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"Where the hell are they, Evie?"
"Inside. They were my decoys."
Yanking the thick black glasses off of his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your decoys?" he growled. When he opened his eyes again, the anger was still there, burning red hot.
Again, she met fire with ice. "Yes. In case Branson couldn't be detained. They were going to distract him."
He gave her one more hard look before shoving the glasses on again and turning back to the monitoring station. With quick, efficient movements, he turned on the monitors and they were suddenly seeing inside the ballroom. Not just from Luca and Octavius's lapel cameras, but from the hotel's own security cameras. Evelyn took a tiny step closer, so she could see the screens. Instead of pushing her away as she'd half expected, Jason shifted so she could stand beside him. Even knowing he was pissed at her, his presence soothed the parts of her still shaking from Branson's attack.
"O, one of them is to your right. Shit, Sleazeball is moving in on her. Why the fuck is he not in cuffs?"
A soft whimper escaped as she watched her own personal nightmare advance on her sister. She wasn't sure which one until he grabbed the woman's arm and was met with an impressive right hook to the eye. Evelyn couldn't stop the grin at the look of shock on Branson's face. He'd been expecting meek and mild Evelyn and he'd gotten ass-kicker Teagan instead.
But her quick expression of amusement reminded her she'd taken the full force of Branson's fury to her face just minutes earlier. Pressing a hand to her cheek, she hissed at the flash of pain.
"There are ice packs in the mini fridge." Jason didn't so much at glance at her when he spoke, and she tried to ignore the little stab of hurt.
"I'm fine." Her voice wasn't as strong as she wanted it to be, but at least she wasn't just cowering and doing as she was told. Those days were behind her.
"It wasn't a suggestion, Evelyn. Go get an ice pack for your face. Now," he added a heartbeat later when she still hadn't moved. "Luca, O has Teagan. Do you have eyes on Ro?"
"Yeah." Despite the simmering fury in his voice, Luca was calm and professional. "Straight ahead. Where's Sleazeball?"
"He's been detained." Flipping switches, Jason focused the monitors on her sisters and the men escorting them from the building. "For now. Get Rowena out of there before O kills us all."
Blocking out the chatter, Evelyn moved to the small black fridge in the corner of the van and retrieved an ice pack. Pressing it to her aching cheek, she let out a small sigh of relief. When she turned back to the console, Jason was watching her. He gave her a small nod of approval before focusing his attention back on the screens. Funny how just that small acknowledgment made her heart jump a little. Holding the pack to her cheek, she studied him.
He was the smallest of the three men but still taller than she was, even in the stilettos she adored. Built like a swimmer, he had a long, lean body that belied his true strength. More than once, she'd found herself tossed over his shoulder so he could haul her from one place to the next. The first time he'd done so, she'd almost been too drunk to remember it the next day. But after Ro had jogged her memory, she clearly remembered grabbing a handful of hard, muscular ass. The man might have been a nerd—thick black glasses and all—but he had the body of a god.
The back door of the van flew open, interrupting her appreciation of the man at the monitors, and a disheveled version of herself climbed inside the van, her eyes blazing.
"Teagan." She hadn't realized how scared she'd been for her sisters until her voice shook.
Teagan combed her fingers through her hair and shot Evelyn a quick grin before focusing on Jason. "Where are Ro and Luca?"
"Still inside." The disapproval in Jason's voice cracked like a whip, but Teagan didn't so much as flinch.
"Eyes and ears?" she asked, slipping off the red-bottomed stilettos Evelyn had lent her for the event. Wincing, Evelyn bit her tongue when Teagan carelessly kicked the heels under a bench.
Octavius climbed into the van with them, and Evelyn inched to the side. Too many people, there were too many people in the van. "We've got them," O snapped, pointing to the bench. "Sit down. Now."
Hands on her hips, Teagan went toe to toe with Octavius. "No. That's my sister and my man in there. I won't sit by like a goddamn spectator."
Octavius didn't back down. "It's my woman and a man I consider a brother. You'll do what you're told, or I swear I'll wear your ass out before Luca gets his hands on you. And don't think I won't be telling him about your language tonight."
The raised voices and anger filling the small space finally sapped the little bit of courage Evelyn had left. Lowering herself to the floor, she wedged herself into the space between the fridge and the bench. She pulled her knees up to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible, and closed her eyes.
"Stop it, both of you." Jason's voice sounded far away, like he was in a bubble or something. Maybe she was the one in the bubble. Yes, she was in a bubble, far away from angry voices and pounding fists.
The van went silent, but she didn't open her eyes. Sometimes, the worst parts came after the quiet. She stayed curled up in her space, eyes closed, pretending she was somewhere safe.
"Evie. Sweetheart, look at me." Jason's soft voice joined her in the bubble. "You're safe, Evie. Just look at me."
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Jason's concerned face filled her vision. The corners of his lips lifted in a small smile. "There you are. Deep breaths. In through the nose." He inhaled, and she copied him, holding the breath for a count of three. "Out through the mouth. Good girl. One more." He waited for her to obey. "Better?"
"Yes," she whispered. "I think so."
"Good. Nobody here is going to hurt you. You know that, right?"
