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“I need my phone, my laptop. My books. My homework. I need to call my mother. My roommate.”
“Make a list of the books you need. And your size. We’ll get you some new clothes.”
“I don’t want or need new clothes. I want to go home.”
“I’m sorry, Evangeline. You can’t go home.”
She couldn’t have her phone either. It was safely in my pocket. But again, that was ‘need to know’. She hadn’t insisted yet. I was grateful for that. If she did insist, she wouldn’t be happy with what happened next.
“Well, my roommate is going to call the cops if I don’t come back. Or worse yet, she’ll call my mother. So what are you going to do about that?”
She lifted her chin and stared at me. I couldn’t help but smile in admiration. This tiny slip of a girl was standing up to me. She was scared out of her mind. She was trapped and we both knew it. I was trying to do what I could to ease the terror I knew she must be feeling. But scared as she was, she was still standing up to me.
It made my dick ten times harder than it already was. Which was already ten times harder than it had ever been.
Fuck me.
“I can’t let you leave.”
“You said you didn’t kill that man.”
“I didn’t. I’ve been here with you.”
“But you know who did.”
“I have a pretty good idea.”
“So I’m the perfect alibi.”
“You were unconscious for most of the time. That . . . his wounds looked fresh, but I don’t know how fresh.”
“You said you were here.”
“I was.”
“I believe you,” she said miserably. “But I don’t know why I believe you.”
“I still can’t let you leave.”
She stared at me, her hands clasped in her lap. I ran my hands through my hair.
“Evangeline . . .”
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“Things like that happen a lot here?”
I fought back a smile at her tone. I almost didn’t recognize it as sarcasm. So, she wasn’t 100% sweet, after all.
I liked that about her. The girl had depth. The fact that she could make a joke, even under the circumstances, was remarkable.
“No. That was a first.”
“I wish I’d never walked into that bar. I didn’t want to be there.”
“I know. I could tell.”
She blinked at me.
“You saw me?”
“The instant you walked in.”
I couldn’t help it. My hunger for her was showing. The wolf was out of his sheep’s clothing.
“Why me? There were dozens of gorgeous women in there.”
I laughed.
“You have no idea how beautiful you really are, do you?”
“I’m not beautiful,” she said. She believed it. “Please. I don’t want to die.”
“You aren’t going to. Just as long as you do as I say.”
She closed her eyes at my words.
“What would make you happy, Evangeline? Tell me.”
“I want to go back to my life.”
“Anything but that. Name it.”
She just stared at me, her big, beautiful eyes welling up with tears. Then she shook her head and looked away.
“I want my books. I want to learn.”
“And after that? What was your ambition?”
“I wanted . . . grad school.”
“And after that?”
“To be a professor. And to write in my spare time.”
“What would you write?”
“Well, papers, of course. You have to. But also . . . stories. Maybe. I never tried. I make them up in my head sometimes.”
“What if you tried now?”
She shrugged those delicate shoulders of hers. She was so fragile, right down to her bones. I was so afraid she was going to get hurt. Worse than she already was.
I had to protect her, no matter the cost.
Even if it hurt me. Even if it hurt the family. I would protect her, and somehow, Vince too. Maybe there was a way out of this. But for now, I had shopping to do.
I did another sweep of the suite to make sure there was nothing there she could use to contact the outside world. I unplugged the wireless router and put it in the safe with her phone. But only after I answered a few texts.
Mama was worried. So was the roommate. I did my best to imitate the tone of the texts. Next time, I’d have ‘Evie’ do it. That’s what everyone called Evangeline in the texts. I liked it.
My little Evie.
I opened the suite and went down to see my brother. On my way, I grabbed a couple of guys and stationed them outside my door. I sealed her fate with three little words.
“She doesn’t leave.”
Chapter 12
Evangeline
“What is all this?”
I stared at the bags and bags of stuff. Tony stood in the center of them. Antonio, I reminded myself. Use his full name. Keep your distance.
“Supplies. I want you to be comfortable.” He held up a bag. “Clothes. Shirts, sweaters, a couple of dresses.”
“Dresses? Am I going out?”
He frowned and shook his head.
