In love.
I was in love.
Fuck, it felt so good. To love and be loved so thoroughly. Who knew? Who knew I’d fall for the man whose father had been such an important figure in my life?
Putting a hand over the medical bracelet, I sighed audibly like some lovestruck fool. The gift was one of the most thoughtful gestures I’d ever received. He knew I wasn’t impressed by flashy or expensive gifts, and while the price tag was indeed a hefty one, the sentiment behind it was one I’d cherish forever.
I slid my jacket off my shoulders and closed my eyes as thoughts of Derek sent warm tingles between my legs.
Grabbing the hem of my shirt, I started humming my favorite love song, when the clicking sound of the knob caused me to pause and smile broadly.
Derek.
I ripped my shirt off and whirled around, but his name died in my throat when I was met with another man’s face.
“Ronan? What the hell are you doing here?” I scrambled to get my blouse back over my body and glared until intrusive thoughts began to manifest. “Did something happen to Derek?” Fear paralyzed my heart. Why else would Ronan be here? I moved toward him, attempting but failing to control my breath. “Please tell me he’s okay.”
Ronan was serious. Eyes narrowed and impassive. I tried desperately to read him, but he was giving nothing, and I feared the worst. “Ronan, what happened?”
“What happened, you ask? If anyone knows the answer to that question, it’s you.”
Something was off. He wasn’t making any sense, and his voice was cruel. Cold. He looked at me as if I was something insignificant to be crushed under his shoe. A striking contrast to when his eyes lit with lust the first time we’d met.
“I—I don’t understand.” I took a cautious step back, unsure of his intentions. “Where’s Derek?”
“Killing his brother—for you.”
My heart faltered.
“What did you just say?”
He moved closer, and my hand fell on the gun I’d placed on the dresser. His eyes slid to my weapon, and the most insidious smile I’d ever seen crawled across his face.
“You know, for a so-called detective, you sure are good at missing those brightly colored red flags.”
“What are you talking about?”
He chuckled wickedly. “Oh, Eva, so beautiful yet so goddamn stupid.”
I swallowed hard as I attempted to compose my nerves.
Red flags.
Was he right?
He took two more steps, and I drew my weapon. “Don’t come any closer.”
“You won’t shoot me because you want answers. You want to know what the fuck I’m talking about and who exactly is the monster you’ve been sleeping with.”
I shook my head. “Stop. Stop with the fucking cryptic comments and just say what you came here to say.”
“As you wish.” He leaned against the bedpost, arms folded over his chest. “You think him finding you was some coincidence? Quite the contrary.”
I played back to those moments when we’d first met, how he knew my name and place of work. But he found them in the files. It’s what he’d said. And I believed him.
I had to.
Ronan pushed off the post and approached again. And again, I aimed my weapon at his torso.
