Page 12

Chapter 11

I closed the bedroom door behind me and leaned my back against it, eyes closed and breaths labored. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

My body jolted when a soft knock reverberated through the wood of the door and into my right shoulder. With a shaky voice, I called, “Yeah?”

“Evie, may I come in?”

Jamie. Hell, this was her house. How could I tell her she couldn’t come in? Scrubbing my hands up and down my face, I stepped away from the door. “Of course.”

I heard the swish of the door opening and then felt a slight touch between my shoulder blades. “Tell me what happened, honey. Did I say something to upset you?”

With a jaw made of steel, I turned with a forced smile on my face. “It wasn’t you. And I’m sorry I ran off like that. It was rude of me.”

Her pretty lips slid into a crooked smile. “Don’t bullshit me, Evie. Tell me.” Her voice left no room for argument, and for some inexplicable reason, I trusted this woman. Wanted to talk to her. Jamie was brash and funny, but at the same time, she was gentle and caring.

Running the fingers of one hand through my still damp hair, I let out an exhale that felt like it had been roosting in my lungs for days.

“You said you help people who are searching for a better life but…” My fingers gripped thick locks of hair, tightening until I could feel the tug against my scalp. The slight pinch seemed to give me that last ounce of strength I needed to continue. “I already have a good life. Had a good life, I guess, since everything is all fucked up now.”

Deflating like a popped balloon, I sank into a crouch, palms pressed to my face. “I want my life back.”

Jamie didn’t say anything, but I sensed movement and peeked through my fingers to see her sitting at my level, cross-legged in front of me. She gestured for me to do the same.

“Sit, honey. Trust me, your knees will thank you once you reach my age.”

At first glance, I’d thought Jamie was in her forties, but on closer inspection, the tiny lines around her eyes and the hints of gray snaking through her dark hair told me that was probably an underestimation. I sat, mimicking her position and clasping my hands in my lap.

“Evie, marrying a former mobster and secretly helping people go underground was not in my life plan.”

The blunt statement and sarcastic undertones in her voice made me smile. “I imagine not.”

“I was married once before, in my twenties, but when we found out I couldn’t have children, he left me. I was resigned to being alone, focusing on my career. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t some recluse with no friends. I had an active social life and a fulfilling job.”

I stayed silent, letting her speak as she leaned back with her palms against the floor. “At least I thought I was fulfilled until that big oaf busted into my office that night. But Robert and the job we do now were like the puzzle pieces I didn’t know were missing.” Jamie smiled at me. “What I’m trying to say with all my rambling is that life doesn’t always go the way we expect it to. There are bumps and twists and turns that move us in a different direction. And I know, sweetie, I know you’re in a horrible situation, and I hate that for you, but your focus right now needs to be on surviving.”

With my fingernail, I flicked at the edge of the bandage on my right knee. “I know people have it a lot worse than me but—”

“No,” Jamie cut in with a shake of her head, “don’t compare your situation to others’. What you’ve been through is horrific, and you’re allowed to have all the feelings about that.”

“I hate Damiano,” I admitted. “I hate him for deceiving me, for being a criminal, even for being related to Luca Cappitani, though I know that last one’s not his fault.”

Jamie was quiet for a beat. “Did you have a good father growing up?”

A little surprised by the change in direction, I bobbed my head up and down. “The absolute best.” My heart squeezed behind my breastbone. I missed my dad so much.

“I did too, but Damiano didn’t. He grew up a criminal because that’s what he learned from a very young age. His father is…” She shook her head and pressed her lips together. “He’s a very bad man.”

“As bad as Damiano said?”

Her face was solemn. “Probably worse. From what my husband told me, the way Luca treats women is absolutely disgusting. I know what you’re going through now seems bad, but you’re lucky Damiano didn’t deliver you to him.”

I stared at my knee, watching my thumb smooth down the corner of the bandage I’d been picking at. “I know, and I am grateful for that, but he lied to me. He said he was taking me to my family. He let me believe he was some kind of agent that had come to rescue me.”

“Definitely an asshole move. Are you afraid of Damiano?”

My mind played through all the memories I had of the man in the short time I’d known him. “I probably should be, but no. He’s actually been very kind to me.”

“Would you prefer to go on the run by yourself? Because we can make that happen.”

I was surprised at my instantaneous response to the question, at the fear provoked by the thought of being alone out in the world, not knowing a soul. Even being with Damiano would be better than that.

“No. I know he’s a criminal, but I somehow feel kind of safe with him. I don’t think he’d let anyone hurt me.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Jamie said thoughtfully. “Sometimes a person from the wrong side of the law is the best person to protect you from others on that same side.”

“So what happens now?”

“Robert and I will talk it out and come up with a plan. We can go over it with you and Damiano tomorrow.” Her lips curved into a small smile. “You actually picked a good time to get kidnapped. Robert and I are on vacation from our jobs right now.”

My brow creased. “I’m so sorry to interrupt your vacation.”

She waved a hand at me. “No worries. We weren’t going anywhere, just having a bit of a staycation at home.” Standing, she held out a hand toward me. I took it and let her help me to my feet.

“Thank you for checking on me. I just have all these emotions I don’t know how to handle.”

“It’s okay, honey. I’m sure all this is unprecedented in your life.”

That made me chuckle. “Truth. I’ve never been kidnapped, sold to a mobster, and then almost blown to smithereens before.” I sighed. “I just feel like I don’t have any control over my own life anymore.”

Jamie surprised me with her next words, honest ones, not blowing smoke up my ass ones. “You really don’t for the most part. You can only control what you can control, Evie.”

“Which is pretty much nothing right now.”

Her head tilted to the side in thought. “You can pick your new name.”

“My new… oh, right. I can’t exactly go around calling myself Evie Bouvier.”

“Nope, you can’t. Robert and I have found that most people find it easier to adjust if they use the same first initial, but that’s not a hard and fast rule. If you want to call yourself Marjorie, Queen of the Fairies, go for it.”

I allowed my lips to lift a bit at the corners, even though the thought of changing my name made me feel a little queasy. “That does have a nice ring to it.”

“And you have some say about where you’ll live. Do you prefer a coastal, mountain, or desert setting? Or maybe on a farm in middle America?”

“I loved living in New York, but when my dad would ask us where we wanted to go on vacation, I always voted for the beach. It’s my favorite place to go.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I think we can make that work.” Pulling out her phone, she tapped her thumb against the screen a couple times. “I’m about to run to Target to get you and Damiano a few essentials. What do you need?”

“It’s okay. I don’t need—”

“Favorite body wash?” Jamie asked, ignoring my protest. Resigned, I rattled off the name and answered the other questions she asked regarding my sizes and other products. Her green eyes sparkled when she looked up at me. “See? You do have control over a few things. I turn into a total grump when I don’t have my favorite smells around me.”

A smidgen of the frustration inside me dissipated. The thought of having my honey and vanilla body wash—hell, even my fruity shampoo—was somehow comforting.

Jamie was right when she said all I can control is what I can control. And all I could control right now were tiny things like my preferred bath products. But for tonight, that would have to be enough.