Something is happening. Something I am too naïve, too isolated, to see clearly. This isn’t right.
I need to ask Silas. Maybe warn Dante?
I corner Uncle Silas in the back before he can retreat into his office behind his computer. He’s sipping coffee again, which is laced with his Irish cream liqueur, from a mug that says “World’s Greatest Uncle.” The appearance of wholesome. But now I think I know better.
Hoping I’m wrong, and not heeding Dante’s warning, I have to ask.
“Uncle Silas,” I say, keeping my voice innocently curious. “Who do you know named Severin?”
He freezes, the mug halfway to his lips. “Why doyou ask?”
“Because someone picked up a prescription under that name. A man in a suit. He didn’t say much, just handed me a business card like I was supposed to recognize it. He wasn’t in the system.”
Silas sighs and sets the mug down with exaggerated care. “Sometimes customers prefer discretion and privacy.”
“I thought we didn’t do that kind of business,” I say, keeping my tone level, as if we’re talking about a regular business transaction and not a potential felony, which I think it is.
He hesitates, then crosses his arms over his chest. “Eve, you’re smart. You know the pharmacy world isn’t as simple as you want it to be. Sometimes we help people who … can’t go through normal channels. For their safety. For ours.”
Okay then.He’s lying. That rationale sounded very polished and rehearsed.
“Forget about it, Eve.” He waves his hand dismissively, using his nickname for me, and then grabs his coffee, continuing to drink it, turning to head to his office. “I’ll handle that part of the business. Just go back to your lab.”
Feeling angry and a little hurt at my uncle’s dismissal, I decide to go about my day as normal, my mind racing.
After organizing the front of the store for the fifth time, I still feel watched. Paranoia is not normal for me, but today I can feel it clawing up my spine, making it difficult to breathe.
By the time I close shop for the night, the street outside is deserted. I turn the key in the lock, heart pounding, and hurry up the stairs to my apartment, half-expecting Dante to be waiting. Instead, it’s just me. And the echo of his words looping in my mind.
“I can only protect you if you heed my warnings.”
“You don’t see it yet … but men are circling this place... not until I tell you it’s safe.”
I sit at my kitchen table and open my laptop, typing in the name from the card: S. Scarletta. The results are vague. It’s almost as if the man’s a ghost. No presence on social media or the internet. Nothing. Not even one blurry photo. I quickly delete my browser history, not wanting a trail or any indication I’m snooping, which I absolutely am.
It’s crazy to think this is the second criminal I’ve researched recently. When did this become my life?
Tomorrow, I’ll ask Silas about it again. I’ll look him in the eye and demand answers, even if it goes against every instinct I have for self-preservation.
Until then, I will keep my head down, my eyes open, and my mouth shut.
Preparing for bed, I pray I can sleep. I pray no one will come for me. But most of all, I pray Dante will keep me safe.
Chapter Eleven
Dante
Sheopensthedooras soon as I knock. Angry, I shove my way inside, slamming the fragile wood, causing it to rock on its hinges.
She’s just proven she’s a reckless, naïve little creature. One who obviously needs me to protect her. I’m seething that she opened the fucking door without a clue who or what was on the other side.
After my meeting with Scarletta this week, I’m bubbling with pent-up violence. He and his fucking man dared tothreaten my Evangeline, my territory. Everything that’s mine.
Then, I found out the weasel had paid her pharmacy a visit and talked to her. The fucker will pay. He was warned.
Right now, though I invade her cramped apartment, my size consuming the space. She retreats further inside, her eyes wide with alarm, her plump lips quivering. Terrified. Enticing. She doesn’t know what to make of me or my anger.
Good, she should be scared. Being scared will keep her alive. But I’m not comfortable with her fearing me. I’m her protector.
