I'm stunned as the door slams shut.

He's gone as quickly as he came. He struck fear into my heart and disappeared into the night leaving me with a thousand questions and no answers.

I close my eyes and crack my head side to side before deeply exhaling as I let all of the air out of my body. Calm. I need to remain calm. Now I wish I had had time for that yoga session to help relax me.

"Eden, what's wrong? What's going on?"

I ignore Saul. I can't handle his questions right now. I don't even have time to deal with my own fear. The only thing I can worry about is how to keep Matteo from kidnapping me.

There’s a reason Nina and Arlo ran. Matteo was one of those reasons. He may be Arlo’s brother, but I know what he’s capable of. He’s ruthless and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.

I’m desperate for a solution and fast. I need a way to get rid of Matteo.

Nina. I rush over to the counter where my phone is lying and pick it up, ready to dial the number I memorized by heart. A number I’m only supposed to use in emergencies. Matteo coming back and threatening to steal me is unquestionably an emergency. I unlock my phone and begin dialing the numbers 376…

I stop.

I can't call Nina.

I try to swallow the lump in my throat. The one person who could help me is the one person I can’t call. The one person who understands Matteo better than anyone. The one person who knows what Matteo might be planning.

All I know is I don’t trust Matteo. I would be putting her in danger.

And if I tell Nina what is going on, she will come back. She will want to fight. And I can't put her through something like this again. She's happy. And even if I was able to convince her not to come back, Matteo could be tracking my calls. He could figure out that I know how to contact her. He could use the information to discover where she is. And I won't help him find her. I won’t risk Nina’s life no matter the cost.

Matteo didn’t tell me why he wants Nina. But I doubt his intentions are pure. Nina told me almost everything. Matteo loved her as much as Arlo. She made her choice. She chose Arlo, now Matteo has to live with it. I don’t want to imagine what battle might ensue if he was to find her.

I don’t trust Arlo much more than I do Matteo, but Nina is as safe as she can be with him. Matteo can’t find them.

Heath. I can call Heath. He is the only other person who might understand. He went through all this with Nina, and as much as I hate to bring him back into this world again, he is the only option I have.

I find his contact in my phone and dial the number. I hold my phone to my ear as my fingers drum across my granite countertops. I listen to one ring, two, three…

"Come on Heath, answer your damn phone.”

Four rings… It goes to his answering machine.

"Call me when you get this. ASAP. It's an emergency."

I slam the phone down hard on the counter, not caring when the small crack forms in the corner of my phone. Stupid phone.

My whole body shakes. I'm not afraid Matteo’s going to take me. For one, I won’t let him. But I'm petrified of what would happen to Nina if he stole her from Arlo. She wouldn't survive being ripped from the love of her life. So I have to stop Matteo.

"Eden?…Are you okay?” Saul says as he walks over to me and carefully places his hand on my shoulder.

I exhale deeply again, letting everything out. I try to find my tranquil, happy place, but his unsteady hand shaking my entire body isn’t helping.

"Thank you. I'm going to be fine." I step away, causing his hand to drop from my body.

"You want to tell me what that was about?"

I turn and try to make my eyes brighten at him as I force my lips to smile. "No. It was nothing important.”

He looks away as he rubs his tidy hair, making a mess of it. Sweat glistens on his forehead.

"What do you want to do now?"

I pause before answering. “Go out to dinner on our date and then whatever you had planned afterward. I want to forget about all this." I don’t mention that I’m more desperate than I was before to have him. For him to fuck me and make me forget about what just happened. I want him to take me to a restaurant and then fuck me in the bathroom halfway through dinner.

"Okay," he smiles at me. He holds out his arm, and I take it, trying to focus on him as he leads me out of the condo and out to his waiting Volvo. He opens the door for me like the perfect gentleman he is, and I climb in as he goes around to the driver side. He starts up the car and turns on the radio, drowning out the silence.

"Do you like Asian food? This restaurant I'm taking you to does this fusion thing between Asian and Mexican.”

Normal conversation. This is exactly what I need.

"I love Asian food."

He reaches over and takes my hand in his, holding it softly. I let my hand rest in his, despite how clammy his hand is.

I’m going to pretend like Matteo didn't walk into my life. I'm not going to run as Nina did. I'm going to stay and fight. All running did for Nina was stall the inevitable anyway. She ran and was still stolen. And in the meantime, she lived a life of fear.

I'm not running. I'm a smart, intelligent woman. I’m skilled enough to take on this asshole and win. I won't be taken.

The restaurant is impressive. It's the kind of restaurant where you sit on the floor on pillows, and they bring out food on sizable trays. The food was clearly thought out to blend aspects of Asian and Mexican cooking, with some dishes bringing a sweet heat of Korea and others the full-on spice of a jalepeño. The chef apparently had deep roots in both of the cultures, and it shows.

Saul does his best to keep the conversation light and moving, but we don't have much in common, and I'm far too distracted to be able to focus on much of what he is saying.

"Have you taken self-defense classes before?" I ask, unable to take my mind off the fact I may require his help tonight.

Saul clears his throat and blinks rapidly. "No."

"Know how to shoot a gun?"

"No."

"Know how to evade someone who is following you in a car?”

"No."

I sigh.

"But I do know how to order delicious wine. The kind that will make you turn up your nose at anything less.”

My cheeks flush, and I readjust my legs loving the sound of his voice and the promises of more. "I could drink some fabulous wine. And I promise no more talk about self-defense or guns."

He reaches his hand out and holds mine again. Somehow his palm seems to have taken on even more moisture. I try my best to ignore it.

"Good, I may not own a gun, but I do know how to call the police."

I nod, and repeat to myself: I won't let Matteo make me afraid. I won't fear him.

I push away all thoughts of Matteo and enjoy my meal with Saul. I drink fabulous wine and eat delicious food. And I let ideas of all the ways that I want Saul to fuck me creep in like I would on any other date. His hands may be clammy, and the words that leave his mouth may be dull, but when he moves, I can see his biceps flex beneath his suit jacket. When he does grin, it reaches his deep blue eyes, inviting me in. And I have noticed his cock straining against the zipper on his pants more than once tonight. I do not doubt that he’s incredible in bed.

I take the last bite of my chocolate dessert, savoring it slowly in my mouth before I swallow it down. I moan a little at the richness and glance over at Saul staring at me like he wants to eat me for dessert. I glance down at his erection that is straining against his pants. My lips part. I can't wait.

"You had your fun. Now tell me where Nina and Arlo are or I'm taking you with me."

I don't have to turn around to recognize that it's Matteo standing behind me.

"No."

My eyes cut over to Saul, whose eyes are bulging up at Matteo. Saul’s scared shitless. Why couldn't I have been set up with a Navy SEAL or something? This man is utterly useless to me.

Matteo places his hand on my shoulder, gripping it firmly, letting me know that he's in control. I grab his hand, zeroing in on his pinky finger, and twist hard, ensuring that it breaks.

“Son of a bitch,” Matteo says, pulling his hand back from me to tend to his wound.

I stand up and turn to face him with a set jaw and my chin high.

His finger is bent backward in a way that no finger should bend.

"You bitch. You broke my finger."

"I did."

"Do you know who I am? I'm a monster now. King of everything evil. Your little tantrums won’t protect you from my army."

I smirk. "I put away monsters every day. I can handle you." I pick up my purse and turn to Saul. "We’re leaving."

Saul stands and hurries past us, not bothering to wait for me. Some gentleman he is. I follow after him, Matteo won't be far behind.

I always knew that there was evil in this world. I just didn't realize evil would ever come for me.