Page 41 of The Princess & the Prospect

“Evan?” I asked as he leaned his head against the steering wheel while holding the images out to his side so I could take them. “Are you okay?” I asked when he didn’t answer.

“Just, need a minute.” We sat in the quiet of the truck cab as I watched his shoulders shake a bit before he finally got himself together and glanced red-rimmed eyes over at me. “I almost missed all of this,” he whispered as his balled fist rubbed across his chest where his heart was, as if to alleviate an ache there. “I’m so sorry for everything, Anna. I don’t know how to make you believe that, but I will never stop trying to prove to you how sorry I am and how none of it will ever happen again.”

I took my phone out of my purse and texted Beth before I could respond to him.

Me: I’m not going to make it back today.

Beth: It’s okay, slow here. Think I’m going to just close up shop early and get some shopping done. Everything okay?

Me: It’s fine. Evan needs me though. It was very emotional.

Beth: Enjoy the rest of your day, honey.

“How about you take me home and I’ll make us an early dinner?” I suggested after I had the go-ahead to take the rest of the day off guilt free.

“What about work?”

“I just checked with Beth. It’s fine. Let’s go home.”

I thought I heard him repeat the word home, but it was said so low, I couldn’t be sure. Before I could question it, he had the truck started and about to back out of the parking spot before he stopped and threw the truck back in park. “I need to get this off my chest now,” he told me when I turned to ask why he had changed his mind.

“That was our baby. We saw our baby today sucking on its thumb in your belly.”

“We did,” I agreed.

“I never want to miss out on another thing, Anna. Please, promise me that I won’t have to.”

I scooted over on the bench seat so that our sides were touching and I reached up to cup his jaw in my hand feeling the course hairs of the short beard he had started to grow tickle my palm. “I promise you.” My words were softly spoken, but I don’t think they made near the impact as the gesture that followed them. I leaned in and placed my lips to his, sealing that promise with a kiss. His gasped intake of air showed just how surprised he was that I had done it. That only lasted a moment before he pulled me closer still, locking one hand around my neck with the other on my thigh as he deepened the kiss. Good gravy, that kiss would have knocked me flat on my butt had I not already been sitting.

It took me a couple minutes to come back to reality and attempt to peel myself out of Evan’s grasp. When I did, I glanced away quickly, embarrassed that I allowed the simple gesture of a kiss to go too far. The moment I glanced away, my world fell to pieces, I started hyperventilating, and all I could do was point a finger in the direction of pure evil. “That’s…” I didn’t even finish my sentence when I saw the woman duck into a store across the street. No way was I letting her get out of my sight. I jumped from the truck and took off across the road. Evan caught up to me quickly and snagged my arm just before I made it inside the store.

“What the hell is going on?”

“I just saw Seneca,” I whispered. “She just went inside the store.”

“Are you sure? She’s supposed to be in jail, Anna. She couldn’t be out here. The club would have heard about her getting out.

“Of course I’m sure. I’ll never forget her face as long as I live. She took my brother from us.”

I watched as Evan took out his phone and dialed. He held me close to his body as we stood there basically guarding the front doors from anyone who might come out of them.

“We have a problem,” he said immediately when someone picked up. “Seneca is out. She’s in a store downtown right now.” Evan stopped and listened before glancing down at me again. Then he answered whatever question I couldn’t hear from the other end. “Anna spotted her. Pretty sure. She’s shaken up. I had to stop her from chasing after the bitch.”

He listened a few more minutes and then hung up. “Kane is on his way since he’s closest. I want you to go wait in the truck with the doors locked baby. We already know what this whore is capable of. I refuse to risk you or the baby. No arguments.”

Kane pulled up just as I was locking myself in the truck. He spoke to Kane, and then we watched as Kane moved to go inside the store. Not a minute later J-Bird rolled up and wasn’t even off his bike yet before screaming at Evan.

“What the fuck are you doing standing around out here, Joker?”

“I had to stay with Anna, asshole. Kane’s inside. Go help him.”

J-Bird barely made it to the door before Kane was manhandling the woman out the front door. They brought her over to the truck and glanced at their two bikes. “There’s no way either of us can ride with her on our bikes. She’s capable of anything.”

“I’m not getting on a motorcycle with either of you crazy idiots. Let me go. I’ll scream for the police.”

“Good then they can lock you up since you’re supposed to be in jail anyway.”

“No, I’m…” the woman got no more out before J-Bird pinched down on a pressure point near her neck, shutting her up.

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