Chapter 27



𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕤

Lucas POV (ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕪

Eve began to sit up and I rushed to her. "Hey, calm down. Let us explain." I said, placing my hands on her shoulder and guiding her back to her makeshift pillow.

"Yeah, let us," Jay said behind me. Thank God they were back. Rita came up behind him with a rabbit in one hand and a bandage wrapped around her head. Thank the Lord they make a catch. Starving to death wasn't on the list of my fifty ways to die agenda.

Eve eyes lighted up when she saw Jay, then watered when she also saw Rita. "Jay," She whispered, stretching her hands for him to come to her. He did, and so did Rita. They both rushed to her sides. Jay hands massaging her hair and Rita wiping away a lone tear that had slipped from her eyes.

Watching them fawn over each other made my heart pull. I had always wished to find a love like this. To nurse my own family. If only she hadn't died. If only she had been strong enough to live for us. I would have died a happy man.

"You are okay. You both are okay," Eve rasped hoarsely, her voice clogged with untamed emotions. I looked away for a second, not able to bear the blatant show of something I might never experience again. Maybe the universe was trying to enact justice on me for being so stupid. It had given me the greatest love of all, and I had blown it.

Royally.

"The most important thing is that you are okay," Jay said as he squeezed Eve's hands tightly. Rita nodded in agreement.

"We are all okay." Rita concurred and that was when I decided not to take it anymore. I cleared my throat, aiming to break up their little family reunion. The quicker we found our way out of here, the faster I could get to killing Laura and regaining my life back.

It seemed my distraction worked because I soon had three pairs of eyes focus on me. "We need to talk about Damien." I chipped.

"And a way to get the fuck out of here," Rita added.

Eve began to sit up. "Let's start with you explaining to me how Damien ended up here, with us." I nodded even as I watched Jay help her sit straight, her head resting on his chest, him behind her, supporting her weight.

Jealousy overwhelmed me. I wanted to be the one in his position, wanted to be the one to comfort her, hold her, love-

"Lucas?" I jerked, Eve's call breaking through my thoughts. Shit!

I shook my head vigorously, trying to get my mind back on track. I ignored the look I was getting from Jay and beckoned for Damien to come closer.

"He was set up," I said and Eve brows knotted.

"What do you mean by set up?"

"He means someone tied me up in the bunker to make it look like I ran off - from guilt after poisoning Senator Matthew," Damien said, settling himself beside me.

Eve didn't hide her scepticism, it was clearly plastered on her face for everyone to see. Truth be told, I totally understood where her doubts were coming from. In our world, trust was hard to come by. But Damien was family, just as Jay was to her.

After a long pause, Eve muttered, "Did you get a look at your assailant?"

Everywhere became quiet. We all knew that Eve wouldn't like the answer to the question she just raised. She noticed the frigid look on our faces and scowled. "I thought I just asked a question? What's with the silence?"

Even while bruised and battered, she was still a boss. "It was Dave, Eve." Jay finally said, putting us out of our misery. No one wanted to break that news to her.

Eve eyes snapped to Jay, disbelieve shinning in her eyes. "I don't believe you." Turning to Damien, she stared him dead in the eye. "I do not believe you." She spat, venom laced in her eyes. "You are a liar, you are a two-faced liar and I am going to find out the truth. And when I do, I'll make sure to skin you alive for soiling a good man's name. I'll make sure you-"

"Eve!" Jay thundered, cutting short her rants for revenge. "He is telling the truth. I found him tied in the bunker, and if I hadn't been there to untie him, he would have burnt to death with the rest of the crew."

The light in Eve's eyes went out. Her shoulders froze. Her eyes hardened. I could practically see her walls sealing up. "Okay then, you are saying Dave betrayed us, tied Damien at the bunker to frame him, then crashed the plane?"

I nodded. "That's the theory we are going with for now."

Eve nodded slowly as if contemplating my words. "So, where is Vic? I thought you said he was saved too?"

"He is badly hurt, Eve," Jay replied as he slowly massaged her shoulders. "And because he is still unconscious, we've placed him in the tent over there." Eve turned around to see the tent Jay was talking about, then turned back to us.

"I remembered Vic saying Dave was unconscious when the plane was going down. What do you guys think happened?"

"I don't think Dave planned to leave the plane alive. I think he poisoned himself to further cement his story. It would have looked like I killed Mathew, and poisoned Dave, then crashed the plane." As Damien said this a thought hit me. If Laura could get to one of Eve's most trusted men, what's to say she hasn't gotten to someone else. My gaze flickered to Rita.

"That makes sense," Rita said, her eyes shimmering to me too. I nodded in agreement. She didn't need to know why I had glanced at her.

"What we need to be thinking about now is how to get out of here," Damien said and stood up. "But before that, who is going to cook that rabbit? Because I am hungry as fuck."

I chuckled. "I'm sure you are."

"Do we even know where we are?" Eve asked lowly, her voice had lost its vigour. I felt like wrapping her in my arms. Maybe I will.

Rita stood up with the meat in her hand and chuckled. "Cooking I can answer. Where we are? Not so much."

She began making her way towards the tent when Eve taunted, "Are you saying the almighty Rita has found something she cannot solve?"

That stopped Rita in her tracks. "First, almighty Rita is not so mighty without her tools, which was destroyed in the fire. Secondly, she is only human. She needs to eat."

A wide grin flattened across my face. I was loving this.

Eve scoffed. " I held higher regards for her. Seems I was wrong."

Rita growled. " You didn't let me finished. I said I was hungry, not dumb. I know exactly where we are and have also made some steps to rectify our being stuck here."

Eve eyes lighted, "I knew you-"

Rita tutted, "It's a pity a certain someone has lost faith in me. I'll just have to prove her right by keeping my mouth shut."

We all busted into a fit of laughter. Rita was beginning to grow claws and it was amazing to watch. I couldn't help but admire her. Very few people could take on Eve like that and win. I know I couldn't.

Knowing she had won, Rita smiled and walked away with the rabbit in hand.

"Wait for me," Damien yelled before galloping after her, leaving me with Jay and Eve.

"You need to rest, Eve," Jay whispered and I saw a shade of what looked like a smile on Eve's eyes.

"And you need a bath, you smell like death. Moreover, I'm feeling better. What I really need is a walk. My bones aches and I need to stretch them."

"Eve-" Jay began to protest but Eve raised her fingers to his lips.

"I know you are worried, but I'll be fine. I'm sure a little work won't kill me."

"What if a wild animal does? We don't yet know what's in this woods."

"I'll be fine. Besides, Lucas will be with me." Setting her dangerous amber eyes on mine, she asked, "Won't you, Lucas?"

With the way she was staring at me, there was no way in hell I could deny her. The woman was bewitching. "Yeah, I'll be with her, Jay. Don't worry, I'll make sure we walk close to the beach and not into the woods."

"There's a beach on this island?"

"Yeah, south from here," I confirmed. "It's not too far. We had to move away from it because of the cold, but it's quite beautiful now that the sun is setting."

Jay gave me a pensive look. "If anything happens to her-"

"Nothing will happen, Jay. I'll protect her with my life."

"Okay then." He said, as he carefully got up from the bamboo bed, guiding Eve to her feet. "I think you can take it from here, protector."

Putting on a sexy smile I walked over to Eve and took her hands. "I sure can." I groaned, goosebumps sprinkling across my skin as her heat enveloped me.

Drawing her to me, I placed my lips behind her right ear and whispered, "You ready princess?"

She turned crimson red. The sight sent my blood bumping a million times faster.

Maybe I'll get to touch her after all.