Total pages in book: 331
Estimated words: 315585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1578(@200wpm)___ 1262(@250wpm)___ 1052(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 315585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1578(@200wpm)___ 1262(@250wpm)___ 1052(@300wpm)
“Careful with what?”
“Eve. If she doesn’t fall in love with you, she’ll most likely kill you,” he says matter-of-factly.
I smile at that. “If you’re not on the verge of death, are you even living?”
He shakes his head and chuckles.
“There was one other item I found in her closet.” He arches a brow. “She had a bulletproof vest.” He looks away from me, and I know I was right. “Eve got it from you. The question is, why the fuck does she need one?”
“It’s just a precaution.”
“For what?” I demand.
“Eve wants to be more involved—”
“Pull her back,” I interrupt him, hearing enough. “She’s going to get killed. You’re going to get her killed.”
“She’s saving women, Kash,” he whispers. “I understand that it’s hard to see from your point of view, but she’s doing what others can’t.”
I fist my hands on my thighs. “She’s putting her life in danger.”
“It’s her life,” he argues, as if that’s a good enough reason. “And until she comes to me and tells me herself that she wants to pull back, I’m going to continue letting her do what she wants.”
It just proves that I need to step in. Make sure that she has someone to protect her when things get hard. She’s going to get in too deep and won’t be able to pull herself out. I can do it.
Sighing, I lean back against the couch and tell him, “I saw her on the Isabella.”
He frowns at my change in subject. “When…? The night of our junior initiation?”
I nod. “Yeah. I saw her when Saint and I were headed to the poker room before we killed his mark. She was standing with an older man. Then after we killed Saint’s men, I saw her again when you guys were blowing up my cell looking for Haidyn.” I run a hand through my hair. “She ran into me. The man said he was ‘paying’ for her, and he took her into a room. I heard her screaming and I burst in and killed him. Then she ran.” I leave out the part where I fingered her. It’s none of his business.
“Wait.” He holds up a hand. “The ripped dress…the heels? Those were hers in the owner’s suite?”
I nod.
“And the guy who was ‘paying’ for her…”
“Was my initiation, but I didn’t know that when I killed him.”
He frowns, rubbing the back of his neck. “You think she was working for Dollhouse then? If she was there with him?”
“Seems so. You said Bill didn’t save Eve until after he was already married to Isabella. Haidyn killed her husband that night on the yacht. It makes sense.” I shrug. “But you know more about Everett than I do.” I don’t know how Dollhouse works. Do they allow the slaves to leave? I would think they’d be afraid one would talk. Then again, I guess when you’re brainwashed, it’s hard to think for yourself. The victims could be too terrified to speak out and tell someone what is happening to them for fear of being punished if they don’t end up escaping.
Shaking his head, he says. “I didn’t meet Eve until a year later…our senior year. After I went into hiding.”
“She was in hiding as well?”
He leans back in his chair. “My boss introduced me to Bill, who introduced me to Eve.”
By boss, I’m guessing he means the detective we met on the private jet. “And?” I demand.
“And she went to Vegas with me for a little bit.”
“With you? As in you two lived together?” I growl. That’s more than fucking one time.
“No. She helped me.”
“With what, Adam?”
He looks away and sighs. “With Ashtyn.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Of course she did.
His eyes narrow on mine. “I couldn’t just walk up to my sister. I needed someone who could keep an eye on her without throwing up red flags. By that time, Bill was married to Isabella, and Eve wanted to be as far away from here as possible. So she went with me.”
I shake my head. “So you’re saying that if Ashtyn sees her, she’s going to know who she is? They were friends?”
“No.” He frowns. “Eve doesn’t have any friends.”
That’s the second time I’ve heard him say that. “What about Bill? You didn’t trust him with Charlotte, yet you trust him with Everett?” I had my doubts about Bill, and I’m still not sure how much we can trust him.
“I knew Isabella had a daughter, but I didn’t know who she was until Haidyn had me dig into Charlotte. When I found out who Charlotte really was and that she was Isabella’s daughter, it immediately threw up red flags. I knew a little of what Eve had been through, so I thought Isabella was setting up Charlotte for the same fate. And I wasn’t sure how much I could trust Bill, since they were married.”