Chapter 19: Teague

“You know the name?” I leaned against the brick wall, phone pressed to my ear as the person on the other side of the line spoke in hushed tones.
“Eve Bloom is a pretty common name,” Carson said. “But in New York state, there are four Evelina Bloom’s registered.”
“And what did you find out about the four women?” I glanced over my shoulder as someone approached to use the other phone, noticing that they were careful not to meet my gaze. That was good. I wasn’t in the mood to play nice with anybody in this shithole today. I had answers to find, come hell or high water.
“Three of the women were unremarkable,” Carson said. “But the fourth one had some curious ties.”
“What kind of ties?”
“Political ties,” he said, and I heard the shuffle of paperwork in the background. “The Evelina Bloom at Blackwood just so happens to be the step-daughter of Jack Warrick.”
“Jack Warrick?” I repeated. “The guy who ran for governor years ago only to be caught smuggling illegal money from overseas?”
“Money smuggling is the tip of a very, very deep iceberg,” Carson confirmed. “While Warrick has kept his name out of the papers recently, there’s still suspicion that he’s into some sketchy shit.”
“So, his prison stint didn’t change anything.”
“Nope. He’s a snake. But something about him keeps the law at bay. It’s like nobody wants to fuck with him, you know? The shit he gets away with is outrageous, but somehow he still manages. He’s got his finger in a bunch of honey pots. But that’s how it works with people who have a lot of money. They can buy their way out of anything.”
“And we’re sure that the girl you have is my girl?” I demanded, lowering my voice to keep the eavesdroppers at bay.
“I’m sure, Teague,” Carson said. “He’s only been with her mother for less than a year, and in that time, Evelina has managed to keep her name and face out of the line of fire, but when she was admitted to Blackwood, there was a small stint in the local paper about it.”
“Did it say why she was admitted?”
“Nah, ‘course not. Jack Warrick only lets things out that he wants to get out. Otherwise, it’s all very hush-hush. Maybe he figured out she’s a rebellious teenage stepdaughter and wanted to get rid of her so she wouldn’t taint his plans. Who knows?”
“That’s not it,” I growled, anger rising in my throat. “She’s here because someone did something to her.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, man. With men like Jack Warrick, they can make things disappear with a snap of their fingers. People included.”
“All right.” I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against the cool brick wall, feeling a burst of emotions I couldn’t keep straight bleeding from me. “Thanks for the help, Carson.”
“You’re my cousin, and I want to do right by you,” he said. “But I can’t give you any more information, okay? You could get me fired for digging into this.”
“You’ll be fired someday for being a shitty cop anyway,” I said with a laugh, but Carson didn’t return the chuckle.
“Teague,” he said as I went to hang up the phone. I hesitated, pressing the receiver against my ear.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful with this chick, okay? Involvement with her means involvement with the Warrick's, and this is one family you don’t want to mess with. Understand me?”
“I’m not afraid of some washed-up, dirty politician,” I said, but on the other end of the line, Carson sighed.
“I’m serious, Teague. I know your mom and dad fucked you by making you stay at Blackwood, but if you have involvement with this girl, it’s probably the safest place to be right now. When Jack Warrick thinks about wanting someone dead, somehow, they die. That’s just how it is. Don’t trust everyone you meet.”
Down the hallway, I spotted Eve walking toward her dorm room. Her arms were firmly around herself as though chilled, and her chin was tilted down, eyes on the ground, posture hunched over in sadness. Like everyone else at Blackwood, I’d already heard about her friend’s tragic ‘accident,’ and I knew she’d be hurting. I wondered briefly why Keane and Beau weren’t with her.
“Noted,” I said. “I gotta go, Carson. Give my parents my regards.” I hung up the receiver before he could respond, crossing the floor toward Eve as she arrived at her door. She looked up as I approached, but I couldn’t read her expression.
“Teague,” she said abruptly, but the fight she normally had in her was gone now, and in its place was a frightened, meek little girl.
“Why are you by yourself?” I demanded. “Where are the boys? They should be with you right now. You shouldn’t be alone after what happened this morning.”
Eve laughed, but it was bitter and humorless. “They tried to force their pity on me, but I refused,” she said with a shrug. “I need some time alone, okay?” She started to push the door open, but I stopped her, reaching out to rest my hand on her lower arm.
“Not okay,” I said steadily. “You belong to us now, Eve. We’re here to protect you.”
“Protect me?” she laughed maliciously, intense eyes narrowing in my direction. “You all spent the first three weeks here making my life a living hell, and now you suddenly want to protect me?”
Instead of answering, I pushed her door open and ushered her inside, then followed, hot on Eve’s heels as she made a beeline for her bed, hands trembling as she sat down. Her eyes were on me as I closed the door behind us and joined her, sitting next to her but giving her enough room that if she decided to hit me, I’d be far enough away to take less damage.
“Honestly,” she said, eyes still on me. “Why do you guys suddenly care what happens to me?”
“You know why,” I told her. “We claimed you. You belong to us now. And when you belong to the Rogues, it comes with perks.”
“I don’t see any perks.” Eve wrinkled her nose like she smelled something bad, folding her arms over her chest protectively. “You made me suck your cock, Teague.”
“Did you hate it?” I asked her earnestly, and when Eve didn’t answer immediately, I knew I had my answer. “Are you ever going to tell us what got you sent here?” I asked, changing the subject. But she didn’t seem any keener on discussing that, either.
“It’s really none of your business,” she said instead, her gaze dropping to her hands in her lap. She was nervous suddenly, I could tell, and the ache to know exactly what had happened to this girl poisoned me from the inside out. I reached out to touch her hand, surprised when Eve recoiled. I brought my arm back and took a breath, letting her compose herself for a moment.
“You never told us about your family,” I said. I knew I was treading on dangerous territory now. This new information I had acquired would either make or break this entire relationship, and I was anxious to see which way it fell.
“My family?” Eve looked at me again, her face hard, chiseled from stone. “What in the hell do you know about my family?”
I put my hands in the air in surrender, hoping she wasn’t about to come across the bed and throttle me.
“I have my ways,” I told her gently. “I have help on the outside, Eve. And I learned that your stepfather is the notorious Jack Warrick.”
I could tell she was trying to keep her hardened expression, but at the sound of his name, a slight tremble crossed her lips, and I knew I had her.
“You had no right,” she said quietly, and her voice cracked. In sadness or anger, I couldn’t tell. “You had no fucking right, Teague.”
“Did he do it?” I asked, ignoring the venom in her voice. “Is he the reason you’re here? Did he hurt you? Threaten you?”
“Get out.” Her tone was steady again, fierce like steel.
“Eve—”
“Get the fuck out of my room,” she said again, raising her arm to point at the door. “Get out, and don’t come back.”
I almost resisted. Almost stayed. But something in her eye’s rattled me. I raised my hands again and stood from the bed, feeling the knives shoot from her eyes directly into my soul. I backed towards the door, feeling wary of this girl for the first time since meeting her.
“I’m sorry,” I said, but her cold gaze didn’t waver. “We want to help you, Eve, but in order to do that, we need to know what happened to you.”
“You don’t need to know anything,” she whispered. “So get out, Teague. And don’t fucking come back.”