Atlas takes the file and nods, “Thanks, man.”
I reach up and rub the scruff on my chin, “Who do you think tipped him off?”
Atlas shrugs, “We don’t know.”
Roman’s arm goes around Evie, pulling her close and dropping a kiss on her forehead. “So, who knew where you guys were going?”
Atlas looks to Kortez, and I see Kor’s eyes light up. He turns to Roman with a small smirk sitting on his lips, telling the one truth we all know but haven’t wanted to speak out loud. “Only the people in this room.”
Kortez’s admission earlier has everyone on edge, but they took the knowledge of someone keeping secrets relatively well. Evie is convinced they think I’m the traitor but she’s misreading the looks Roman keeps giving me. He’s not accusing me of betraying them, he’s wondering how well I could fuck him if he bentover for me.
I can’t blame him, though, because I’m wondering the same thing. He would moan so well for me. Just imagining the way his tan skin would turn red from my violent displays of love have me rock hard in my jeans.
Evie knows there’s something between us, but the guilt is making her see things that aren’t there and miss the ones that are.
Roman doesn’t believe I’m the traitor. He believessheis.
He doesn’t realize we both are. He hasn’t known us long enough to understand the tension Evie has been carrying has nothing to do with his case and everything to do with the fact that she’s been lying to him since he arrived. Even their meeting at the club wasn’t something fate decided, but something Evie orchestrated with the help of Vivianne, Wade, and I.
Wade began stealing the drugs and girls with the help of the local gang knowing Atlas would either send someone close to him to fix it, or he would come himself. When we got word it was his own cousin coming to look into things, the rest pretty much planned itself. Of course, Atlas would come to save his cousin from a lifetime in prison.
The only thing that wasn’t planned was the mountain of bodies Wade left in his wake. That should’ve been the first sign that something was wrong.
Evie shakes her head, her hand coming up to run through her curls. “Wade’s in Denver. I tried to tell him I was calling off the hit on Atlas, but he already knew.” Her wide eyes come up to meet mine, the grey looking darker in her turmoil. “How did he know?”
I take her in my arms, wrapping them around hertightly to try and stave off her trembling. “I don’t know, Evie, but we’ll figure it out. Did he agree to call it off?”
Her shaking gets even harder and I know she’s realizing the same thing I have – we laid in bed with the devil. “No. I even told him I’d still pay him, but he refuses to back down.”
She reaches down and pulls her phone from her back pocket, “Here, I recorded part of the call.” She taps a few buttons and a voice message comes through the speakers. His voice has a hint of an accent, as if he spent most of his life in New York like Atlas and Roman, but there’s no mistaking the violence infused with his words.
“I’m disappointed in you, Evangeline. I thought you were just as bloodthirsty as me, but you’ve been sleeping with the enemy.” A deep sigh comes through the speakers before he continues, “It’s unfortunate but I guess all good things must come to an end. Perhaps you’ll be able to bathe in Aldo’s blood before I catch your lovers – and you. I don’t take well to traitors. Remember you did this to yourself.”
The phone beeps as the voice recording ends, Evie’s phone dropping to the ground as her shaking takes her over. “I did this, Wylder. I’ve put all of you in danger.”
Taking her face in my hands, I tilt her head up until I can look into her tear-filled eyes. “Evie, I know you’re worried, but we have to tell them. Now it’s not just their lives in danger, but all of ours, including Abel’s.”
She cries out, as if she didn’t realize the extent of our situation. “I’ll kill him, Wylder. I’ll kill Wade if he even shows his face around my son.”
I rub her back, smiling down at her blonde head. “I know you will, Evie.”
We stay there, standing in her shed with our armswrapped around each other until her tears dry and the sun creeps below the horizon. There’s a knock on the door and I reach over to open it, Markus’s full form taking up the doorway. I called him after our talk this morning to get some of the old club asking around about Wade.
He checks to make sure no one saw him back here before shutting the door. “I checked in with the Seventh Street Psychos.” He stops in front of Evie and I, waiting until we unwrap ourselves from each other before continuing. “Their captain, Chaos, heard from Wade two days ago. He said Wade was back in town and needed a few guys to run recon.” His green eyes flare as they land on Evie, “On you.”
Evie curses and begins to chew on her bottom lip. Markus isn’t done, though. “Chaos was confused, though, Evie. Why would Wade need recon on the woman he’s been working with this whole time?”
Fuck.I knew Markus reaching out to the Psycho’s was a bad idea.
Evie looks from Markus, to me, and back to Markus before letting out a deep sigh. “Fuck.”
He nods. “Yeah. Fuck. I told the Psychos to let me know if they hear anything else, and they’re willing to feed this Wade guy some false info for a few days, but not for long.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what you two got yourselves into but be careful.”
Evie turns to look out the window to where Atlas is playing catch with Abel in the backyard. He came home from Sawyer’s earlier bursting at the seam to tell us about the baseball game they went to yesterday and it looks like Atlas took it as a chance to bond. Good for them.
I clap Markus on his back and walk him over to the door, “Thanks, man. If you ever need me, call me. I oweyou one.”
He laughs and shoots me a look, “We’ve had each other’s backs too many times through the years to be keeping score.”
