to let Alec be collateral damage. Fratricide was ingrained in them, but damned if she’d he the cause of either of their deaths.
She felt him trying to probe her mind. She pulled away, breaking the physical contact between them. “I have to run. Think about that story. Tack an unhappy ending onto it and that’s what you’ll get if you don’t back off.”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
“Abel.”
They both turned their heads to see Sara approaching. Eve ducked into the car while Reed was distracted, and hit the button for the lobby.
“Hey.”, He caught the door before it closed. “What the hell?”
Eve pushed his hand out of the way. “Your brother isn’t expendable to me, Reed.”
He stared at her with a hard gaze until the doors shut.
Once she reached the lobby, she switched elevators to catch the one that would take her up to her office on the forty-fifth floor. The number of Marks in the tower was declining steadily as the workday winded down, allowing the sickly sweet scent of their souls to settle down to a manageable level.
As Eve entered the reception area, Candace stood and offered a slight wave. Eve smiled in greeting.
“Ishamel said he’d be here at four-thirty,” the secretary reported, rounding her desk with message pad in hand.
“Perfect.” Eve headed toward her office.
“You have an e-mail from your sister, and also one from Sarakiel that’s marked urgent.”
Eve paused and Candace almost ran into her from behind. “If it’s urgent, why didn’t she just call and tell me? She’s got my number.”
“There’s an attachment, so that might be why. Want something to drink?”
“No, thank you. You can go home now.”
Eve went to her desk and sat before her computer. She accessed her e-mail and read her sister Sophia’s note first. Pictures of Eve’s niece and nephew filled the screen and caused her a pang of envy. She was the eldest, but Sophia was years ahead of her when it came to settling down. And as long as Eve had the mark, she would remain behind. Marks were sterile.
She typed out a quick “as soon as I can” reply to Sophie’s query about when she’d be coming to visit. Then, she reclined into her chair and took a moment to push past unwelcome feelings of resentment.
As she often did at times like these, she glanced around her office, taking in the mixture of traditional modern and Asian-inspired bamboo pieces that made up the decor. Most of the furnishings had been moved from her previous, much smaller office at the Wiesenberg Group. Part of the effort to blend her old life with her new. That’s what she remembered when she felt down—that she’d been allowed to blend her two lives together. None of the other Marks were so lucky.
Refocused, she straightened and clicked open Sara’s e-mail. The name of the attachment that came with it gave her pause, since it was clearly a recording of a video feed from “CainOffice” made yesterday. Had Sara become aware of Alec’s problems? How much danger was he in if she had?
Eve double-clicked on the video and waited for it to load.
Once the replay began, it took her a minute to comprehend what she was watching. It took a bit longer to break the stillness caused by horror, freeing her to kick the computer’s power cord out of the outlet in the floor. The monitor turned black and the computer’s cooling fan stopped, leaving behind an empty silence.
Breathing in and out deliberately, Eve leaned into her desk and tried to forget what she’d seen.
“T-that wasn’t Alec,” she told herself. “That wasn’t him. You know it.”
It’s ugly and painful, but we have something worth fighting for...
He meant to tell her. She knew it. Lay it all out there and hope she’d understand. But she was still jealous and pissed off.
Standing, Eve began to pace. Her emotions wanted an outlet and there wasn’t one. From the expression on Alec’s face, he had been as much of a victim as Izzie. Whatever comeuppance the German bitch deserved for making a play at another woman’s man had been served during the act.
Which left only Sara.
Eve stopped at the window and leaned against the console positioned in front of it. What the hell had the archangel hoped to gain by sending that video to her? Sara wanted her away from Reed, so why send her something that was troubling enough to push her right into his arms? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right?