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“How are you feeling?”
“Like I was hit by a massive truck.”
Ivan leaned forward as if he wanted to reach out and comfort her somehow, but he settled for another encouraging smile. “You’re safe now. Darrian will not be getting out. I made some calls. He’s being booked as we speak, and the judge who will set his bail is not one who appreciates violent men. He’ll get no bail, I know it. We have enough to make sure he is found guilty for attempted murder.”
“But he’ll eventually get out since he didn’t actually kill me.”
“We’ll see. I’ve had a busy week. Protecting you. Getting the maid, who hemurdered, her body exhumed. We’ll nail him for that too.”
“You’re my hero.”
In so many ways.
“Na.” Ivan sat back, relaxing his foot over his knee. “You saved yourself. You did all the hard work.”
Her eyes rounded. “I was in a bathtub naked, laying there for him to slit my wrists.”
“But you managed to call me. You walked into that house knowing how dangerous it would be. That took a lot of courage. He wouldn’t be sitting in jail if you hadn’t had the guts to do that.”
“You got to my room fast.”
“Well,” Ivan drawled, wincing with a short smile, “I’m proud of you for calling me. I heard every word and my testimony will help. But I’m not sure I would’ve made it in time with just your phone call.”
Eve groaned as she sat up, hating how much her body ached from the slight movement. “What do you mean?”
“I heard muffling sounds. Like you were talking to someone. I couldn’t make it out much. I saw the bracelet in the bathroom so I can only assume that’s why I had trouble hearing things. It worried me that I couldn’t hear anything. You’ve been great about keeping it close to you. I decided to check on you. I was halfway inside the house when you called me.”
Her breath hitched, realizing the implications. “You would’ve never gotten to me in time if you hadn’t trusted your instincts.”
He nodded with a grim expression. “But I did trust my instincts. And I caught him in the act. He had the knife in his hand. The tox report will show you were drugged. We have the needle that will likely have his prints and DNA on it. He’s not getting away with it. I promise you that.”
In the end, that’s all that mattered. That Darrian went away and she could live in peace for once.
Where she belonged.
“I want to go home, Ivan. Get me out of here.”
He stood up. “Of course. You sure you want to go back to that house?”
She shook her head. “No, I mean, my home. Sleighville. That’s where I belong. Not here. Can I stay at your place until tomorrow morning when I can get a flight?” She sighed. “Or not. I can get a hotel room as well. I don’t want to be a bother any longer.”
Ivan stepped closer to the bed, squeezing her hand gently. “You have never been a bother. And you’re more than welcome to stay at my place. But I will remind you that you own a private jet. You could leave right away if that’s what you wished to do.”
“A private jet?”
He laughed, stepping away from the bed and rounding it to get closer to the door. “It’s not just Darrian’s. Everything he owns and uses, so do you.”
“Right. A private jet.” It wasn’t something that would cross her mind because she never liked being in the same vicinity as Darrian, so she rarely utilized it. “I would like to leave tonight. I don’t know who to call to get that set up.”
That showed how much she tried to ignore the life she’d grown up in. As soon as she returned to Sleighville, it could all go away for all she cared.
“Leave it to me. I’ll have you out of here in an hour and on that plane.” He grinned. “Well, maybe two hours. Let’s see how fast I can work my magic.”
And magic that man possessed.
She was released and sitting on her plane within an hour and a half. Between the timeframe he’d predicted. The flight took a little over three hours. When she landed, a car was waiting for her to drive her home. By the time the car pulled into the driveway of her cottage, it was a little past four in the morning. Exhaustion filled every bone in her body. She could sleep for a week, she was so tired.
But she thanked the driver and bid him farewell as she stood in the driveway staring at her cottage and then looking at Griffin’s house. It didn’t take much thought of which house she’d venture to.
