Chapter 22

𝔸 𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕒𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕

Lucas POV (ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕪)

We made our way to the sitting room, my eyes on her ass as it swayed from the side. I couldn't get the look of her face, minutes ago, out of my head. She looked like she was about to choke when I asked her about her night.

Did that mean the dream I had was real?

We stepped into the sitting room with Rita on our tail. She had stayed back to get a cup of coffee for herself. Joining us halfway, as she sipped the hot drink from her mug. Why hadn't I thought of that?

Maybe because you were too busy pining over Eve and her intoxicating scent.

But God! Her scent had nearly driven me mad last night. At some point, all I could perceive was the freshness of her apple-scented shampoo, which had a hint of Lavender in it. Nothing could be more damn distracting than that. Than her.

So how was I supposed to restrain myself, when I stepped into the kitchen to find a well refreshed Eve on a grey singlet and matching pants. Her hair let down, cascading down her back like a waterfall. She was lucky all I did was smell her. I wanted to slam her against the counter as I ravished-

"Senator Matthew, welcome to my humble abode." An overexcited Eve boomed, her voice filling the space with authority. From the look on her face, I knew her excitement was a scam. I had a feeling this was her most predatory state, like fattening the peacock for slaughter while pumping his ego.

We walked towards the plush sofas and took a seat opposite the senator, my eyes scooting around in search of Damien. Again, he was nowhere to be found.

Maybe he was still sleeping in his room. Maybe he was-

"When I heard you wanted to see me, I hadn't expected the meeting to hold at your place." Senator Mathew confessed, his eyes flickering around the room. "From what I can see, you are doing pretty well for yourself. More than most of us even."

Did I just hear the jealousy in his voice?

Eve chuckled. "We are just living our best lives, Senator. But thanks for the compliment." Eve stood up. "So what would you like to take? A beer? scotch? Champagne?"

"I'll have a glass of champagne please." He replied, his eyes darting to the bar. Eve began walking towards it then froze midway when she saw Damien rising from underneath the bar.

"How did you get there?"

It wasn't just Eve that was astonished, we all were. How the hell had he gotten behind the bar? Had he been in there all the while? What was he doing under it?

"I was once a bartender, you know." Damien proclaimed, with passion in his voice. "When I saw the bar this morning, I couldn't help but test it out. Only to discover that the poor shelves underneath needed to be revamped. When was the last time you cared for your bar, Eve?" Damien asked, a reprimanding scowl on his face.

Eve relaxed and broke into a smile. Then proceeded towards the bar. And him. "It has been a while. I've been busy. But now that you are here, I'm sure this bar can finally smile."

My gaze flitted to Damien's and watched as his expression softened. I was glad he was feeling better enough to go under a bar, and I was happy it made him happy. But what I didn't like was the nagging feeling that kept pricking my senses. Something was off about him. Something was off about Laura too, and I needed to find out what it was If we were going to survive this.

Damien tore his eyes away from mine and fixed them on Eve. "One glass of champagne coming up."

Eve smiled and leaned against the bar. "It feels pretty surreal seeing you behind a bar. Maybe it's because I don't see you there often."

"Or maybe I'm too good looking to be seen serving drinks." Eve laughed out loud and I grimaced. I didn't like the flirtation going on between them.

I cleared my throat. "How long does it take to pour a drink, Damien?"

"As long as it takes." He said and fired me a mischievous smirk. The bastard knew. He knew I didn't like it but kept doing it anyway. Eve collected the glass from him and made her way back to us. She handed the glass to Senator Mathew and came to sit beside me.

"So, I hear you have something to say?" Eve asked as she crossed her legs over the other, exposing smooth creamy thighs. Lord! How was someone supposed to concentrate like this?

Senator Mathew sighed, dropping his wine on the transparent table beside him. "I got a call from my ex-wife last night."

We all froze.

"Your Ex-wife?" I grated, finally able to speak.

"Yeah, my ex-wife. Her name is Laura and she left me about five years ago. I just woke up one morning and she was gone." Mathew picked up his wine and tipped it over his lips, drowning the bright liquid in one go.

"What did she want from you?" Eve asked and Mathew visibly shivered, setting his wide eyes on Eve.

"She wanted me to stay away from you, Eve. She told me that if I came here today, I wasn't going to see the end of the day. I was so scared, but I trust you and I know you can take care of her."

How had Laura known that Senator Matthew was going to be here today? Eve stood up and began pacing. "Tell me everything you know about her. And I mean everything."

As Eve moved to the other end of the room, Rita appeared beside her with a mug of hot liquid and placed it in her hands. "This will help you relax." She whispered and went to pick up her laptop. I eyed it for a brief second before looking away. I needed to get my hands on that device.

Eve's hands tightened around the mug and she sent a grateful smile to Rita. Taking a sip of the hot liquid and sighing, she finally settled back into the couch. Whatever was in that liquid worked, and it worked pretty fast. I needed an assistant like Rita. She was perfect in her duties. Almost too perfect.

Senator Mathew reclined on the couch and began. "Well, I met Laura in Dalton. At that time, she said she was there to visit her mother but later into the marriage, when I asked to go visit her mum with her, she declined. So, on one of the trips she made to supposedly go see her mother, I placed a tracker on her, and it led me to Paris."

"Paris?" I spouted, my eyes widening. Paris was where I had met Laura five years ago. Did that mean Laura had still been married to Matthew at the time she contracted, no forced him to do the job?

"Yes, Paris. She stayed there for a week before travelling to Dalton. Over the span of a year, I began to notice these patterns. She'll go to a different country, then report to Dalton for a day or two before coming home."

"Do you have proof, I mean data that shows where she's been?" Rita asked, still typing away on her laptop. She had taken a seat next to Matthew.

"Yes! It's right here on this flash." Mathew removed a small device and handed it to Rita.

"So what did you do when you found out she wasn't completely truthful?" Eve asked, dragging her butt to the edge of the sit. Mug still in her hands.

"I suspected she was cheating on me and after a while I confronted her."

"And?"

"She didn't deny it. She was dead silent like a statue or something. Then I woke up the next day and discovered she was gone! I tried to find her. Hired some Tec guys to figure out where her mother's house was. They couldn't find her and after some months I gave up. I just figured she ran off with the guy she was cheating with."

Senator Matthew's voice broke at the last sentence. His face was a mask of pain. It seemed he had really loved Laura. Poor man. He had no idea what a bitch his ex-wife was. "I hope you guys have better luck of finding her and if you do find her-"

"Found her," Rita announced and senator Mathew gawked at Rita with awe.

"How on earth did you-"

"She has her ways." Eve cut in with a smile plastered on her face. "Where is she?"

"Not she, her mum," Rita said, turning the laptop to us. There was a red dot blinking at an old house in the middle of a map.

"Where the heck is that?" I asked, trying to figure out the location. From what I could see it wasn't Transville.

"This is Toronto," Rita stated.

I turned to Eve and watched her face intensely, hoping she wasn't thinking what I was thinking. "Send the location to our phones Rita, and prep the pilot for the plane."

"We are going on a trip."