Chapter Fifty-Seven
Kain
While Eva slept, I worked in my office. I should probably have slept too, but I needed to get some information first. Emotions still writhed within me. I could’ve lost Eva. I couldn’t forget the image of those men kidnapping her or her injured foot. Rage and vengeance flowed in me like magma.
I looked at the recordings my team had gotten from the camera at Happy Flowers and browsed the video from the first encounter. Milo had run into the shop because of Tony, the man with the red cap. He was looking at bleeding hearts. Then I saw him a few more times. Tony had gotten older, wiser, and bulkier than I remembered. He looked like the pictures Newton had provided me.
I searched for Tony and Laura Hesselberg. Some old images popped onto the screen. I was familiar with this thinner version of Tony. Laura had long brown hair, looking a little like Eva depending on the angle. Laura had saved Eva’s life. I recalledTony mentioning his sister was sick, but I paid little attention to it back then. I clicked on a few more links and read the articles.
Laura was his fraternal twin. Perhaps that explained his connection to her. The article described how the siblings grew up together after their parents died in a house fire. Tony took care of his sister when she got sick and needed a heart transplant. The article said she got lucky and received a heart quickly from a donor and lived until she passed away from another illness. She died a year after I escaped. Did Tony buy his sister a heart from Hawthorne? Or had he killed someone to retrieve it?
Regardless, his sister’s death had triggered something in him.
Next on my list were Christian Madison and Jordan Borowski, the two guys who’d kidnapped Eva. I’d received more recordings from various street cameras with their faces.
After finding their addresses, I searched for more information on the lake. I needed information when I confronted Senator Falcone. Disappointment and anger stirred in me as I read the information my team had uncovered regarding his hidden lifestyle.
Emilio’s people had left Malory’s fake corpse in Etched Square, wanting to alert us and the media about the senator’s secret life and how he was connected to the Black Rose Killer. He delivered her actual body to the hospital so Detective McNally could process any DNA and inform her family so they could give her a proper burial. Not only had the senator allowed another man to rape his niece; he had raped her friend, Malory. That was why he didn’t help the media find her.Sick fuck.I dug into the Falcone Educational Foundation and discovered the names of people who shouldn’t be near children.
Eva said she saw him at the induction ceremony. How long had he been working with Hawthorne? I had questions he needed to answer.
Exhausted, I returned to the bedroom and slid into bed next to Eva, vowing to never let anyone hurt her again.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Eva
A few days later, Stori and Hannah came to visit me at Kain’s place. Kain went out to meet with Godfrey, Hudson, and Timber, who had stopped by yesterday to see how I was doing. The camaraderie between them was touching to see. They were like brothers, and I was glad they had each other back then.
“You didn’t have to bring any food.” I gestured to the fruit platter, a tray of vegetables and dip, a bowl of sweet potato fries, a bucket of chicken wings, a container of dumplings, and a box of cookies. “We’ve got plenty here.”
“We know.” Stori put down her plate of dumplings to fix a pretty floral clip in her black hair. “But we miss our girl and want to feed her. Besides, we wanted to see your new accessory.” She laughed and tapped my cast.
“Don’t make me kick you.”
She grinned. “I’d like to see you try.”
I shook my head, rolling my eyes.
“You’ll have leftovers for the rest of the week.” Hannah grabbed another chicken wing, waving it around. “Besides, after what you’ve been through, you need all the comfort you can get. And food does precisely that.” She flicked her curly brown hair back when a few strands fell close to her food.
I smiled at my friends, appreciating their presence more than they could ever know. Just sitting here chatting and laughing with them made the horrific ordeal seem like a dream.
“Do you mind if I add a scene about your experience to my book?” Stori asked.
“Go for it.” I bit into a sweet potato fry.
Hannah scooted closer to me, smirking. “So, how are you and Kain doing?”
Warmth bloomed in my chest.
“We’re in love.” I blushed, remembering his confession and how he’d helped me fall asleep that night.
“The entire world can tell. Even this dumpling could see how much he wants you.” Stori poked it with her fork. “Love oozes from the two of you.”
“Wait until you fall in love.” I laughed. “Love’s gonna ooze out of your eyes and ears.”
“Maybe. But I’ve learned to stay away from the good-looking types. The more handsome they are, the less you can trust them,” she scoffed, probably thinking about her cheating ex. “I’m content with the single life right now. How about you, Hannah?”
