her feel better.
“What the fuck do you want?” Torch growls by way of greeting.
“Time to come home.”
“No.”
“Torch, bring her home now. Evie wants her home for the holiday, and it’s time.”
“Is the asshole captured?”
“Well, no.”
“Then no. I still think there’s something more going on here.”
“Why do you say that?” I’ve had the same feeling for weeks now. Justin should have given up, but he’s still going to the press, telling them that I kidnapped Evie. He also claims that Ruby disappeared at the same time, and that should be investigated.
That’s the latest as of today.
My sister was a threat to Justin’s relationship with Evie; that’s all, nothing else.
But now he alleges that the MC is into human trafficking.
We aren’t, but still, we can’t have the police traipsing through our businesses.
Besides, what would I gain from selling my own sister?
Justin is an idiot, but someone must be pulling his strings.
“I’m telling you. According to Ruby, she was being followed prior to Evie getting back together with Justin. Why?” He pauses, then continues. “Then there is the fact that he’s putting a police focus on us but doesn’t care that he’s the one breaking the law by abusing your ol’ lady.”
“You have a point, but what enemies do we have? We’ve kept our town clean.”
“Have Mal looking into that chemical company. There’s something there.”
“I will, but bring my sister home.”
“I’m not ready.”
“Brother, I’m going to warn you just once more.
I realize you’re trying to get her forgiveness for your fuck up, but she also needs her friends and family.
” I pause, thinking about how I pulled Evie away from everyone she’s close to.
“Well, maybe don’t take all my advice. Bring her home; you have a place here. She and Evie can be together.”
“Fine. Give me a day or so. We’ll be home.”
“Good, I need my VP back.”
“Sure, you do, Mr. Late Night,” he teases me. Before Evie came into my life, I was a night owl and workaholic. Now I’m in bed with my woman by nine.
Thinking about her moods, I look down as a call from her beeps in. “Gotta go,” I say, hanging up on Torch to take her call.
“Hello, sexy,” I answer, but I don’t hear anything except muffled sounds.
“We were just leaving, Detective Grimsley. How may we help you?” I hear Evie’s voice, but again, it’s muffled and far away. She mustn’t be holding the phone near her ear.
I listen but stand up, heading from the office. As I walk through Lach’s space, he looks at me and notices I’m on the phone. He’s been avoiding me all day, but I stop him. “I might need you.”
He walks near me but won’t get too close. I’ll have to make sure he knows that being in love isn’t contagious. He’s been against it for years, since before he moved to the United States. Only Torch and I know the reason why, though.
I hear Grimsley’s voice now. “I need you to come to the station for some further questioning on your attack.” Then Evie gasps before the thwap sound of a silenced gun or other type of gun fires before someone is hit.
If he’s touched my woman, they’ll never find his body, and I’ll torture him before murdering him.
“Detective, I’ll go with you. Just don’t hurt me,” Evie’s voice trembles.
He hit someone else.
“Let’s go. I don’t have time for this bullshit.
” I can hear movement, and both Lach and I rush out of the club.
Circling my arm over my head, the others will know to come along.
Lach has Mal on the phone and is rallying others who aren’t on the compound.
“I told you to wait for me at the motel.” Grimsley’s voice again.
“I don’t trust you.” Fucking Justin. “You could take her to him before me, and I need her still.” Need her. Him. Who is him? What the fuck is going on here?
I climb into my truck, turn it around, and start driving off the compound. It’s maybe a five-minute drive from here to Evie’s shop, but when I get to the gate, I see a cop has blocked us in.
“Fucking hell!” I’m glad I muted the call so that Justin or the detective doesn’t know I’m on the line.
“Text Torch. I’m going to need him and Ruby here ASAP,” I order Lach as I keep listening to the call from Evie’s phone.
Grimsley’s voice: “It’s too late for that. You know he said that he wants her first. He has his revenge plan in mind. You can’t get what you want from her now; she’s engaged to Judge.”
“No!” Justin’s voice rises, Evie cries out, and the explosion of a large gun goes off. I hear the struggle, and I can’t stop the yelling.
“I’ll take care of this,” Lach says as he jumps out, and I hold the phone to my ear, listening for my woman to speak.
I just got her; I’m not ready to lose her. Why didn’t I go with her? I trusted my men. Not sure I’ll be able to do that again after this.