Page 101 of Fall Into Temptation
Emma jerked her thumb over her shoulder toward the garden shed in the corner of the yard. The door was ajar and there was a steady thumping noise coming from within.
“She’s pissed and scared and guilty and upset. So she’s doing a little therapy,” Gia told him.
He sighed, handed his notes over to Layla. “Evan got everything on picture and video, including the car’s license plate. Get the BOLO issued.”
“I’m on it,” Layla announced, pulling out her radio and calling Minnie.
“Maybe go easy on her,” Gia said, worrying her lower lip. “She’s been through a lot.”
Donovan shook his head. “Gia, I appreciate the concern, but maybe it’s time you stopped worrying about your baby sister so much. She’s an adult. A smart one.”
“A smart one who made a really stupid choice over and over again,” Emma pointed out.
“That’s the truth. But there’s a difference between supporting her and babying her. And quite frankly, I really need to yell at her because she scared the hell out of me.”
“Noted. Yell away,” Emma said, slinging an arm over Gia’s shoulders.
With a nod, Donovan crossed the yard to the shed. He ducked to get through the door and watched as Eva slammed her fists into the heavy bag hanging from a groaning bracket mounted to a rafter. She saw him but kept hitting. A sheen of sweat glistened on her brow. She was barefoot and pissed, and despite how angry and disappointed he was with her, he was still swamped with a swift rush of love.
He fought the urge to hold her, to wrap her in his arms and never let go. Instead, he leaned against the stud wall and watched her.
She was ablaze. Anger crackled off her, electric in the confined space.Anger was good, he thought. It was stronger than defeat, more formidable than fear.
Eva was exhausting herself, fighting through the mad. Her strikes on the bag were weakening, but she kept going. He saw blood and bruising on her knuckles.Damn it.Donovan stepped between her and the bag, crowding her against the wall.
She growled, and he took her hands, both as a precaution and to examine her knuckles.
“Why do I want to be mad at you right now?” she grumbled as he stroked a thumb over her abused hands.
“I have no idea, but I’m pretty pissed at you, so we might as well be mad together.”
Her shoulders slumped, and he saw her eyes go glassy with tears.Ah, shit. If she cried he’d be done for.
“You’ve done nothing for me to be mad at. I’m the asshole here,” she sniffled.
“You’ll get no argument from me.”
She didn’t pull away. Instead, she took her lumps and leaned her forehead against his chest. He gave in for the briefest of seconds and dropped a kiss to the top of her head before pushing her back a step.
“I’m so sorry, Donovan. So sorry. I thought I could handle this on my own. Thought it was better that way. And I screwed it all up.”
“And then you went to Beckett.”
She winced. “I don’t want you to think that I trusted him over you. I thought he’d fall for my ‘hypothetical’ situation. But he was sharper than I gave him credit for. I didn’t tell him anything either, but he guessed I was in trouble and gave me until tonight to come clean to you.”
“And Agnes forced your hand.”
Eva shook her head. “I was going to tell you—”
“But you didn’t. I find out when the woman who has been blackmailing you for years breaks into your house to collect the payout you denied her this time.”
“I suck. I know. Believe me I know. She took my laptop. My grandmother’s diamond earrings. Hell, she took all the wine I had in the house.”
He cut her off. “Eva, I’ve put myself out there at every turn. You know how I feel about you.” He couldn’t quite bring himself to say the words, afraid he’d crumble and sweep her up in his arms. But she needed to know. Needed to get it. “You asked me to trust you, and I did.”
A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye, and he wiped it away gently with his thumb.
“I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am, Donovan. You’ve been nothing but honest with me, and I’ve been everything but.”
