Chapter 19 #5
I need to stop sleeping over at her apartment.
We were just supposed to go out on a few dates so that her ex could see us.
He stopped coming around weeks ago. The friends with benefits arrangement was supposed to be strictly that.
Nothing outside of sex. It didn’t mean lazy Sunday mornings and me making her breakfast. It didn’t mean going to the park for a walk when the weather was good, or checking out an art gallery on a Saturday afternoon because she’s been wanting to go for a while.
I don’t even like art galleries.
“If you say so,” Eve mutters doubtfully. “Anyway, I need to use the bathroom. Leave some of the kimchi for me. I know you’ve been eyeing it.”
I try to muster a smile as I watch her walk toward the back of the restaurant. I need to end things. I need to stop this whole arrangement before it gets out of hand. I’ll talk to her tonight. She won’t mind. Why should she? We’ll just go back to our own lives.
And besides, the launch is in a few weeks. I’ve been zeroing in on the mole. Joshua is being surveilled. I’m sure it’s him. Once he takes a misstep and I have the evidence to give to Ethan, it’s over. I’ll go back to my company, and Eve and I will rarely see each other.
The idea should be relaxing. After all, I have never been one to commit to a woman. The idea is horrifying. But the idea of not seeing Eve every day makes me uneasy.
“You’re thinking too much,” I mutter under my breath before glancing at my watch.
Where is she?
Waiting, I go over the conversation in my head. She might argue but she has too much pride for that. She’ll simply tell me thanks for everything and let me go.
Yeah. That’s it.
Five minutes pass. Then ten. What the hell is taking so long?
I get up to go look for her. Maybe something didn’t agree with her. Worry plagues me as I hurry to the toilets in the back. The hallway is narrow and dimly lit, leading toward what looks like a delivery entrance. I check the toilets, but they’re empty.
Frowning, I’m about to turn around and ask one of the servers if they saw her when I hear raised voices from outside.
“I said stay away from me!” I instantly recognize Eve’s voice, sharp with fury and disgust. A chill runs through my veins.
She didn’t leave me. She’s in trouble.
“Enough with the tantrums, Eve.” The male voice is furious and high. “Your mother chose me for you. We’re done playing these games.”
Luis. Of course it’s fucking Luis.
I move towards the door. Something in Luis’s tone has every protective instinct I possess going haywire.
“My mother doesn’t get to choose anything for me,” Eve snaps. “And neither do you. I broke up with you months ago. Get that through your thick skull.”
“You don’t mean that. You’re just being stubborn because I asked you to quit that ridiculous job.”
“Ridiculous?” Her voice climbs an octave. “I worked my ass off for that job!”
“To do what? Play dress-up in an office? You could be home, taking care of our children, instead of chasing this fantasy—” I hear the sharp crack of skin against skin, followed by Eve’s cry of pain.
I push through the back door to see Luis grabbing Eve by the hair, blood trickling from her split lip where his ring caught her. She’s struggling against his grip as he starts dragging her toward a dark car parked at the mouth of the alley.
“You clearly haven’t learned your lesson from when I made you walk home in the cold,” Luis says through gritted teeth as she claws at his hands. “You keep flaunting other men in front of me.”
“Let go of me!” Eve shouts, trying to dig her heels into the ground.
“I know how to make you obedient, Eve,” he continues, his voice turning dangerous. “Sometimes a woman has to be taught her place. I didn’t want to do this, but you forced my hand.”
That’s when Eve’s hand flies up and connects with his face in a vicious slap. Luis’s head snaps to the side, but his grip on her hair doesn’t loosen. If anything, it tightens.
“You little bitch—”
That’s when I see red.
I’m moving before I can think, but Eve is faster. She locks her leg around his ankle, and he stumbles forward bent over, using his arms to stabilize himself. The moment his grip releases, she’s on him like a wildcat, driving her knee into his stomach with a fury that’s beautiful and terrifying.
“You. Piece. Of. Shit!” Each word is punctuated by another kick to his ribs. “Don’t ever put your hands on me again!”
Luis recovers and swings back at her, trying to punch her in the face. I throw myself between them, taking the hit meant for her. Pain explodes across my jaw, but the satisfaction of protecting her is worth it.
Then it’s my turn.
The first punch lands square in his solar plexus, doubling him over. The second catches him in the kidney. The third breaks his nose with a wet crunch that sends blood spattering across the alley wall.
“You like hitting women?” I grab him by his shirt collar, hauling him back up. “Let’s see how you do against someone your own size.”
“Caleb!” Eve’s voice cuts through my rage. “Caleb, stop!”
But I can’t stop. The image of his hands in her hair, of the blood on her lip, of him dragging her toward that car.
It’s playing on repeat in my head, and each replay makes me hit harder.
His eye socket cracks under my knuckles.
He’s not fighting back anymore, just trying to protect his face, but I can’t make myself care.
This bastard just split her lip open and tried to drag her away.
“You ever come near her again,” I pant, driving my fist into his ribs, “and I’ll kill you. Do you understand me?” He’s barely conscious, blood running from his nose, his mouth, a cut above his eye, but he nods frantically. “I can’t hear you.”
“I-I understand,” he gasps. I pull back for another punch, and that’s when I hear the sirens.
“Caleb, stop!” Eve’s hands are on my arms, trying to pull me away. “Enough! Someone called the cops!” The red haze starts to clear, and I look down at Luis. He’s barely conscious, his face a mess of blood and swelling. His breathing is shallow but steady.
Christ. What did I do?
“Sir, step away from him!” The authoritative voice cuts through my thoughts. I look up to see two police officers approaching, hands on their weapons but not drawn yet. “Hands where I can see them!” I raise my hands slowly, blood from my split knuckles dripping onto the asphalt.
“He was attacking her,” I say fiercely.
“Save it for the station,” the first cop interrupts. “You’re under arrest.”
The handcuffs are cold against my wrists. They’re hauling Luis to his feet, and he’s conscious enough to glare at me with the one eye that isn’t swollen shut.
“You, too,” the second officer says to Luis. “Assault charges all around. Take this one to the hospital first.”
“I’m going with him,” Eve says firmly, looking towards me, when the officers try to direct her toward a separate patrol car.
“Ma’am, you’ll need to give a statement—”
“I’ll give it at the station.” Her voice brooks no argument, her gaze refusing to leave mine. “I’ll follow you in your car.”
“The key is in my pocket,” I motion with my head, and the officer takes the keyless fob out of my pocket, handing it to Eve.
As they load me into the back of the patrol car, I catch Eve’s eyes through the window. There’s something there I can’t quite read—anger, worry, determination. Maybe fear?
The car door slams shut, and as we pull away from the alley, I can see Luis being loaded into an ambulance, his face a canvas of bruises and blood.
Sirens wail as we head toward downtown, and all I can think about is the sound of Eve’s cry when he hit her, and the satisfaction that still burns in my chest knowing that bastard will think twice before putting his hands on her again.
Worth it. Every fucking second was worth it.