Page 119 of Theirs to Take

“No kidding,” Evan grumbled. “I need to call this into Alex. He’ll want to know about it since he owns the car. He was letting Carrie use it since she just got here. This asshole has no idea who he just fucked with. Alex will eat this guy for lunch.”

“No doubt,” Eli agreed. Evan pulled around the garage, parking in a space away from Carrie’s car. If her ex was still around, he didn’t want to give up who he was or the fact that he was helping Carrie out.

Alex answered the phone on the first call. “Yeah, man,” he said.

“Hey, Alex. I’m at Carrie’s building with my brother, Eli. We came to pick up her car and you might want to get over here and take a look at it. She told me that it’s your car and she’s borrowing it, but apparently, that doesn’t matter to her scumbag ex. The car is trashed, and I’m betting that he’s to blame.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good guess. I’ll send Luke Tracy over to take a look at the car. I’ll also have him beef up security around the building. You didn’t take Carrie over there with you, right?” Alex asked.

“Of course not. I left her back at my place and told her to lock herself inside,” Evan said.

“Okay, get back over to her and tell my cousin that I’m putting a guard on her. She’ll give you some fight but tell her that it’s not up for discussion. We’re past the point of letting this slide. This guy means business and she’s right about the fact that he’s dangerous.”

Evan didn’t like the sound of that. “Have you heard from her father?” Evan asked.

“Rod was able to get in touch with him and apparently, Alastair had a few guys pay him a visit. They beat him up pretty badly and broke his arm. Rod was able to convince our uncle to come to America. He said that Carrie needed him here so that she wouldn’t worry about him and put herself and the baby at risk. Our uncle would do anything for Carrie.”

“Well, I’m glad that he’s going to be here soon. Can I tell Carrie?” Evan asked.

“Yeah, but maybe leave out the part about him being beaten. I’d also like for her to see a doctor. Her father said that she hasn’t been to one yet. She found out she was pregnant by taking one of those at-home tests. I think that she needs to be checked out.” Evan had to agree with Alex, but he didn’t want to be the onetelling Carrie what she should and shouldn’t be doing with her life.

“I’ll let her know that her father is on his way to the states and that you’re arranging a doctor’s appointment for her. I can even make sure that she gets to it but telling your cousin what she should and shouldn’t do won’t end well for any of us.”

Alex’s laughter filled the other end of the call. “It seems that you know my cousin better than you’re letting on, Evan. Just do your best with her, and Rod and I will take it from there. My priority right now is the security of her building and making sure that the tenants are safe. We own that building and it’s our duty to provide a safe home for them. Rod’s taking care of our uncle’s travel arrangements. As soon as his doctors say that it’s safe for him to travel, we’ll fly him over here.”

“All right,” Evan said. “I’ll come up with some cover story as to why it might take a little bit extra time for him to get here.”

“Tell Carrie that there’s a hold-up with his passport,” Alex said. “She’ll believe that for now. We’ll let her father tell her what happened when he’s here safe and she won’t have to worry about him.”

“I won’t lie to her,” Evan said. “I’ll tell her that her father has agreed to come to America, but that’s about all I know. If she starts asking me questions, I’ll tell her the truth.”

“Fine,” Alex agreed. “It’s your call, just try to keep her calm.”

“Will do,” Evan said. “I’m heading home now.”

“Make sure that you’re not being followed,” Alex said.

“I will. I’ll have Eli keep an eye out,” Evan agreed. “Talk soon.” He ended the call and pocketed his cell phone.

“What now?” Eli asked.

“Now, we go back to my place, and you can head out. Alex is sending over security for Carrie, and I have to explain why her father is coming to America without upsetting her,” Evan said, recapping his and Alex’s conversation.

“Good luck with all of that,” Eli said. “You sure you don’t want me to stick around?” He was sure. The last thing he needed was his brother flirting with Carrie while he was trying to keep her calm.

“I’m sure,” Evan said. “Thanks for the offer though.”

Carrie

When Eli and Evan came home together without her car, she was sure that she wasn’t going to like hearing anything that they were going to tell her. She watched out the front window as Evan hugged his brother and waved him goodbye. Eli got into his car and took off before Evan even got into the house. Carrie stepped away from the window, pretending that she hadn’t just been spying on Evan or his brother.

“Hey,” he said, finding her in the kitchen. “How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, “I think that more important question is where is my car, and why didn’t you bring it back with you.”

“I think you should sit down,” he insisted. She wasn’t going to waste time arguing with him—not with the grim look on his face or the way that he had begun pacing the floor. Carrie sat down and nodded at him, letting him know that she was ready for whatever news he had to share with her.

“Your car was vandalized,” he admitted.

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