Finding Eva (Sophia Noire Series) (4 page)

CHAPTER
6
WE’VE GOT TONIGHT

A
fter we wander around in awe of the amazing artwork, we run into a friend of James’ standing in the corner looking at us from under hooded eyes.
 

James strides over to the man and I notice this guy looks tough. He is about five foot eleven and built like a linebacker
with tree trunks for legs and a neck as wide as my thigh. He looks us over with some confusion as we approach.
 

“Hello
, Dobbs. I would like you to meet Sophia.” James jabs Dobbs in the shoulder as he would a brother. I sense the two men have a real kinship with each other.
 

I smile up at James’ friend and say
, “Hi Dobbs.  Nice to meet you.” I turn my attention back to James who is grinning ear to ear.
 

Dobbs shifts a bit in his stance and grunts, “Yeah, likewise.” He gives a half-hearted smile to me and takes a big gulp of his beer.
 

The two men share a look and I don’t quite comprehend it. It appears they are having a silent conversation and it doesn’t look like it is going well.
 

I excuse myself to go to the ladies room feeling a little out of place between the two of them.
 

What was that look? I want to press James for answers but I don’t want to complicate our night with questions and convoluted stories.
 

I add a fresh layer of gloss on my lips as I try to clear my head of my nagging doubts.
I am having the night of my life. Let’s not over-analyze this, Eva!
 

As though he has heard my thought, James is standing right outside the bathroom door when I walk out. “Let’s get out of here. I am done sharing you.”
 

He kisses my neck as he slips my coat over my shoulders and it shoots lightning bolts through my body.
 

“Absolutely
, James. Let’s go home.” As I say the word
home
it is like acid on my tongue. I wish that I could go home with him.  I wish more than anything that I never had to go back to the Parish prison ever again. What I wouldn’t give to watch that place would burn to the ground—with the men left in there to die a painful death.
 

We drive back in silence holding hands and looking out along the quiet city streets. It is almost peaceful and I feel the world slowing down around me, and then James’ phone rings.
 

He looks at the caller ID and answers, sliding over to the far side of the seat away from me but close enough to still hold my hand.
 

“This is James,” he intones.

I wish that I could hear his end of the conversation so I slyly scoot a little closer to him. He looks over to me and shakes his head with a grim look and releases my hand. I stop moving over, feeling the sting of his rejection.
 

“Yeah, Sophia is one hot piece of ass,” he laughs into the phone and it reminds me of Felix.“Yep, I am getting my money’s worth tonight
, Alexi. Thanks, man.”
 

My heart constricts as I listen to him spew out those ugly words. I tell myself it is just for show. As I try to reassure myself, I know that it is useless.
 

My heart sinks back into its dark hiding place and my brain takes over again.
Oh. My. God. I am such a fucking idiot!
How did I ever think this man and night would be different?
 

He sounds completely the opposite of the James I thought I was getting to know and it is burning off the fog from my rose-colored glasses.
 

I can feel my security walls go up again. I have been betrayed by people that I have known my entire life. Why in the world did I think that James would be an exception? Gabi is right. He is no Prince Charming. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
 

“No need
, Alexi. I don’t want another girl tonight...but...no thank you...I want to do very bad things with Sophia and I don’t want an audience.”
 

His words cut into my heart. I am used to feeling like a piece of shit but not with James.

“She is waiting for us at the hotel? Well, I appreciate the gift, man. We are actually not going back to the hotel. No, I’ve got other plans for Sophia tonight....absofuckinglutely. Later.”
 

He slides over toward me to bridge the gap between us. I sit still and stiff with shame, but then he croons, “I’m so sorry that you had to hear that
, Sophia. That was all an act, you can trust me. I don’t want to hurt you but I need to find Lily.”
 

Despite his soft and pleading tone, I resist giving back into the magic of the night. So, I am an ends to a means. He doesn’t love me or want me. He just wants to find her and now she has a name,
Lily
.
 

“Who is Lily?” I choke out her name, my throat is dry and tight from the heartache.
 

This must be the missing person that he is trying to find. Is it his girlfriend? Is that why he is trying to avoid having sex with me? What happened to her? I run through these questions in my head in rapid-fire
fashion and I know that I don’t want to hear the answers.
 

I lean over and put my hand over his mouth. “Stop. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. We have tonight, right?”
 

I am not angry with him at all, I tell myself. I know that this is all make-believe. I am mad at my own ignorance and lack of common sense. I was so stupid and naive to think that this would all work out. Ha! It’s just a fairytale. Like we would live happily ever after? Yeah right, Ms. Sophia Noire.
 

“I don’t want any explanations tonight James. We need to make sure that your cover isn’t blown. Let’s just get this over with. Felix always says that if a guy sleeps with his bitches he is okay in his book. If they are a cop, they are a dirty cop. Dirty cops don’t talk, they get paid.”
 I attempt to talk rough, in a worldly way, but I am not sure James is buying it.
 

I look down at my hands and nervously pick at my cuticles. I can’t bear looking at him right now. I know that once I lose myself in those eyes again
, I will let go of all sense of reality as my brain turns to mush.
 

He lifts my chin
up so that I am face to face with him and I roll my eyes up to meet his. “Sophia, look at me, please.”
 

He says intensely, but firmly, “That phone call was just for show. I need to keep you safe. He had that other girl at the hotel waiting for us. You are right, they are still suspicious of me. I don’t care about that. I care about you.” He gazes penetratingly into my eyes.
 

It’s too much, and I look down and away as I whisper, “James, it’s okay. You are going to be fine. I will go back to my life as I know it and you will get Lily back.”
 

James speaks forcefully, almost desperately, “Sophia, you are not listening to me. I know that you have been hurt and it is difficult to trust anyone, but you can trust me.”

I give him a tight smile, and then lower my eyes again.
 

“Yeah, right. It’s okay James. I know who and what I am. I am someone who gets paid to have sex with men. As you said on the phone, it
’s time you get your money’s worth.”
 

As I say these words my heart is breaking and I feel the weight of the world crashing down on me. I am a fucking hooker. I have nothing and am worth nothing. My parents are dead and I am all alone. Why the fuck should he care? Stupid, stupid Eva!
 

But James persists in trying to convince me otherwise.

“Sophia, listen to me, please. We
are not going back to the hotel.  I need to figure out what to do or where we should go.” He drums his fingers on the back of my seat.
 

I don’t exactly roll my eyes, but I can’t really figure out why he is trying so hard to put one over on the common hooker
?  Instead I state flatly, “Well, James, I can tell you that going anywhere with me is a bad idea. I have a tracker chip in me. They put them in all of their girls as a sort of loss prevention program.”
 

I will never forget the pain of them slicing my shoulder and having them hold me down while laughing at me. Tagging me like a dog.
 

“Yes, I know about the chip,” said James, surprising me a little. “I have an apartment over in the South Waterfront neighborhood that we can go to. It is part of my cover. We will go there,” his voice tolerating no dissention.
 

We weave through the city streets along the waterfront until we p
ull up in front of a fancy high-rise apartment complex. It is at least 30 stories high and the building is practically all glass. Looking up to the sky, I try to spot where the building ends and the sky begins.
 

We enter through the marble lobby and concierge staff rush to greet us, in practiced tones, “Good evening
, Mr. Hunter. Welcome home.”
 

We take the elevator ride up to the top floor and enter his penthouse apartment. My mind is whirling with all the surprises this man and this
evening is offering to me.
 

James stops and faces me. I don’t know what to think when he explains, “This is our furnished executive apartment in the Portland area. I stayed here for the past six months up until last this week when I checked into
The Benson.”
 

I am out of responses. Walking over to the sweeping bank of windows, I peer out into the nig
ht. The view is stunning. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows wrap around to showcase a sweeping panorama from the river to downtown.
 

I walk through the modern apartment and gawk at the beautiful artwork and luxurious amenities that fill this penthouse with sophistication and comfort.
 

We hear a knock on the door and he motions for me to stay wait. Like the obedient woman I have been schooled to resemble, I stay put.
 

“Oh, Hi Dobbs. Come in.” James invites his friend into the expansive room.
 

Dobbs? The guy from Blue Sky Gallery? I try to rack my brain as to how he is connected and why the heck he is here with us. I guess he is not content to be just with me. Be wary, Eva.
 

James says with a flash of that dimple, “Sophia, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a glass of wine?” He opens the wine fridge and pulls out a bottle of white wine.
 

I shrug my shoulders and nod my head yes. I look at the bottle and notice it is a Sauvignon Blanc. I have never had anything but cheap wine before meeting James. I am certain that this wine will be equally good as the champagne from last night.
 

After he pours my wine into a beautiful cut crystal glass, he grabs two beers out of the fridge and hands one to Dobbs and they walk into one of the bedrooms, leaving me alone again. It’s getting to be a pattern.
 

Drinking a big gulp of wine
, I try to calm my nerves. This night is not going at all as I had thought. Who is this Lily? Is it possibly his daughter? He is old enough to have a daughter, I think, but perhaps I am grasping at straws. Perhaps it is his girlfriend or wife? I steel myself to the fact that is more likely. Oh, I can’t think about that now. I am obviously not anything special—why would he care about me? Why the facade?
 

Standing there, I am berate myself. What is my problem? This is much better than any other job that I have ever had, and I should just relax and go with the flow.
Get over yourself, Eva!
 

The door of the bedroom opens and James and his powerfully built friend re
-enter the living area. Dobbs says, with an obvious attempt to be cordial, “Hi, Sophia. I am sorry that I didn’t say hello when I arrived. It is good to see you again.” He shakes my hand and looks me straight in the eye as he says it. Rather than making me feel good, his piercing gaze unsettles me. His look feels almost like a warning and my skin prickles with a uneasy feeling.
 

James reminds me that Dobbs is his friend from the Sky Gallery. Making light of the visit, James says, “Dobbs, lives in the building so he just wanted to say hi.”
 

Hmm
ph!  I don’t believe that for one second, but I nod and smile. “Nice to see you again, Dobbs.”
 

They both go out onto the terrace and close the door. It is cold out there and I don’t know why anyone would be out there besides
wanting a little more privacy. Left out again, Ms. Sophia. I shake my head. This is one strange night.
 

I peek out one of the windows and see that James and Dobbs are at the far end of the terrace away from all of the windows. The light from one of the rooms gives me a little light to see their faces. They look to be having a very heated discussion. James is running his hands through hi
s hair and his eyes seem to be full of dread and pain.