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“I am,” she said while sitting up on the bed a little taller. “And you’re Eva?”
Eva pulled a knife out of her pocket, and Atticus rolled his eyes. “I hear you trained with Hudson.”
“Sometimes I trained him,” Christine said with a playful wink.
Eva nodded. “Okay, I like her. Let’s kill some motherfuckers.”
“Language!” I snapped. Eva was definitely raised with a bunch of criminals, because she was only seventeen but definitely talked like a hardened sailor and acted like a jaded middle-aged divorcée.
“So Yasmin Lee. Tell us more about her,” I said.
Eva walked over to a small table in the corner of the room and swiped up a bag of chips. After opening it, she crunched on one of them before speaking with her mouth full. “She’s kind but fierce. You can tell she’s been through a lot. She started a soup kitchen a few years ago to help out people in the area that lost jobs or homes in the massacre. Now she’s one of the most popular people around here. Everyone loves her. She’s not on your side, but she’s not on Theodore’s side either. She’s neutral. Just wants to help people.”
Eva wolfed down another chip. “She’s been trying to get Lord Nathan to help her get more social services to the community, but he keeps blowing her off.”
“So we offer to help her,” I said.
Eva popped another chip in her mouth. “She doesn’t look like a fighter, but she’s stronger than you’d think. Caught me stealing from her storage room and grabbed me by the ear. Made me work kitchens for a week.”
Atticus laughed. “I like her already. When can you get us a meeting?”
Eva checked her watch. “Soup kitchen is open tonight. I can take you there.”
I nodded. “Sounds good to me. What about you, Christine?”
“Oh, I’m in, for sure.” She flashed a seductive smile. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave Redview. I’m anxious about your mom and Daphne.”
Eva walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge beside Christine. “Christine, there’s something you should know before we go any further.”
“What?” Christine asked with a look of concern.
Eva hesitated. “I found out a lot about Lord Nathan and his family while I was gathering intel. When you were in the castle, my father called me to let me know what was happening there. My father likes to brag when he gets gossip. Most of it was predictable evil villain bullshit, but there was something that stood out to me. Are you…pregnant?” She scowled while asking the question, as if it bothered her.
“What?” Christine replied. “Pregnant?”
My heart galloped like a thoroughbred, my breaths labored and restless. I saw Atticus taking a step closer to Eva, her face a mask of pure resignation. Augustus’s lip curled with an expression of repulsion. “I heard them mention the doctor,” she said, barely above a whisper. “They…tested your blood?” Her voice trailed off as I glanced around the room. The walls felt as though they were closing in on us.
Christine vigorously shook her head, her blonde hair cascading down her back. “No, I’m on the shot. Or I guess I was back home. But…I had my period.” Augustus clenched his jaw as she paused and trailed off into thought, desperately trying to do a mental calculation. “I had my period seven weeks ago…” Augustus was barely breathing as horror crept into his veins. Atticus’s icy voice cut through the air like a razor blade. “Go get a pregnancy test. Now.” Augustus looked like the earth beneath him had been ripped away as he hesitantly met Christine’s gaze, her eyes reflecting his own dread.
Christine’s voice wavered as she clutched her stomach, her brow furrowed with disbelief. “I don’t feel different.” Her eyes darted around the room to meet Atticus’s gaze. She looked terrified as Atticus snapped his fingers and called out to Augustus in desperation. “Get me a fucking test!”
Augustus flew off the bed and scrambled away. I dropped beside Christine and gaped at her. She was fighting for her life just a few days ago and dragging Atticus into the freaking house. Was she hurt? Was the baby okay?
“Look, I just wanted to tell you that they were planning to get rid of it,” Eva said. “Apparently, Lord Nathan was really fucked in the head about you having a bastard child. Wanted it done before you got married. I guess they didn’t tell you?”
Christine’s head shook violently, her eyes widening in despair. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “No. Surely they wouldn’t do something like this. I would never have—”
Suddenly, Atticus grabbed Christine’s trembling hand, holding it firmly and reassuringly as he looked into her eyes. His deep, resonant voice effortlessly filled the air. “It’s okay,” he said, his gaze unwavering. “We’ll figure out something. We’ll get through this.”
A sorrowful sigh emanated from Eva’s lips as she looked Christine in the eye. “I’m truly sorry to be the one to tell you this. I just…when I heard it, I didn’t feel right about it.”
Christine stood there, her mouth agape, not a single word coming out. She simply nodded in understanding. The air was thick with tension, the sound of Augustus’s hurried footsteps echoing in the hallway like a ghostly whisper.
Eva’s voice broke through the silence, gentle and understanding. “Maybe you guys should talk. Come get me when you’re ready to see Yasmin.”
Eva left with a quick nod, and the moment she was gone, Atticus enveloped Christine in his strong arms and held her tight against his chest.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice cracking. “We’ll get through this. You’re gonna be okay.”
