“Don’t you think there’s a federal agent who’s checking on her on a daily basis to make sure she’s all right?”
“Perhaps before the trial. Since Eva gave her testimony against Anton Kovalenko, it seems to me she has been discarded.”
Liam pondered upon it. He felt disgusted. “I wish Eva’s whereabouts to remain secret.”
Anderson Cod stared unblinking.
“For now,” added Liam. “She’s suffering from amnesia. She couldn’t remember anything but her name. I don’t wish this information to aggravate her trauma.”
“Of course, Mr. Caderyn. I’m surprised that Ms. Walker survived the ordeal at all.”
“She’s lucky.”
“Forgive me for asking, you said she had a concussion?”
Liam hadn’t told Anderson Cod the whole story. He just said that he had found her in the stream with a head injury. He had employed Cod ever since he started running his business. Cod used to be his chief of security officer. But since Liam retired, Cod went solo with his new PI firm. Even though he and Cod went way back, the private investigator didn’t know the true nature of Liam himself, a secret closely guarded in Liam’s inner circle. “Yes,” he answered.
“Ms. Walker had testified against the boss of the vory v zakone. They are unforgiving son of the bitches if you ask me. When they send vors out to hunt, those men make sure the victim is dead before disposing of their body. They usually cut the fingers of the victims and pull the teeth to make identification impossible. They call it ‘professionally processed’. They have men that specialize in disposing of bodies. The fact that Ms. Walker only suffered a concussion makes her very lucky.”
“Maybe she got away.” Yeah, right. Three bullet wounds. Broken bones. Numerous cuts and bruises. Eva was an extremely lucky girl.
“I have another favor to ask you,” Liam said. “Perhaps you could go to her apartment and pick up several of her things? Sentimental items, like her photo albums, diary, and such? If that’s no trouble for you.”
“No trouble at all.”
“I figure Eva would like those mementos to help with her recovery.”
“Of course.”
“I assume you’ll be very careful about this? I’d hate to think that the men who did this to her might be watching her place.”
“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Caderyn, but you know I’m a professional.”
“I imagine snooping on a mob victim isn’t like being a chief of security officer. At least corporate spies aren’t inclined to cut your fingers or remove all your teeth.”
“You never know what one will do to cover up a secret, sir. Well, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to get going with my work.” Anderson Cod rose from his seat.
Liam stood up and shook his hand. “Thank you for helping Eva.”
“No trouble at all, sir.”
Liam saw the private investigator to the door. “Call me if you find something new.”
Cod nodded.
Chapter Three
After a bowl of chicken soup, a chicken salad sandwich, and a cup of ice tea, Eva felt sleepy. But she didn’t give into the temptation to curl back in bed and take an afternoon snooze. Instead, she went to the bathroom to take a long bath. While waiting for the tub to fill, she raided the dresser for clothes other than Liam’s ex-wife. She didn’t understand why she didn’t have personal belongings in this house. They were married right? Albeit newly-weds like he said. She should have some clothes in the house where they were living together.
The realization made her pause.
They were married and she didn’t even sleep in Liam’s bed. Judging from the lack of male possessions in this room, she was sure this wasn’t even their bed. Was this a guest bedroom? What kind of marriage were they having?
Eva spread her fingers in front of her. Suddenly she wanted like to cry. She didn’t even have a wedding ring. She didn’t know why she felt weepy. She was sure she wasn’t all mopey and whiny like this. Since when did she become a wuss?
Eva took a deep breath of exasperation.
Were they really married?
Ugh.
Biting her lip, she yanked open the bottom drawer. She found white men’s undershirts and boxer shorts. Ha! She looked at them with triumph. Liam’s clothes. She grabbed a pair and shoved the drawer shut. Liam shouldn’t mind if she borrowed his things. There was no way she would put on his ex’s clothes. And after her bath, she would march out of this room and find him and demand explanations. She didn’t care if she was trying too hard to remember. These unanswered questions were driving her insane….
After the bath, she put on Liam’s boxers and undershirt, combed her hair, and set out to find him. She was about to turn the doorknob when Liam beat her to it. He stood speechless in the doorframe. Apparently, he was amused by her choice of fashion. A smile blossomed on his handsome face.
“Lovely,” he said.
Eva looked down and saw what he meant. Her lush boobs tented the shirt, leaving little to the imagination. She pursed her lips. Her cheeks heated. “Well. There’s no way I’d wear her stuff.”
It took him seconds to realize what she meant. “I’m sorry, love.” He entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Why don’t we talk about this?”
“Sure. Just the things I’d like to ask you. I don’t feel that we’re really ma…” Her words trailed off when he held out his palm. Well, not actually his palm…he had something in his palm. Something gleaming. Rings. “What are those?”
Liam settled himself in a chair and hooked an arm around her waist. He pulled her closer. Eva sat on his lap.
“These are yours.” He took her left hand and slipped a platinum ring with a big Ceylon sapphire surrounded by glittering diamonds on her finger. “This is your engagement ring. It was my mother’s. And this…“ He slipped on another ring, a simple gold one with one paved diamond, “…is our wedding ring. I thought you’d like to have them back.”
Eva turned to him. “Have them back? What did I do to them?”
“You were upset.” He shook his head. “It was my fault.”
“What? What did I do?”
“We had an argument. You left.”
“And chucked out my rings?”
Liam only sighed.
Eva felt horrible. She acted like a bratty kid. “And my clothes too? My stuff?”
“It’s my fault, love. I shouldn’t make you upset.”
“What were we fighting about?”
“I don’t think we should discuss it right now. You’re recovering. Doctor Hall will have my neck if he finds out I let you strain yourself.”
Eva stared at the rings. They were beyond beautiful. And from the look of them, each ring cost a great deal of money. Her gaze cut to Liam’s ring finger. He was wearing an identical wedding ring. His and hers. A pair. Wedded. For better or for worse. Why on Earth would she throw away the symbol of their union? Had she lost her mind?
“So what? We had a fight and I decided to throw away my rings and all my clothes and walk away naked?”
Her theory earned a chuckle from him. “You were wearing your clothes when you left. Rosa had to throw them out because they were covered in mud.”
“What did I do?”
“You walked in the wood and fell and bumped your head. Hades found you.”
“Hades?”
“Our dog. A retriever.”
“Oh.” Eva clutched her chest. “Liam, I feel horrible for all this.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault. I told you I was being a dick. Will you forgive me?”
She couldn’t say no. Especially when she didn’t remember anything. How could he say this was his fault when so far, he had been nothing but nice. “I’m sorry too for being so childish.” She hugged him and buried her face in the hollow of his throat. Liam stiffened for a second before wrapping his arms around her, drawing her deeper into his embrace. She could hear his heartbeat as his warmth radiated from his body and enveloped hers bliss
fully. “How did we meet, Liam?”
“At Navy Pier.”
Eva straightened. “Oh, what did I do? How?”
“I have a yacht in the pier. One morning, I went to the deck and saw you floating in the water. I went in to get you and took you to the hospital. You don’t remember anything about how you got there.”
“What? When did this happen?”
“About a month ago. The police are working on your case. If it’s any consolation, I also employed a private investigator. I didn’t think you got into the water by accident.”
“Do you think someone was trying to kill me?”
“One of the possibilities.”
“And how about the police? Can’t they check my fingerprints for ID?”
“Nothing came out in the system. Listen, this is why I want to take things slowly. Everything will come back to you eventually.”
“You think?”
“That’s what the doctor said.”
“Oh. And along the way, we decided to get married?”
He smiled again. Eva’s heart did the skippy dance. “I married you so I have custody of you. The State would take you to the institution because of your condition. Besides, I fell in love with you. Can’t you see?”
Eva was flustered. He loves me. Here she was, a Jane Doe, a nobody with no memory, no friends and no family, and a man like him was kind enough to care for her and marry her. And how did she repay him? With a tantrum of chucking out the rings and her clothes like a spoiled three-year-old. She thought she deserved to slip in the mud and smash her head. She was a horrible person. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was being unreasonable. With the fight, running away, and bumping my head. You’ve done so much for me and I didn’t appreciate it.”
“Babe.”
She hugged him and hid her face in his chest. “I don’t want to lose you.”
She heard a sharp inhalation from him. She looked up and suddenly he found her lips. He kissed her.
The kiss was exquisite. It turned her brain into scramble and melted all bones into gel. He was possessive, kissing her as if he wanted to brand his soul on hers. Eva couldn’t think. She instinctively wound her arms around his neck. Liam deepened his kiss. She pressed her body against him. She could feel the hardness at the juncture of his thighs. Goodness, he was aroused. And she was too. He touched her, slipping his hand underneath the white shirt she was wearing. Her heart drummed. Heat flushed to her head. And when he was about to touch her breast and nipple, someone knocked on the door.
Liam broke the kiss. He withdrew his hand. Eva lamented her loss.
“Eva? Are you up, child?” Rosa opened the door and poked her head in. “Oh, I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Caderyn. I’ll come back later.”
“That’s okay, Rosa. What’s up?”
“I have Ms. Eva’s new clothes.”
“Bring them in and put them on the bed.”
“Yes, Mr. Caderyn.”
Eva locked gazes with Liam. She flushed again. She wanted to get up from Liam’s lap and sit on the other chair, but he didn’t allow her. Liam tightened his embrace instead. They watched Rosa put her purchases on the bed.
“Sorry, again.” Rosa stalked back to the door.
“Never mind. We’re just talking.”
Rosa just smiled. The word ‘right’ emanated from every fiber of her being. She withdrew in silence. When she was about to close the door, a big orange furry thing shot past her, knocking the door wide open.
“Woof!”
It was a big goofy golden retriever. His ears flopped as he braked to a halt in front of them.
“Eva,” said Liam. “I want you to meet Hades.”
Chapter Four
Cod had said Eva Walker had worked as a librarian in Brighton Beach. She was orphaned at eleven and moved from foster home to foster home until she was eighteen. Her parents died in a house fire when she only ten months old. Her aunt took care of her until she had a heart attack ten years later. Eva didn’t have any family.
Cod had planned to fly to New York to dig up more information about Eva. Liam was interested in Eva’s social life, to see if she had been romantically involved in the past. Liam wanted her. And he needed to know if she had someone special in her past life. The last thing he wanted to do was take someone’s girl.
On second thought, it was kind of late for that.
He had given her the blood rite. Whether she wanted it or not, she was bonded to him.
Liam opened Eva’s dairy and started to read it. Anderson Cod had returned to the house with his findings. Cod had scoured Eva’s apartment in Lincoln Park and came back with a few items. Some photos and the diary. Cod reported that Eva didn’t have many belongings. Furniture and clothes were newly purchased and non-descript, which wasn’t surprising considering Eva’s life had been practically uprooted after she witnessed what shouldn’t have been seen. Liam fingered the diary. It was newly purchased and didn’t contain many entries. He felt like a peeping tom reading someone’s diary, but he was curious. He needed to know if it contained anything that gave away Eva’s predicament before he gave it back to her. He didn’t want Eva scrambled when confronting her dire past.
May 23
Dear Diary,
Today I started my first day in the Arcana Foundation. My supervisor Flores gave me a crash course about restoring old documents. This job is interesting. Too bad I can’t read Latin. Maybe I should take a course. My co-workers seemed nice, but they were all geeks though. *heavy sigh* I think it would be too much to ask for someone interesting in this line of work. I think I’ll fit right in. Even though I’m surrounded with people, I feel so lonely…
Liam paused. Lonely. He knew the feeling. He enjoyed his reclusiveness, but sometimes he longed for someone to talk to. Someone special he could share his personal thoughts and emotions with. Someone who should be his bonded, unlike Natalie, who preferred an asshole human lawyer who used to be his best friend. The world had gone to hell in a hand-basket these days. A dragon betrayed her husband over a human lover. Those things were unheard of in the old days.
Liam read the next entry.
June 15
Dear Diary,
Ms. Jones gave me a bank card for three month’s advancements and a tidy sum to buy new furniture and stuff I need. From now on, our meetings will be limited. She gave me a number to contact her if I‘m in trouble. She told me to only call her if it’s really important. She said I should be safe now. No one would know what I did before. I am a new person. Reborn.
Crap, Liam thought. Now he couldn’t give the diary to her. He was hoping she wouldn’t mention any of the witness protection program experience.
June 26
I feel like someone is following me from work. I tried to call Ms. Jones. The number she gave me was no longer in service. I fear for my safety.
What? Liam straightened up in his seat. Jones just dumped her after Eva testified and practically gave up her life to win the case? He leafed through pages to read more of Eva’s diary, but there were no more entries. He found Eva on the 28th. She must have been attacked the day after she wrote her last entry. Anger bubbled in Liam’s chest. How could they discard one’s life after she no longer served their purpose?
Liam hated injustice. With his connections and money, he could make inquiries and make the people who deserted Eva pay. This would mean he would have to step out of his hermitic life and into the spotlight.
For Eva…he would do anything for her.
Liam slammed the diary closed and gathered the photos sprawled on his desk and piled them into a neat stack.
If he wanted to make war with the state department, that meant he must confess to Eva about everything. His heart felt heavy. Not because he had to come clean. He was worried how Eva was going to take it. He couldn’t keep lying forever. He loved her too much to do that.
Rosa once said the truth would set you free.
Would the truth set her free if it meant destroying her first?
*
Liam was about to jump into bed when he heard someone knock on his bedroom door. He opened it. His heart leapt. Eva was by his door, wearing a pink nightgown. She had ditched his boxers and undershirt. She looked so beautiful. Heat slowly rose within him. His cock twitched just by watching her like that. Damn.
“Yes?”
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Liam couldn’t figure out what she meant.
“Why do we sleep in separate rooms if we are married? Are you mad at me?”
Duh. He hadn’t thought about this. He didn’t mind sleeping in the same bed. But if he did, he would take advantage of her. That felt dickish.
“I’m not mad at you. Come in.” Liam stepped aside.
Now she hesitated. “I…”
“I’m not gonna bite you.”
She cringed. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you do.”
His turn to cringe.
“Too forward?”
“I like blunt women.” Liam offered his hand. “Come.”
“Have we…” she faltered.
“Yes?”
“Consummated our wedding?”
“No.”
She looked stricken. “Why not?”
“Because of your amnesia. I… we wanted to wait until you got better.”
“Sex isn’t rocket science. I know how to have sex.”
“Do you? Then what are we waiting for?” he teased.
“Well. Maybe, you’re right. Maybe we’d better wait…”
“Eva.” Liam held her hand and tugged her into his room gently. “Doesn’t mean we can’t share a bed.” He wanted to kick himself after he said that. He promised himself he didn’t want to take advantage of her, but he couldn’t help it. It had been a while since he was with a woman. A long while.
Eva hesitated. But then she stepped in, allowing herself to be herded into the bed. Liam pushed the cover down and tapped the mattress. “Come.”
She timidly sat while gawking at his room. Liam liked a minimalist style in his bedroom. He only kept a bed with two nightstands, with the walls painted chocolate brown, beige drapery with the whole scheme in an array of mono tones, easy to the eyes and promoting sleep. A white flower plant perched on Liam’s side of the nightstand, providing a contrasting yet relaxing coloration. Liam slipped under the covers. He wore a white undershirt and short boxers. He liked the feeling of bare feet against the freshly cleaned sheet. But tonight he wasn’t just smelling freshly laundered bedding. There was another scent present in the room.
Her Dragon Billionaire Page 3
