Rayne tugged harder, determined to throw herself out of my moving car rather than speak to the police.
Fuck. Fuck.
Decisions.
“Okay. All right. I’ll take you somewhere else. Just, please, close the door.”
I regretted the words the moment they flew out of my mouth. All the warning bells blared in my mind, knowing deep in my gut that I was making a mistake and going against everything I stood for. But what if she was right? Not only would her life be in danger, so would mine. My dad and Alexa would be defenseless if the threat came to their doorstep. But Derek… He knew his way around guns, security, and self-defense.What other choice did I have?
Was I rationalizing breaking my oath?
I knew the answer but ignored the logic. Guilt tore through me at the thought of the loved ones in my life I could have potentially saved but failed. I couldn’t bear the burden of another death on my shoulders.
“Please don’t lie to me, Eva. Just let me out here, and you can pretend you never saw me.”
I met her watery eyes.
“We’re going to see a friend. Someone who can help.”
“Can we trust them?”
Trust Derek?
I rolled that question around in my thoughts, not knowing how to answer. After having spent such a short time with him, I couldn’t say for sure one way or the other. But something about him, the feelings he stirred, the fire in his eyes.
Derek pushed me off balance, leaving my emotions in a tizzy. And I didn’t know whether I wanted to run the other way or wrap myself around him.
No.
That was a lie. I absolutely craved to wrap myself around his hard body.
We pulled into the familiar curved driveway in front of his home. No sooner had I cut the engine, his front door swung open, a large black and brown Doberman at his side.
Of course, he saw us coming.
I put a hand over my abdomen, quieting the flock of birds threatening to take flight as Derek—now dressed in acasual, bicep-hugging, long-sleeved shirt and low-slung jeans—stepped off the front porch. Recognizing my car, a sly smile crested his lips… until I stepped out of the vehicle.
CHAPTERSEVEN
DEREK
Iclenched my teeth, cursing under my breath when she stepped under the glow of floodlights, and I got a good look at her face. Red marks marred her once flawless skin, purpling around the edges. The corner of her lip was swollen, dried blood staining down over the curve of her chin. It was obvious she’d left in a rush without cleaning up.
Five hours.
Only five hours since I’d last laid eyes on her.
What the fuck happened?
We stared at one another, neither blinking nor moving, until she nodded and walked toward the front of her car. I reached her in three long strides, fists tight at my sides.
“Eva,” I groaned, tenderly tracing a small welt beneath her right eye.
She flinched under my touch, and another wave of fury rolled through me. I gripped her chin harder than I’d intended, forcing a small whimper from her lips. The sound elicited a flush of heat, and my hold tightened as I tempered my body’s visceral reaction to her pain.
As if by instinct, my other hand wrapped around her nape, causing her to briefly close her eyes at the contact. Eva was mine. Mine to mark, wreck, and put back together as I pleased—only mine. And whoever had dared to touch her was as good as dead.
“Who did this?” I growled through my teeth, thumb pushing roughly against her lip, where a bead of fresh blood broke through the damaged skin. Evangelina hissed, sucking in a sharp breath. But before she could protest, I leaned in and swiped my tongue over the red pearl.
