Page 40 of Her Cruel Bodyguard

I scrape my fingers through my hair, mimicking Fabio as he rakes his through his own hair in frustration.

He opens the car door and climbs in, tossing the phone in the cupholder. His jaw tightens and he gulps, his throat flexing visibly. He takes a deep breath, one that shuts his eyes. He turns to me with a sharp look in his eyes.

“What have you done, Eva?” Fabio narrows his eyes at me, his brows knitting together in a frown that has his forehead crinkling.

Me?

I flutter my lashes, fanning the shock and confused at the insinuation.

“What do you mean by what have I done?” I shoot back because if this is another of his many reasons to turn the tables and make it about me needing to be with him, then this time for real, I am done.

He picks up his phone again. “You are the only one who knows about Jake,” he says, punching something into his phone, dialing, or texting someone.

“And what does that have to do with anything?” I fling my hands in the air. “Why would I kidnap your son?”

He lifts his eyes from the screen of his phone, “Why would you kidnap my son?”

“You tell me,” I shrug.

“Eva, please, for the fucking love of God, tell me this isn’t some prank.”

“What are you saying?” I holler.

“You are the only other person who knows about Jake,” he says, his voice losing its usual calm, collected tone.

“And what does that have to do with him being kidnapped?” I scoff, “You know you have enemies, and they would seek any means to get back at you, Fabio.”

“The enemies I have didn’t know about my son, and wouldn’t have if no one said anything to them,” he straps his seat belt on. “Who did you tell?”

“No one,” I answer quickly. I told nobody of… importance. And by that I mean, no one that would need the information for anything such as this.

“Are you sure about that?” He starts the car.

“Except…”

“Except who?”

“I told Gloria about it,” I stutter, “In class…”

“For Christ’s fucking sake, Eva!” He roars and my bones clatter.

“I told her about everything that happened last weekend,” I add quickly so he doesn’t think I only was talking about his son. “I needed someone to talk to.” Now that I am thinking about it, anyone could have heard the conversation.

“You put the life of my son at risk because of some cheap gossip?” He booms. “I trusted you,” he grinds. “Is that how you want to handle things, how you plan to be his stepmom?”

“I didn’t mean…”

“But you fucking did, you fucking announced to the entire world that I have a son,” his rage reflects in his darkening gaze as it burns into me.

What have I done?

The heaviness twists my intestines, and I dry heave from the unsettling feeling in my stomach. He is only six years old. I could have kept my big mouth shut, but I didn’t. I could have talked about my sex with Fabio without needing to include his son in the cheap gossip.

Hot tears burn in my eyes.

“Don’t do that,” he tuts. “Take responsibility for this. Don’t fucking hide behind your tears.”

His voice isn’t any lighter. If I were anyone else, I would face more than just the bite of his words. But I am not. He would have told no one else about Jake or taken them to see him.

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