I wanted it. All of it. And I wanted her.
From the first moment I’d laid my eyes on her, I'd wanted her. Only I'd been too fucking slow to work it out then.
I’d always lived by my gut instincts and I had to do that now. The weight of Atlas lifted off my shoulders. Anger leaked out of my soul, replaced with hope.
My inner monster was evaporating.
My selfish ways no longer served me. I'd been cruel and unkind to those who were undeserving of second chances—including myself. . But now I had to let it go—the anger and revenge I'd thrived on for so long left no space for love or forgiveness.
It was time to change all of that. Because of her, I wanted a second chance.
Could Eva become my new start? Could she save me?
After all we’d been through, would she want to? I had to redeem myself. I had to give it a shot—even if I died trying. She had given me a new reason to live.
But for her, I would be lost. Damned. Broken forever.
But now I had a chance.
If she would have me.
Chapter Sixty-Four — Harrison
Three days later.
I flashed my badge at the dude standing in front of the imposing security gates.
“Special Ops.” I couldn’t hide the pride in my voice when I said those words—my career had sustained me through the worst times of my life.
The security guard had seen me here before only a short while ago, so he just nodded his head with a grunt that was supposed to pass as a greeting and opened the gates.
Driving at walking speed up the long driveway, I lifted my chin at the older man who was trimming the roses that lined the entire path up to the mansion. Next round I wanted a job like that, pottering about in beautiful gardens all day. But then I thought of all the adventure I'd miss and decided I liked my job just fine. It had certain perks that gave me access to important people I wouldn’t get close to otherwise. Like the Senator.
I left the car idling while I rang the doorbell. A stout woman opened the door. “Ah, Mr. Summers.” She beamed.
I smiled, pleased that she remembered me. The last time I was here for a meeting with my boss, Savage, and the Senator, I'd complimented her on the delicious spice biscuits served with the tea. She’d proudly informed me they were from a Dutch recipe that was passed down from her grandmother. It always paid dividends to treat staff politely for exact situations like these. Back then I hadn’t known about the Senator’s involvement with Eva. I just knew he was engaged and only lived at the mansion partially.
At the time, I’d shaken my head at the sheer waste of taxpayer funds. A mansion like this needed to be filled with family, not a single man who was hardly ever here.
“Hello Angela, you look great today,” I said, turning the charm full-blast. “I've come to pick up the dog for a trim at the parlor. You’d think I'd have more important work to do than running after dogs, huh?” I winked at her.
“Well, I’m glad they sent you. The puppy hasn’t been happy since she’s been here. Maybe she will cheer up when she sees your handsome face.” She pinched my cheek just like my grandmother always used to do.
I followed her to the kitchen where Miu-miu was lying listless in her basket. The dog’s tail wagged as I reached out to stroke her head. She licked my hand, and when I picked her up, also my face, much to Angela’s delight. Little bitch remembers me.
I tucked the dog under my arm and made my way to leave. So far so good, but I wasn’t sticking around to tempt fate.
“Bring her straight back after the parlor, will you?” Angela said. “The Senator comes to see her as soon as he gets home from work.”
“Yeah, sure,” I lied.
We made it to the car and Angela put the dog’s bed on the back seat. “She’ll be happier here on her own cushion.”
The phone inside the house rang, its shrill tone demanding attention. “Oh, that’s probably the Senator. He’s bringing guests home to dinner tonight. Let me go hear what he wants.” She closed the back door and walked toward the house.
Fuck. I better get out of here, fast. It was still a long drive to the gate and if Angela told Walker I’d picked up the dog, I'd be busted. My heart beat wildly in my chest, but I kept going at the required speed so as not to raise any alarm.
It was killing me to go this slow. I just wanted to put my foot down on the accelerator and get the fuck away from here. I didn’t care to find out what the sentence was for abducting a dog from the Senator’s house.
The dude at the gate held up his hand for me to stop. Fuck.
“Open the window,” he demanded. What now?
I pressed the button for the front window to open.
“No, the back window—where the dog is,” he said.