He was waiting now, one hand on the curtain, for her to finish it. But with all she would have liked to ask him, she limited herself to a smile, lopsided and apologetic-a peace offering he wouldn’t even know she owed him-and a lightly curious “When do you sleep?”
There was no answering smile, not even one of irony. No chuckle, not even the dryest snort, heavy with sarcasm. Instead he replied, very softly, “When Sonny Cisneros is behind bars.”
Then he slipped out of the room like a shadow, leavmg her with the chilled feeling that he’d meant it literally.
There was no one to distract her now-no doctors and nurses with their needles and bandages and slightly off- color banter, no dour FBI man with his somber warnings and instructions, nothing to keep the reality of that from crashing in on her. For the first time since waking half-naked in a strange man’s bed with her soiled wedding gown on the floor beside her, she was alone, just her and her thoughts. And since there was no one to see, instead of pushing her thoughts away in instinctive, gut-level defensive panic, she gave them the okay to come and stay in her mind, and let the full horror of them seep into her soul.
Fear and loathing enveloped her, like the nightmare terrors of long-ago childhood when the miasma of nameless evil rising from under her bed, seeping in from under doors and out of closets and cupboards would send her, shivering with fear, to seek comfort in one of her sisters’ beds. What a time of sheltered innocence that had been, when terror could be banished by a warm body, the smell of baby shampoo and a sleepy “Evie’s havin’ a bad dream?”
“Eve? Oh, Evie…oh my God-”
“Mom…? Oh, Momma, I’m so sorry…” All right, so she was forty-three years old. And yes, she’d been on her own, a world traveler and successful filmmaker, for years and years. But she had just come from that childhood nightmare, had been longing for a time when all it took to banish terror was to be gathered into those familiar arms. Perhaps she could be forgiven-and was most definitely not acting-when she burst noisily into tears.
And then her mother was bending over to kiss her and oh, so carefully touching her bandages, then tenderly cupping her cheek and whispering, “Shh…it’s all right, sweetheart… you’re all right, that’s all that counts,” and enveloping her in the familiar scents of Jergens lotion and talcum powder that in a way held more comfort than either the words or the touch.
Beyond her mother’s shoulder, through a shimmer of tears, she saw her father’s face hovering, flushed red and set in a mask of grief and anger. She could only imagine the frustration he must be feeling, that he, her father and a police officer, had yet been unable to protect his little girl from harm.
“Pop?” she squeaked, reaching for him with one hand as her mother moved aside to make room, “it’s okay…I’m okay.”
And her father was squeezing her hand, brusquely kissing it and then turning away, grumbling and harrumphing in the garbled and gravelly voice he used to camouflage fierce emotions, about talking to the officer in charge, and what was being done to ensure that the low-life scum that had done this to his little girl was found and brought to justice. And all the while wiping at his eyes and furtively blowing his nose on his familiar white pocket handkerchief, as if he seriously thought no one would notice.
Her sisters were there, too, crowded into that curtained space, and so were their husbands-Riley, the newest member of the family, and Jimmy Joe, hanging back a little as if they understood their purpose was mostly to provide backup-their faces, too, wearing the dark, set look of male outrage.
Eve murmured an abashed “Hi, guys. Some wedding, huh?” and gave her sisters a wry shrug and touched her lip in a way that said she’d smile if only she could. When they didn’t say anything back, she gave a careful, whispering laugh and said, “Come on, I know what you were thinking. You were thinking, Boy, Evie’s really done it this time! Right? Am I right? You know you were…” Summer and Mirabella both laughed then, but in a funny way that had more than a little of tears in it.
And then they were moving up, one on either side of her to form a protective phalanx around her just as they had when they were children and still believed that the three of them together were invincible, impregnable to any threat from near or far, grown-ups, other children or things that go bump in the night.
There was Mirabella, white as a sheet, puffed up like a little red bird spoiling for a fight, brushing and fussing at the bedclothes as if any imperfections in them were a personal affront. And Summer, the vet, forehead furrowed, sky-blue eyes misty with compassion, her strong, long-boned hands already resting on Eve’s shoulder, gently stroking her arm, touching her hair, as if just their touch could make things better.
My family, Eve thought. And whether it was lack of sleep, the residual effects of too much champagne or simply a reaction to all the stresses and traumas of the past twenty-four hours, suddenly the love she felt for them seemed almost too much to bear. I don’t want to leave them! she thought, terrified both of dying and of the separation from those she loved so much that would be like a kind of dying.
If this charade didn’t work, if she couldn’t convince Sonny she posed no threat to him, he would kill her. It was as simple as that. Or, to prevent that certainty, the FBI could whisk her away into some sort of Witness Protection Program, cutting her off forever from all those she loved. But even then there was no guarantee Sonny wouldn’t then turn on her family as a way to force her to come back! Eve was accustomed to taking risks, but never before had she been asked to risk so much. Her life? Even that seemed insignificant. What was really at stake was all there with her in that cubicle-the love… the people… her family.
It has to work, she thought. It has to.
And right on the heels of that thought came another.
The only way she or any of the people she loved would ever be safe again.
With that realization neon bright in her mind, she heard a new commotion, voices raised in the corridor outside the exam room. One voice in particular.
“Hey, what’re you talkin’ about-
Beyond the curtain there were murmurs, low and adamant, and Sonny’s voice rolling over them. Jimmy Joe and Riley were already moving to form a protective blockade, if need be, looking over at Eve to see if that was what she wanted. And it was-oh, it
Her heart skipped. She drew a catching breath, then nodded. But her eyes darted among the faces gathered around her like a panic-stricken mouse looking for a hiding place-Bella’s and Pop’s, so much alike, both gray and stormy; Summer’s more like Mom’s, sky-blue but clouded with compassion and worry.
She thought, He’ll look into them and know. How could she hide what she felt for him now-the fear, the loathing?
But the curtain was pulling back… and he was there. Sonny Cisneros, her fiance-multimillionaire, loud and gregarious, bigger-than-life Sonny Cisneros-broad-shouldered and powerful looking in his expensive suit, no tie, expensive shirt open at the neck, showing gold chains and a thick nest of hair. He moved toward her like an emperor through a throng, sparing quick handshakes for the brothers-in-law, a little longer one for Pop, a one- armed hug for Mom…and then he was beside her bed, looming above her, bending over her… Reaching out to touch the bandage on her head, oh, so gently. Saying, with what sounded like a genuine break in his voice, “Evie…baby- look at you.”
Eve drew a shuddering breath, held it and heard herself squeak, “I’m sorry, Sonny, I’m sorry!” And once more and, please God, for the last time that night, burst into tears.
“Hey, what you got to be sorry for?” Sonny crooned; leaning close, brushing her forehead with his fingertips. His breath smelled like Scotch and breath mints. Eve’s stomach heaved, and she fought to control it. “You’re the one got beat up. Hey-they catch the miserable slimeball that did this, I’m gonna kill ‘im with my bare hands.”
“He took my engagement ring… the pearls you gave me-”
“Hey, what’s a pearl? Oyster poop, that’s all. I’ll buy you all the pearls you want. I’ll get you another ring, too. A
