Forever Eva [Sequel to When Kat's Away] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (23 page)

Holding her hips, Zach slid from her body and moved off the bed. She watched him get rid of his condom and then return to pull her away from Tony’s body. Laying her out on the bed, he climbed in and snuggled next to her back.

“Are you alive, Tony?” asked Zach.

Tony snickered. “No, I think I died and went to heaven.”

Zach snorted. “Well, get your ghostly ass up here and help keep our woman warm.”

Tony moved to curl up to Eva’s front, taking one of her breasts in his hand and gently thumbing the nipple. “This just gets better and better.” He leaned in close and kissed Eva’s nose. “I do love you, Eva. You’re everything to me. I’ve never felt about anybody the way I feel about you.”

Zach licked the rim of her ear. “I love you, too, darlin’. I wanna spend my life with the two of you.”

Eva smiled, reaching for an arm from each of them. When she had them, she held them close to her chest. “I love both of you very much. I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how much.” She closed her eyes and drifted toward sleep. “I’m gonna have my happily ever after,” she whispered, right before the darkness closed around her.

* * * *

Laura dropped her purse on her desk and glanced over to Tony’s empty seat.
What the hell can I do to get him to rid himself of that little bitch? He should have been begging to get back in my bed after the night we spent together.
She groaned.
Figures, I finally get him in my bed and he’s too damn drunk to remember. Even if we didn’t do anything, you’d think waking up to a naked woman would have piqued his interest. There’s got to be a way to drive her out and have him turn to me for comfort.

“Officer Kennedy.”

Laura turned when she heard her name and saw Danny Bishop striding closer. “Hey, Danny, what’s up?”

He stepped close and closed his fingers around her upper arm. “Are you still willing to keep our date?” he whispered.

She frowned. “Of course I am. Why would you even ask?”

“Well, I figured you must be shooting to make captain and I’d be forgotten in all your coming glory.”

Laura tried to move back only to have his fingers tighten on her arm. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, and if you don’t let me go, you’re gonna be singing soprano.”

Danny chuckled and held up several sheets of paper. “I’m talking about the case you’re working on. How the hell did you get any leads after all this time? I mean, jeez, this must be the cold case of the century. I just wanna know if you’re gonna let me ride your coattails and catch some of the glory?”

Laura’s fist tightened, her fingernails biting into her palm. Gritting her teeth, she spoke through a clenched jaw. “What the hell are you going on about?”

“Your case. I got my work caught up sooner than I thought and dusted your necklace for prints last night. This morning, the computer kicked it out red-flagged from a cold case.”

“Whose prints are on it?”

“The prints on the outside weren’t in the system. The most I could tell you is they’re probably female. But, when I dusted the inside, it was a whole other story. I got a different set of prints. They belong to a Ms. Anna Lorraine Oakland.”

Laura frowned. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

Danny scowled. “Don’t you keep up with the cases in your own precinct? It was only the biggest missing person’s case of the century. I looked it up. Hell, your pal, Officer Grandy, headed the investigation right alongside the FBI. It just passed its second anniversary. Two women, Anna Lorraine Oakland and Katarina Elizabeth Evans disappeared from the Hamilton remains and have never been heard from since. The only thing left was Ms. Evan’s car.”

Laura pulled away and sat in her chair. Grabbing the papers from his hand, she started to read. “We had this Anna person’s prints on file?”

“Yeah, she was a nurse, and the hospital she worked for printed all its employees.”

“And you’re sure the prints belong to the missing woman?”

“Check the printout for yourself. It’s a positive match.” He pulled a plastic bag from his pocket and laid the locket down on her desk. “There’s no doubt. The missing woman had the locket in her possession at some point. There’s a small twist of hair inside the locket that tests say is over fifty years old. Not really sure what that means.”

“So the person that had this necklace most likely had something to do with the woman’s disappearance.”

“That’s a reasonable assumption. I’m getting the feeling you weren’t looking to this locket for a specific case. What’s going on, Kennedy?” When she didn’t answer, he leaned down and placed his lips close to her ear. “What are you gonna do now?”

Laura thought for a moment and then stood up. She moved close to Danny and put her hand on his chest. “I need you to keep quiet about this for just a little longer. I don’t want my little suspect to catch wind and take flight.” She smiled up at him and brushed her body against his side. “I promise I’ll make it up to you, and I’ll make sure your name appears right alongside mine on the case reports.”

“Good enough for me. I’ve got to get back to the lab. Keep me in the loop.”

Laura watched him walk away and sat back down.
There’s no way Tony knows about her involvement in any crime. He’s too straight a cop. He’s not the type to go along with it. This woman has worked her way into his life for some reason. She probably knows he was in charge of the investigation, and she’s trying to make a fool out of him.
She grinned and reached for her phone. “All I have to do is let him know what I found out, and he’s gonna be so grateful for solving the case, he’ll be back in my bed before you know it.”

* * * *

Tony gripped the phone tighter. “No, she’s not here right now. She’s out, um, looking for a job. I don’t expect her back for several hours. I’ll come in and get you so we can pick her up together.” He listened for a moment. “I’ll be there in about an hour, maybe a little longer.” Shutting his phone, he took a deep breath and raced down the steps toward the kitchen.

Zach’s arms were around Eva, tickling her as she tried to pour a glass of orange juice. He looked up. “Man, you’re running late. Don’t you have to work this morning?”

Tony swallowed hard. “We’ve got trouble.” He looked at Eva and took her hand in his. “Laura stole your necklace the day she came by when we weren’t here.”

Eva’s mouth dropped open. “She stole my necklace! What could she possibly want with my locket?”

“She wanted your fingerprints.”

Zack frowned. “So? That shouldn’t be a problem. The system isn’t gonna kick out Eva’s prints. They’re not on record anywhere.”

“No, it won’t kick her prints out, but the necklace belonged to your mother, didn’t it, Eva?”

She scowled and moved away from Zach. “Yes, it was Mama’s necklace, and before her my grandmother’s, and before her my great-grandmother’s.”

Tony sighed. “Your mother’s prints were on the inside of the locket.”

“Oh, shit,” Zach, groaned. “The computer kicked them out for a cold case.”

“Exactly. We’ve got to get her out of here.” Tony reached for Eva’s arm.

“Wait,” she cried. “What’s going on? What are you talking about?”

“Your mother’s fingerprints are on the inside of the locket. You know what fingerprints are, don’t you?”

Eva shrugged.

Zach picked up her hand and pointed to her fingertips. “Each person has a unique set of lines on their fingers that can be used to identify them. No two people have the same set of prints on their fingers.”

“So you’re saying Mama’s lines from her fingers are inside my necklace. Guess that makes sense since she had it for years.”

Tony growled. “But the computer shows your mother’s prints belong to a woman who disappeared without a trace two years ago.”

Zach put his hand on Eva’s chin and raised her head. “Honey, they’re gonna think whoever has the necklace had something to do with your mother’s disappearance. They’ll take you into custody to question you, and when you can’t prove who you are, they might not let you go.”

Eva’s eyes widened, and she crossed her arms over her stomach, backing up until she ran into the refrigerator.

“What are we gonna do?” asked Zach.

“We’ve got to get her out of here. I’ve put Laura off, letting her think Eva’s out looking for a job, but I told her I’d pick her up at the station in an hour. I can stall a little from that, but she won’t wait for long. She’s anxious for the glory that comes with finding evidence on a cold case.”

“We definitely need to get her out of your house, then. And we can’t take her to mine because that’s the second place Laura would look. Where can we take her that the police won’t find her?”

Eva raised tear-filled eyes to Tony. “I’ve got to go home.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Zach.

Tony ran a hand through his hair. “She’s right. It’s the only way to keep her safe.”

Zach snorted. “I didn’t think anybody could get the portal to work on command.”

Eva shrugged. “Timothy said it works with strong emotion, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem today.”

Zach nodded. “Okay, then I’m coming with you.”

Eva froze, looking at Zach with shock in her eyes. “You wanna come back to 1899 with me?”

Zach pulled her close against his chest. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I love you, and I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Zach, did you ever get a chance to check for death certificates at the courthouse?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t think there was a rush and never got around to it.”

“So we know for sure that she goes back, but we’re not sure if we get back with her.” Tony scratched his head.

“What do you mean you know for certain I go back?”

Tony sighed. “Zach found evidence that showed you go back to your time and live to be a ripe, old age. At least that’s what we think the paperwork means.”

“But you don’t know if the two of you live that long life with me.”

Zach took her hand. “No, I’m not certain that we go back with you.”

She shook her head. “Then you can’t risk it. I don’t wanna see you hurt, or sent to a different time than me. I’d rather remember you well and happy here.”

Tony moved close and picked her up, silencing her with a long kiss. When he pulled back he stared into her eyes. “Zach, use Eva’s phone and give Timothy a call. Tell him to meet us at the saloon and bring anything we might need to open the portal. Maybe he can give us some pointers on how to make this work.” He let Eva slide to the floor and tweaked her nose. “Don’t stand there with your mouth open. Let’s finish getting dressed. I don’t wanna meet your family without my clothes.” He winked and turned to head back upstairs. His grin widened when Eva swept past him and rushed up the stairs.

He went to his room and changed from his work pants to a comfortable pair of jeans, and then added a soft T-shirt. There was no point in packing any clothes. They wouldn’t look right back in 1899 anyway. He paused for a moment, and then pulled out a small black box he kept in his bottom dresser drawer. Inside were his mother and father’s wedding rings, his mom’s engagement ring, a couple of cocktail rings, and his father’s gold watch. He stuffed the jewelry in his pockets. His money wouldn’t be any good, but he might be able to barter with the natives with gold jewelry.

Zach stuck his head in the door. “I got a hold of Timothy. I think he’s shocked, but he’s gonna meet us there.” He raked his gaze up and down Tony. “Are you ready?”

“Absolutely. I’m not taking anything except myself and a few keepsakes from my parents.” He stopped and studied Zach. “Do you need to go home and get anything like that?”

“Nothing to get. I figure we don’t need money or clothes, so I’m good to go. I want you to know something.” He took one step into the room. “I’m not sure if what I feel for you is love or not, but I know that I wouldn’t want to attempt this trip without you. I have feelings for you. Deep feelings that I hope you’ll give a chance to grow.”

Tony smiled. “We’ll take things one day and a time and let the future take care of itself.”

Eva appeared behind Zach, a lost look on her face. “Are you sure you guys wanna do this? There’s a lot of risk involved and no guarantees.”

“I’m coming with you,” Tony promised.

“Just try and get rid of me,” Zach said.

Grinning, she turned toward the stairs. “Then let’s get a move on. We’re going home.”

* * * *

Eva held tightly to Tony and Zach’s hands as they approached the remains of the Silver Rush Saloon. It seemed like only yesterday she was washing the dishes and planning out the day’s menu. She looked over at the blue truck parked on the road. “That’s Timothy’s truck. Wonder where he is?”

“I’m here, Eva.” Timothy waved to them from the door of the saloon. “I’ve set up the candles the exact way they were the one time we got the red circle to appear.” He shrugged. “I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

Tony smiled. “Thanks, man. We appreciate any help you can give us.”

“Anybody wanna tell me what’s happened to make the three of you so desperate to go through the red circle?”