Evie reads the message but doesn’t respond. A few minutes later, she’s calling me.
“Hello, mi alma,” I answer.
“Don’tmi almame, Emmanuel. What the hell did you do? One hundred million? Are you freaking kidding me? Are you trying to get me arrested or something? How do I explain the sudden deposit of a hundred million dollars into my account?” she screams down the phone. “I have enough to worry about right now. Your crazy ass isn’t something else I want to add to the list. Take it all back.”
“Are you done?” I ask, waiting for her tirade to end.
“No,” she huffs.
“I know you’re stressed, Evie. I understand how you feel. But you haven’t lost everything. That will never happen. It’s just a hiccup. You will get your shop back. I promise you,” I tell her. “Whoever is responsible for the fire, I will find them and I will make them pay.”
“It was an accident, E. Amy was steaming a dress. She said the fire started. She didn’t know what to do and ran out of the store,” Evie says.
I don’t want to put more stress on her than she’s already under, so I don’t question her employee’s story. I’ll ask the girl myself. I don’t believe for a second that the CCTV was accidentally cut minutes before the fire started, or that a fucking garment steamer could ignite such a large blaze.
“I… I need to go. I’m sorry. Just… forget I said anything. This isn’t your problem, E. It’s mine, and I will deal with it.”
“Evie, your problems are mine. You are mine,” I remind her because I feel like she purposely forgets that fact.
“I’m not anyone’s. You need to forget you met me. Go and find someone who’s not as much of a mess as I am,” she tells me.
“You really want me to go and find another woman? Take her to bed?”I ask.
Evie hesitates, but then she says, “Yes.” It’s quiet, soft, broken. But she uttered the word.
“Too bad. It won’t work. You wanna know why?”
“Why?”
“Because she wouldn’t be you. I’ll see you in a few hours. Stay with Rachel. And don’t mention anything to Enrique. I don’t want him to know I’m on my way,” I tell her.
“He’s gone,” Evie says.
“What do you meanhe’s gone?” My back straightens.
“He overheard me tell you he manhandled me, mumbled something about getting a bag from his car, and then he got in it and drove off. I haven’t seen him since. I thought you finally listened to me and sent him home.”
“Evie, I need you to walk around Rachel’s house. Lock every door and don’t stand in front of any windows. Does Rachel have guns?” I ask her.
“No. What’s going on, E? You’re scaring me,” she says.
“It’s nothing. I just don’t like the idea of you being alone. Unprotected. Find a knife, a weapon, and hold on to it. Remember to always choose yourself,” I tell her. “I’ll be there soon.”
“What’s happening?” Paz looks to me when I drop the phone onto my lap.
“Enrique left. He knows I’m coming for him. Bastard. She’s alone,” I grumble.
“I’m sending Tomás. He’s only a two-hour drive away. He will get there in half that time,” Paz says.
“Gracias.”
The pilots made it to the small airfield just outside Evie’s town in record time. Paz informed me that Tomás was outside Rachel’s house, where Evie is staying. I feel a little better knowing she’s not alone, but I’m keen to get to her.
I want her to know that she can rely on me. That when life throws curveballs at her, I will be there to shield her from the blow. I want her to turn to me for anything that she needs, because I will make sure she fucking gets it.
The car pulls to a stop out front of Rachel’s house. I walk over and say a quick hello to Tomás, asking him if he’s seen Enrique. I will find him, no matter where he’s hiding.
My fist rises to knock on the door right as it swings open. “Where is she?” I ask, pushing my way past Rachel.
