back to it and bent down, hitting one of the keys on her keyboard.
An email flashed up on one of her screens and her whole body went cold.
You think youâre invisible but youâre not. I know where you live, Eva King. Stop hunting. Otherwise those angel wings of yours are going to get clipped.
Fear gripped her, so tight it was like her chest had suddenly been encased in concrete.
Somehow sheâd been discovered. How the fuck had that happened? How had they found her?
She stared at the screen, trying to get a handle on the fear racing through her, trying to think clearly and logically.
There was no name on the email, the address something meaningless, probably run through an email router somewhere to hide the identity of the person sending it. But she knew where it had come from anyway: the mercenary whoâd threatened her and Zac through Alex. Or at least the people behind him. The people who didnât want her and Zac digging into Conradâs poker game. The people whoâd wanted to destroy copies of that security tape.
The fear began to spread inside her as another thought took hold.
If theyâd wanted to destroy that tape, it was because there was something incriminating on it.
Not something. Someone.
Her brain sparked, making connections in the way it sometimes did, a wild leap in the dark.
Was it because of the guard sheâd recognized? The same guard from the house. Whoâd blindfolded her and taken her to The Man. Was it him?
Holy shit. Were they connected?
She tried to breathe normally, tried to think beyond the shakes that were taking hold of her.
Because if they were connected ⦠Did that mean that the email had come from ⦠him? The man whoâd taken her and forced her into sexual slavery?
You know it did.
Shock coiled inside her as her brain made another leap. If it was him, it meant he was somehow connected with the Lucky Seven casino. With Conrad Southâs poker game. With Alexâs family.
The Seven Devils.
Oh Christ.
Her phone rang, and she flinched at the sound. Jesus, she had to get it together. Grabbing it from her pocket she glanced down at the screen. Zac.
Getting her breathing under control with only marginal success, she hit the answer button. âWhat?â
âHave you checked your email?â Zacâs smooth, dark voice held an unusual note of urgency.
Eva closed her eyes. âYeah,â she said thickly.
And clearly he must have heard her fear in the word because he said, âThey sent it to me as well.â
She swallowed, her throat tight. âIt doesnât mean anything. I donât even knowââ
âThere are some things we need to discuss, angel.â The note in his voice now was unyielding.
No. Please God, she didnât want to discuss anything right now. It felt like her safe little world had been pried apart and someone was looking in. Someone dangerous. She needed some time to think about this, hell, to at least check her system to see if it had been compromised somehow. âNo,â she hoarsely. âI canât do it tonight.â
âIâm going to have to insist.â
She knew his voice. It could be hard as iron, dark and smooth as black velvet, thick and deep as mink fur. Now, though, it contained nothing but utter certainty, as if arguing with him was inconceivable.
To hell with that.
âNo.â She tried to make herself sound even more certain than he did, but she knew she only came across as afraid. âNot tonight. Not tomorrow. Or the day after, or the day after that. Not next week or next month or even next fucking year.â Her voice had risen, the hard plastic of her phone digging into her palm. âWe will not be discussing âthingsâ ever!â
And before he could respond, she hit the end button, cutting the call.
Great. That wasnât hysterical at all.
Eva swallowed. She put the phone back on her desk, stilling the tremble in