EVES: (Carsonbrothers, #2)

by Dyble, S R

  * * *

  I was thankful that we'd got there early, because when we arrived my grandparents flight had landed early and I beamed at the two of them, before I practically ran across the floor to them.

  "Eves," my grandma breathed, hugging me tightly.

  My grandad was next and he made sure to point out my bump.

  "You're glowing!" my grandma said once I pulled back and I blushed as Lilly came over. She hugged them both and commented on their tans.

  "She been taking it easy?" my grandad asked Lilly.

  I looked at her, telling her with my eyes to be careful what she was about to say.

  "Yeah, I've made sure to keep her in line," she grinned.

  We were leaving the airport a lot sooner than planned and I thought about texting Kit to let him know but figured he'd be busy training. Instead, I enjoyed speaking freely with my grandparents in the car.

  "What do you wanna do first?" I turned to look at my grandparents in the back seat.

  "Have a cuppa," my grandma said, making us all smile.

  "Nearly there," Lilly beamed and I could feel the anticipation building from the backseat. Despite being away in a beautiful country on holiday, I could tell they were glad to be home.

  "When will you be showing us yours and Kit's new house, Eves?"

  I glanced back at them again, their faces were filled with hope and happiness. I feared that underneath the words they'd said over the phone, that actually they weren't too keen on the idea. I could tell from their faces now, that that wasn't the case.

  "You can see it today, if you—"

  "Can you see that smoke?" Lilly asked.

  I'd already seen it, which was why I'd stopped speaking and as Lilly turned the corner everyone in the car gasped.

  "Stop the car!" I shouted and Lilly slammed the breaks on.

  Outside of the car, I ran at full pelt, with fear filling my eyes as I stared up at my grandparents house aflame with fire.

  "Eves!" my grandparents shouted at me, urging me not to go any further.

  A car screeched to a stop and I turned around to see Nick running towards me.

  "He got you out?!" he asked me, but I was still in complete shock.

  "Eves? Did Kit get you out?" he asked again, staring back at the house.

  I snapped out of it then once he'd mentioned Kit's name and I gripped onto his arm, seeing Kit's car parked against the curb behind him.

  "He got your text that you were at home and you were scared, he dropped everything and came straight here."

  Sickness consumed me as I stared at the building and then screamed Kit's name at the top of my lungs.

  Just as I did, he ran out of the house, in a cloud of smoke. I ran up to him quicker than I should have and he rushed straight at me, holding me at arm's length and holding my face to make sure I was okay.

  "You're okay," he said and I nodded, crying. His face was darkened with black muck and I saw my grandparents standing close by, my grandma in a flood of tears watching the upstairs of their house consumed by fire.

  "Oh god, the photos," she sobbed. "The photo albums."

  My grandad struggled to hold her up as I stared at the house, a pool of water forming in my eyes.

  "My family," it came out almost like a croaky whisper and I felt Kit staring at me and my grandparents. Then suddenly I felt his grip on me loosen and he unlatched from me and pelted like a whippet.

  "What the fuck is he doing!?" Lilly said from my side as I screamed at him to stop. Lilly had to hold onto me because for a second I was ready to run in after him. Nick ran to the doorway, shouting for his brother as I heard the fire engine sirens stopping behind me. Just as Nick was about to head inside, a firefighter gripped onto his shoulders and pulled him back. It took three firefighters to stop him from running inside.

  "My fucking brother is in there!" he fought against them, roaring Kit's name. I could see tears forming in his eyes as I stood in complete shock, staring at the door that a set of firefighters had just gone into.

  My heart stopped then, and Lilly held onto me as everything turned to slow motion. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and saw the explosion coming from upstairs that made all of the glass in the windows smash outwards. Lilly did the best she could to cover us and I looked around at my grandparents to see that they were fine. My grandad had covered them, protecting them both from the falling glass. In the slow motion, everything stood still. Even time itself. Until another black poof of smoke left the front door and within it I could see Kit spluttering. As he bent over, he dropped a huge pile of what looked like photo albums above the box of videos we kept of my family. He'd placed them all onto the ground. It dawned on me then. Kit had gone back inside, risking his life to save our memorabilia. To save the memories we had of our family. Nick, now set free, he ran to Kit and held him at arm's length to check he was okay, before pulling him into a hug. I didn't realise until then that my neck had been drenched with tears and my face was absolutely soaked. I snapped out of it, realising Kit was okay. He held Nick's shoulders and smiled at him before looking over at me.

  "He went for the damn photos," my grandad said from my side.

  I rushed towards him then, and he expected for me to hug him. Only, I didn't. First, I picked up the force in my hands and smacked his arms over and over, catching him off guard.

  "You absolute fucking idiot!" I cried, staring at his shocked expression.

  I couldn't believe what he'd done and it took me a few seconds to settle from my own shock before I wrapped my arms around his waist and cried against his chest. He brought his arms around me. He smelled of smoke, his clothes had soaked it up like a sponge, and I needed to let him go so that I didn't breath it in. I held on for just a little longer.

  "You could have been killed!" I shouted at him, trying to shout over the roar that came from the fire and the commotion surrounding us. Neighbours had emptied their houses and firefighters were shouting orders at each other to combat the fire.

  "I got them for you," he said looking me in the face.

  "What good are they without you!" I shouted at him, continuing to cry. "You absolute fucking idiot," I said again, feeling so relieved that he was safe.

  I hugged him again, finding comfort against his chest as I continued to cry.

  "Don't ever do that to me again," I told him.

  "I'm sorry," he said, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight.

  "I love you," I said, thanking God that he was safe.

  "I love you too," he said before holding my head and kissing my forehead.

  * * *

  Kit was taken away to have medical care, despite him denying his need for it. I stood Infront of the ambulance to watch him having his vitals checked. Lilly hadn't left my side, and she held her arm around me.

  "He's okay, Eves," she said and I nodded. Nick came towards us, staring at Kit sitting in the back of the ambulance.

  "Are you okay?" he asked and then looked at Lilly, as if his question had been directed at her too. I nodded and hugged him.

  "Bob and Phil, where are they?" I asked him, careful to make sure my grandparents weren't close enough to hear.

  I half expected Lilly to leave my side now that Nick was here. Surprisingly she remained close.

  "They're here. Trust me, Eves, if they needed to step in they would have. Not only was I here with you but so was Kit. Your grandparents are also here, and they know nothing about Delta. If they'd have needed to break their cover to protect you, they would have in a heartbeat."

  I nodded, staring back at Kit.

  "Sweetheart," I heard my grandma once she'd rushed towards me, wrapping her arms around me. I couldn't help but feel like this was my fault. It had to be linked to me in some way. Everything that happened was always my fault.

  "I'm so sorry," I cried and my grandad came over to wrap his arms around both of us.

  "Everything is fine," he said, not only to reassure us but I think himself too. "We're all safe. We're ok
ay," he added and I closed my eyes knowing that everything was not okay.

  Lilly moved to comfort my grandma as they moved over to the firefighter assessing the outside of the house. Once Nick had watched them walk away, he faced me again.

  "Eves, what was the text about?"

  I remembered him saying something about a text and I frowned at him.

  "What text? I never texted Kit."

  "Jesus Christ," Nick brought his hands to his face and turned away. Right on cue, Kit was granted his freedom and came rushing towards us.

  "What text, Kit?" I asked him.

  "You didn't send me a text?" he asked and I shook my head, feeling more scared.

  "I received a text from you, telling me you were scared. That you thought someone was here. I came straight here to see the top of the house in flames."

  "I never sent you a text!" I stared at him, wondering how the hell he'd gotten a text from me. I watched as his face settled on a thought.

  "What?" I asked, needing to know.

  "Maddie," he said then, shaking his head and as if it had suddenly clicked in Nick's mind, his face changed.

  "Maddie worked in networking."

  What?

  "You think Maddie did this?" I asked.

  "Maddie has done it before. She worked in networking, she's sent fake texts in the past as part of a mission."

  "Why would she do something like this?" I asked.

  "Is everything okay?" I heard my grandad before I could continue.

  "I'm so sorry," Kit said to my grandparents and they both looked at him.

  "You're a crazy son of a bitch," my grandad said, pulling Kit into a hug. "Thank you, Son," he said shortly after.

  "You could have killed yourself," my grandma said, hugging him next.

  "Still here, Ma'am," Kit smiled and we all looked at the house as smoke still lifted from the windows and roof.

  All of the firefighters had left the building, one of them pulled his protective headgear off and my grandad approached him.

  "Thank you," he said.

  "I'm glad no one was seriously harmed and that everyone is accounted for."

  My grandad nodded, staring back at the house.

  "Do you have any idea what caused it? We've just got back from our holiday. We have no idea how..."

  "Sorry to hear that," the firefighter answered.

  "I can't fully say without a full investigation being held. One of the guys found the remains of a fireball upstairs. We suspect it was a direct attempt of arson, and the ball was likely thrown through one of the windows upstairs."

  Nodding, my grandad thanked him again and returned to us, looking emotionally shaken.

  "I don't know what we've done as a family to grant us such bad luck," my grandparents sat across from me on our new sofa that had just been delivered.

  Thankfully, it was a sofa-bed because we'd be needing it while their house was receiving serious renovation work. After we'd processed the shock the best we could, that's when everything needed to be planned. My grandad contacted their insurance company and Kit had brought them here along with myself and Lilly. He'd told them that they were welcome to stay here as long as they needed. My grandparents were so grateful, and so was I. Obviously there was no other option but for him to take control and handle it to make sure they were okay, reminded me just how much I loved him.

  "Make yourself at home, okay?" Kit said to them and he looked at me, offering me a certain look that let me know everything would be okay. I couldn't believe it though, and I didn't want him to leave alone.

  "I have to go to work, will you all be okay?" he asked. I knew he was going to Delta. He had to figure this out but I just wanted to keep him here with me. I already knew that he'd set up surveillance before leaving.

  But what about him?

  I smiled at my grandparents the best I could as he left and Lilly gave me a knowing look.

  "I suppose, despite everything, we still need to eat," my grandma said and my grandad nodded as I sat in a daydream.

  "Of course," I answered. "We don't have anything here yet apart from tea," I stood up, looking around blankly.

  "We'll all order takeaway," my grandad said and I nodded before sitting back down.

  "I'll order it on my phone," Lilly got up and moved over to them.

  My mind was still elsewhere, gathering thoughts and questioning everything.

  Why the hell had Maddie done this? Was Kit even one hundred percent sure that it was Maddie?

  Maddie was only at our party a few days ago, telling us how sorry she was. The thought left a sickness in my throat, wondering if perhaps she'd meant for me to be in that fire. I remembered Kit mentioning that he'd received a text from me when I obviously wasn't there... If she was trying to kill me, surely she'd have made sure I was in the house first. Unless of course, she thought I was there...

  It dawned on me then that perhaps I wasn't the target.

  Revenge is worth a lot.

  I was finally beginning to release the lengths crazy people were willing to go in order to have their fill of revenge.

  Was Maddie trying to kill him?

  He'd broken her heart. That was enough to push an average person over the edge, nevermind an already crazy as fuck person like Maddie…

  Was she trying to kill him because she couldn't have him for herself?

  The thought made me feel sicker as I thought of Kit possibly dying today. It made my chest hurt and the longer I sat thinking about it, the more it hurt. Once my grandparents and Lilly had ordered their food, I went upstairs to take a shower. I desperately needed to be alone and although I hadn't personally been within the fire or smoke, I felt as if I were coated in it.

  After eating, Lilly left and gave me a long hug at the doorway.

  "You don't have to go," I said to her.

  She shook her head. "I'm gonna leave you all to settle down. Just promise me you'll let me know if you need me or if you find anything out, okay?"

  She spoke quietly as not to cause a stir with my grandparents. We'd left them watching TV in the living room. Once Lilly had gone, I stood a little longer in the hallway, admiring the house that had very quickly become a home. Thank god our furniture had been delivered quickly otherwise we'd have been absolutely screwed.

  I eventually fell asleep in bed alone. After waiting hours for Kit to come home, I eventually passed out and what felt like hours later I woke up when the duvet cover was brought over my body and Kit slid in beside me. He pulled me into a spooning position and I heard him breathe deeply against my ear as he snuggled into me. It made my eyes close tightly, trying to fall back to sleep in his arms. It wasn't working out great, I just couldn't sleep. Eventually I fell asleep for what felt like an hour and I woke up not wrapped in his arms anymore. I shot up, feeling uneasy in my surroundings and it took me a few seconds to realise that we'd moved house and that these strange surroundings were in fact our new home. I blinked a few times, hearing Kit's heavy breathing and I frowned when I heard him mumbling. I wondered for a second if it was actually him. I quickly reached for the lamp on the bedside cabinet.

  The room was empty and so I took a deep breath. I then stared at Kit, wondering if I'd imagined it. Then he made the sound again and his face clenched, as if he was in deep pain.

  "No, no," he said, his voice low and deep.

  "Kit?" I said, still in shock.

  Was he having a nightmare?

  I knelt over him, hoping it would wake him up but he stayed asleep, laid still on his back.

  "Please."

  Seeing him like this tore me apart. This time I put my hand on his face, not wanting to abruptly wake him up.

  "I'm here," I said, hoping it would settle him. "You're having a nightmare, sweetie, you're okay."

  "They'll kill me," he said, not waking up. I wondered if he was answering what I'd said but I persisted.

  "Kit!" I gently shook him and it did the trick. He jumped, his eyes shot open, taking me in as he sat up and lo
oked around the room.

  "It's okay," I said, placing my nose against his shoulder. I held onto his arm and kissed the bare skin on his toned shoulders.

  "You were having a nightmare," I mumbled.

  "Shit. Sorry," he almost whispered.

  "For what?"

  "For waking you up," he answered, laying back and bringing his hand through his hair.

  "It seems odd for you to be the one having nightmares and not me. Besides, you didn't. I was already awake."

  He frowned, "You were?"

  Nodding, he sat up and I looked at my hands placed in my lap.

  "What's bothering you?"

  What wasn't bothering me?

  "Tell me about your nightmare," I ignored his question.

  "I asked you first," he answered, reaching to run his fingers down the strands of my hair. It was such a loving act and it made my eyes close as his hand came to my cheek and caressed it.

  "Was she trying to kill you?" I asked and he stiffened, lowering his hand and looking at the duvet.

  "I think so," he said honestly and I appreciated it.

  "Revenge is worth a lot," I quoted Kit and unfortunately he nodded.

  "At least, I'm assuming that's why," he said.

  "Why would Maddie do something so fucking crazy?"

  "Exactly that, she's mentally unstable. I was blind to not see it."

  "Are you sure it's her?"

  He nodded, "We ran through the history on her Mac, she wasn't trying to hide it."

  "Where is she now?"

  Kit raised his eyebrows. "We don't know. She knows how we work, where we would look. She's gone off the radar."

  "Do you think she had help?"

  "I honestly don't know, Eves."

  I nodded, not wanting to press him so much so that he'd not involve me.