To the saleslady’s credit, she bagged the things Evangeline had hastily put back so she didn’t know they’d been purchased and then rang up the total, sliding the ticket in Justice’s direction. Once finished, Justice collected all the bags and escorted Evangeline out to the waiting car.
“Are we finished?” she asked in a wary tone.
He smiled. “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m taking you home now.”
He ushered her into the car and then walked around to the street side and slid into the backseat next to her. As they glided into traffic, she aimed her gaze out the window, seemingly fascinated with the city, almost as though she’d never been to New York. Her reaction seemed odd for someone who lived and worked here.
As if sensing his scrutiny, she glanced his way self-consciously and gave him a small smile.
“I never get used to it,” she confessed, her hand fluttering toward the window. “I’m not sure I ever will.”
“What?” Justice asked curiously.
“All the hustle and bustle. The people. The skyscrapers. All the businesses and cars, the buildings stacked on top of one another. It reminds me of the anthills we had back home when they get stirred up and all the ants run everywhere.”
He laughed, noting the southern drawl he found charming.
“Where are you from, Evangeline?”
“Mississippi,” she said in a wistful tone.
“And what brought you to the city?”
Pain flashed in her eyes, making him instantly regret having asked a seemingly benign question. She turned her gaze back to the passing scenery as honks and the sounds of traffic blared in the background.
“I needed to make more money to help my parents,” she said simply.
The way she said it indicated the subject wasn’t open to further discussion, so he didn’t press, though now he was curious as to why she would have moved to New York because her parents needed money.
From what he knew of her, she worked late shifts in a bar in Queens. Surely there were better jobs to be had in Mississippi. And the way she’d spoken of the city in comparison to her home, she sounded very much like she was homesick and unhappy here.
He frowned, wanting to query Drake about her situation, but Drake wouldn’t take well to that at all. Not that Drake would ever think one of his brothers would poach on his territory, but what was Drake’s was Drake’s and he kept what was his to himself. Hell, they were all like that. Maybe it was why the group of men who worked with and for Drake had such a strong bond. They had too much in common and understood one another’s needs. Privacy being uppermost. And not being questioned and especially not answering to anyone except one another. It was an arrangement that worked well and was extremely profitable.
A sudden thought occurred to him. If Evangeline knew everything about Drake’s “business matters,” she’d likely bolt like a bat out of hell. His previous women didn’t give a shit as long as they got what they wanted out of the arrangement. Evangeline, on the other hand, didn’t appear to him to be a woman who could be bought. She was too honest and he couldn’t imagine her looking the other way on any unlawful activity.#p#分页标题#e#
The very qualities that put her miles above any other woman Drake had ever taken could well be what made him lose her. But then, Drake’s track record suggested Evangeline wouldn’t be around that long. Longer than the others, Justice was confident of that. But likely not long enough to ever have a clue about the things Drake—and the rest of them—dealt in. And she certainly wouldn’t condone their brand of justice. Hell, if she knew her ex-boyfriend was even now recovering from a well-deserved ass kicking, she’d be horrified, no matter how much she hated the bastard.
Justice sighed. Drake had stepped in it this time. Evangeline just wasn’t like the other women, and that was going to cause Drake a lot of trouble. Provided he kept her long enough for it to become an issue.
Evangeline kept casting furtive looks in Justice’s direction. He didn’t turn to face her, not wanting to cause awkwardness. Instead he continued to study her from his periphery. Several times, she inhaled and opened her mouth only to promptly shut it and turn back to the window.
She obviously wanted to ask or say something but was too shy to do so. Why he found that so charming, he had no idea, but at the same time, the thought of her being afraid of him didn’t sit well at all. And that thought was even more ludicrous because he, like his brothers, cultivated healthy fear and respect from others. But the idea of Drake’s woman being afraid to say something to him? It turned his stomach.