Page 72 of His Son's Ex

“Good night, Eva,” he says.

The door closes. I stand on the sidewalk with my arms wrapped around myself as I watch the limo pull away. My heart throbs with an odd mixture of nerves and cautious hope.

I’m not alone anymore.

I head inside, thoughts spinning about the enormous step I’m about to take. Moving in with Dante and continuing to work for him, all while pregnant with his child and harboring the biggest secret of my life is terrifying. But for the first time in a long time, it doesn’t feel impossible.

Dante has promised to protect me and our child from his dark world.

That has to count for something.

CHAPTER 21

EVA

Ienter my apartment building, a modest three-floor walk-up.Under normal circumstances, I’d appreciate the charm and the neighbors who mostly mind their own business, but my mind’s still spinning from the limo conversation with Dante.

Lost in thought, I’m halfway up the last flight of stairs when something feels off. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, a silent warning. My heart kicks up a notch, but I keep going—cautious but determined to get inside and lock the door behind me.

When I reach my apartment, my pulse spikes. The lock has been broken. There’s jagged metal around the keyhole, like it’s been pried open.

My stomach twists in dread.

I know better than to go inside, but my feet carry me forward anyway. Slowly, I nudge the door open with my shoulder, bracing myself for whatever I’m about see. I’m expecting the place to be trashed, ransacked beyond recognition.

But to my surprise, everything is exactly how I left it, right down to the half-read true crime novel on the coffee table. No furniture overturned, no broken glass.Nothing has been disturbed.

It’s unsettling.

I tip-toe further in, looking around nervously with every inch.

“Hello?

The kitchen counters gleam under the dull overhead light. Something catches my eye—a single, folded piece of paper on the counter.

Next to it lies a bullet.

My heart hammering, I approach the note, forcing my shaking hand to reach out and grab it. The bullet itself is small, but it might as well be a grenade. I swallow hard as I read the typed words:

You’ll never be safe.

Ice shoots through my veins and I drop it. I need to check the rest of my apartment, so I slowly creep down the short hallway to my room.

My bed is untouched except for the knife buried in one of my pillows, the handle sticking out like some twisted decoration. The knife was jammed through so forcefully it’s pinned to the mattress. Another bullet sits on the nightstand like an exclamation point finalizing the message.

My limbs shake as I fumble through my purse for my phone. I frantically scroll through, managing to hit the call button for Dante. He picks up on the second ring.

“Eva? You okay?”

I try to steady myself. “N–no. S–someone broke into my apartment.”

I hear him mutter a curse under his breath. “Talk to me. Are they still there?”

“I don’t think so,” I whisper, my eyes scanning the room. “The place is spotless. But there’s a note. And a bullet.”

“A bullet?” His voice goes cold, lethal. “You need to get out of there. Right now.”

“Yeah, I know.” I swallow hard. “They stuck a knife in my pillow, too.”