Dark Love (The Two Sides of Me Book 3) (35 page)

“You knew her?” I ask, figuring it’s rude to ignore her comment.

“Yes, she was a sweet person, troubled and rebellious but she would have worked past that, she was just a teenager.” Serena notices my discomfort with the subject and graciously changes the subject.

“So tell me what’s going on, what kind of death threats and an explosion, how big?” I hate this subject almost as much as Cameron.

“I’m not sure exactly. Evan received an iPad as a gift via messenger, it had a playlist on it with one song that has lyrics that are very threatening. And then Gabriella got a text this morning referencing a song with similar lyrics. Oh and of course the explosion at the hospital today.” Serena slaps her hands on her thighs as if a thought has just entered her mind.

“We should turn on the news and see if they’re covering it.” Why didn’t I think of that? She reaches into a pouch hanging from the side of her wheelchair retrieving a remote. She punches the power button and the screen comes to life. It’s already set to the local news; a woman in a lovely pink suit speaks to us about the explosion and it’s so much worse than I thought. The side of the hospital has a colossal hole in it that looks like someone has taken a bite out of the building fire trucks and police cars are everywhere, concrete with jagged edges continues to crumble and mangled metal beams are protruding from the floor Cecelia was on and the one above it. The camera focuses on the area where the blast originated and I’m overwhelmed with nausea and lightheadedness.

“Evan! Evan!” I yell his name first and as hysteria builds, the second time I call out it’s a scream, he bolts into the room in just seconds still holding his phone mid-call. He looks from the television to me and back. I watch his mouth drop open before he starts repeating

“Oh God no, no, no.” I’m going to be sick and even in his shock, he realizes it and grabs a trash can from under a desk next to him shoving it under my face for me to retch into.

“Oh God, please tell me that’s not where Cecelia was!” I hear Serena say as Evan gathers my hair pulling it back to the base of my neck and I know we won’t be able to tell her what she wants to hear, it was exactly where her room was and extremely close to the ICU where I used to work.

When my belly takes a break from protesting, Evan quietly leaves the room. I assume to clean up the trash can, when he stands I grab at his hand but he continues to walk away in a daze. I don’t want to be without him right now, not even for a minute. I glance at Serena who has tears streaming down her cheeks as she watches the news report. I can’t make out what they are saying I’ve still got a ringing going on and the volume isn’t turned up very far. When Evan returns he’s gone into full protection mode, he sits down and pulls me into an embrace and I bury my face into his chest to cry while he makes a million phone calls arranging for an enormous amount of security at the house as well as Serena’s and Gabriella’s homes.

He speaks briefly to Gabby filling her in on what’s happened and that she is not to leave home until he’s given the ok. When he’s done I feel him raise his arm and see him motion to Serena to shut off the T.V. When she does, the atmosphere is eerie and unsettling. Evan strokes my hair while I ruin his shirt with tears, mascara and snot.

“Is Gabby ok?” I murmur against his chest.

“Yes, she hasn’t received any more text and I’ve sent a security team to guard her house. Mia…I have to tell you…” My body stiffens at the tone in his voice and I pull away to arm’s length and see his tear filled eyes before he shifts his focus to the floor.

“NO!” I hit his chest with pathetic force, I’m drained and now this news, it just can’t be.

“I’m so sorry, I spoke to someone who has privileged information and no one on Cecelia’s floor survived, she’s gone.” His voice cracks with those last two words and I’m dumbfounded. This isn’t real I just saw her an hour ago; she can’t be gone. She was going to help me raise the babies. She was going to make me ginger tea. She was coming home.

“Are you sure? Maybe your source was wrong, maybe she wasn't in her room. She could have left her room or…or…” I’m grasping at straws here, the pain in my chest is so heavy I can’t let anymore in. I don’t want to know this or feel this. I look to Serena and she’s devastated too, she must have known Cecelia if she worked for Evan for 11 years so this is difficult for her as well. I look into Evan’s eyes searching for a different answer, praying for him to take it all back, show some sign of uncertainty but there is none. He slowly shakes his head back and forth and I lay my head in his lap and let him shush and comfort me when it’s him who needs comforting. Cecelia practically raised him. She was the mother who loved him when his own didn’t. My hand unconsciously rubs up and down his shin as I lay in his lap quietly sniffling. The tears have dried up
or maybe I’m in shock I don’t know, I just want this to all be a very bad dream that I wake up from in my warm bed with my husband next to me and Cecelia in the kitchen making breakfast.

I hate waking up in unfamiliar surroundings but it only takes me a second or two to put the pieces of the past twenty four hours together. Evan is tangled in my arms, fingers so tightly wound in my hair. I imagine he didn’t do much sleeping last night. His breathing is soft and regular now though so I stay still and let him sleep. As I look around the small bedroom light filters through the sheer curtains and I try to recall what has led us to be here. The bottom of my stomach drops when a flood of memories rush back…

Cecelia is gone, it was confirmed by police last night. They notified Evan as she has no other immediate family, another lone person in his life dead with no one but him to lay them to rest. It’s no wonder why he clings to me so desperately, people in his life, the important ones that he cares about always seem to die, his mother, father, Aunt Sophia, Cameron and now Cecelia. I have no plans on dying anytime soon, of course but sometimes being with Evan feels like a curse as much as a blessing. The tribulation and pain I’ve experienced since meeting him is enough to make a weak women crumble, but I am not a weak woman and I’ll never crumble. The only thing that makes me weak is him, it’s nearly impossible to tell him no and he knows it.

Despite all the strife, I have loved him from the moment I set eyes on him and I’ve never felt more loved and cherished in return. Tears for my beloved second mother fill my eyes as the beginning of my morning sickness becomes more noticeable. I blink and the big drops run down the corners of my eyes into my ears, my mother used to say my ears would fill up with tears and I would go deaf if I cried too hard on my back. My mother. Oh God! I still haven’t told her about the pregnancy, or that I’m back in the States for that matter, she’s going to kill me!

Evan inhales a deep breath and stirs next to me. “You are worrying, aren’t you?” he murmurs against my skin.

“How’d ya know?”

“Your heart is beating right under my face, baby.”

“Oh. I was just remembering what happened yesterday. I can’t believe she’s gone; it doesn’t feel real,
” I say softly.

“What else, I sense more.” Of course he does.

“I’m just scared, Evan. What’s going on? I want to tell my family I’m home and that we’re pregnant but I can’t when we are hiding from who knows what! And the wedding plans, and now funeral plans, the trip, the babies. It’s just a lot to deal with.”

“All right, lady, calm down, the only thing you need to concern yourself with is growing our babies. I may not know much about pregnancy, well actually, I do but that’s beside the point, I do know stress is not good for them or you for that matter.” He moves so we are nose to nose on our sides and drags his hand over my face closing my eyes with his fingers. I stubbornly snap them back open to connect with his.

“Evan, it’s not as easy as that…” he cuts me off

“Yes it is, listen to me, Mia. The wedding will practically plan itself. That is one of the benefits of being wealthy. Isaac has our trip almost completely planned, which incidentally is going to be our honeymoon. I have people on the threat situation. In fact, Saint believes he has a lead, so I think it would be ok to go home today. We can have your family over for dinner to announce our good news and invite them to the wedding. And Cecelia’s…” his voice catches and I see the muscles in his neck strain as he swallows back the grief. “The arrangements are already being made. She wanted to be laid to rest with her family in Spain, so no need for a funeral here, just a small service and then we will ship her overseas. See, nothing to worry about.”

Unbelievable, all of his phone calls yesterday, and there were many, were about him making these arrangements to keep my life free of stress.

“You’re amazing, already being an overprotective father,” I say taking one of his hands in both of mine and kissing the tips of his fingers.

“Tell me more about what Mr. Saint found, did he catch someone, is he sure he’s got the right person?” He’s watching me as I toy with his fingers his attention focused entirely on my actions. He’s distracted, I don’t think he has let it all sink in yet that Cecelia is gone. He’s been too busy taking care of everything else.

“Evan?”

“Hmm?”

“You ok?”

“Yes, what did you say?”

“I asked who’s the person sending threats, what did Mr. Saint find out?”

“It hasn’t been confirmed, but he has a good lead on a woman from Utah.”

“A woman? As in a scorned lover kind of woman or a psycho or a stalker?” His eyebrows lift and I sense he’s holding back.

“You know I hate it when you keep things from me.”

“I swear on all things holy, I am not. He just isn’t one hundred percent sure, but he thinks she may be…related to me somehow.” I sit up too quickly in the bed and when the room spins, I take ahold of his shoulder for support.

“Related to you? How? A cousin or something?”

“Lay back down here.” He tugs me back down next to him, spooning me from behind. “I told you we aren’t sure yet, but it seems she has been following us for quite a while now, from a distance.” There’s more he’s just not telling me.

“You don’t get to decide what I know, I’m a grown woman. I can handle it.”

“Now there is where you are sorely mistaken, Mrs. Lawson, I do decide what you get to know and you know enough. We are safe and that is what is important.” Agghh he is so frustrating!

“I’m not going anywhere until you give me more details.” He wraps his arm around my waist to pull me closer and presses his stiff morning cock against my bottom.

“How about a shower?” He says into my ear in his raspy sexy voice that hypnotizes me momentarily, he’s so manipulative!

“No, stop changing the subject, tell me more.” He slips his hand under the hem of the t-shirt Serena loaned me to sleep in last night and feathers his fingers along my ribs. He reaches my breast where he teases my nipple before changing course and seductively smoothing his way down my belly to the edge of my panties. I grab his wrist and stop his tempting assault on my sensitive body.

“No, I mean it, Evan. You’re not going to distract me. I want to know what ’s going on.” He
is
distracting me though and he is more than aware of it.

“Mmmm, are you sure? A shower sounds so…” He thrusts his length against my ass again.

“Damn.” He grinds in slow circles that have my sex buzzing and needing more of what he’s offering.

“Good.” one last bump and I’m almost ready to cave when a knock sounds on the door. Ha! Saved by Serena.

“Yes.” he answers with an edge of irritation.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but there is a man at the door who wants to see you, Evan. He won’t believe me that you aren’t here. He is very insistent on seeing you.” Humph.

“Give me a minute, Serena. I’ll take care of him.”

“Okay.” The squish of her wheelchair against the hard wood floor can be heard as she moves away from the door and back down the hall.

“I am not done with you yet, lady, stay,” he bosses and that damn thrill I get when he uses that tone ripples through my body. He’s up and pulling on his jeans, they strain against the hard length of his cock. In seconds he’s completely dressed and on his way to deal with the mystery man.

I’m supposed to stay here but he can’t tell my body not to puke and that’s what it’s going to do, like now! I hop from the bed and zip into the bathroom, which is thankfully right next to the guest bedroom. A few minutes later I hear Evan on the other side of the door.