“Don’t oh Bridge me. I saw how you looked at him when he saved you from face planting on my floor. You were totally loving it.”
Eva’s cheeks flushed, and she threw a decorative hand towel at Bridget. “Shut up. I was not.”
Alek came in through the back door and made sure the deadbolt locked firmly in place behind him. “I believe we are safe.”
“Thanks,” Eva said, fanning the heat in her cheeks.
Bridget stifled her giggles. “I’m going to go change. Alek, you want to get out of those clothes and into some sweats? Eva and I can dig through my dad’s closet. I’m sure we’ll find something to dress you up in.”
“No,” Eva said before Alek had a chance to answer. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Fine. Keep him all to yourself.” She flitted down the hall and disappeared into a bedroom.
Eva’s shoulders slumped as she stared into the stocked refrigerator.
“Is something troubling you?” Alek leaned against the fridge.
“I just feel so bad about everything. Making Bridget lie to the cops. Lying to my mom. Leaving her with no explanation. This whole thing is a mess.” She took a deep breath and held it for a moment. “Sorry,” she said, exhaling. “I shouldn’t be unloading on you like this. It just feels so natural, you know?”
“We do have air conditioning,” Bridget said, returning to the kitchen. She reached around Eva and grabbed a shiny pink can. “Cheers.” She popped the top and lifted it in the air.
Eva stared at her blankly.
“What? It’s barely even one serving. Can we not just relax for, like, five minutes? No one knows you guys are here, and all of this stress is going to make me break out.” She grabbed another can off the shelf before heading to the living room.
“Hey, Bridget, do you have your phone? I want to listen to that message my mom left.”
“It’s in my bag on the counter.” She took a long gulp from the can and collapsed onto the oversized couch. “You guys want to watch a movie?”
Eva grabbed two bottles of water and went to dig through Bridget’s purse. “No, I think we’re good.” She pulled it out of the bag and walked mindlessly to the dining room.
“Your mother left word for you on that phone?” Alek followed her and sat at the head of the table. Eva didn’t answer, and he fidgeted slightly. “Would you be more comfortable if I left?”
“You can stay.” She pulled out a chair a few seats down and set the phone in front of her on the table. “I don’t know whether or not I want to listen to it.”
“Knowing what she has to say is better than the constant agony of guessing.”
“You’re strange sometimes, but you have a point.”
“You think I’m strange?”
She pressed the home button, and the phone illuminated. “Yeah, I definitely do.”
“Good strange or bad strange?”
A flash of nervousness passed over his face, and she smiled. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know after I get all of the answers I’m looking for.”
They sat for a moment, and Eva stared at the amulet around his neck. “So your mission is to protect me?”
“It is.”
“For how long?”
Alek thought on this. He did not actually know when his mission ended. “When Tartarus is safe, I suppose.”
“Is that something that you could bang out in, like, a week? Are we joined at the hip for the next ten years?”
“I am not sure. However long it is, I shall never waver,” he reassured. Eva held her breath and tapped the voicemail icon.
“Bridget, it’s Lori. If you know where Eva is, please call me. The doctors are saying that her latest round of blood work came back abnormal, and with the headaches and what happened with the nurse…” Lori let out an exhausted sigh. “I’m worried about her. If you’re with her, tell her that I’m not mad. I just want to make sure she’s safe and okay. Call me. I love you both.”
The message ended, and a lump hardened in Eva’s throat.
Alek broke the silence. “She sounds frightened.”
“And it’s my fault,” she sniffled.
“Hey! Guys!” Bridget’s shouts echoed from the living room. “You really need to come in here and see this.”
Eva blinked back her tears and followed Alek to the room. Their pictures, along with Bill’s, filled the screen. “Why are we on television?”
“Hang on, I’ll turn it up.” Bridget reached for the remote and increased the volume.
“In our nightly news top story tonight, police are looking for these three people in connection with the kidnapping and death of Madeline Bailey. As we first reported, Miss Bailey was abducted and her body later found not far from her on-campus home at the University of Tulsa. We’ll have more about that developing story later on in the program. If you have any info to the whereabouts of any of these individuals, please contact authorities.”
Eva turned away from the TV. “Turn it off. I can’t listen to this.”