Page 50 of Theirs to Take

“I’ll beg if I have to, Alex,” he said. “I’m in love with her and I can’t just let her go like this.”

“You’re in love with Evie?” Nova said, walking into Alex’s office. “You forced her to lie to me, Rod. Does that sound like something you’d do to someone you love?”

“I made a wrong judgment call and drug Evie into my lie. If you want to be mad at someone, here I am, but you keeping her from me isn’t the right thing to do. What would have happened if someone tried to keep you from Alex?” he asked. “Or you from Nova?” he said to his brother.

“No one could have kept me from her,” Alex growled.

“I feel the same way about Evie, man,” Rod admitted. “I’m in love with her. I want her to move in with me, but Nova convinced her that I’m not serious about her. What did you say to her to make her run away from me?” he asked Nova.

“I told her the truth—that a man who asks you to lie for him is bad news. My ex-husband made me lie for him all the time and look where he is now.” Her ex was in prison for paying off judges and lawyers to win cases. Rod knew that he was nothing like her fucking ex-husband.

“That’s not fair, Nova,” Alex chided. “My brother might have told a lie to keep you from pushing him into going on more blind dates, but he’s nothing like Simon. At least admit that much to be true.”

“Fine,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry, Rod. I guess that I just got carried away. You aren’t like my ex, but you did get my very best friend to lie to me. Evie was the one person that I knew I could count on to tell me the truth. Now, I don’t even have that.”

“I can’t apologize enough, Nova,” Rod said.

“No, you can’t,” Nova barked.

He sighed, “But I can make you the promise that I will never ask her to lie to you again.”

“Ever?” Nova asked.

“Ever,” Rod agreed. “Please, just tell me where I can find her. I need to be with her.”

She looked over at Alex and Rod felt as though he was holding his breath, waiting for her to make up her mind about what to do. “Fine,” she grumbled. “I’ll give you the address where you can find her, but if you hurt her, I’ll be the one you’ll have to deal with,” Nova said.

“Duly noted,” Rod agreed.

“She’s at the hotel in town—the one on the corner of Main and Holiday Streets,” she said.

“I know the one,” he said. “Why did she go there?” he asked. “No, don’t answer that. I’m betting she went there to try to avoid me, right?” Nova nodded and Rod pulled her in for a quick hug. “Thanks,” he said.

“Don’t disappoint me, Rod,” Nova ordered.

“Never,” he assured. He ran out of the office and onto the elevator, not wanting to waste a second getting to Evie. He was going to go get his girl and nothing would stand in his way again.

Rod pulled into the parking lot to the hotel address that Nova gave him. He just needed to figure out which room she was in, and then, he’d find her and convince her to move in with him. Hell, he wanted to marry her, but they’d get to that.

He ran into the lobby and found what he was hoping was a friendly woman who’d find him just charming enough to give him Evie’s room number.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m trying to locate my girlfriend, but I can’t remember what room she said she was in.”

“I’m sorry sir, but it’s our policy not to give out that kind of information,” the woman said.

“I understand,” he said. “But I need to deliver some bad news, and well, time is of the essence.” The woman looked him over as if she didn’t believe a word that he was saying and why should she—he was totally lying.

“Fine,” he said, “if you would be so kind to deliver the message that her grandmother has passed, I’d be grateful.” He looked the woman over waiting for some response from her, but she gave none. “Thanks for your time,” he said, turning to leave. He made it all the way to the lobby door before she called Rod back over to the desk.

“Miss Jones is in room 328. Take the elevator around the corner to the third floor and make a left when you get off,” the woman said.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’m sure that Miss Jones will appreciate this.” He knew for a fact that his showing up at her door was going to piss her off. He walked around the corner and got onto the elevator, following the woman at the front desk’s directions.

Rod found room 328 and knocked on the door. He heard someone rummaging around the room and he swore he could hear Evie’s soft curses, making him smile. She pulled open the door, “Can’t you see the ‘Do not disturb’ sign on the door handle?” She looked him over and immediately tried to shut the door on him. Rod shoved his foot in the way and winced when the door hit it with force.

“Evie,” he breathed. “Just give me a chance here,” he begged.

“I can’t,” she said. “I still don’t know how I feel about everything that’s happened between us. Talking to Nova put our‘relationship’ in perspective for me,” she said, using air quotes around the word relationship.

---