not going into town with bruises on your face, Evelyn.” Joshua wasn't about to have a battered woman on his arm. No fucking way.
"I'll hide them.” Evelyn knew he was concerned. She didn't want to walk around town looking like she just got beat up either, but she had makeup and knew how to use it. “One trick of the trade, disguise."
"With what? Sunglasses? I don't think so.” Joshua crossed his arms and huffed.
"I'm a woman, hard to believe sometimes I know, but I am. Trust me.” Evelyn patted his crossed arms and headed into her bedroom. “Can you pull my car up closer and change the plates to North Carolina? I need stuff out of the trunk."
"Sure. Why the hell not?” Joshua threw up his arms in exasperation and went to do the woman's bidding. The phone rang as he entered the kitchen.
"Young."
"How's it going, Big Dog?” Ethan was teasing and in far too good a mood for Joshua's taste right now. Ethan was always in a good mood.
"I'm in a living hell. How about you?” Joshua replied with impatience.
"Whoa, shit. What's going on there?” Ethan was genuinely concerned.
"You haven't told anyone she's here, have you?” Joshua was direct, all business.
"No, Grace told me a little about her. Megan and Chase know, but Megan knows her, too. Everything's on the down low. It's weird. Are you all right? You need me to come down there?"
"No. Just, I don't know. I have to figure out some things. You did a portrait for the FBI director last year, right?” Joshua's mind was already turning with ideas.
"Y-e-a-h.” Ethan drew that out slow and cautious.
"Do you think you could arrange a meeting next weekend? When we come up. An art thing?” Joshua needed to talk to someone big, find Evelyn's father and figure out his part in this. He had a hunch he had something to do with it. He needed to figure out if her sister was dead or alive. He needed someone on the inside, way on the inside but couldn't take the chance of tipping anyone off.
"Well, that sounds a little ... Joshua.” Ethan turned it over in his head a second.
"Yeah?"
"What the fuck is going on?” Ethan wasn't angry just unsure.
"I need to talk to him, but if I make the call and ask for business reasons, it could leak, and right now one leak could sink the whole damn ship. I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to. You know that.” Joshua was serious. His voice made no bones about it.
"I'll see what I can do.” Ethan took a moment. “So how is Evelyn anyways?"
"Eve. We have to call her Eve from now on. Eve...” Joshua drummed his fingers on the counter now.
"Eve Alexander, you can pass her off as a cousin from my mother's side.” Ethan wanted to help. After all Joshua had saved his life once.
"Good idea. Let me know when you get a solid on that meeting. I have to unload her car now before she kills me.” Joshua knew that was a poor choice of words.
"Josh?"
"I didn't mean that, like that. She keeps me hopping around here though. I'll tell you that off the record.” Joshua let a slight laugh escape.
"Ah, I see. Okay, Big Dog, I'll see what I can do.” Ethan went to hang up. “Joshua."
"Yeah?"
"Be careful,” Ethan said.
"I'm always careful.” Joshua hung up the phone and headed out to Evelyn's car. So careful a woman got the drop on me at three in the morning. Ethan knew how much he loved it here. He felt safe. No one knew anything about him other than he was related to Grace and Megan and now he lived here. That was good enough. He was accepted.
With everything unloaded and in the guest bedroom, Joshua saw no point in keeping her weapon anymore. If she wanted to hurt him, she had more than enough tools to do it with now. He played with the crossbow, inspecting it, held it up and aimed with an imaginary arrow. Evelyn stepped in the room.
"Wow.” He let the imaginary arrow go and dropped the bow to his side. She had covered the bruises. Her face was made up. Her lashes were now long and black accenting her big brown eyes, her lips shiny and
"I'll hide them.” Evelyn knew he was concerned. She didn't want to walk around town looking like she just got beat up either, but she had makeup and knew how to use it. “One trick of the trade, disguise."
"With what? Sunglasses? I don't think so.” Joshua crossed his arms and huffed.
"I'm a woman, hard to believe sometimes I know, but I am. Trust me.” Evelyn patted his crossed arms and headed into her bedroom. “Can you pull my car up closer and change the plates to North Carolina? I need stuff out of the trunk."
"Sure. Why the hell not?” Joshua threw up his arms in exasperation and went to do the woman's bidding. The phone rang as he entered the kitchen.
"Young."
"How's it going, Big Dog?” Ethan was teasing and in far too good a mood for Joshua's taste right now. Ethan was always in a good mood.
"I'm in a living hell. How about you?” Joshua replied with impatience.
"Whoa, shit. What's going on there?” Ethan was genuinely concerned.
"You haven't told anyone she's here, have you?” Joshua was direct, all business.
"No, Grace told me a little about her. Megan and Chase know, but Megan knows her, too. Everything's on the down low. It's weird. Are you all right? You need me to come down there?"
"No. Just, I don't know. I have to figure out some things. You did a portrait for the FBI director last year, right?” Joshua's mind was already turning with ideas.
"Y-e-a-h.” Ethan drew that out slow and cautious.
"Do you think you could arrange a meeting next weekend? When we come up. An art thing?” Joshua needed to talk to someone big, find Evelyn's father and figure out his part in this. He had a hunch he had something to do with it. He needed to figure out if her sister was dead or alive. He needed someone on the inside, way on the inside but couldn't take the chance of tipping anyone off.
"Well, that sounds a little ... Joshua.” Ethan turned it over in his head a second.
"Yeah?"
"What the fuck is going on?” Ethan wasn't angry just unsure.
"I need to talk to him, but if I make the call and ask for business reasons, it could leak, and right now one leak could sink the whole damn ship. I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to. You know that.” Joshua was serious. His voice made no bones about it.
"I'll see what I can do.” Ethan took a moment. “So how is Evelyn anyways?"
"Eve. We have to call her Eve from now on. Eve...” Joshua drummed his fingers on the counter now.
"Eve Alexander, you can pass her off as a cousin from my mother's side.” Ethan wanted to help. After all Joshua had saved his life once.
"Good idea. Let me know when you get a solid on that meeting. I have to unload her car now before she kills me.” Joshua knew that was a poor choice of words.
"Josh?"
"I didn't mean that, like that. She keeps me hopping around here though. I'll tell you that off the record.” Joshua let a slight laugh escape.
"Ah, I see. Okay, Big Dog, I'll see what I can do.” Ethan went to hang up. “Joshua."
"Yeah?"
"Be careful,” Ethan said.
"I'm always careful.” Joshua hung up the phone and headed out to Evelyn's car. So careful a woman got the drop on me at three in the morning. Ethan knew how much he loved it here. He felt safe. No one knew anything about him other than he was related to Grace and Megan and now he lived here. That was good enough. He was accepted.
With everything unloaded and in the guest bedroom, Joshua saw no point in keeping her weapon anymore. If she wanted to hurt him, she had more than enough tools to do it with now. He played with the crossbow, inspecting it, held it up and aimed with an imaginary arrow. Evelyn stepped in the room.
"Wow.” He let the imaginary arrow go and dropped the bow to his side. She had covered the bruises. Her face was made up. Her lashes were now long and black accenting her big brown eyes, her lips shiny and
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