Flawed Perfection (An Eve Sumptor Novel) (10 page)

It seemed like a goddamn eternity before Eve was able to leave the building and see for herself that Lainey was unharmed. Police officers flooded the building, and Eve was questioned before being released.

When she stepped outside, she saw Lainey and immediately went to her, wrapping her arms around her. Eve held Lainey closer, feeling Lainey’s body shake with sobs.

“It’s okay. I’m fine. Shh, baby, I’m fine. I’m right here.”

“You have blood on you.”

“It’s Branson’s, honey. Not mine.”

“What happened? God, Eve, I was so scared!”

“I know. Me too. I have no idea what happened. One minute, we were talking to him, the next his brains were scattered on the wall.”

Eve cursed softly when Lainey’s body jolted.

“I’m sorry, Lainey. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Eve?”

She turned to look into Charlie’s worried eyes.

“You should take Lainey home. I’ll stay here and get as much information as I can.” He paused for a moment, watching her. “This is now a murder investigation. My jurisdiction.”

“It wasn’t me, Charlie.”

“I know. I was here, remember?”

“I mean, it wasn’t me they were after. I was two feet away from Branson. If they wanted me dead, it would have been easy.”

Lainey gasped, and clung to Eve’s hand.

Harris nodded, but he wasn’t sure Eve was entirely right. Multiple shots were fired. The shooter could have just missed his target. “I’ll get info, and give you what I can. In the meantime, stay out of this. Let me handle it. This isn’t just about stolen art anymore.”

Eve dropped Lainey off before pulling into her own driveway next to Adam’s car. He was home early, and she had blood splattered all over her. Perfect. She blew out a breath, and sat there for a minute, laying her head back on the headrest. She had hoped to be able to take a shower, and get her thoughts together before having this conversation with Adam. So much for that. And, after what happened today, there was no keeping it from him anymore. With a deep breath, she got out of the car and went inside to face her husband. Shit. He’s going to be pissed.

Adam was furious. Eve had promised him she wouldn’t keep things from him anymore, and he had to hear what was going on from Agent Fucking Donovan. It pissed him off even more that Donovan was in on this, since Donovan clearly had feelings for Adam’s wife. He heard her pull into the driveway—this time his heart was pounding out of anger more than lust—and waited. She must know he wasn’t happy, because she’s taking her sweet damn time coming in the house. Adam took a deep breath to try and calm himself when he heard the door open. He would give her a chance to explain. At least, that was his plan before she walked in covered in blood.

“What the fuck, Eve?!”

“Where is Bella?”

“Jack and the boys are watching her. So, again, I ask; what the fuck?”

“Baby …”

“Don’t! You’re covered in
fucking blood
!”

Oh yeah, he’s pissed.

“It’s not mine,” she said evenly.

Adam threw his hands in the air. “Well, thank fuck for that!” His eyes bore into hers. “Why did you keep this from me?”

Eve’s brows furrowed in confusion. How did he already know?

“I got a fucking call from Donovan, Eve.”

Fuck. That, for sure, pissed him off more. She knew Adam didn’t trust Billy’s feelings for her.

“What did he say?”

“I want to hear what
you
have to say!”

“Baby, I’m covered in blood. I watched a man die today …”

“It really sucks that that isn’t the first time that’s happened to you, Eve. What sucks even more is I am,
once again
, the last fucking one to know!” He roared.

Eve dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Exhaustion, dread, regret—so many damned emotions hit her at once—she no longer had the strength to deal with it now. “
I’m sorry
.”

Adam expected excuses, a fight, even a defiant Eve. Not this broken woman before him. This wasn’t how Eve was. She was strong, determined and confident. Flawed, yes. But, his perfection. His anger was conquered by this weary Eve. He came to her, silently picking her up and carrying her to their bathroom upstairs. Adam gently sat her on the closed toilet seat and began undressing her.

“I liked that shirt,” she said quietly when he threw her baby blue, silk shirt in the trash.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” he murmured, reaching to turn on the shower. “Up.”

Eve stood, wondering how her legs were working when she was so bone tired.

Adam stripped her, throwing all of her clothes away. He was sure the blood would come out, but Eve wouldn’t need reminders of this day. He took his own clothes off, then wrapped his arms around her.

“Hold on to me.” Even her grip around his neck was weak, he thought, as he lifted her and walked her into enormous shower. Normally their shower was one of their favorite places to make love. With its light emperador marble and pulsating, ambient lighted shower heads that surrounded them from calf to head, it added another element of sensation for them. Tonight, though, Adam just hoped it washed away what was hurting Eve. He placed her on the bench that lined the wall, turned the shower heads towards her, and grabbed the sponge and body wash.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

It felt good having him wash her. She didn’t want to talk or think, she just wanted to feel him. Eve shook her head when he reached up to wash her face free of blood.

He cupped her face in his hands when it was clean. “You have to tell me what’s going on, beautiful. I can’t be on the outside again. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was so small, so quiet, so unlike Eve, it scared him. She’s been through so much, he wondered if she had finally hit a point where she couldn’t take anymore.

“Let’s get you to bed.”

He moved to get up, stopping when she held on to his hand.

“
Hold me
.”

Adam sat next to her, pulling her onto his lap. He cradled her there while she wept silently.

“I asked Lexie to watch Bella here at the house. Indefinitely.” Adam set Eve’s coffee cup in front of her. He made it extra strong today. She had tossed and turned most of the night, so he felt she could use the pick me up.

“You don’t think she’s safe with me.”

It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway.

“I don’t think
you’re
safe, but I can’t control what you do.” Unfortunately, he added silently. “I can control what my daughter does.”

“Your daughter?” Eve couldn’t blame him for being worried, but damn, that hurt. She should actually be relieved. He was handling this a lot better than she thought.

“
Our
daughter,” he amended. “I don’t want her at the gallery until we know what’s going on. And, I mean
we
, Eve. You need to start talking to me.”

“Baby, I was going to tell you everything.”

“When, Eve? After it’s all over with and you finally let me out of a room you’ve lock me in?”

Eve flinched at the sarcasm and hurt in his voice. She should have been prepared for him to bring up that night Maurice was shot in her bedroom.

Eve had taken Adam to the secret studio she had had built in her apartment in the city when her neighbor, Mrs. Jenkins, warned her that Maurice was in the hall. She locked him in there to keep him safe, and Adam was livid when she finally opened the door. It took her months of apologizing—and, copious amounts of sexual acts—for him to forgive her. Even trying to explain to him that because she had just learned how to let him in her heart, the fear of losing him was too much for her, didn’t work.

“It was forgeries and vandalism, Adam, not murder. At least not until yesterday. I wanted something solid to tell you before coming to you and ruining your week.”

“Ruining my week?”

“You have been so happy,
amant
. You got this great account, was offered partnership, decided to venture out on your own. I didn’t want to spoil that with my shit.”

Adam stared silently at her for a moment before sighing.

“We’re married, Eve. That means whatever we’re going through, good or bad, we share it. For better or worse, remember? We don’t keep things from each other. Especially things this important.” He went to her and tilted her chin up to look at him. “You could have died yesterday. I would have lost my wife, and Bella, her mother, and I wouldn’t have had any clue as to why.”

His voice was rough as he tried to swallow the lump that formed. Thinking about what could have happened scared the shit out of him.

“I’m sorry, baby.” Eve reached up and kissed his mouth gently. “I honestly thought this was just some stupid incident from either my competition or some whacked out religious group. I didn’t think it would come to this.”

“Does this have to do with your father?”

Eve exhaled, harshly. “I don’t know. If you had asked me before yesterday, I would have said no, it’s impossible. But, now? I just don’t know.”

“Besides Donovan, who’s on this?”

“Charlie. Especially after Branson’s murder. And, James.”

“You called James?”

Adam appreciated the fact that James helped Eve with Tony, but having a criminal involved wasn’t ideal for Adam. Particularly when Bella was with Eve most of the time.

Eve rose a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “I trust him, Adam,” she said, reading his thoughts. “And, I thought he could find information if the paintings were being sold on the black market.”

Their brief staring contest was interrupted by the chiming of Eve’s phone.

“It’s Lainey,” she told Adam before answering. “Good morning. Did you sleep okay?” Eve sat heavily in the chair, fighting fatigue that wanted to swallow her up. She felt guilty for putting Lainey in the middle of a dangerous situation. Again. Jack was probably pissed at her. Which sucked, because Jack and Eve’s relationship—for what it was—had began to be cordial after Eve took a bullet to save Lainey’s life. Though Eve knew he would always blame her for Lainey’s involvement in the first place. Even so, a mutual—silent—peace agreement was made for Lainey’s sake.

“Good morning. Yes. You?”

“Mmhmm.” Eve hadn’t slept well, but she didn’t need Lainey worrying about her.

Lainey hesitated, then drew in a shaky breath. “Eve, I told Jack everything that was going on.”

“Good.” She glanced at Adam who sat next to her, and was watching her intently. “He should know everything.”

“Well, now that he does, he doesn’t want me going in to the gallery. At least not until they find the shooter. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s understandable.” She was disappointed, of course. But, honestly, could she blame Jack for the request?

“Are you going?”

“I’m not sure, yet.” Adam hadn’t made the same request. Would he? And, would she comply?

“Did you talk to Adam?”

“Yes.”

“Is everything okay?”

Eve paused as she looked at Adam. She saw in his eyes that he was hurt and angry, but he kept calm when talking to her. Calm before the storm? God, she hoped not.

“Yes. Honey, Lexie will be here in a little bit, and Adam and I need to finish talking. Can I call you later?”

“Of course! I hope you don’t go to the gallery, Eve. If you do, please be careful. I’m going to worry about you.”

Eve couldn’t respond in the way she would like to Lainey, so she just said her goodbyes and hung up.

“Does Jack know?” Adam asked as Eve set her phone down.

“Yes.”

“And? How does he feel about it?”

“He doesn’t want Lainey going to the gallery until we know something.”

“Is Lainey agreeing to that?”

“Yes.” She saw the pain in his eyes, and knew he thought she wouldn’t do that for him. For some reason, knowing he felt that way, saddened her. “Ask me.”

Adam frowned. When the confusion lifted, he knew exactly what she meant.

“Will you stay home?” He took her hands in his. “Please? Stay home where I know you’ll be safe?”

“I will.”

Relief filled his face so quickly it almost knocked the breath out of her.

“Can I ask you something, Adam?” When he kissed her knuckles and nodded, she continued. “Are you going to start yelling at me, or punish me at some point? I’d rather know now instead of waiting for it.”