Page 8 of Crimson Fate

“Touché. Okay, what can I do to help?” she asks, stepping up beside me.

“Smash up those avocados in that bowl.” I nod toward the wooden bowl in the middle of the kitchen island, returning my focus to the eggs cooking in the pan. “We’ll put them on the toast.”

“Wow, aren’t we fancy today?” she teases, winking at me as she grabs a fork from the drawer next to me to mash the avocado. I laugh at her playful tone and am thankful she’s still not annoyed with my shortness with her last night.

“Only the best for my favorite accomplice,” I reply, flipping the eggs carefully. It feels good to share this moment of levity with Eva.

She looks at the eggs and then up at me. “How do you make an egg laugh?”

“Oh my God, is this one of your terrible jokes?”

She ignores me as she reveals the answer. “Tell it a yolk.”

I can’t help but chuckle in response. “Jesus, that’s awful.”

She shrugs. “It made you laugh.”

“I guess it did,” I say before adding, “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

Eva pauses her avocado mashing and looks up at me, a small smile playing on her lips. “Amelia may have called me.”

“Of course she did.” I roll my eyes.

“She wanted to know if I knew whether you were coming to dinner at their place tonight.”

My grip on the spatula tightens involuntarily as annoyance flares up inside me. Why would Amelia involve Eva in our family affairs?

“What the fuck?” I mutter under my breath before shaking my head. “I’m sorry. She shouldn’t be dragging you into our mess.”

“She’s not dragging me into anything,” Eva replies, her voice soothing. “You’re both like family.”

I turn to watch as she works the fork through the soft chunks of avocado. She tucks a strand of her raven-black hair behind one ear, and I realize I’m staring, but I don’t look away.

“But,” she continues, “since we’re talking about it, why not let me accompany you tonight? I can be a buffer between you all.”

“Absolutely not,” I retort firmly. My protectiveness for Eva overrides any other emotion.

“Why not?”

“What if it’s a trap?”

Eva bursts out laughing, and I can’t help but smile at the sound. “You think your sister inviting you to dinner is a trap?” She shakes her head, her laughter subsiding. “You really are one of the most paranoid people I have ever met. You and I both know how much she loves you. Did you ever think maybe she and Alexei just want to ensure there’s no bad blood between all of you?”

As much as it pains me to admit it, she might have a point. My instincts tell me to keep Eva far away from anything that could expose her to danger, but maybe this is an opportunity to mend the relationship between our families.

“Fine,” I concede reluctantly. “I’ll agree to go to dinner, but no promises on if I will actually get along with Alexei.”

Eva tilts her head, her eyes lighting up with a mischievous glint. “And what time should I be there?”

I laugh, shaking my head at her persistence. “You think you’re so slick, don’t you? I never agreed you could come along.”

She pouts playfully, her bottom lip jutting out just enough to make me reconsider. “Please. Pretty, pretty please.”

“Alright, alright,” I concede, unable to resist her pleas. “Meet me in the lobby of my building at seven. You can ride with me.”

“Deal!” she exclaims, her smile wide and vibrant.

Suddenly, Eva’s nose scrunches up, and she sniffs the air. “Do you smell something burning?”

---