Chapter 15

Evelyn

The lipstick glides smoothly over my lower lip, tugging at the pink skin as it turns it a deep shade of red. Rubbing my lips together, I smooth out the soft layer before popping my lips and stepping back from the bathroom mirror of our hotel room to make sure I look just right. I've done my hair and makeup the way Noah loves it, with soft curls and nude makeup, but with bold red lips. To top it off, I'm wearing the new dress he bought me just last month. A stunning white corset shapes my torso, squeezing my small boobs, and a long tulle skirt with a slit that allows my right leg to show.

He was so excited to see me wearing it for the first time and kept talking about wanting to chase me with it on, to be his precious dove that he would hunt just to catch and claim. I don't think he wanted the roles reversed. But now he's the prey and I'm the huntress chasing him.

I slip into my white leather heels, the movement causing my leg to poke out of the slit of my dress, revealing my lace garter holding an auto-injector with a dose of my signature poison as well as one of Noah's pocketknives. Placing my hand over the knife pressed against my thigh, I take a deep breath and straighten my posture. It takes every ounce of self-control to remain calm; my heart is pounding inside my chest with nervous anxiety. I really thought killing Mr. Williams would be the end of it, but here I am again. This time to bring my man home. I'm starting to wonder if this will ever end. No matter how hard I try to be someone else, a good person, there is no escaping my past. I can keep running and running, but this part of our life will always loom over us. I take another deep breath and look at myself in the mirror before putting on my mask that I had sworn to put to rest almost two years ago.

The moment I step out of the bathroom, Kyle's head snaps in my direction; he purses his lips and whistles as he looks me up and down. "Damn, Evelyn, you look fucking gorgeous." He gets up from the bed to walk over to me. "If you weren't my best friend's—"

"Save your breath." I look him up and down, taking in how poorly his suit fits his broad frame, the fabric stretching around his muscular shoulders. It really does make a big difference when they are tailored to your exact measurements. "We 're here to get Noah, not for you to be an asshole and flirt with your best friend's girlfriend." I grab my purse with the gun in it.

"Sorry," Kyle says and clears his throat, already heading for the door and holding it open for me. "After you." He holds out his arm, gesturing for me to go first.

The event takes place in the luxurious ballroom of the five-star hotel where we are staying. Clinging to Kyle's arm, I act as his escort through the ticket control until we finally enter the spacious, luminous event. Large groups of people mingle and chitchat, all dressed to the nines to fit in with high society. Waiters shuffle through the crowd, effortlessly maneuvering through the masses to serve appetizers and a variety of drinks. As we push on through the crowd, my eyes scan the room, searching the hundreds of familiar and unfamiliar faces for the one person I am interested in.

"He's over there," Kyle says in a hushed tone, pointing at a man across the room. My grip on his bicep tightens as I catch a glimpse of the person responsible for Noah's disappearance and for what happened to Kyle. I reach for two glasses of champagne from one of the trays a waiter is balancing, handing one to Kyle as I look up at him. "Does he know what you look like? "

Kyle shrugs and takes a sip of champagne. "Pretty sure. I never saw him directly, but it's not like I look like every other guy; my tattoos give me away."

I nod. "Then this is all on me." I empty my glass in one quick gulp. "The trackers are working; you keep an eye on me. Once I get him out of here, you follow us, get rid of his security and get to me as fast as possible."

"Yes, boss." Kyle salutes and I chuckle as I punch him in the shoulder.

"Let's get my man back," I say before leaving Kyle's side and walking down the hall towards the man. By no surprise, his bodyguards don't stop me, while they have stopped several men who have tried to approach him. He is surrounded by women, swooning over him, engaging him in conversation. Without a care in the world, I make my way through the group of women, pushing past them, and the moment I break through the ones at the front, the man's gaze immediately lands on me and a spark ignites in his brown eyes. I put on my sweetest smile. "Mr. Lancaster, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." I speak in a slightly higher voice than usual. He steps forward and reaches for my hand with a grin on his face, bringing it up to plant a kiss on the back of my knuckles.

"The pleasure is all mine; may I know your name?"

My smile widens as I take a cautious step closer to him. "Evelyn King." His eyes light up the moment the last name rolls off my tongue. Using the name of a powerful but somewhat anonymous family, whose countless children's faces no one will get to see until they are useful to their father, has its advantages, and so far, it has worked every time. Mr. King knows I do it, I've done it dozens of times when he's hired me in the past. At this point, you could say that I am actually one of his daughters.

"Miss King, what a pleasure. That your father would allow one of his precious daughters to show her face at such an event?" He raises his eyebrows with suspicion, probably anticipating a business opportunity. "May I interest you in a glass of champagne and a little chat?"

I tilt my head and briefly observe the reaction of the women around us, gasping in shock and envy. "I would absolutely love to." I flash him another smile.

It took a while, but as the night went on, Mr. Lancaster became more and more comfortable around me. The more alcohol we consumed, and the more flirtatious and suggestive I became, the touchier he got, and now we're on our way to his suite. His arm is around my waist, his hand on my hip, fumbling with the fabric of my dress, tugging at it. I lean into him, stealing a glance at his bodyguards who are riding the elevator with us. Resting my head on his arm, I look up at him and purse my lips in a small pout. "These two aren't going to be watching us all night, are they?" I speak in a slurred voice, pretending to be drunk as I nod in the direction of his guards.

He turns to look at the two men and thinks for a moment. "No. You're all mine tonight." A broad smile spreads across his face. The familiar ping echoes through the small room before the sliding door of the elevator flies open and Mr. Lancaster escorts me down the hallway to a set of large doors. He unlocks the room with his key card and lets me in first. "Wait for me darling, I just need to talk to my men for a second." I nod and he closes the door behind me while he stays outside.

With hasty but calculated steps, I hurry across the room, spotting an ice bucket of champagne on the coffee table with two glasses already filled. With a few quick steps, I reach the table, take the auto-injector from my garter, and shoot it into one of the glasses. Then lift it up, place my lips on the rim, leaving behind a stain of lipstick as if I already took a sip of the drink .

The click of the lock announces his entrance, footsteps echo through the room and seconds later, a pair of long arms wrap around me from behind, one hand cupping one of my tits, squeezing the soft flesh while the other reaches for the glass of champagne and without hesitation the man empties it in one gulp.

Parting my lips, I let out a throaty moan and lean into the man's embrace. Turning around I slide my arms over his shoulders while his hands move to my ass, cupping my cheeks and pressing me flush against him, his already rock-hard cock digging into my stomach, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek not to flinch. As he leans in to kiss me, I tilt my head, exposing my neck, and he accepts the alternative invitation, running his tongue up the side of my throat. His grip on my ass tightens and he pushes me closer, guiding my hips as he grinds into me.

He drags me with him and slumps down on the bed, until I am lying on top of him, straddling his hips. The taste of bile crawls up my throat as his erection presses into my core. But the moment his hands cupping my ass start to tremble and I catch sight of his eyes start to dart from side to side, a wave of relief washes over me.

"Are you okay?" I ask in a breathy voice, running my hands over his chest, my fingers busy with the buttons of his shirt .

"I'm dizzy." He clears his throat.

"Maybe you had a little too much to drink." I let out a playful chuckle. "But don't worry, I'll take care of you." I continue the act, pushing the fabric of his shirt aside.

"Nonsense," he snaps.

Suddenly, a series of gunshots rip through the heavy door and both of our heads snap in the direction of the hallway leading into the room.

"What was that?" I ask, my voice pitched high as I pretend to be scared. Meanwhile, I'm fuming inside. I knew Kyle was not the subtle, elegant type like Noah, but did he have to be so blatant?

The moment the door to the room flies open and Kyle bursts in, my eyes widen. Mr. Lancaster shoves me off his lap and jumps to his feet, swaying from side to side. Kyle's eyes land on me, looking me up and down. "You okay?"

"What the hell is going on?" Mr. Lancaster asks, looking back at me. I rise to my feet, but he stumbles towards me, threatening to tackle me back into the bed but I don't give him the chance. Clenching my hand into a fist, I deliver a solid punch to his Adam's apple, sending him staggering backward into Kyle's waiting arms. He overpowers him, knocking him to the ground .

"I'm fine," I say, taking a deep breath and shaking my hand to ease the sting of the punch as I approach the two men. I reach for the knife in my garter before dropping to my knees in front of the two. Cupping his cheek in my hand, I flip the knife open with the other.

"What the hell do you want?" he yells. I raise my hand and smack him across the face with the handle of the knife, drawing a painful groan from him.

"That's what you get for talking like that to a lady." Kyle chuckles as he sits on top of him, holding him down.

"I think you can get off him, the poison should have immobilized him by now," I say.

"Sure, boss." Kyle nods and rises to his feet, flipping the limp man onto his back.

"What did you do?" Mr. Lancaster asks, his voice filled with panic and his eyes bloodshot. I step over the man, taking Kyle's place, and squat down, straddling his stomach.

"I've given you something really sweet; you will sleep well soon." I smile. "But first you have to answer a few questions."

"I'm not going to answer anything." He puckers his lips and then spits at me with what energy he has left.

At the sight of his saliva staining the fabric of my dress, I purse my lips into a pout. "You got my dress dirty, that's not nice." I pick up the knife and position the sharp edge over his ribs, pushing down slowly, slicing through his clothes before piercing his skin. "You're going to tell me where my man is, and maybe if you're really nice, I'll give you the antidote."

"Your man? I don't have your man!" he yells at me and I push harder, the knife sinking into his body. The poison acts like a narcotic, numbing the pain, but that doesn't matter; it will keep him quiet and that is important.

"You do. Think hard. What color am I wearing?" I ask, and soon the realization creeps onto his face as his eyes widen.

"You're the Dove Killer's bitch." Blood spurts from the man's mouth as he chokes from the knife piercing his lungs.

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner," I announce, twisting the knife. "I'm here to pick him up from your little playdate. Where is he?" I lean closer to the man's face. He looks at me through clouded eyes and a small gurgling chuckle escapes his throat.

"Probably dead by now." My eyes widen and my heartbeat quickens, my hands shaking from the anxiety bubbling up inside me.

"Don't you dare lie to me," I say through gritted teeth.

"I'm not… He was barely hanging on this morning when my men checked on him. He might have a few hours left." My gaze shifts to Kyle before returning to the man.

Tears sting in the the corners of my eyes; my jaw twitches as my breathing picks up and soft sobs rise from the depths of my stomach. "Where is he?!" I yell, but he just bursts out in a howling laugh. My anxiety mixes with anger and irritation. In all my fury, I rip the knife from the man's chest, gripping the handle tightly with both hands before slamming the blade into his body. I repeat the motion over and over, throwing my entire weight into each swing, and with each impact of my body crashing into him, blood splatters all over me.

It's only when his laughter dies down and he lies motionless beneath me that I stop. Blood covers me completely. My once white dress is now crimson, and droplets of blood trickle down my exposed skin.

"I think I know where he is." Kyle's voice snaps me out of my trance, and I look up at him standing next to me, holding Mr. Lancaster's phone out to me. The screen shows live footage from a surveillance camera pointing at a man who resembles Noah, tied to a chair in a dark room. My eyes land on the corner of the video feed that shows GPS data .

I swallow the lump in my throat and look up from the screen at Kyle, who offers me his other hand to get back up. I take it and he easily pulls me to my feet. A smile spreads across his face as he looks me up and down. "Evelyn, you really are a wolf in sheep's clothing. You're just as crazy as he is, just better at hiding it. You're really made for each other." He chuckles, and I can't help the smile pulling at the corners of my lips.

"Let's go."