Page 53 of Chandelier Sin
She paused before an open door. “Him.”
Eve held on to my hand, even as I tried to pull mine away.
She led me inside the bedroom.
“I can’t take him to the ER,” she said, her voice shaking.
A shiver of apprehension went up my spine.
When something feels too good to be true…
The bed’s iron-carved headboard was handsome enough, but the man lying on the bed? Not so much.
Should have listened to my gut.
Moving in closer, I could see the guy was around fifty. He was smartly dressed and well-groomed, but clearly hurt.
“What happened to him?” I could venture a reasonable guess.
“He got into a fight.”
Glancing at his unscathed knuckles, I knew he’d been outnumbered. And why the hell was he on her bed?
I turned toEve. “Who did this?”
“Can you help him?” She approached the bed and rested her hand on his shoulder. “The doctor’s here.”
Seriously, that’s what this was about? Everything became glaringly clear—I’d been lured by her text into becoming a pawn in her world.
“Ben,” she said, trying to rouse him.
He opened his eyes.
“Eve, come here.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone.
Reluctantly, she joined me on the other side of the room, peering up at me with pleading eyes.
I stared at her. “Was he assaulted?”
I kept listening for any noises that hinted I might be next.
Eve ignored me and moved over to a dresser. A first aid kit rested on the surface with its lid opened as though she’d tried using the contents herself.
I jabbed a finger at her. “I don’t make house calls.”
“Now you do.”
Have you lost your fucking mind?
She moved over to the bed and laid her palm against Ben’s forehead. “It’s going to be okay.”
I held out my phone. “Call an ambulance.”Call the police, too.
Us standing here wasting time was irrational.
Eve hurried back over to me. “I’ll pay you. Whatever you want.”
She was used to getting what she wanted. Used to throwing money at a problem, fluttering her eyes and manipulating those around her.
