The sound of heels clicking on the utilitarian tile floors echoed down the hall. They stopped in front of her, followed by the soft hiss of someone settling into a vinyl cushioned chair.
“You need to wise up, honey.”
Ginny’s husky voice cut to the quick, no screaming, no ranting or raving, just blunt.
“I was stupid to trust her,” Eva said with a sigh.
Ginny echoed her sigh and Eva lifted her head to look at her. The older woman looked tired. The harsh lighting showcased the faint age lines around her eyes and mouth. Fear haunted her hazel eyes, catching Eva by surprise. She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. Ginny beat her to it.
“We all trusted her to a point. Tawny has been around the club for a long time. She grew up in Trinity Falls.”
“She sold me out.”
“It sounds like she had some not-so-gentle persuasion.”
“You’re defending her?”
Ginny picked at the arm of her chair with a manicured nail. Her hand was shaking. “I’m not defending her, or excusing her. What I’m saying is that I might understand why she did it, and with everything you’ve been through, so can you.” She dug in her purse and pulled out a cigarette.
“You can’t—”
Ginny waved her words away and lit up, taking a long drag. “It’s either I take a couple puffs off this cigarette, or I go postal on someone’s ass,” she said with a rueful smile and a little shrug.
“So, if I wasn’t stupid for trusting her, how do I need to wise up?” Eva asked, an edge of hurt, or was it anger, in her voice?
“An infuriatingly smart man told me that I need to stop and think before I let my heart lead the way, and you’re the same way. You need to stop and think about the consequences of your actions, not just for yourself, but for those around you. Mox loves you. He would do anything to protect you. I’m not talking sappy, teenage love. This is the real deal, a gift, and it comes with responsibilities. When you put yourself in danger, you best be prepared for your man to do whatever it takes to protect you. He would take a bullet for you without blinking, and, with your baggage, honey, that isn’t farfetched,” Ginny said, taking another long pull on her cigarette and sliding down in the chair.
At that moment Eva wished that she smoked. Swallowing the lump of pain trying to block her throat, she nodded. She had no rebuttal for Ginny’s comments. Her very presence in Trinity Falls put Mox, his friends, and family in jeopardy.
“I’m not telling you to leave, so get that thought out of your head right now.”
“How can you say that? Trinity Falls wouldn’t have been a blip on Constantine Chelios’ radar if it wasn’t for me.”
“Don’t go all martyr on me now. You’re made of sterner stuff than that.”
“Then what the hell do you want me to do?” Eva asked in exasperation.
“I want you to be as willing to fight for my son as he is for you. Be strong. Love him back the way he loves you.”
“I do love Mox, but I’m not good enough for him. You said so yourself.”
“I’m his mother. No woman is ever going to be good enough in my opinion. That doesn’t mean you’re not the right one. You’re the one that has to decide if he’s worth fighting for.”
Eva closed her eyes, trying to ignore her pounding headache. There was no misinterpreting her feelings anymore. She loved Mox. She would’ve never thought it possible, but she loved him, and she felt loved in return.
“If you have to think about it that hard I may have to kick your ass,” Ginny said as she put out the cigarette in a pop can and spritzed the air with some perfume.
“I love him.”
“Then fight for him.”
Eva nodded. Ginny made it sound so easy, and maybe it was. Eva studied the older woman. It certainly seemed to be for her. She envied Ginny’s outer calm and strength. Even with her nerves frayed, she showed the world her mask. Mox saw his adopted mother as a perfect woman. It was no wonder. Eva nodded again. Ginny was right. She needed to make smarter decisions and toughen up as well. Mox didn’t need stupidity and tears from her. He was doing his part. She needed to do hers. Steeling herself, Eva sent up a silent prayer and changed the subject. “Will the club forgive Tawny?”
“It’s hard telling. Zeke’s looking for her now in Cleveland, and he’s not real happy. She better have the answers he wants to hear.”
“He’s not alone is he?”
“No. Murphy has his back. After all the patrols they humped together in Kuwait, Cleveland is a cake walk,” Ginny murmured, eyes drifting closed again.
“Are you okay?”
Ginny opened her eyes and offered a small smile. “I will be. The family has been through a lot of shit in the last year. I’m ready for a little boring normalcy.”
Parking was easy to find. Only five o’clock, the entertainment district didn’t start hopping until a little later. Zeke glanced over at Murphy. The fucker had had his nose buried in his cell phone the whole drive. Zeke rolled his eyes.
“This is the one. Let’s go, Columbo.”
Ignoring his partner’s sarcasm, Murphy stepped out of the car and admired the sign. A busty blonde peeked coyly over her shoulder, showcasing her perfect assets in fluorescent pink and giving the club its name, Cheeks. They’d almost reached the door when he shared an interesting tidbit he’d found online.
“Did you know that one of Rocco Soriano’s companies own this particular club?”
“You don’t say?”
“Actually, Google said it, but a background check confirmed it.”
“My day keeps getting better,” Zeke muttered.
“How is it that no one put two and two together before now if Tawny has been a hanger-on for so many years?”
“I couldn’t have told you which strip club she worked in until today. It didn’t matter. I see all of Tawny I need to see without paying a dime.”
“Does your ol’ lady have an issue with you going to the titty bars?” Murphy asked, eyes sparkling in amusement.
“Nope.”
“You had no problem ogling a little T & A when we were on leave.”
“I still don’t.”
Murphy chuckled at his taciturn partner’s clipped answer and followed him through the door.
Flashing his badge and a photo on his phone to the guy at the door, Zeke asked,
“Has Tawny come in yet?”
“How about you pay your cover charge and sit down to see?” the burley doorman suggested.
Zeke smiled. “How about you answer the fucking question, or I call for backup and have this place swarming with uniforms over a simple question? How would you like to explain that to Soriano and his goons?”
Rolling his eyes, the guy dropped his attitude and looked around the nearly empty place.
“Cherry! Have you seen Tawny today?”
The petite redhead accepted a bottle of water from the bartender and shrugged. “She was in about twenty minutes ago and cleaned out her locker. She had a hell of a shiner. Maybe she’s getting out of the business. She’s not getting any younger you know.”
“Cheeky little thing,” Murphy quipped.
The bouncer smirked at the play on the clubs name. “Catty is more like it, but there you have it. Before you ask, I got no idea who messed her face up.”
“We’ve got that one covered. Thanks for your help,” Zeke said, and headed back to the car with Murphy in tow.
“Soriano’s goon isn’t stupid. He’s likely figured out that Tawny played both sides, so now Cleveland is no safer than Trinity Falls for her. Where does she go from here?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. Her dad lived in that shithole trailer park outside of town last I knew. We can check with him. I’ll call Reaper. He hooked up with her for two or three months and might know something, but Mox is probably our best bet as soon as he gets out of the ER,” Zeke said with a little head shake. “The ox spent more time talking to the bunny than banging her.”
“You’re such a charmer. How the hell have you stayed married all these years?” Murphy asked.
“Just a lucky man I guess,” Zeke said smugly and turned the ignition over.
Eva chewed her bottom lip as she followed Mox up the steps to their apartment. He’d been strangely quiet on the ride home from the hospital, only speaking to answer Ginny’s questions. She tried to squash the feelings of guilt. Everyone knew Chelios being in Trinity, and therefore Mox getting hurt, was her fault. Crying over it wasn’t going to do any good.
Mox dropped onto the bench just inside the door and stared at his feet, weariness rolling off him. Squatting down in front of him, Eva unlaced his boots and pulled them off. She put her hands on his thighs and looked him in the eye as he went to stand.
“I’m sorry,” she said simply. “I’ll be smarter and tougher from now on.”
Mox reached out with his good hand and tucked hair behind her ear. His lopsided smile stabbed straight to her heart.
“We both will be,” he said.
Eva couldn’t hold back a shiver as she thought of Mox facing Chelios again. Her fingers ran over the cast on his injured wrist.
“I’ll be fine. The ribbing from the club will hurt more than the damn tendons.”
Eva looked up at him in surprise, a protest on her lips, and then she shook her head with a little smile. She would never understand male bonding. “Just hit ’em with your cast if they give you too much shit.”
Mox grinned and stood up with a grunt, pulling her with him. He unclipped his wallet from his belt and handed it over. “Do me a favor, baby, and order us some grub from The Lantern. I’m not supposed to take these painkillers on an empty stomach. I promised Ginny I’d lie down to keep her from following us up here and seeing the pups.”
Already moving to plump throw pillows, Eva nodded and directed him down onto the couch. As soon as he was comfortable, and had the remote in his hand, she grabbed the phone.
Chapter ~ 28
Spittle flew from Rocco’s lips as his fist slammed down on the glass conference table. His thick, dark hair stood on end from the rake of his fingers, and his silk tie hung askew.
“Five fucking weeks and not only can you worthless bastards not find Eva, but now I have detectives visiting my clubs, asking questions about another twat. I should kill the whole fucking bunch of you!” he snarled, swinging the gun in his hand in a wild arc that encompassed them all.
The crew shifted uneasily, shooting wary glances in Chelios’ direction.
“Don’t fucking look at him. Regardless of what some of you mooks think, he ain’t in charge around here. My father treated him like a son, and look how the Greek mutt repays my family. He shows that bitch more respect than he does me. She should be at my fucking feet by now, one way, or another,” Rocco railed. “Why do you suppose the cold-blooded Mr. Chelios calls my whore, Miss Taylor?”
No one wanted to answer that question. Chelios’ gaze remained level, locked on Rocco.
“Why is that, Constantine? Enlighten us,” Rocco demanded with a chilling smile. He gave the gun a grand sweep, as if to release the floor to Chelios.
“You’re the boss. Miss Taylor belongs to you. It isn’t a show of respect for her, but rather of your belonging,” Chelios said quietly.
Rocco’s eyes narrowed, his head cocking to one side as he contemplated the explanation. An image of Chelios helping his mother down the steps toward the end of her illness flashed in his mind, putting a damper on his ire. The Greek had been every bit as attentive to his father in his final days. He was as loyal as a lap dog. Lucky for Chelios, the answer rang true.
Rocco looked him in the eye. “Good answer. You get to live another day.”
Chelios didn’t blink as the gun went off, leaving a perfect hole between Dino’s eyes and blowing out the back of his skull like a firecracker in a rotting pumpkin.
Low storm clouds and choppy waters stretched in a monochrome gray for as far as he could see. Rocco lounged in the window seat, surrounded by tasseled throw pillows. The cushioned alcove had been Eva’s favorite hidey-hole. Had she planned her escape while staring out these windows? Rocco swirled the deep amber liquor in the decanter he held. A glass wasn’t going to cut it tonight.
Everywhere he looked there were reminders of Eva. Mixed emotions raged through him. There was no doubt the ungrateful bitch was going to pay for spitting in the face of everything he’d done for her. He wanted to beat every last spark of fire out of her, and yet that fire was what separated Eva from the rest. It was what fueled his lust and kept him coming back.
He’d played with more pussy in the past month than a gynecologist. He’d fucked and tortured them six ways to Sunday, and still, the bitches bored him. Taking a long swig of the brandy, he let his head fall back against the wall. What was it about Eva? His head thudded against the wall. More importantly, where the fuck was she?
His gut said there was something Chelios wasn’t telling him. It was in the way the icy fucker watched him with that blank expression. He hadn’t flinched tonight. The others had been sweating it, but the Greek had stayed cool. Rage started to build in Rocco again. The son-of-a-bitch better fear him.
Rocco took another long swig from the decanter and smiled. If they didn’t find Eva soon, perhaps the dour Chelios would be his next example. The look on the other mooks’ faces when he carved a permanent smile on the fucker’s face would be priceless.
Chapter ~ 29
The sound of car doors drew her eyes from the television, but it was the familiar broad shoulders and silvering flat-top that caught Becca’s attention. Turning to kneel on the couch, she thrust her fingers between cracked vinyl slats to get a better look. Rhys’ father was walking up the sidewalk at the trailer across the street. Another man hung back a bit, hand hovering near his hip.
Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward for a better view. Was this official police business, or had old man Stevens pissed off the Lords? Zeke pounded on the door and stepped back. Becca could tell by the way he twitched his jacket back that he was armed as well. Her heart raced as he stepped forward and banged his big fist again. He looked menacing in the gloom.
She caught her breath at a movement in the shadows behind the trailers. Eyes straining, she pressed her nose to the frost covered pane and watched for another glimpse. She frowned, barely making out a female form disappearing behind the neighboring trailer. She let out a small gasp as an idea struck. Mr. Stevens was Tawny’s father. Had that been her slipping out the back? Was Zeke looking for her? Had the slutty bike bunny finally done something to fall out of favor?