“You didn’t offend me.” She opened the front door. “I was just telling you what most people might think. You said that Billy told you that you had to catch up with what was going on in the world today.”
“For God’s sake, it’s not as if I didn’t know about sex before the accident. After all, I wasn’t in a convent. I was just unfamiliar with the term and wanted to be sure that I had gotten it right.”
Eve’s gaze narrowed on her face. “And perhaps you wanted me to be a little uncomfortable?”
“Maybe.” She met her gaze. “And maybe I was jealous.”
“What?”
“Sex. I’ve never gone to bed with anyone. I was always into sports, and I never even dated. I thought there was plenty of time. But there wasn’t, was there?”
Another important element of life the Beth had missed, Eve thought. “Not for the girl you were, but it’s not as if you can’t make it up. Sex isn’t only for the very young.” She grinned. “If it were, I’d be feeling pretty damn cheated myself.”
“You like it?”
Eve caught sight of Joe, who had entered the far courtyard and was walking toward the house. “Oh, yes, I like it very much indeed.”
“I can see that you do.” Beth’s gaze was focused on Eve’s face before it shifted to Joe. “He’s very … good-looking. No, he’s just … I don’t know, but I can see why you’d want to have sex with him.”
“I’m glad that you approve of my choice,” Eve said dryly. “Not that it matters.”
“Would you mind if I had sex with him?”
Eve’s eyes widened with shock. “I beg your pardon.”
“You would mind.” She shrugged. “I just thought that it might be okay. I think I’d like it with him, too. From what I’ve been watching on TV, people seem to be having sex with everyone these days, and no one seems too bothered about it.”
“You’ve been watching the wrong programs. There is such a thing as fidelity, Beth.”
“Forget it. It was just a thought. Sex is probably going to be awkward for me at first, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself with a man I cared about. I thought I’d get it out of the way.”
“Not with Joe,” Eve said firmly. “And I’d think you’d be thinking about how to keep alive instead of your first roll in the hay.”
“I’m going to stay alive. But I can’t close everything else away from me.” Her voice vibrated with intensity. “You don’t understand. Just staying alive isn’t enough. I want to live. I want to drain the cup. I want to feel and know.”
And who could blame her? That young Beth in the photograph, whom Eve had thought so vibrantly alive, had been imprisoned and was finally free and wanting to taste every morsel of life.
“You’re wrong, I do understand.”
“Do you?” Beth whispered. Then she smiled brilliantly. “I think you do.”
Eve chuckled. “But you still can’t have Joe.” She turned to Joe, who was now only a few yards away, and said, “Come and meet my sister, Joe. This is Beth.”
CHAPTER
11
IT WAS THE BITCH!
Drogan focused his binoculars on the two women who stood in the doorway of the house as Quinn approached them. The first woman was the one he’d followed with Joe Quinn. The other was Beth Avery. He recognized her not only from the photo that Pierce had given him but also the glimpse he’d had of her in that hospital room. He would have known her anywhere. He had been thinking of her, lusting for too long after the moment he’d have her in his sights.
She was smiling faintly at Quinn as she took a step back into the house. He lost sight of her.
Again.
But not for long, bitch. I’m not going to lose you again. You think that Quinn and those others can protect you? Now it’s only a matter of time. When you least expect it, I’ll be there. Did you see what I did to Newell? That’s nothing to how I’ll cut you. Pierce wants it to look like an accident, but that’s not going to happen. I’ve waited too long for you. My dear Mama Zela taught me how to make death take a long time, and I’ve missed those nights in the bayou with only the fire and the prey and the Snake God.
He wriggled down the hill to the trees and stood up as soon as he had cover. He’d wait until they got settled, then start reconnoitering the property to see if he could find a way into the house that wouldn’t set off the alarms. If that wasn’t possible, he’d just stake it out until they left the place. Then he’d pounce and—
His phone was vibrating.
If it was Pierce, he wasn’t about to answer. Not until the bitch had been put down in the way he wanted.
It wasn’t Pierce. He looked at the ID in shock. What the hell?
He slowly pushed the access button. “Well, what a surprise. I wasn’t expecting you.”
* * *
“YOU WERE LONGER THAN I thought you’d be,” Eve said as she closed the front door after Joe entered. “What’s wrong?”
Joe shrugged. “Maybe nothing. I just decided to be extra careful. I needed to reassure myself that—” He stopped and glanced at Beth.
“It’s okay,” Eve said. “You’re not going to have to worry about her crumbling away or crawling under the bed to shiver in terror because of Drogan. She met Newell and me in the hall with a Luger.”
“Really?” He tilted his head. “Interesting.”
“Not really,” Beth said. “I knew enough to pull the trigger, but I wasn’t sure I could hit anything.”
“It’s not difficult to hit a target if you’re close enough,” Joe said. “Just keep on shooting, and you’ll have it covered.”
Beth smiled. “I’ll remember that. But I’m glad I didn’t have to shoot at Eve and Billy.” Her smile faded. “What did you want to tell Eve that you were afraid would scare me?”
“Nothing concrete.” He looked at Eve. “But Drogan’s out there. I can feel it.”
“But you didn’t see him?” Beth asked.
“That doesn’t matter,” Eve said absently. “I’d trust Joe’s instincts every time. So what do we do, Joe? I don’t believe it’s likely that Drogan will bring in the police or some help from the hospital.”
“I don’t either. I think he’s a loner. But if he’s a professional, then he’ll have contacts and might decide to call in someone else that he knows he can dominate.” He shrugged. “Which means that we can’t stay here too long. My bet is that he’ll try to find a way to get to her. We’ll have to find another safe house.”
“Newell needs rest,” Eve said. “How much time do we have?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Joe said. “I’ll go out in an hour or so and see if I can track Drogan down.”
“Don’t do that,” Beth said sharply. “I saw what he did to Billy. That’s not going to happen again. I’m not going to be to blame for anyone else’s being hurt because of me. Just find a way for me to leave here.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Joe said. “In the meantime, I’ll do what I think is right.” He met her gaze. “Eve wants you safe. That means you will be safe. Back off.”
Beth’s hands clenched into fists as she stared at him for a moment. Then she turned on her heel and strode down the hall toward the library.
“Not what I expected,” Joe murmured as he watched her disappear. “She won’t be easy to manipulate.”
“I don’t want to manipulate her, dammit,” Eve said through set teeth. “For years she’s been stuffed in that hospital bed like a lifeless doll, with Pierce and his buddies trying to keep her quiet and not bother him and the Averys. She’s been manipulated too much already.”
“Shh.” He brushed his lips across her cheek. “Wrong word. I didn’t mean to stir you up. It seems she’s arousing your sense of protectiveness. She may not need it. I notice that she has a mind of her own.”
“That they tried to take away from her.” She shook her head. “I can imagine how I would have felt in the same circumstances, and I wasn’t like her. She was an athlete, and you could see from that photo how much she loved life.” The anger was growing as she thought about it. “Hell, no, she’s not going to be easy. She’s only been out of that place for a few days, and she’s already questioning, probing, trying to get back a little of what’s been stolen from her.” She suddenly smiled. “Actually, I think she’s going to get back more than a little. She asked if she could go to bed with you, Joe.”