Evie juggles part-time jobs on different days. A coffee shop on Monday, a restaurant on Tuesday, the perfect cover of a girl trying to make ends meet and save up for college. But when night comes, the actor we’ve paid to be her brother raves and curses and throws glass bottles behind her. Enough for the neighboursto hear, but not enough for them to intervene or call the police.
Strangely, the man is good at what he does.
Two weeks in and the stage is set. All that’s left, is for the fish to bite.
By the fifth contact, Xavier is upping the ante.
Ever since that night in the case-room, he hasn’t been himself. I don’t know how he’s holding himself together. I can only hope that after he’s gotten what he wants, he calms down. That it sates him.
“Get ready, Evie,” Xavier’s voice is calm through the comms. “Just like we talked about.”
I glance over at Xavier. He and I are watching the monitors from an office near the bookstore, so that if anything happens we can respond immediately. Christian and Gabriel are close by, blending into the background like they usually do.
But I would bet good money that all our energies are the same confused colour.
“Anything new to recommend?” Philip’s voice sounds through the comms and my nerves tighten.
Philip isn’t a bad-looking guy. On the contrary, his beard is always cut sharp, his black hair is styled backwards and he hides his brown eyes behind a pair of chunky glasses. These days he’s always wearing warm clothing—long coats, long-sleeved shirts, fleece-lined pants and boots. But we like to think it’s because he knows he’s a cold-blooded son-of-a-bitch, and not because Christmas is one week away.
God knows I’ve been agonizing over how to spend it with Christian.
It’ll be his first Christmas without the Adler Squad… and his first Christmas with me.
I don’t want to take away from what he’s lost… but I’m hoping to show him what he has too.
He has me.
And the guys, yes…
But mostly me.
Philip pushes his recently finished book on the counter, and Evie’s face lights up with joy as she addresses him, “I have just the thing.” She touches the girl beside her—the other female volunteer—and gestures for her to take over as she steps away from the cashier's desk.
We have hidden cameras covering every corner of the library, to make sure neither of them can step out of our sight. So our eyes are able to follow as Evie leads Philip deeper into the store, towards the books under the sci-fi genre.
“Something new came in recently,” Evie chitters excitedly, “I read it on a whim, but it was better than I thought. When I finished it, I knew exactly who I should recommend it to.”
Philip’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes, “You’re good at remembering people.”
“My memory is the best.” She winks at him before returning her attention to the shelf. “It’s how I made it through high school.” She reaches for a book that’s just out of her reach, standing on her tiptoes and Philip frowns.
“Not university?”
Evie visibly falters, before giving him a shy smile, “I’m… saving for university.”
Her acting is superb and when she reaches onto her tiptoes again I’m clenching my teeth and muttering a curse under my breath.
There’s a bright purple bruise forming a ring around her wrist.
My gaze snaps to Xavier, subtle and piercing, but the bastard ignores me as he continues watching the monitor.
Philip has noticed it too, and when he does, he pulls Evie’s book down from the shelf.
Evie looks alarmed for a single moment before shrugging her sleeves lower and tucking one of her braids behind her ear with a forced smile.
“That’s the one. ‘Heartship’. It’s an odyssey about a doctor who travels todifferent stars and his discoveries along the way. It’s meaningful.” She hesitates, scratching her head sheepishly, “Though maybe I got carried away by my preference. Were you looking for anything specific?”
Philip’s eyes have changed.
