Even though it almost killed him, Luca knocked, not wanting to break in and give anything away when things might be okay. When he was greeted by more silence, he knocked again.
Speaking with a calm he didn’t feel, Luca called out to her. “Evie, it’s Luca. I heard you from next door. Are you okay?”
The breathing on the other side stopped for a moment before he heard his name whispered.
“Luca?”
With a sigh of relief, he let his body relax at the sound of her voice. There was a quiver in it, but if she was talking, it meant she was there. Alive. He needed to see her though. Now. “Yeah, sweetheart, it’s me. You okay?”
There was a slight shuffling of feet before the door cracked open. This time no chain separated them. At the sight of Evie, he did a quick body scan from head to toe.
“I… I think, um, someone was in here.” Hearing the terror in her voice, he glanced at her knuckles, noticing her grasp on the door was so tight they were going white. Slowly placing his hand over hers, he untangled her grip from the door and took her hand in his.
“How about I check it out?”
Nibbling on her bottom lip, Evie gave a slow nod before she opened the door further and stepped to the side. Good. She trusted him. “Okay, sweetheart, you wait here.”
As Luca was about to step around her, Evie’s hand popped out and grasped his arm.
“No.” Her voice was strong. Firm. “I want to stay with you.”
A wave of protectiveness filtered through Luca. Taking Evie’s hand in his, Luca stepped inside and placed Evie behind him.
“Stick behind me, okay?” At her nod, Luca moved forward. It was freezing in her house. He’d never actually stepped inside, but the place was falling apart. The paint was peeling from the walls, and there was mold stench in the air. It really did look as bad on the inside as it did on the out. Was this even safe to live in?
Pushing that thought to the side, Luca needed to focus on this issue first, then he would deal with the house situation.
Keeping Evie behind him, Luca stepped into the living room. Nothing. Moving through the kitchen and toward the backdoor, Luca stopped. There was a man’s scent. Keeping his expression neutral, Luca didn’t let Evie know he suspected anything. As he moved past the window, he noticed the slightest signs of someone coming through there.
Looking down at the lock, Luca’s jaw clenched. A child could probably break through that.
Moving on down the hall, there were only two bedrooms and one bathroom to check. No other signs that someone had been there.
When he returned to the front room, Luca noticed there was a familiarity in the scent of the intruder. Strange. Maybe it was someone from town thinking the place was still empty.
When they returned to the living area, Luca turned to Evie, keeping emotion off his face.
“All clear, Evie.”
Dropping to the couch, Evie placed her head in her hands. When she looked up, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She looked so small and fragile that Luca had an overwhelming urge to shield her from whatever was causing her so much fear and pain. He wanted to carry her away and rid her of the demons that were plaguing her life.
“I’m sorry, Luca. I had a nightmare, and when I woke up, I thought I saw Tr… someone.” Standing, she rubbed her arms. Whether she was trying to ward off the chill of the night or the terror of an intruder, Luca wasn’t sure. Likely both.
Luca couldn’t stop himself. Walking over, he wrapped his arms around her. For a moment, Evie’s body remained rigid, then she all but melted into him. She was soft to his hard and so small in comparison to him.
They stood like that for a moment, but all too soon, Evie started to pull away. Luca reluctantly released her and stepped back.
“Want to talk about it?” Evie’s eye’s shuttered, and she shook her head.
“Thanks for coming over to check on me again. I think this is becoming a bit of a habit.” A hint of a smile showed on Evie’s face.
“A good habit, I hope.” Trying to think of a reason to stay for a bit, Luca eyed the kitchen. “I could really use a cup of coffee if you have one.”
Evie couldn’t hide the surprised expression. Dropping her eyes to Luca’s chest, her cheeks flushed a pretty rose color.
Remembering for the first time that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, he should probably feel self-conscious that his chest was bare. Having Evie’s eyes on him felt good though. Right. Darting her eyes to the kitchen and back, Evie nodded.
“Sure.”
Luca followed Evie into the other room. In the corner, a solid bookcase was lying on its side, blocking half the space.
So, this was the source of her foot pain.
Righting the piece of furniture, Luca glanced up to find Evie’s eyes on him.
“That weighs over two hundred pounds, and you just lifted it like it was nothing.”
Pausing for a moment, Luca casually shrugged his shoulders. “We run a tight ship at Marble Protection. No slacking allowed.” Luca’s attempt at humor failed. Instead of the expected chuckle, Evie’s brows pulled together in a frown. “Next time, call me over. You shouldn’t be trying to move something that heavy anyway. Now talk me through what happened tonight, Evie.”
Evie’s eyes turned haunted. Twisting around, she reached to fill the kettle. “It must have been nothing. My mind plays tricks on me sometimes. As I mentioned, I had a bad dream, and when I woke up, I thought I saw someone standing in the doorway.”
“That doorway?” Luca nodded toward the hall that led to the front door. When Evie nodded, Luca continued. “Do you remember what he looked like?”
Evie’s eyes slid away quickly before meeting his again. Disappointment filtered through Luca. She was going to lie.
Luca had become an expert at reading body language and knew that the next words to leave her mouth weren’t going to be the whole truth.
“Not really.” With a quick shrug, she pulled the coffee out of the cupboard. “It was just a shadow. A man, maybe.”
As her eyes focused on the counter, Luca noticed a slight tremor run through her shoulders.
“Is there anyone you can think of who might want to break into your home?”
Darting her eyes away from his again, she fiddled with the wood on the edge of the counter. “I don’t… I’m not ready to talk about that, Luca.”
Fair enough. At least she didn’t lie to him again.
“You can trust me, darlin.’ I know we just met, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m here to help if you need it.” He wanted her to trust him. To confide in him.
When their gazes clashed, Luca could see the yearning in her eyes. She wanted to trust him. She probably wanted someone else to help shoulder some of whatever weight it was she was carrying.
As she set the coffees in front of them, Evie’s eyes shuttered again. “Trusting someone can be dangerous.”
“Only if you trust the wrong person.”
Pausing for a moment, Evie picked up her coffee, considering Luca’s words. “Is there a way of knowing who the right person is?”
No. But damn it, he was the right person, and he wanted her to feel that as much as he did.
As Evie placed the cup back on the table, Luca reached over and wrapped his fingers around Evie’s wrist.