I’m sensing where she’s going with this, and I don’t like it one bit.
She eyeballs me. “My father is an honest man, or, well, he used to be.” She sighs heavily. “When he realized what he’d gotten mixed up in, he tried to sever the contract and end the arrangement.”
“But you don’t walk away from those kinds of deals,” I supply, and she nods.
“He found that out to his detriment. Jeremy’s father was in charge back then, and he visited our house one night. I woke up to arguing downstairs. I will never forget the look that man gave me as he was leaving that night.” She visibly shivers. “It scared the hell out of me but not as badly as what I eventually discovered he had come to demand.”
“Your father was blackmailed into agreeing you would marry his son?” I guess, hating the words as they leave my mouth.
She bobs her head, gulping, and her face turns pale. “He told my father in no uncertain terms that he didn’t trust him and he needed to ensure my father remained working for the firm and that he had enough invested not to go to the authorities.”
“Jesus.” I scrub a hand over my jaw, sitting up and putting my glass down on the table alongside Eva’s. I rest my head in my hands.
“My dad told him to fuck off at first, and Jeremy’s dad told him he’d be sealing all our fates if he continued being so stubborn. He gave him one week to come to his senses.” She rubs a spot between her brows. “In the end, it was my mother who talked him around. When my dad told her he wanted to flee the country, she refused to leave and said she’d stop him from taking me too. She told him there was no option but to accept the offer, and she made out like it wasn’t the end of the world.” Her tone turns biting. “According to her, I have the dream life because my husband is wealthy, I want for nothing, and my kids will want for nothing.”
My stomach twists into painful knots at the mention of kids.
She looks up at the ceiling, and a horrid tension settles in the air. When she looks back at me, devastation is clear to see. “I was fourteen when they told me I’d be marrying Jeremy the day I turned eighteen. I was horrified.”
Tears pool in her eyes. “Especially after he came to visit me, and I realized how old he was. I was fourteen and he was thirty-four.” Anger blazes a path across her face. “Who agrees to pledge their daughter to a man when she’s still a little kid, especially one twenty years older? It absolutely destroyed me.” She shakes her head repeatedly. “Obviously, I was too young to understand what was going on. I could see my father was really upset over it, but my mother actually seemed pleased by it.”
“I’m sensing you don’t have a great relationship with your mother.”
She snorts. “You’d be correct. I have nothing but disdain for that woman.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shoots me a sad smile. “I know family means everything to you, but it means next to nothing to me. I have love in my heart for my father, but some days I’m consumed with hatred for him. Why didn’t he just take me and run? Why didn’t he leave that stupid bitch here? Hell, Jeremy probably would’ve married her, and my mother would have zero issue with that. You should see the way she flirts and fawns over him when we go to dinner at their place. It sickens my stomach.”
“Shit, Eva. That’s horrific.” I don’t admit to a certain amount of relief. When Kev first informed me exactly who Jeremy Garcia was, I couldn’t fathom how Eva could marry such a man. Now I know it wasn’t by choice, and it reaffirms what I’ve always thought about her character. To know she didn’t willingly or knowingly tie herself to that gangster only makes me more determined to extract her from the situation.
“You’ve no idea. I spent my teenage years seething and rebelling against it. Jeremy came to visit every Sunday from that point on, and I barely spoke to him. Mother took the wooden spoon to me after most visits, but it was worth it. I silently hoped Jeremy would decide he didn’t want me if he thought I was a brat. But then I took it a step too far.”
Her lower lip trembles, and tears well in her eyes again. I move closer to her on the couch, opening my arms in invitation. She doesn’t hesitate, crawling over and lying back against me. My arms encircle her waist from behind as she leans into me. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too difficult,” I say, hugging her tightly.
“I want to tell you. I need to tell you.”
I wait patiently for her to compose herself.
“When I was fifteen, Jeremy was permitted to kiss me.” My stomach heaves in agony at the thought. It’s so wrong, and while I understand her parents were probably terrified, surely they could have laid more solid ground rules? “And mother let him come up to my bedroom for twenty minutes after every Sunday dinner.” She shivers in my arms, and I hold her closer. “I tried fighting him off but that didn’t work. He didn’t do anything but kiss me for the first year, but he explained about sex and told me I was not allowed to let any other boy touch me. He wanted me a virgin on our wedding day.”
Bile travels up my throat, and I clamp my mouth shut.
“After I turned sixteen, he progressed things. He fucked me with his fingers and his mouth, but never his cock. He was practically salivating at the prospect of a virgin wife, not that it stopped him from teaching me how to give head and ensuring he fucked my mouth every Sunday in my bedroom while my parents watched TV downstairs.”
She shudders, and I work overtime to contain my blossoming rage.
“But he gravely underestimated how much I loathed him,” she continues. “How much I wanted to make him renege on the wedding. And how stupid it was to educate me in all things sex-related.” She twists her head around, looking up at me. “He used to make me watch porn with him and, later, a few months before we were married, he brought me to his house and made me watch while this other girl fucked him every which way from Sunday. It was all part of my ‘education.’” She makes air quotes with her fingers.
The more I hear about this man, the more scared I am for her. And now my mind is going to all kinds of nasty places. I’m sorely tempted to kidnap her and make a run for it myself.
“What did you do?” I ask, running my hands up and down her arms.
She twists around, repositioning herself so she’s half lying across my lap. “I started fooling around with this guy in school. We were both seniors, but I was only barely sixteen and he was nearly eighteen.” Eva had told me before that she graduated high school early and went straight on to Harvard, so that’s not a huge shock to me. “I told him my parents didn’t let me date,” she explains, “so we met in secret. I used to lie and tell my parents I had after-school activities. Instead, I would sneak off with Seth, and we’d hide out in his sister’s tree house, making out like demons.”
She worries her lip between her teeth. “I did like him, but I wasn’t in love with him or anything even close to it. I was turned on by how illicit it was and the knowledge of how much my parents and Jeremy would hate me if they knew what we were doing.” A lone tear sneaks out of the corner of her eye, rolling down her face. “I didn’t stop to think about consequences, and I didn’t know who Jeremy was then. I had no idea the kinds of things he does or how dangerous he was.”
I hold her against me, smoothing a hand up and down her back. “He found out?”
She nods. “I gave Seth my virginity, but I never told anyone. Shortly after that, I graduated high school and started at Harvard. Finding time to be together was more challenging, and I started pulling away when Seth began pressuring me to go public. When I turned seventeen, Jeremy put an engagement announcement in the newspaper, and the whole town was talking about it. Seth was really upset. He told me he loved me and he couldn’t believe I was going to marry some old dude. He said he felt used and he never wanted to see me again.”
A sob rings through the air, and I hold her tighter, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. I know this story doesn’t have a happy e
nding, and now I understand why she wanted to tell it to me.
“Jeremy was livid the night of our wedding night when he realized my hymen was no longer intact.” She shivers again. “He dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night and drove to my parent’s house. He started screaming at them, but, of course, they were oblivious. He got it out of me, and I confessed about Seth.” She’s full on crying now, and I want to murder that piece of shit she’s married to.
I reach behind me, grab a box of tissues, and hand them to her. She sniffs, dabbing at her eyes and blowing her nose. The tears subside, making way for anger. She peers deep into my eyes as she finishes the sorry tale. “Seth died two weeks later. He was coming home late one Saturday night, and his truck careered off the road, straight into a tree. It caught fire immediately, and he died on the spot. Or at least, that was the official verdict, but I know it’s not the truth.” She cups my face and worry races across her eyes. “Without needing proof, I know Jeremy arranged his death. Jeremy killed Seth because I had sex with him. Imagine what he would do to you?”
“We’re not kids, Eva, and I have considerable resources at my disposal. I’m not an idiot. I know your husband is a dangerous man, but I can take care of myself. I can take care of you.” I brush moist strands of her hair back off her face. “And he never found out about our affair. I wouldn’t be here if he knew.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” she agrees. “And it’s why I had to call a halt to it.”
I wind my hand around the nape of her neck. “I’m not going to let him scare me away. Especially after what you’ve just told me.”
“I didn’t tell you so it would strengthen your resolve!” she shrieks.
“I know why you told me, and I’m glad you did. It just proves the need to take extra-precautionary measures.”
“Kade, you’re not listening to me. We can’t start this up again, because we may not be so lucky the second time around. Jeremy killed the teenage boy I gave my virginity to. Imagine what he would do to the man I love?”
Her words are both a balm and a bomb to my soul. She has never admitted her feelings for me out loud, and I wish I could take this moment and cherish it, but it’s not a happy moment, not with what I fear she’s going to say next. She grips my face, almost painfully. “You would be pleading for death after he finished with you.” Her panicked eyes lock on mine. “And once you were dealt with, he’d mete out the same form of justice on me.” She gulps, and tears slide down her face. “Is that what you want for us?”
I press my forehead to hers. “I understand your fears and I share them, but it doesn’t mean that’s the only way our story ends.”
She pulls back and stands up. “No, Kade. That is the way our story ends, which is why it should never have started in the first place.”
Chapter Thirteen
Present Day
Evelina
I left Kade’s place with a lump of mincemeat in my chest, right in the place where my heart should be. I ugly cry the whole way home, furiously swiping at the hot tears that blur my vision and pierce my soul. Stopping at the side of the road a few miles from my house, I apply makeup in an effort to disguise my blotchy skin.
An hour later, when Jeremy has me blindfolded, naked, and on all fours, with the restraint locked around my neck, I almost welcome the cold, clinical way he fucks me, hiding behind the mask while I quietly self-destruct on the inside.
The rest of the week drags. Jesse is being an ass at work, but it’s the least of my worries. Kaden has tried to talk to me during our self-defense lessons, but I’ve shut him down. I can’t afford to indulge hope, and I meant what I said—I can’t involve him, because I love him too much to risk his life. But he’s unrelenting, and I’m seriously thinking of canceling my sessions except I’m genuinely scared that those guys who attacked me will make a reappearance. Kade is teaching me some simple, but effective, moves, and I don’t want to stop until I’m fully confident I can defend myself.
I deliberately didn’t tell Jeremy about the incident because I’m afraid he would retrace my movements and find out about Kade’s involvement. I could lie and say something scared my attackers and they fled, but it’s a flimsy excuse and he’d know it. Nothing can lead him to Kade, so it was best to keep quiet about it.
“Hello!” Jesse waves his hands in front of my face. “Earth to Eva! Is anyone home?”
I slap his hands away. “What do you want, Jesse, and it’s Evelina to you.”
He smirks, perching his ass on the corner of my desk. I make a mental note to wipe it down the instant he leaves my office.
“I asked if you wanted to come to that conference with me the weekend after next?”
I look at him like he’s sprouted ten heads. “Excuse me? Why the hell do you think I’d want to go anywhere with you?”
He snorts. “Are you this prickly at home? Or is that something you reserve especially for me?”
An exhausted sigh escapes my lips. “Was there a point to your visit, Jesse? I’m busy.”
“You’re so uptight, Eva. You need to get laid or drunk or sign up for a personality transplant.”
“Get out.” I point at the door. “Or I’ll call security.”
He jumps down, rounding my desk and leaning over me from behind. Planting his hands on the table, he semi-cages me in.
“Get away from me.”
“I’ve got some free time on my hands. I’d be happy to oblige. Just lean over the desk, and I’ll give you a quick fuck. It’ll do wonders for your stress levels.”
I don’t need to look over my shoulder to know he’s staring down my top. I shove my chair back, uncaring that it crashes into him, most likely flattening his balls. Perhaps that’ll help cool his ardor.
He yells, falling back and clutching the edge of the desk for support. “What the fuck? I’m going to report you for that.”
“Try it ass face,” Renee says from the open doorway. “And I’ll report you for sexual harassment. I heard every word.” She steps into the room, folding her arms as she stares him down.
Jesse hobbles away, pausing in the doorway to send me a hateful look. “I was only trying to do you a solid with the conference, but screw you, bitch. I’ll enjoy laughing in your face when I secure tenure and you don’t.”
Renee slams the door closed behind him, and I slouch in my chair, locking my hands behind my head. “Did you really hear it all?”
“Nope,” she says, sinking into the couch. “I just caught the tail end, but that asshole’s predictable. I knew it wasn’t a huge stretch, and I was right.”
“What’s this conference about, and why haven’t I heard of it? Should I be there?”
She grins. “He’s such an idiot to boot. You attended the same one two years ago, but he clearly doesn’t realize that. Remember the Digital Strategy Innovation Summit? There’s little point attending again, but if it was me, I’d email the organizers and see if they’d send any updates.”
I get a little flustered, realizing which conference she’s referencing. The department only sent me that time, and none of my colleagues have any clue I never actually attended. I got the slides and session notes emailed to me, and I gleaned what I needed to from them, so no one was any the wiser. “That’s a good idea,” I say, pretending to make a note of it. “I’ll do that.”
“So, I wanted to ask you something,” she says, sitting bolt upright and clasping her hands nervously in her lap.
“Sure. What is it?”
“Would you be my maid of honor?”
I get up and walk to the couch, sitting down and hugging my friend. “I would love to be your maid of honor, and I’m so touched you asked me.” I know Renee has two younger sisters and a bunch of girlfriends, so she has plenty of options.
“There isn’t anyone else worthy of the job,” she teases, hugging me back.
“No pressure or
anything,” I laugh, wondering how I’m going to manage to be maid of honor without bringing my husband, because the last thing any girl wants is a notorious criminal at her wedding. But I’ll figure something out, because I don’t want to let my best friend down.
It’s Friday night, and I’m packing up my things when there’s a knock on my office door. When I open it, I’m not altogether surprised to find Kaden standing there with a cocky grin on his face. I peek out into the corridor, checking it’s empty before I usher him inside. It’s been a long while since I officially tutored him, and he’s no longer one of my students, so it might look suspicious that he’s here.
“Kade.” I eye him warily.
“Wow. What an enthusiastic greeting.” He tilts his head to the side. “Tell me, do you greet all the men you love with such ambivalence?”
My lips twitch involuntarily in response to his cocky confidence. “I couldn’t tell since you’re the only one I’ve ever loved.”
A flash of heat darkens his eyes. “And yet you refuse me.” He rubs his jaw. “How long are we going to keep this charade up?” “For as long as it takes it to sink in, Kade.”
“That’d be never then,” he quips.
“I’m trying to be strong here.”
He steps forward, tipping my chin up. “I know that, honey, but that’s my job. Let me worry about it for the both of us.”
I reach up, removing his hand, and his gaze darts to my wrist. A muscle ticks in his jaw, and all trace of his good humor fades. “Is he doing this to you?” Gently, he takes my wrist, and the tender gesture is at complete odds with the thunderous look on his face.
“I thought we already discussed this,” I say, slowly removing my arm.
“No, you avoided answering the question. But if you don’t tell me right now, I’m going over to your house to ask that bastard for myself.”
I gasp. “You wouldn’t!”
“Try me.” He folds his arms over his chest, drilling me with a determined look. He’s just stubborn enough to do it too.
Seducing Kaden (The Kennedy Boys Book 6) Page 12
