I snorted. “Funny. That’s what he said about you.”
“Well, sure. I don’t like them because he doesn’t like to be disturbed so late.”
“It’s not that late,” I replied.
“Maybe for an old man it is,” Eva said without even bothering to hide her smirk.
I shook my head. “And we all know how much you love older, much, much, much older men, right?”
“Your dad was always nice to me.” Eva winked. “Even before all of this, he was so sweet.”
“Oh, please,” I said.
“He’d always sit down next to me, so close he could smell me,” Eva said. “At first I thought it was a little creepy but then I started to like it. I’m pretty sure he did too.”
My jaw tensed. “You’re an idiot.”
“Ah-ah-ah,” she said wagging her finger. “I’d be careful if I were you. Can you imagine what the guard would do if I told them you were harassing me?”
“All the guards or just Leo?” I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “They all are on my side. Didn’t you realize that yet?”
“I don’t get it. What kind of power do you have here? What did you ever do for any of the people here?”
“That’s one thing you never understood. It’s all about power,” Eva said. “I have it and you don’t.”
I grimaced. “That’s one thing you never understood, I don’t want it.”
Eva pressed her hand to her chest as she let out a loud, obnoxious fake laugh. “Oh, Adam. Trust me, I realized that but you had money. Money can equal power.”
“Whatever. Enjoy your power,” I said.
“Oh, I am. I really, really am,” Eva said. “Now, why don’t you scatter on home? I’m sure your little friend is wondering what’s taking so long. You know, I have to give you credit though, after what happened to her, you’re pretty brave to wander out here alone.”
I took a step closer to her. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be. And so should your friend.” Eva looked at her nails. “I sure as hell wouldn’t leave her home all alone after everything that’s happened since you arrived.”
Rage bubbled inside of me. I tried not to react because that was what she wanted… a reason to call out for help.
“Go home, Adam. You need the sleep,” Eva said her lips curling at the ends. “It’s going to be an early morning for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“Nothing. Everyone needs sleep,” Eva said waving as she stepped around me as if I carried a contagious disease. “Hope all is okay at home.”
Dammit.
I turned away from her without another word. I didn’t care what she had to say.
At first, I moved at a normal pace but as her words sank deeper inside my mind, the quicker my feet moved. Before I knew it, I was running, and I wasn’t hiding in the shadows. I needed to get to the cabin as soon as possible.
When I got to our door, I knocked hard. My panic-filled bones rattled along with the door in the frame.
The door opened quickly. Leah looked at me with wide eyes before flicking her gaze over my shoulders at the darkness behind me.
“Adam!” she said with a gasp.
I charged into the room and threw my arms around her. My arms fell away and I slammed the door closed, locking it with a quick flick.
“Is the bag ready?” I asked.
“What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“I ran into Eva,” I said as if that would explain everything.
She shook her head. “I thought you went to see your dad? Eva was there and you stayed?”
“No,” I said moving around the room like a chicken with my head cut off. I needed to do something but I wasn’t quite sure where to begin. “I ran into her after I left.”
“So much for staying in the shadows.”
“It was before I reached the shadows.”
Leah twisted her fingers. “Did she do something to you?”
“No, we just talked,” I said.
“Why?”
I pressed my fingertips to my temples. “I don’t know. She just kept saying these things. She implied something happened to you or at least that’s what I thought she was doing. Eva knows how to mess with me.”
“I’m fine,” Leah said shaking her hands. “Look, I’m perfectly fine. She just wanted you to leave, that’s all.”
“That’s not all,” I said. “She said I needed to get to sleep. That it was going to be an early morning. The reason we didn’t get our papers is because we’re expected to show up in the morning.”
Leah shook her head. “But your dad… what did he say?”
“I don’t think he knows what she planned,” I said. “We need to be ready to leave. Hell, maybe we should leave right now.”
“Adam! What did your dad say?” Leah asked.
“He said everything is fine,” I said running my finger through my hair. “Dad said that all family is excused from fighting.”
She shook her head. “I’m not family.”
“He told them you’re my wife,” I said.
“Then maybe everything is fine. Maybe Eva is just messing with you for enjoyment,” Leah said. “That’s not out of the realm of possibility, is it?”
“Definitely not,” I said. “But it’s also possible that she did something to make sure we weren’t safe. You and I both know she wants us gone. What better way to get rid of us than this?”
Leah shook her head. “There is no guarantee we’ll die. In fact, they’re fully expecting to win this whole thing.”
“Maybe a guard has instructions to get rid of us,” I said.
Leah frowned. “Your dad would never forgive her.”
“He would
