3
JERICHO
My heart is heavy as I walk toward the front door, replaying our conversation in my head. Twenty minutes with Evan has me feeling like everything is right in my life again.
Except, Evan almost died. Almost bled out in front of me.
If I hadn’t gotten there when I did, we never would’ve been able to talk at all. It’s a sobering thought.
I stayed away from Evan to keep him safe. I hoped that someday, when my blood lust is under control and Foxx is over his obsession with me, we could’ve talked things through. But he ended up nearly killed by someone else anyway.
I almost missed my chance to ever see him again.
As distracted as I am, I nearly miss the subtle tugging at my heart telling me something is wrong.
I pause to listen, but aside from Evan’s heartbeat and easy breaths, I hear nothing. Reaching for the curtain on the living room window, I peek outside and my stomach sinks.
A familiar white sedan is parked on the opposite side of the road, taillights glowing a bright red.
Shit.
I let the curtain fall, hesitating before turning around. I never should have come here. Not when I knew Foxx’s men were still looking for me.
Rip is probably on the phone with Foxx right now, trying to figure out why I stopped here. As Foxx’s right-hand man, Rip is the one who’s been chasing me these last ten months. The sadistic vamp is as ruthless as he is dangerous, and if he ever learns about my history with Evan, he won’t hesitate to start hunting him too. Rip would torture him just to get information about me.
So much for keeping Evan safe.
“Ev,” I say quietly as I turn around.
His shoulders are tense, eyes narrowed, like he’s analyzing me. Reading me like a book. At least that hasn’t changed.
His gaze shifts to the window before returning to me. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you trust me?” I ask.
“Of course I do, but why are you asking?”
I fist my hands, willing myself to stay calm, but my fangs descend anyway. “I need you to come with me. I don’t have time to explain.”
Again, his attention goes to the window, his jaw ticking. “Is someone after you?”
“Yes, and they’re here. Please, Ev. We don’t have long. I’m sorry I’ve brought you into this.”
Evan’s face pales, but instead of backing away, he steps toward me without any hesitation at all. He only looks around his house to snag his coat off the hook. “Okay. Let’s go.”
It shouldn’t surprise me. Evan is the one person that’s always been there for me. The one person who chose me over anyone else, which is why I stayed away. Deep down, I knew he’d follow me straight into the unknown.
Please, let me keep him safe.
I take another peek behind the curtain again, trying to gauge the distance between us and the van. Our only advantage is that Rip is parked in the opposite direction, and he won’t come after me on foot. He never has. Probably an order of Foxx’s, but I can’t figure out why. What the fuck do they want with me?
“We need to be fast.” I reach for the key fob in my pocket to unlock the doors. Thank God the lights don’t flicker, or Rip would know I’m about to leave.
“Vampire fast, or you know, weak little human fast?”
I shake my head with a controlled grin. I really have missed this fool. “I don’t know. I might need to throw you over my shoulder.”
He chuckles, but it’s strained.
