I clutch the envelope in my hand with a tight fist. Anger begins to bubble up as I stare down at it.
“If you want someone with you, give me a call,” he says.
I give him a grim nod without looking away from the envelope. Without another word, Judge gets in his car and leaves.
Of course, I’m not leaving yet; I want to make sure Eden is fully recovered before I do. Not to mention, I don’t want to leave until I’m certain Emiliano doesn’t come after her. But as soon as she’s completely healed and I’m sure there’s no retaliation in store for her, I’ll be on the road.
Mother and brother dearest have no idea what’s coming for them.
WHEN I WALK INTO THE ROOM Eden has been using while she recovers, I find her sitting on one of the comfortable chairs, looking out of the window. She’s so deep in thought that she hasn’t noticed me yet. I lean against the doorframe and give myself a moment to take her in.
She’s in one of her usual gypsy skirts and tops. When she lifts her arm to push back some hair from her face the bangles on her wrists clink together. I’ve come to love that sound. She’s lost some weight since she was hurt. Not much, and it won’t take much for her to gain it back, but it’s still enough to notice. Eden is already slim, so she can’t afford to lose much weight. She’s done her long red hair in some type of quadruple style braid. She’s sectioned her hair off into three long braids then braided those three to make one thick rope.
I only have a profile view of her, but from what I can see, her naturally pale face is devoid of any make-up.
Beautiful is too simple a word to describe Eden, but that’s exactly what she is. Beautiful.
I push away from the doorframe and walk into the room. “What has you so deep in thought?”
She spins to face me and my chest tightens when she smiles.
“Just anxious to get out of here.”
She gingerly gets to her feet, but I’m already in front of her before she can take a step. I wind my arms around her waist and gently pull her to me, making sure to be careful of her wound. Her hands lay flat against my pecs.
“How are you feeling?” I ask after kissing her sweet lips.
“Better.”
“Are you all packed?”
She nods. “Yes.”
“Should I get a wheelchair for you?” I give her a mischievous smile. I’m joking, but I want to gauge her reaction to see if she really needs one. I’d carry her to my truck, but that might be more painful than her walking.
She scrunches her face in an adorable expression. “Uh, please don’t.”
I laugh and kiss the tip of her nose before pulling back.
“I was able to identify the woman you saw Diego murder the day you fled from his house.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “You did?”
“Yeah. Her name was Miranda Simone and she was twenty-two. She was a known prostitute who ran away from home when she was sixteen. Her family has been looking for her for years. Judge sent an anonymous letter to them, explaining what happened to her.”
Tears gather in her eyes, but she sniffs and blinks them away. “I can’t imagine what her family must be going through,” she says, her voice cracking.
I run my hand down her back soothingly. “At least they don’t have to wonder anymore.”
“Yeah.”
I let her go and grab her bag from the bed. Trouble, Remi, and Susan meet us in the hallway when we leave the room. Trouble hands her a small white prescription bag.
“Pain meds. Every four hours as needed. I have you down to come back in a couple of weeks to remove the stitches. Call me if you need me before then.”
“I will,” she says, taking the paper bag.
Susan steps forward and carefully hugs Eden. The two women have become close over the last few days as Susan’s helped care for her while she’s been staying in the office. Each night that Eden’s been here, I’ve stayed as well, reluctant to leave her side. After seeing her bleeding out on the floor of Benjamin’s house, I’ve been terrified to leave her. I swear I’ve aged twenty years since then. And those two days she was unconscious will forever be some of the worst days of my life.