Inner Circle (36 page)

Eve barely recognized herself or the voice that now came from her mouth.

“Where’s Amber?” she growled hoarsely.

“She’s in the kitchen. Eve,
what is the matter
?” Jackie persisted.

Over Jackie’s shoulder Eve could see Amber making her way into the family room carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres.

“What’s going on?” Amber asked, then immediately saw the disheveled Eve. “Eve, what—”

Eve reacted so suddenly that she would later recall not being aware that she had even moved. She gripped her hand into a fist so tightly that what little nails she had left after her attack on Chase dug into her palm. Without waiting for Amber to complete her sentence, Eve rushed past Jackie and punched Amber solidly in the mouth, causing spit and blood to spew across the room.

Eve ignored the tray of meat, cheese, and crackers that clanged against the wall flying from Amber’s hands as she fell backward from the force of the blow.

“Holy shit!”

“What the fuck!”

“Eve!”

Eve heard the combination of dumbfounded and astonished expressions as Jai, Jackie, and Callie reacted in disbelief at what they were seeing, but her assault had only just begun.

Dropping to the floor, Eve straddled Amber and began slapping blindly.

“Eve . . . stop! What . . . is the matter with you?” Preoccupied with warding off the onslaught of blows, Amber could barely get the words out.

“Somebody stop her!” Callie yelled.

“Eve, stop!” Jai screamed wrapping her arms around Eve’s waist, but she was no match for the adrenaline-hyped Eve who shook her off like a ragdoll and continued to pummel Amber with a flurry of hate-fueled blows.

Eve felt her arms begin to grow sluggish from the constant barrage of blows, but still bent on destruction, she shoved Amber’s arms back pinning them beneath her knees, and managed to get her hands around Amber’s throat.

As she squeezed, Eve could hear Amber coughing and gasping for breath, but she continued pressing down with her thumbs so hard that she could feel lumps of air trying to escape from Amber’s windpipe. For a fleeting moment, Eve realized that what she was doing could cause death, but she didn’t care. She changed position, digging her knee into Amber’s stomach and pressing even harder.

Eve felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. It was as if she was not a part of what was going on, but rather looking down, witnessing the whole thing. In the distance, she thought she could hear her name being called. The voice grew closer and louder, and then she felt someone on her back. It was Jackie, attempting to pull her off of Amber.

“Eve, stop!” Jackie, much stronger than Jai, had wrapped her arms around Eve’s waist in a desperate bear hug and was pulling with all her might.

Eve could feel herself losing her grip and looked up to see Jai and Callie frantically prying at her fingers.

“Eve, let go! Stop! Eve!” Jackie took a deep breath and gave one
last tug. It must have been the combined efforts of Jai and Callie as finally, Jackie and Eve tumbled backward.

With arms and legs flailing, Eve struggled to free herself from Jackie’s grasp, but she was exhausted and finally allowed herself to collapse against Jackie’s chest.

“Eve, what is the matter? For God’s sake, tell us what is wrong,” Callie begged as she and Jai managed to get Amber into a sitting position.

“Eve, you damn near killed Amber. Talk to us! What the fuck is going on?” Though loosely, Jackie continued to hold Eve as the five of them sat panting on the floor.

Eve looked at the bruised and battered Amber with disgust. Although Amber’s lips were bloody and the entire right side of her face was swollen, Eve felt no remorse, only disdain.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Eve had intended to scream the words, but all she could manage was a pitiful guttural sound.

“Eve, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Amber’s eyes were wide with terror as she forced the words past her lips. She could barely speak above a whisper as she tried to massage life back into her throat. “What are you talking about? Tell you what?”

“Why, Amber? Eight years, eight-fucking-years-and-you-never-said-a-word! Not-one-mother-fucking-word!”

“Eight years? Eve, what—” Amber stopped in midsentence as the enormity of Eve’s tirade and interrogation registered. She suddenly felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. She had prayed that this day would never come, but if it did, she had hoped that she would be able to find the words that would turn it into nothing more than a shifting of pebbles in the sand. Tears filled her eyes as the realization began to sink in that her wall of deception and lies had just come crashing down like a rockslide.

“Will one of you tell us what the hell is going on?” Jai asked glancing at a bruise on her forearm.

“Eve, I . . .” Amber searched for words that clearly did not exist. “How?”

Realizing that she was still clinging to her purse, Eve riffled through the bag and retrieved the BlackBerry. She hurled it at Amber who ducked, catching the blow on her shoulder. The phone bounced, ricocheting against the wall and shattering into pieces.

“
That’s
how! I know everything, Amber. Everything!” Eve spat the words as she shook herself from Jackie’s grasp and struggled to her feet. Her legs felt like Jell-O as she adjusted her purse and headed past Amber to leave.

“You’re outta the muthafuckin’ circle, bitch. Do-you-hear-me? Out!” Eve delivered the words like venom.

“Eve, please.” Amber reached out, clutching Eve’s leg in an effort to restrain her.

Eve’s initial reaction was to shake herself free and leave, but as she looked down at Amber, another wave of rage and anger mushroomed. With her free leg, she drew back as if preparing to punt a football, and delivered a crushing kick to Amber’s chin that sent her reeling into a startled Jai and Callie.

Without bothering to assess the damage, Eve turned to exit, nearly colliding with Sean and Olivia who were standing in the doorway in total disbelief. As she locked eyes with Sean, Eve read the expression of hurt and betrayal on his face that mirrored the pain she was feeling inside. For a brief moment, their eyes held a private conversation before Eve lowered her gaze to the frightened and stunned Olivia huddled against her dad.
Not your dad,
Eve thought as she looked into Olivia’s eyes and saw Chase’s eyes. She wondered why she had never noticed it before.

Eve opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. She lowered her head and quickly brushed past them as they parted and allowed her to pass through the doorway. From behind, she could hear muddled expressions of amazement emanating from the room as she made her way blindly down the hallway. Eve picked up the pace, desperate for fresh air and freedom, and once outside, she sprinted to her car.

Eve fumbled in her purse for her keys and retrieving them,
pushed the button to unlock the car. Once inside, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and paused to gather herself. The last five minutes had been surreal, she thought, but as she stared at her chipped and broken nails and the bloodstains on her hands, she knew it had been all too real. Eve was startled by a pounding on her window and looked up to see Jackie standing at her door.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going? Roll the window down, Eve. You’re not leaving until you tell me what the hell just happened in there.”

The words were muffled by the glass, but Eve heard every word that Jackie was saying. Knowing that she couldn’t explain it all right now, even if she wanted to, Eve put the key into the ignition and started the car without responding. Before she could manage to leave, she saw Jackie race to the front of the car and stand squarely in her path. Eve shifted the car into drive and stared at Jackie, who stared back, arms folded defiantly.

“You’re not leaving until you talk to me, Eve.”

Eve eased the car slightly forward. “Move, Jackie,” she yelled at the top of her lungs. Still hoarse, Eve was sure that she could not be heard over the engine, but she knew Jackie had read her lips.

“I’m-not-moving!” Still defiant, Jackie placed both hands on the hood of the car.

Emotionally spent, Eve considered flooring the gas pedal and with that thought, she paused, suddenly realizing that somewhere during this day of revelation, she had crossed over into a mental state that could only be described as temporarily insane.

With a look of dejection and defeat, Eve lowered the window and watched as Jackie triumphantly walked around to her door. When she was sure that Jackie was out of harm’s way, Eve slammed her foot onto the gas pedal and sped away with tires peeling rubber. She glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Jackie standing in the middle of street, both hands in the air in dismay.

Eve was relieved that she had escaped. There was not enough
fight left in her to tackle a determined Jackie O’Connor. As she drove, it suddenly dawned on her that she had no idea where she was headed. One thing was for sure: The last place she wanted to go was home.

“Home!” The word resounded in Eve’s head as she jerked the steering wheel, executing a perfect U-turn headed in the opposite direction. Love didn’t live at her home anymore, and as far as she was concerned, neither did she.

33

Eve
moved through the traffic on the 405 Freeway with strategic motions. She knew the sooner she got to LAX, the sooner she would be free from the explanations of Chase and Amber. She reached into her glove compartment and pulled out a handful of napkins in an effort to wipe the smudges of blood from her hands and to clean the tearstained makeup from her face. She knew she’d never get through security looking the way she looked, and the last thing she needed was for anything or anybody causing her further delays.

Her decision to leave town was partly inspired by the day’s events, with the other part being her fear of possible criminal charges. Even though she felt justified in her attack on Amber, she knew that after the beating she’d given her, medical treatment would definitely be needed and an explanation with regards to what had happened to her would have to be given. Even if Amber wanted to keep her mouth shut, there’d be no way she could explain herself to a doctor. Unless, the other ladies were to advise her of an excuse, she’d never be able to come up with a good enough excuse on her own.

There’s no way Amber would tell Jackie, Callie, and Jai about her and Chase—they’d execute her. Now more than ever she’d need some support, even if it was based on a lie. Beyond her blowup, Eve
hadn’t taken a second to really figure out her next steps. Although her pain still existed, her tears had long since subsided. Eve prided herself on always being able to persevere under pressure. When other people would fall apart, she’d be the one holding them together and making sure that no matter what, they were able to suck it up and keep it moving. Her mother had raised her to be virtually numb to pain beyond a certain point, which is why Nadia was able to take Hank’s indiscretion, tuck it into her chest, and act as if he and it didn’t exist.

“It is what it is,” she mumbled aloud as she tried to mask her emotions with a plan of action. “I just need to refuel and recharge, then I’ll be fine,” she said trying to convince herself that that was actually possible.

Eve veered off the freeway when she got to Century Boulevard with her sights on the Departure Exit of LAX, which was less than a quarter of a mile away. As she got closer to the airport, the pounding of her heart returned. Eve knew that running away from her problems wasn’t the answer, but until she could sort through some of the questions in her mind, it would have to do for now. The wooziness in her stomach had returned as she tried to focus on where she was even going. In all honesty, she hadn’t even thought about it. She just knew she needed to get as far away from L.A. as possible.

As Eve approached the departure terminals her cell phone rang. Before she could press ignore, the call automatically connected through to her car.

“Eve,” Chase pleaded, “where are you?” His voice was shaky and uncertain.

“Fuck you,” Eve replied quickly.

“Babe, please come back so we can talk about this,” he begged.

Eve felt the pain in her chest return while images of him and Amber together flashed through her mind. She was instantly sickened by Amber’s account of her sex session with Chase. As she recalled, Amber had said she’d let her mystery man fuck her every way possible. Eve imagined Chase doing to Amber what he’d so generously and lovingly done to her. The thought of Chase pleasing Amber orally
repulsed her to her core, yet, she remembered Amber saying that not only did he eat her out for what seemed like hours but that she had sucked him off harder than Karrine Steffans, herself.

“Was she good, Chase?” Eve taunted.

“Eve?”

“Answer the question, muthafucka’! Was she good?”

“Babe.”

“You think you’re pretty fucking special, don’t you? Having been with both of us, huh? And to think all these years I thought that Sean was the smug bastard, when all along, it was your trifling ass.”