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“Fuck, don’t… don’t talk like that,” I tell her. “We’d come for you a thousand times.”
Together, we make our way back to the lobby, Ryder and Oliver flanking us as soon as we come into sight. The two of them help Eva outside to one of the cars while I deal with facing off against the remaining DeLuccis.
“You bastards think you can steal what belongs to someone else and get away with it?” I ask, anger seeping out of every pore. “If it weren’t for the fact that I’m not interested in starting a full-scale war, I’d gun each and every one of you down without hesitation right here and now,” I tell them.
My lip curls into a sneer. “Tie them up,” I order my men. The weasels will find their way out of the trap eventually, but for now, I don’t want anyone coming after us.
Once the DeLucci scum is secured, I head back outside to the car, where Eva is pressed between Oliver and Ryder, their hands stroking over her hair and patting her back reassuringly.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I say. We take off back for Shadowvale, and along the way, I call Dr. Monroe, asking him to meet us at the manor.
I keep looking back at Eva all through our drive, almost unable to believe we got her back safe and sound. I never want her out of my sight again, which is a dangerous thought, I realize.
I’m surrounded by danger all day, every day. Can I let Eva into this world with us, knowing that?
Once we arrive, Dr. Monroe meets us at the front door, helping Eva upstairs along with my brothers. I stay outside to call Daniel and brief him on the situation. We try not to get the cops involved as much as possible, so I don’t want any of them showing up to investigate what happened at the hotel.
Once I’m done, I finally feel like I can breathe again.
My thoughts turn to that cryptic comment one of the DeLucci men made. What did he mean that I don’t know who’s really pulling the strings? Is it possible that Declan was behind Eva’s kidnapping?
Feeling like that might be too sinister even for Declan, I brush it aside so I can go in and check on her. Still, the thought lingers in my mind as I walk into the house, nagging at me. Would he seriously do something like that just to keep us off his trail?
31
OLIVER
My mind spins in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions as I pace back and forth in the quiet solitude of my room, Eva's kidnapping at the forefront of my mind. After our desperate struggle to rescue her, my emotions have been all over the place.
As I replay the chaotic events in my mind, I realize with a jolt that my feelings for Eva have shifted. What started as mere attraction has blossomed into something deeper, something I'm reluctant to admit even to myself. I've fallen in love with her.
But alongside the rush of affection comes a wave of fear. I know that by staying close to Eva, I'm putting her in even greater danger. The DeLucci Family won't hesitate to target her again, and this time, it could be even worse for her, or for our baby.
My heart aches with the weight of my conflicting emotions. I want nothing more than to protect Eva, to keep both of them safe from harm, but I fear that my presence in her life will only serve to draw danger closer to her.
Lost in my thoughts, I struggle to reconcile my love for Eva with the harsh reality of our dangerous world.
With a heavy heart, I acknowledge the bitter truth. Being with us means that Eva’s life will always be in danger. Our enemies will no longer hesitate to use her as leverage against us, to strike at the very heart of our family through her.
With that, I make the difficult decision to distance myself from Eva, at least for the time being. It’s the only way to ensure her safety, to shield her from the dangers that lurk in the shadows of our world.
Resigned to my fate, I decide that I need to preoccupy myself by looking back at the files that Daniel gave us on Declan and trying to see if I can find any more of a connection between him and the DeLucci family.
Because it doesn’t make any goddamned sense that Declan would run straight to our enemies to get rid of his best friend, not if he could do it himself and get away with it. I pull the files out and sink to the floor, spreading them around me so I can examine the contents.
I’ve already gone through these files, but I keep hoping if I look through them, I’ll find something I hadn’t come across before. Something that would tie Declan to the DeLuccis, something that would definitively tell me whether or not he was the one responsible for our father’s death.
It isn’t enough that we think he might be involved. If we’re going to confront him and take him down, we have to be certain. We need a plan, we need a backup plan, and we need another plan on top of that.
Declan is smart. He’s had to be to get to the top like this. If he even suspects that there’s a whiff of discord amidst his ranks, he’s quick to eliminate the perceived threat.
Realizing I need to get Daniel’s help, I pull out my phone to call him up. He’s a detective, so he’s got resources and access to intel that I don’t.
“Hey, Daniel, it’s Oliver. Are you on a case right now?”
“Just finished one,” Daniel says. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you would mind helping me look more into Declan’s past,” I tell him. “I wanna know what kind of connection he has with the DeLuccis that they would even consider making a deal with him. It’s completely out of character for them to make deals with a Callahan, so why would they agree to help him, of all people? Especially since he was our father’s right-hand man.”
