“Wear mine.”
She pulled on an oversized T-shirt and shorts that went past her knees, looking adorable.
“Wanna start the research?” she asked.
“What research?”
She beamed with pride. “I got the name of the guy with the cross tattoo.”
I didn’t want her near these people. But Eva was sneaking into various areas of my life where I couldn’t deny her anything. She already knew about my past and about Hawthorne. Perhaps the best way to protect her was to prepare her. But preparation needed to be delivered with care and caution.
“Don’t you want a tour of my penthouse first?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Thirty
Eva
Kain’s penthouse was like a luxury oasis I could only dream of.
“That’s a lot of seating for someone who doesn’t have many guests.” I gestured to his large dining table.
“But I could one day when the moment calls for it.” He slung an arm around my shoulders. “Right now I only like a few people.”
He showed me two other bathrooms that had freestanding sculptural tubs, three elegant guest bedrooms, and the main bedroom that could be its own suite. It baffled me how different our lifestyles were. Could this relationship even work?
“What’s wrong?” He looked at me.
“Just seeing our differences. You live so lavishly, and I live in a simple apartment that’s a fraction of your space.” I huffed out a sigh. “There’s going to be a time when this contrast becomes an issue.”
“If I cared about those things, then I would’ve beenmarried a long time ago.” Kain squeezed my shoulders. “I’ll never forget I came from humble beginnings, Eva.” He gestured around. “These are all materialistic things I need to survive in this tainted society. Power and wealth allow me to ensure the darkness doesn’t harm me or those I care about.” He lowered his lips to mine. “Most of all, I want to eradicate it. I wish I could do it with determination alone. But that’s not the case. I need wealth, power, and status as my weapons.”
I considered his statement and conceded the point. This world was corrupt, and the privileged people always had the upper hand. To play this game, he needed tools.
I nodded in agreement. “It’s like we’ve been conditioned into believing materialistic things are more valuable than things that come from the heart.”
“There’s real psychological warfare going on worldwide. People in power want to maintain control. To do so, they need the masses to think a certain way.” He tapped my forehead. “If your mind becomes too free—too smart—then you become uncontrollable. I’m glad my woman has an open mind.”
“I won’t appreciate anyone controlling me or my thoughts.”
“Understood,” he said. “Free speech is important, and not every country has it.”
All I wanted was for Kain to heal his old hurts. He had endured too much already. Perhaps part of his healing process was gathering these weapons to battle heinous monsters.
I wrapped my arms around him. “I’ll help you battle the monsters.”
Laughing, he kissed the top of my head. “With what, beautiful?”
“Hey, don’t judge.” I slapped his chest playfully. “I know where to get a lot of poison ivy, poison oak, poisonous mushrooms, thorny vines so sharp they can cut off your fingers . . .”
“Ohyeah?” Pulling back, he grinned. “I’d like to place a bulk order for each of them.”
“Don’t be surprised when you get boxes delivered to your office.”
“I’ll give my staff a heads-up.” Smiling, Kain led me into his spacious home office with an oval table for meetings and an extensive library with an abundance of books. But my attention wasn’t on the office—it was on the plants calling to me.
“Oh no!” I exclaimed, walking up to examine the forest of plants sitting on the floor, tables, chairs, windowsills, and bookcases. “You can’t squish them like this.” I moved the pots apart. “Like people, they need some space to grow. These plants also need bright light.” I took the jade plant and the succulents, placing them on the table by the window. I shook my head at the Ficus tree with cracked soil. “When was the last time you watered them?”
