It wasn’t as disturbing as it should be, considering what had happened that morning, but brought with it an odd sense of peace.
Maybe it was her mom’s spirit—
Eva jumped when she felt a vibration against her left buttock. Blowing out an annoyed breath, she took her phone out to see a text from Caleb. As she read, she flicked the volume button back on.
You home?
Yeah. Just got here.
You okay?
Her lip curved, her heart warming as she typed in a lie. Yup. Did you learn anything about this morning?
She waited almost a minute, staring at the bubble that signified he was responding.
Still working on it. Ttyl
Sending a kissy-face emoji, she tucked her phone away.
Before she could fall back into the pit, a light breeze whispered against her face. The scent of rain and grass mingled with what came from the house, watering down the emotion it evoked.
“I know we didn’t go for the ghosty shit, mom,” she murmured, smiling a little because Kathryn Jacobs, a literal genius, hadn’t been one to believe in anything that hadn’t been studied to death. “But I’ll take you anyway I can get you.”
As night shadows stretched over what would be a brilliant green lawn come morning, hiding the sword ferns and other foliage surrounding the yard, a dog barking in the distance, the sound more a let-me-in-I’m-done-peeing than someone’s-in-the-yard, Eva had to admit being home wasn’t so bad after all.
† † †
Gabriel watched Eva linger in the entrance to her house, her lips curving in a private smile.
Gorgeous.
Who was she texting? Paynne? Her friend Nika? Which one had caused her expression to soften like it had? Hopefully Nika, he thought with a scowl.
“She kept her earbuds in and ignored the guy the entire flight.”
His scowl deepened as he looked sidelong at the right brain of his security team, Quan Mao. He’d hired the skilled Asian American when Quan had first landed in Seattle a little more than four years ago. He’d come from an Asian unit in New York that had turned sour, and he’d proven himself more loyal and trustworthy than even some of the boys Gabriel had known for twenty years back home.
They’d met up tonight at SeaTac. Quan had been with Eva from the minute she’d arrived at JFK, joined her on the plane—without her knowledge, of course—and had just finished telling Gabriel about some frat boy who’d sat next to her and tried to strike up a conversation a few times. He’d swear the information was only being shared to poke the bear.
But then, his boys weren’t aware he was lusting after his charge, so maybe not.
“He wasn’t a threat?”
“No.”
“Then why am I hearing about it?” he snapped while noting Eva’s gaze was focused on the large weeping willow a few hundred yards from her driveway. His Escalade was parked in its shadows. He tensed, even though there was no way she could see them under the cover of the dewy branches and lightless night.
“Just keeping you informed.”
There was an odd note in Quan’s dry statement that Gabriel didn’t want to examine. Fuckin’ guy was too observant for his own good, he thought as he absently measured the length of Eva’s legs. Looong. And, man, her waist was tiny. That goddamn hair. He wanted to wrap the shiny mass around his wrist and use it as leverage to pull her back onto his aching—
Shutting that shit down, he silently cursed and forced his gaze away to scan the area, even though Quan would be on it. Gripping the steering wheel as Eva finally turned and disappeared into the house—thank fuck—he confirmed, “Nick gave the all clear?”
Nick Delvecio, Eva’s neighbor, had been planted in the house on the right by Vasily himself. The retired enforcer had been with the Moretti family for more than twenty years before being relocated here.
Quan nodded. “He slipped out the back door when she was dropped off.”
Satisfied with that, Gabriel settled in. He’d stay for just a little while, even though there were already eyes on the house.
He had to move forward with the job thing, he thought after a few minutes of silence. Get her installed in his office as soon as he could. Because with Stefano now onto her, she needed to be as close as Gabriel could get her. To protect her as only he knew how.
A rush of heat rippled over his skin as his mind fast-forwarded to tomorrow evening.
Ready or not, the time had come for him and his charge to meet.