10. Mira

10

MIRA

"I know you're hired to watch me," I grunt, working through a few one-two combos on the punching bag, "but I don't think you have to just watch me. Read a book. Give the Stairmaster a spin."

Evan doesn't even act like he can hear me. His head swivels from where I'm dripping sweat in the corner, across the empty gym, and to the glass double doors that lead into the lobby. Just like the thousand other times he's done the same scan in the last half hour, there's no one else here.

Probably because Zane slid what I'm sure was an obscene amount of money to building management to keep the gym clear while I'm in here. Right now there's an "Excuse our dust! Work in Progress" sign hanging on the door. I'd bet dollars to donuts that that's Zane's doing.

"My glutes are fine," Evan drawls. "And I won't tell your boyfriend you were worried about that part of my anatomy. He'd probably fire me."

I roll my eyes. Evan and I both know that's a lie. The two of them can't be in a room together for more than ten minutes without someone asking for a workout regimen and bulking tips. They are in a muscle-ogling bromance.

"Firing you would mean leaving me exposed and vulnerable," I say in my best impression of Scarlett O'Hara. "Zane would never do that because I can't possibly be expected to take care of myself."

I sound bitter, but it's only because I am. I agreed to this arrangement under duress. Zane walked into my shower, set me on fire, and threatened to leave me like that. I felt like I was going to die if I didn't come.

Now, the only time I'm alone is when I go to the bathroom—even then, there's usually someone within a few feet of the door—and I'm feeling claustrophobic.

Is this what it's going to be like forever?

"It's only until the situation with your brother is settled," Evan says as if he's reading my mind. "Zane is right to be on high alert right now. Dante is a loose cannon."

I snort. "It's so weird to hear someone else talk about my brother. Most people don't even know I have a brother. Most people don't even know my real name."

"I won't tell anyone else, if that's what you're worried about."

I give him a tight smile. "I know you won't."

Zane explained why Evan needed to know the whole story, and for the first time in my life, the thought of someone knowing about my past didn't send a spike of panic through my chest. I didn't instinctively lunge for my suitcase and start planning my route out of the city.

Something like peace has taken root inside of me. The closest I can get to peace, anyway, while Dante is still lurking around the city like the Grim Reaper.

I just wish Zane could find the same kind of Zen.

"I think Zane should have full-time protection, too," I blurt. "Dante will go after him if he can't find me."

"Zane can take care of himself."

I strip off my gloves and turn to Evan. "How much did he pay you to say that? Because Zane may say he isn't worried about Dante, but I think he's lying."

I've woken up to an empty bed the last three mornings. Zane starts the night with me in bed, cuddling turning to kissing and kissing to fucking until my eyes roll back in my head and then flutter closed, in that order.

But when I wake up, he's gone.

It doesn't matter if it's sunrise or the middle of the night, Zane is gone. I have no idea when he's sleeping. Or if he even is.

Evan takes a quick scan of the gym again and then pushes off the wall, dropping his voice as he moves closer. "You need to give Zane some time. When you were gone, he was on edge. The man was killing himself trying to find you. All he wanted was to bring you home."

"And I'm here!" I throw my arms wide. "I'm home with him."

He arches a brow. "Do I really need to explain to you of all people that your past doesn't always pack away in a nice little box when you're done with it? Shit like that doesn't just go away, Mira. You're here, but now, Zane has to figure out how to keep you here."

"Then his job is done. Consider me a kept woman," I say. "I mean, I agreed to letting you follow me around like a stalker for the foreseeable future. That's about as ‘kept' as I can be."

"You're going to have to give him some time," he replies. "You're also going to have to stop calling me a ‘stalker.' I have baggage of my own, you know?"

I don't want to pry, but Evan must be able to read the frown on my face, because he continues with a sigh.

"A friend of mine had a stalker. An asshole ex-husband. It was a bad situation."

"Shit." My shoulders droop. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have said that If I knew?—"

He waves me off. "It's really fine. I know you didn't mean it like that. But that friend is why I got into security in the first place, and I take stalking seriously. More seriously than the fucking police do half the time, frankly."

I drop down onto the bench to shove my gear back into my duffel. Aiden and Zane will be back from school soon, and I want to be showered by the time they're back.

"Can I ask what happened to your friend? Are they okay?"

Evan smiles. "She's fine. Living in California now with her new husband and their Goldendoodle. I get Christmas cards—a saving-her-life perk, I guess."

" You saved her life?"

He shrugs humbly. "Kind of."

"Okay, well, that means you definitely saved her life. It's always the biggest heroes who act like they didn't do anything. Can I hear the story?"

Evan drags a hand across the back of his neck. "There isn't much to it. She grew up in an abusive home—kind of like you in that regard. Except, instead of getting out and finding someone nice like Zane, she found Tom."

I groan. "I hate him already."

"That's how I felt," he agrees. "I'd known Sariah since we were teenagers, and the moment I met Tom, I knew he was a piece of shit. But she swore she was happy and things were great. Then I saw her walking around town with a black eye. She finally told me the truth about Tom and I helped her move out of their apartment the next day. She lived with me for a few weeks."

I wag my brows in question and Evan shakes his head. "Nothing like that. We were always just friends. As soon as she could afford it, she got her own apartment. But Tom found her. Within a couple days of getting the keys, he was knocking on her door every night, all night."

"Did she call the police?" I ask.

"Would you have?" he retorts.

"That's—" I chew on my lower lip. "It's different. I'm wanted for questioning in a murder. I can't exactly trust the police."

"Yeah, well, neither could Sariah. She had some priors: minor stuff that stemmed from the rough childhood she had. Even though she was clean, she didn't trust the police. She called me, instead." Evan's eyes go glassy as he relives it all. "I slept over at her house the next night. The plan was for me to answer the door when he knocked and tell Tom to fucking beat it. Except, he didn't knock—he blew through the door with a shotgun."

I gasp. "Shit, Evan! What did you do?"

"I disarmed him," he says, the same way I'd say I shook someone's hand or waved hello. "I got the gun away, pinned him to the floor, and called the police."

"Did he go to prison?"

"Apparently, the only way he could go to prison for attempted murder is if I'd let him fire off a few more shots in the apartment first. I was too good at my job and all he got was breaking and entering." Evan snorts bitterly. "But he went away for six years before he got out for ‘good behavior.' Whatever the fuck that means. It was enough time for Sariah to get out of town and start over, so that's all that matters to me."

I'm listening to Evan's story, but I'm also spiraling into a panic.

What kind of charges could they pin against Dante if he gets arrested? My brother hasn't touched me. Not since the night I fled that house. Maybe his calls to Hanna and Zane could be considered stalking? He broke down the door at my last apartment, but I doubt there's any footage to verify that.

If Zane and Evan catch him and he gets sent to prison, it probably won't be for long. He'll come back.

And I'll be right back where I started.

Running.

Hiding.

Afraid.

"Hey." Evan sits down on the bench next to me, his large hand heavy on my knee. "What's wrong?"

I blink up at him and realize I'm crying. "God, I'm sorry. This is embarrassing."

He hands me a tissue from his pocket. "Don't be embarrassed."

"I was just thinking… I don't want to get out of town and start over like Sariah did. I want to stay."

"You will. That's why I'm here."

I give him a sad smile. "Dante hasn't done anything like what Tom did to Sariah. In this story, I'm the murderer."

"No," Evan growls, shaking his head. "This is the kind of messed-up shit I'm talking about. The system never manages to help the people who need it most. You were abused your entire life, Mira. You finally get free and now, they want to lock you up? It's bullshit and I'm not going to let it happen. Zane isn't, either. I'm going to make sure Dante doesn't get close to you, and then I'm going to make sure you get the life you deserve."

I swipe the tears from my cheeks. "Thanks. But it's not my life I'm worried about. Zane is taking care of me, but I'm putting him and Aiden at risk, too."

"He knows that. He won't let anything happen to Aiden."

I know Zane will do everything in his power to protect Aiden. I know he doesn't want anything to happen to his son.

But the what ifs keep swirling in my head until I turn to Evan. "I need you to promise me something."

For the first time, the large man looks uncertain. "I don't know if I can do that."

"You can and you have to. I know you're being paid to watch me, but when I'm with Aiden, you need to swear to me that you'll protect him first. No matter what happens, Aiden has to come first."

Evan winces. "I made a deal with Zane. I signed a contract, Mira."

"Fuck the contract!" I snap. "We're talking about a four-year-old little boy we both love. You, me, and Zane would all throw ourselves under a bus to save him. You know that."

He nods. "Yeah, I know."

I hold out my hand for a shake. "So, promise me."

Evan stares at my hand. "This is pointless. Aiden is going to be fine."

"You don't know that. If Dante finds out where I am and who I'm with, he'll go after them to get me. Aiden is the easiest target." A knot forms in my throat, and I have to swallow around it. "My brother could use Aiden as bait to lure me out. Or as leverage to get me to go along with whatever he wants. You said yourself he's a loose cannon. We don't know what he's capable of."

"That is why Zane hired me to watch you and why Aiden is at a preschool with world-class security. You all are safe."

"But if we aren't—" I thrust my hand towards him again. "—I need you to swear that you'll save Aiden first. You know it's what Zane would want, even if he won't say it out loud."

Evan sags, and I know I've got him. Finally, he grabs my hand. "I'll protect both you and Aiden with my life."

I shake my head. "That's not what I said. I want to know that you'll choose him over me if it comes to it."

"It isn't going to come to that."

"But if it does," I grit out.

"But if it does," he sighs, "I'll choose Aiden over you."

Instantly, I can breathe a little deeper.

I can handle being followed around if it's what Zane needs to feel confident that I'm okay, but knowing that Evan will prioritize Aiden makes it even more bearable. There isn't much I can do to protect them.

But I can do this.

I squeeze Evan's gigantic hand with both of mine. "Thank you."