Page 8 of Maximus

“I thought you were talking about…” Eva trailed off and I could imagine what she thought I was talking about, since I’d pretty much accused her of doing something illegal.

“This is not an interrogation.” She didn’t look convinced, and instead of playing twenty questions I figured I’d just lay it out. “I’m trying to find out if the threat is recent or if it followed you here. In order for me to do that, I need to know who you’ve come in contact with. Even the woman in the parking lot, she could’ve been planted there to talk to you. Do you deliver groceries to anyone else? Has anyone been overly friendly? Has anyone asked you out on a date? A mom or dad asked the boys over? I need to know everything.”

“No one’s asked me out.” Her cheeks dotted pink and something that felt like relief swept over me. “Not that I’d say yes, if anyone did. I think it’s safe to say, I will be alone for the rest of my life. And don’t you want to know if anyone has been mad at me or something like that?”

“Right now I’m more interested in anyone who’s been over-the-top nice. But has anyone threatened you? Been mean or pissed?”

“No,” she sighed. “No one’s been mad at me. And no one’s been overly nice, either. Mrs. Wyman is grateful. She tries to give me money but I won’t take it, so she bakes us cookies sometimes. I met her son while he was shopping with her before her surgery. He was pleasant but not overly so, and I saw him once at the house, but he paid no attention to me. The woman in the parking lot with the wallet, that was the first time anything like that ever happened. The daycare people are friendly, but they don’t pay special attention to me or the boys.”

I leaned back, warring with myself, wishing that there’d been something I could focus on but pleased no one had fucked with her or her boys since she’d moved.

“Anyone strange wandering outside the house? Following you?”

Her brow went up and her lips curved up into a smile.

Which was unfortunate, because she had a beautiful smile.

“You mean any other strange men besides you? I don’t think so. Though you did point out I tend to walk around with my head down minding my own business.”

“You have to stop doing that.” Eva’s smile faded and I wanted to kick my own ass for being so abrupt. “What I mean to say is, it’s dangerous. You need to keep your head up and your eyes scanning. You need to be aware of who is around and what they are doing.”

She nodded but didn’t commit.

Fucking hell, the thought of her wandering around not paying attention twisted my gut.

“Any phone calls? Hang ups?”

“No. Only Tex, the daycare, and my work has my cell number.”

“No girlfriends or—”

“I don’t have friends.”

No inflection. No sadness. Matter-of-fact.

She had no friends.

Jesus Christ.

I swallowed down my anger and tried to think of what else I should ask.

“Why do you look mad?”

Hell, she was seriously asking me that.

“Tex wants me to bring you and your boys back with me to Maryland,” I told her instead of answering.

“I told him no way!”

“If there’s a threat, I can protect you better up there. My team can—”

“I’m not uprooting my boys. They just got settled. No freaking way, Max, they’ve been through enough. And Tex doesn’t even know if we’re in danger.”

Why did my chest catch fire when the woman turned fierce protector?

And why, when she squared up—shoulders back, chin stubbornly jutted up, and eyes narrowed—did the crotch of my jeans get tight?

I didn’t like this woman. She couldn’t be trusted—most women couldn’t be. My teammates had hit the jackpot with their women, but I knew that shit was rare. Women were after one thing and they used and schemed to get it.