it is.”
“Taking a vacation?” Stefano inquired when she straightened, making her realize she’d fucked up and volunteered information after all.
“No.”
His lip twitched at her one-word response. “Running?”
She couldn’t swallow her sound of surprise. “Running. From what?”
He shrugged. “Maybe you have something to run to. Or someone. A lover, perhaps? It’s all right,” he said when she blanched. “We’re all adults here. You can speak freely.”
If she spoke freely, she’d tell him to fuck off, so she kept her mouth firmly closed. And as if she’d casually blab to them about her personal life. More laughable was the idea that she’d ever run to any man. Pfft. After witnessing what love had done to her mom, seeing the misery that had forever lingered in the back of her eyes, Eva had vowed long ago to steer clear, thanks very much.
“I have to go,” she stated coolly, at the same time heading for the door. She kept them both in her periphery as she left with a muttered, “Have a good one.”
Stefano Moretti’s dark eyes watched her until the very last second, his parting words slithering through the crack of the closing door. “See you soon, Eva Jacobs.”
Not if she could help it. Rushing toward the stairs—screw waiting for the elevator—she winced at the racket her sandals made as she traveled the gloomy stairwell—
She nearly missed a step when Stefano’s goodbye registered.
He’d called her Eva Jacobs. He’d used her full name. One she hadn’t supplied!
With the hair on her arms standing straight up, she pulled her phone out and called Caleb.
“Hey, Priss. Didn’t expect to hear from you until—”
“Are you aware there are two men in your apartment?” She didn’t bother protesting the nickname he’d been using since she was thirteen that labeled her a Prissy Princess.
“What. Who? How the fuck do you know that?”
“I just left them.”
“What? Are you okay?”
Not really. “I’m fine, just confused and a little freaked. I came by to drop your things off on my way to the airport and there they were. The one who asked all the questions said his name was Stefano Moretti.” She’d made it down the four flights to the main floor and paused, attempting a smile, as an older woman with a yipping poodle passed her in the foyer. “I can’t remember the other guy’s name. Huge, long black hair. Scary as hell.”
As she pushed out into the sweltering summer heat and dodged the foot traffic to reach her Uber, the silence in her ear stretched out. Not a good sign. Having settled into the role of protector early on—his and Nika’s parents had both been taken from them by cancer before Nika had turned eighteen—Caleb’s brotherly, hurt-the-girl-and-you’ll-bleed wing had extended to include Eva. The security he offered had always been a comfort. Even if it had made dating in high school a total nightmare.
“Caleb? Are you still there?”
“Yeah,” he growled in his rumbly voice. “I’m here. You should’ve just dumped that shit.”
Yanking open the car door, she fell onto a seat with zero springs and nodded for the driver to go. “I would have, but I had your apartment key, so I figured I’d drop everything off since I had some time to spare. I thought you’d be home.” Goosebumps popped up on her arms and she lowered her voice to a near whisper. “That guy, Stefano, he knew me, Caleb. He asked my name and I told him Eva, but when I was leaving, he said, ‘See you soon, Eva Jacobs.’ I didn’t mention my last name.”
An impatient groan sounded. “Aw, for fuck’s sake, Priss. How many times have I told you not to give out your real goddamn name? You didn’t know these fuckin’ guys—”
“Well, they knew me,” she cut him off again. “Which means they’d have known I was lying anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.”
“Yes, it does, Leila,” he insisted, using the stripper name he’d chosen as her alias if she ever needed one. “You should have done as I told—”
“Listen.” If she let him, he’d lecture her right through her boarding time. “Do you know Stefano Moretti?”
There was a tense pause. “Yeah. He heads a big organized crime family. Anyone who hangs out in our world knows the name. Never met him personally, but he’s been to the clubhouse. Maybe he saw you there or something.”
She frowned at the weak suggestion, not buying it. “Why was he in your apartment?”
“I don’t know. I gotta make some calls and get back to you on that. Get