Page 70 of Keeping Eveline

Everything felt off. He glanced around the room, looking for what, he couldn’t guess. He was looking for something.

Or was it someone?

The front door slammed open, and Ox again reached for his gun, hoping this time it’d be there, except it still wasn’t.

A woman’s scream filled the air as the first bit of a bullet hit his chest. As he crumpled to the ground, he saw her—Eveline, being dragged away.

“Evel—” Her name bubbled out of him but was cut off as another bullet pierced his skin.

“Kyle! Help!”

Eveline’s cries filled his ears, but Ox couldn’t move. Couldn’t save her.

“No!” he yelled.

The cry wrenched from the depths of his soul as Ox sat bolt upright, his heart racing. His side ached where he’d been shot, but the wounds were long healed.

“Kyle? Babe?” A soft hand landed on his shoulder, chasing away the remnants of the nightmare.

“Eveline?”

She was here, by his side. She hadn’t been dragged away.

Ox scooped her close to his chest, her softness melting into his hardness, easing the pain in his side and his heart.

Her hands moved up and down his back, soothing him. Did she even realize that was what she was doing?

“Can you tell me what happened?” Eveline asked after a while, her hand coming around to rest over his heart.

Ox wanted to forget. To get up and go for a run, like he normally did after a nightmare. He couldn’t do that this time. This nightmare was different. It wasn’t his usual one.

Taking a deep breath, he lay back down, pulling her with him. Could he tell her this?

Expose the side of him that no one had ever seen?

No one knew he had these dreams. It was his demon to conquer, and he wasn’t doing a great job of it.

“A few years ago, when I was protecting a woman, the house we were in got raided by members of a drug cartel—not the same one we’ve had recent associations with. Anyway, there was a shootout. I got shot twice.” His hand moved to his side of its own accord. “The woman I was looking after got taken. She almost died. I dream about it.”

“Oh, Kyle.” Eveline pressed a kiss against his chest. “You’re okay, and I’m guessing the woman you were protecting is now fine?” Her voice was hopeful. At least he could give her that reassurance.

“Yes, she is. She’s married, and they have a son now. Penni’s—” He paused. “She’s wonderful, and one day, I’ll take you to meet her.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered. “But I feel as if there’s more. Is there more?”

Ox sighed. He still couldn’t shake the vision of Eveline being taken and him not being able to do anything to stop it. The fact he didn’t have his weapon in this dream shook him up as well. In the past, he’d always been reliving the day. The way he’d been able to at least take out some of the people who were raiding the house.

This dream—nothing, he had nothing. He’d been a useless lump. Hadn’t even been able to get rid of one of the men. Ox hadn’t stood a chance, and Eveline had been taken.

But she wasn’t. She’s right next to me. It was just a dream.

He could keep telling himself that, but his gut was shouting it was a warning.

A warning that he shouldn’t ignore.

“Kyle?”

“Yes, there’s more. This time the dream was different. You were taken, not Penni. I didn’t have my weapon. I couldn’t protect you. They shot me and took you. And I couldn’t do anything but watch it happen.”