I folded one leg over the other keeping my eyes on her. “Malachi mentioned about a man following me.”
She nodded. “I think it was the same man who followed you and Everett when you left Stella’s house last week too. I left their contact information on the fridge, by the way. They were worried.”
Yeah, they could stay worried for a while. I wasn’t ready to talkto her again. Not yet. Not after I humiliated myself so much.
“We also believe it’s the same people who have been following you in that black van.”
I knew it. I knew something was wrong with that van. It just seemed out of place. “So, if you guys are so powerful, who is it? Why me?”
“Jack ran the plates, nothing. Checked cameras,” she shrugged. “Nothing. All we have is the description of that girl you talked to that day in the park, do you remember that?”
My cheeks burned bright red, my face hardening. God, he was such a prick, and I was embarrassed that while I was waiting for him to show up, he was enjoying the show.
“You should start taking Lucy everywhere you go from now on,” Evelyn went on when I didn’t reply. “We’ll be around, but we still have jobs to do too.”
I took a drink of wine. Good, that was good. “It’s probably some fan. I picked a pen name for a separate reason, but people obsess over crime books. Crime anything. I was bound to have some crazies find me eventually.” I was completely unnerved, but I didn’t want Everett knowing that. I just moved into a new house. I had a cop living down the street, and my house, apparently, was covered in cameras. I wasn’t going to get any safer than I was right now.
“We checked and couldn’t find any proof that it was a fan,” Evelyn informed me.
I watched her for a long time before gesturing to my dog. “I’m not worried.”
“Dogs don’t stop guns. You should probably get one yourself,” Evelyn suggested.
It was an effort not to react, especially with Everett’s eyes boring into my skull. “Why?”
Her brows pulled together which was expected. The question was a stupid one. “In case someone breaks in. You need one.Have you ever shot one?”
Only in my fantasies. “No.”
She looked over to Everett. “You’ll train her. Daddy dearest has me doing something this week. I guess Azrael is…” she waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, trouble again. Teach her how to shoot.”
“Yeah, make good on your orders, we all know you have issues following them.”
His eyes raged. “Do you have something you’d like to say, Olivia?” he asked through his teeth.
I flicked the metal pawn hanging from my still damp collar. “Daddy dearest has great taste,” I taunted. “You should learn a thing or two from your precious master. A girl loves her accessories.”
Evelyn smiled, glancing over to Everett who looked on the verge of exploding. “We do love our accessories,” she agreed.
“You think you’re safe because Evelyn’s here?” he asked, his eyes narrowing to slits. “I don’t give a fuck what she sees, if you want to take your anger out on me, be prepared for the consequences.”
Evelyn’s eyes swung towards me, waiting for my response.
It was just another chance for him to get in my head again, for him to take. Another chance to get another payment. Why couldn’t Everett deal with his brother? I worked my jaw, my heart racing, butterflies erupting, and I forced the nerves to filter through my anger. “He’s not teaching me how to shoot a gun,” I told her. “Absolutely not.” I didn’t want him anywhere near me again. Especially not with a gun.Especiallynot with a gun.
A sly smile crossed her lips. “Yes. If someone breaks into this house, you need a gun and you need to know how to not shoot yourself while defending yourself. If anything, the sight of it will hold him off until we get here.” She shoved herself up and walked over, sliding a hand over my shoulder as shewalked behind the chair. “It’ll be good for you both.” She leaned down, running her nose across the shell of my ear, causing me to shiver, but nothing else. The high with her was gone, the addiction to Everett overtaking everything. “Payments can be fun.” She nipped my ear, Everett’s eyes going black. “I’ll be thinking of you when I fuck my toys tonight.”
I turned my head towards hers to tell her to stop. Her eyes glowing bright, her hand sliding into my hair, her lips lowering…
“S—”
A door slammed so hard the wood splintered.
I flinched, my head whipping around to the front door, heart pounding. “Did he break my door?”
She laughed, standing. “No, baby girl, just his own heart. A point made, but I honestly didn’t think he had one. See you soon, I’ll call you.”
My brows furrowed. “What? You don’t have my number.”
