Page 30 of Crimson Heart

Parker looked up from his food. “Ransom, by the way, Eve was looking for you.”

“When?”

Parker shrugged. “A couple of minutes ago.”

“Do you know what she wanted?”

Ransom looked at his watch. It was still early. In fact, he was surprised that Eve was even up yet. In the last few weeks, she’d been one of the last household members to appear for breakfast—as if she wanted to avoid everybody. Possibly him, since he was an early riser.

“Something about your car.” Parker continued chewing with gusto.

“What about it?”

Parker looked at him. “No idea. I automatically switch off when she gets upset, and all pissed off.”

He couldn’t blame his friend. Eve was hard to handle. As the only daughter of the deposed alpha, she’d been selected to become Jude’s mate, but Jude had instead fallen in love with Danielle and mated with her. It had been an affront to the family, particularly to Eve. As a result, she treated all members of the Werewolf Alliance with disdain and spent more and more time at the equestrian estate that she managed for the pack.

“Guess I’d better check what she wants,” Ransom said and rose, leaving his half-eaten breakfast on the table.

Tossing his napkin on the chair, he left. When he stepped from the dining room into the foyer, he nearly collided with Eve. Her face was flushed, and her hair was a wild mane, not as perfectly coiffed as usual. The top two buttons of her blouse were open. She looked frantic.

“Damn it, I was looking for you!” she addressed him. “Your car is blocking mine!”

No good morning. No, could you please move your car? What had he expected? A polite request? A few kind words? Of course not. He knew what she was like. From Jude’s team, he was probably the one person who knew her best. Not that it meant a lot, because Eve wasn’t somebody who shared much about herself with anybody—other than maybe with her Aunt Flora.

Right now, she was even pricklier than normal. The energy that she projected was different than her usual abrasive self. She seemed genuinely upset, and somehow, he didn’t think his car blocking hers was the real reason.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, before he could stop himself.

“I just told you! Your car is blocking mine,” she spat. “Move it, now!”

She was already hurrying toward the entrance door, fumbling for something in her handbag. He followed when he saw her dropping her keys on the floor.

Eve cursed and bent down, but he was faster and picked up her keys. When he handed them to her, he noticed her hands trembling. Before she could turn away from him and open the door, he gripped her wrist and held her back.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he demanded, instinctively lowering the volume of his voice.

She sniffed before meeting his gaze.

“One of the mares is foaling, and there’s something wrong with her. I have to go there. Now.”

He nodded. “Alright, but you’re not driving. I’ll drive you.”

“But I have to⁠—”

“You’re upset. You’re in no condition to drive. Let’s go.”

He took her by the elbow and led her outside. The driveway was busy, much busier than it had been almost three months ago when he and the team had arrived. The Werewolf Alliance had shipped every team member’s car to the Gallagher estate so they were more independent and didn’t have to rely on the Gallaghers’ cars to get around. Due to the number of cars on the estate and the limited space in the garage, more cars were parked in the driveway, and it was inevitable that some cars were blocked. It was a Kabuki dance every morning when everybody needed to leave for work.

Ransom clicked the remote for his blue Maserati and let go of Eve’s elbow. “Get in.”

She mounted no further protest and got into the passenger seat, while he slunk into the driver’s seat. A second later, the car’s engine came to life with a roar. He reversed out of his spot and turned before heading down the gravel path to the gate that opened when it sensed his car approaching. A short while later, they were on the freeway, heading north to the equestrian estate Eve ran.

She hadn’t said a single word since leaving the house. He cast her a sideways look and noticed that she fidgeted, her fingers twirling with the strap of her handbag. He reached over to her and put his hand over hers, squeezing it in reassurance.

“We’ll be there in no time.”

She stared at him as if he’d said something wrong, looking frozen as if in shock. He quickly shifted his gaze back to the traffic ahead when he felt a movement beneath his hand. It hit him out of nowhere: he was still holding her hand. The warmth and softness of her skin wasn’t what he’d expected from a woman who’d only ever looked at him with contempt.

Eve cleared her throat. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand. It was best to pretend that it wasn’t a big thing and that it had meant nothing. Nevertheless, something had shifted inside him. Just like Eve had cried in his arms when she’d found out that her brother Cameron had been killed, he felt that same vulnerability in her now. She was worried about her horse, and he knew instinctively that she would be devastated if either the mare or the foal died. It proved one thing.

Eve had a heart.