Page 129 of His Ruthless Match
Her breathing hitched, and for a moment, I thought she might argue, but instead, she gave a tight nod. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for now.
I scanned the room, cataloging the mess and mentally running through the steps to clean it up. Broken glass, blood, and a dead body weren’t exactly easy to explain, especially in this part of the city.
“I need a suitcase or a duffel bag. Something sturdy.”
Eva blinked at me, clearly still in shock. “A suitcase?” she repeated, her voice shaky.
“Yes, a suitcase. Do you have one you don’t mind parting with?”
She hesitated, her brow furrowing as though she wanted to argue but couldn’t muster the energy, then trudged off to her bedroom.
When she returned, she was dragging a sleek, black suitcase that practically screamed luxury.
“This is the oldest one I have,” she said.
I arched an eyebrow, glancing between her and the suitcase. “You’re okay with me stuffing a corpse into this thing?”
She gagged, clapping a hand over her mouth. “You’re serious?”
“Very,” I said, crouching by the body. “Corpses aren’t exactly easy to carry. The suitcase makes it cleaner. Well… relatively.”
Her pacing picked up as I worked, her footsteps a frantic rhythm against the hardwood floor. “You can’t actually be doing this,” she muttered, her voice rising with every pass. “There has to be another way.”
“Do you have a better idea?” I asked.
She stopped in her tracks, watching in horror as I methodically folded the body to fit into the suitcase. “This is… this is insane.”
“What’s insane is letting whoever this guy was working for think they can come after you without consequences,” I said, zipping the suitcase shut. The sound of the zipper felt final, a sharp punctuation to the chaos of the evening. Eva flinched, her hands balling into fists at her sides.
I stood and dusted off my hands, turning to face her. “We’re taking him to The Below. To your brother. He’ll know what to do.”
Eva’s eyes darted to the suitcase, then back to me, her voice trembling. “I can’t just leave right now. Genevieve is still spiraling, and everything’s falling apart.”
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “Genevieve’s situation isn’t just a legal and PR nightmare anymore. There’s magic involved, Eva. We need answers we can’t get here.”
She opened her mouth to argue but hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. I softened my tone, sensing her resistance. “Eva, I know this is overwhelming. But we need answers, and The Below is the only place we’re going to get them.”
Her shoulders sagged slightly, her gaze dropping to the floor. “What if something happens while I’m gone? What if Genevieve needs me?”
“Gabe is here,” I reminded her. “Your team can handle things for a little while. This is bigger than Genevieve. And if we don’t get to the bottom of this, you’ll never be safe.”
She exhaled sharply and threaded her hands through her hair. “I hate that you’re making sense.”
I smirked faintly. “It happens occasionally.”
She resumed pacing, mumbling about what she needed to bring, but I stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Pack light. We’re going straight to The Shadow’s estate. You won’t need much.”
Her eyes searched mine for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but she quickly looked away. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
I grabbed the suitcase, lifting it effortlessly, and took one last look around. The space was still, unnervingly quiet after the earlier chaos. “You ready?” I asked, my voice cutting through the silence.
Eva clutched a small overnight bag, her expression reluctant but resigned. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
My senses were on high alert, and I scrutinized every shadow and corner as I guided her toward the elevator. My hand rested on the small of her back, reminding her that she wasn’t alone.
Eva glanced up at me, her unease evident in the tightness of her jaw. “You really think Raffy will know what we should do?”
“If he doesn’t, then we’re in more trouble than I thought.”
