see you’ve met Ms. Hollis.” He glanced at Eve. “Don’t give up on her yet, Mrs. Bradley. I have high hopes.”
Accepting the bag, Eve stepped away in a rush. “Thanks. Bye.”
As she hurried to her car, she ignored the fulminating glare from Mrs. Bradley that was burning a hole in the back of her head. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched by a darker, more malevolent force.
The sensation scared the hell out of her.
After sliding into the driver’s seat, Eve locked the doors and released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“I’m getting out of this,” she promised whoever might be listening. She reached into her purse and withdrew the hand wipes her mother, a retired nurse, insisted she carry.
After she scrubbed her face and hands, Eve turned the ignition. Then she drove around the block, looking for “Joey.” She had no idea what she’d do when she found him, but damned if she’d let herself get pissed on and not track the little shit down.
CHAPTER 8
An hour of fruitless searching later, Eve parked her car in her assigned spot in her condominium complex’s parking garage. With her hands wrapped around the steering wheel, she refused to look at the empty space where Alec’s Harley had been when she left. He might be gone for five minutes or five years or forever.
The first time they made love, he’d disappeared before she awoke. She’d waited in their hotel room all morning. Tired. Sore. Madly, stupidly in love. She had believed he intended to come back for her. No man could hold a woman as he’d held her and not return.
In the end, she’d left only when the maid told her she would have to pay for another night if she didn’t vacate.
Days of waiting and hoping and heartbreak followed. Weeks passed, then years. She wanted to kick herself for being in the same spot, feeling the same pain ten years later. Smart people learned from their mistakes; they didn’t keep making the same ones.
A sudden rapping on her car window jolted her out of her musings. Frightened, she looked out the window and found Mrs. Basso leaning over with a frown.
“Eve? Are you okay?”
Her tense shoulders sagged with relief. She pushed open the door. “You scared me.”
“You’re jumpy today.” Mrs. Basso held mail and keys in her frail hands. The mailboxes were all located on the ground floor, just a few feet away from the parking garage.
Climbing out of her car, Eve managed a reassuring smile. “I have a lot on my mind.”
“I bet part of it is six foot two and around two hundred pounds.”
Eve blinked.
“He was looking for you,” Mrs. Basso said. “Seemed really concerned that you were gone.”
“Did he say where he was going?” Or if he’d be back?
“No. He had a duffel bag with him though. Don’t fret. If he’s got a brain, he’ll be back. You’re worth it.”
Touching Mrs. Basso’s shoulder gently, Eve kissed her wrinkled cheek. “Thank you.”
“Come on, I’ll walk up with you.”
Depressed by the prospect of returning to her empty condo, Eve briefly considered heading to her parents’ place but didn’t think she could deal with her mother at the moment. Some days, her mom’s quirkiness was just what the doctor ordered. Most days, however, it drove her nuts. Since she was already on the edge of insanity, she thought it best to keep her distance for now.
Eve shook her head. “I think I need to walk a bit and clear my mind.”
“I would feel better if you came upstairs. You’ve had a rough week.”
Eve laughed softly, without humor. She wished she could explain. Part of her believed her friend would understand. “I won’t be gone long. Just a few minutes.”
Mrs. Basso sighed. “Okay. We still on for the movies?”
“You betcha.”
She watched Mrs. Basso head to the elevators, then left the building through the garage’s pedestrian gate.
It was a beautiful day and the number of sunbathers on the beach gave her a feeling of security. Too many witnesses. Which was both good and bad. The exposure that kept her safe also exposed her when she most wished to be private.
As she walked the length of the beach, she kept her head down to discourage interaction. She was too busy thinking to be interested in casual conversation. If she wanted out of this mark business, she’d need something of value to bargain with.
The wind whipped loose strands of her hair across her face and throat. Her heightened senses