“No, no, I’m not. Three days ago," he continues, words tumbling out faster, "one of our men spotted her at a grocery store. She got away, but they think they’ve found her.”
“Why is she being hunted?” None of this makes sense. Maybe Ivan is looking for Eva, but whoever this woman is, it’s not her. She’s six feet under.
“Ivan has been obsessed with finding her.”
“Why? What does the Bratva want with her?” The only thing I can think is to get information about us. But how would they know her unless they knew I’d loved her?
“That I don’t know except maybe for information about your family. But he’s said that if you knew… you by name… ‘if Adriano Dante knew, it would change everything.’”
My head pounds with conflicting thoughts.
It's been almost four years since Eva died in the car accident.
It was a brutal way to go.
The car was mangled and then burned.
So burned that her body was unrecognizable.
Dental records were used to identify her.
But what if…
Fucking hell.
What if it wasn’t her in the car?
It's easy to pay people to lie about things like dental records.
"You're saying she faked her death." Not a question.
“I guess so.”
The room feels suddenly airless as memories of her assault me. Eva's smile when I told her I loved her for the first time.
It shocked the fuck out of me that I’d said the words, much less felt them.
But I did.
I felt them as keenly as I’ve ever felt anything.
And when she said she loved me too, I felt like I was fucking flying. Like my life had purpose beyond being a brutal murderer for my family.
Had it all been a lie?
I close my eyes, momentarily overwhelmed by the rush of emotions I'd buried alongside her. Rage. Betrayal. And beneath it all, a terrible, treacherous hope.
"If she's alive," I say, "why hasn't Ivan moved against her already?"
“For one, he doesn’t want you to know so he moves quietly. But also, she’s tough and smart. She gets away. Sometimes by killing.”
I feel an odd sense of pride. I’d spent time teaching her how to protect herself. Is she using those skills to stay alive?
Whether this is truth or deception, I will uncover it.
And if by some miracle Eva lives, she has much to answer for.
But first, I need to find her.
