An Illicit Gentleman

                      Chapter Thirty-Two

 Eve put the rental car into park and shut the car down, she then unbuckled herself, grabbed her bag and the bag of small groceries she bought and opened the car door.  As she walked up to the front door she searched for the key for the house but she couldn’t remember which one it was.  Before trying each key to see which one worked she grabbed the knob and turned it.  The door opened and although a little shocked it was unlocked, she was relieved she didn’t have to start a search party for the house key.  She walked in and set the bags down and then closed the door.  As she locked it she realized AJ had the TV turned up kind of loud.  Eve picked up the bags and then made her way down the hall towards the living room.

When she reached the doorway she stopped dead at what she saw.  Her heart pounded and her mind for a split second wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her.  Mats stared at her as she stared back at him and then her eyes darted to AJ lying on the floor.  The back of his head was bleeding, his cheek was bleeding, and his lip was bleeding.  Quickly she looked at Mats again and then her mind told her body to run, get out and just run and that’s what she did.  She could hear AJ screaming for her, she could hear Mats following behind her, and as she reached the front door, frantically tried to unlock it but he came up behind her and grabbed her.  She screamed as he spun her around and grabbed her by the arms.

“It’s been a long time Eve.” Mats said with a smile.  With a knee to his groin Eve pushed Mats off her and dashed into the closes room she could find but to her shock it only stunned him for a moment.  He grabbed her by the waist and spun her around pinning her against the desk in the room.  “God you still smell so good.” Mats moaned as she felt his lips brush along her neck.  Her eyes darted around her, frantically looking for something anything to hit him with and then she saw it.  It was triangled, tall, and looked like glass or crystal, either one would do.  She carefully reached for it as his lips pressed against her neck.  She closed her eyes as his hand slid up her side, her mind fighting against the flashbacks. Her finger tips brushed against the object as his lips began to kiss behind her ear and he began to unbuckle his pants.  When her natural reaction pulled her away from him, she grabbed the triangular object with both hands and slammed it against Mats head.  He let go of her stumbling back and Eve stared at him. 

The pain came back, the fear came back, and the emptiness came back reminding her of what he did to her that night in the van.  As the emotions burst from her, she let out a yell and slammed the object against his head again.  Mats dropped to the floor with a thud and Eve stood there staring at him, tears’ flowing down her cheeks, her breathing was heavy and she started shaking.

“Evelyn!!” She heard AJ scream and it took her attention away from Mats; there was something in his voice. As she stepped over Mats she dropped the make shift weapon and walked out of the room. 

When she walked into the living room she saw AJ sitting against the couch and the site of him made her forget about Mats in the other room.  She rushed to his side and knelt down beside him.  He had a gash above his eye which was bleeding like crazy, there was a cut on his cheek, and his lip was bleeding too.  But it wasn’t the way he looked that worried her it was how he was acting.

“Are you ok? Did he hurt you?” He asked frantically over and over.

“No, no Alex I’m fine, he didn’t hurt me hun.” She told him as she took off her sweater and put it around his head to stop the bleeding in the front and back.  Then he fell into her arms crying.  Eve wrapped her arms around him and then she heard something familiar but it wasn’t a good familiar.  As she looked at the TV she saw for the first time what AJ was watching. 

“Round two, ding ding.” Mats laughed as he jumped into the back of the van and Thomas took over the driver’s seat.

Eve gasped in a sickly manor as she grabbed the remote on the floor and turned the TV off.  Then she looked down at her husband crying in her arms and realized what he saw.  She looked around the room and saw the phone on table as she went to get it AJ grabbed her arm.

“Don’t go.” He said quickly as she fixed her sweater against his head. “Stay here I know you’re safe here.” He whispered.

“I need to call the police Alex, I’m not going anywhere.” She told him.  He moaned as he laid his head back against the couch.  Eve frowned as she leaned towards the table and picked up the phone, it was then she realized her hands we covered in blood.  As she talked to the 9-1-1 operator she looked over at AJ he was holding the sweater to his head but he didn’t look good.

Quickly Eve scooted back over to him.  “Alex?” She said as she placed her hand on the side of his neck.  “Alex stay with me.”

“I’m good.” He mumbled.  “I just need to sleep.”

“No.” Eve told him as she cupped his cheek in her hand.  “Not yet you need to stay awake the police and ambulance are coming ok? Ok Alex, please, you need to stay awake.”

“Where’s Mats?” AJ said trying to sit up but she stopped him.

“I don’t know still in the other room, I think, I don’t care you need to lay still.” She told him as he sat back down with a moan and then he started crying again.  It made her want to cry too but she couldn’t because of the anger building inside her.  Anger at Mats for what he had done, what he had shown AJ and hurting him that way. 

“I need to unlock the door for the police and ambulance.” She told him as she checked his head.

“Mats?” AJ said grabbing her wrist.

“He’s out cold.” She told him.  “Or dead not sure.”

“Eve”

“I’ll be fine Alex it’ll only take a second, ok? I can hear them.” She said as she took his hand and smiled reassuringly at him.

Eve walked out of the living room and down the hall, when she came to the room where Mats was she stopped and slowly peered in.  He was still there lying on the floor.  Taking a deep breath Eve hurried to the door and quickly unlocked it.  When she opened it she saw the police squealing to a halt around the house.  Leaving the door opened she hurried back to AJ.

“Alex?” She said as she knelt down beside him.  “Alex?” She said again when he didn’t open his eyes. 

“Police!” Someone shouted into the house.

“In here!” Eve shouted back as she looked back down at AJ.

“Alex? Alex wake up, come on hun they’re here.” She said as she touched his pale face.

“In here, we have one that needs medical.” The Police officer said as he entered the door way.  “Miss what happened here?”

“I’m, I’m not really sure.” Eve started to tell him as she stood up as the paramedics rushed into the room.  “I went to pick up something’s from the store down the street when I got back they were fighting and…”

“They?” The Cop interrupted her.

“Mats and Alex.” Eve told him, she looked at him and realized he didn’t have a background on the situation.  Quickly she explained to the officer who Mats was and what he had done.  The Officer called into headquarters for a check on Mats.  She then began to explain what she saw when she got home.

“So this isn’t your house?” The Officer asked.

“No, it’s Kevin Richardson’s house, he’s Alex’s band mate.” Eve told him.

“Right.” The Officer said with a nod.

Eve looked over to the EMT’s as they put Alex onto the stretcher.  “He’s going to be ok right?” She asked.

“He’s stable right now but still unconscious, we’ll see what the cat scans say.” The EMT told her and then they wheeled him out.

“Can I go with them?” She asked.

“Afraid not, we need you here for more questioning.” The Officer told her.

“Can’t you do that at the hospital?” She asked.

“No ma’am until we get all the facts and evidence right now you’re still being held because of the man in the other room.” The Officer told her.  “Please have a seat.”

“Ok” Eve said quietly as the Officer left the room. 

Now that she had time to sit, stop and think everything that had happened rushed over her like a tidal wave.  She started to cry and went to wipe her tears on the back of her hand but she saw the blood, Alex’s blood, just like last time.  Taking a deep breath she began to calm herself now wasn’t the time to have a panic attack come on.  Eve waited and waited and waited, then finally an Officer not the one from before came into the room. 

“Look, if I can’t go to the hospital can I at least to have a shower?” She asked the man.

“Is this what you used?” He asked her as he held up a plastic bag.

“Yes” Eve said as she looked at the crystal object inside.  Then man wrapped the bag up and walked out of the room.  “Um hello?” Eve sighed as she rolled her eyes.  Then another person came into the room and even though he wasn’t wearing a uniform she knew he was a cop.

“Eve, I’m Detective Votez.” The man said as he went to shake her hand.  She looked at him unimpressed and showed the man her hands.  “Right, why don’t you go shower and then I’ll get your statement, I’ve talked to the LAPD because of the APB out on him, so once I ask you some questions we can take you to the Hospital to see your husband.”

“Thank you.” Eve said with a sigh as she stood up.  She stopped before she left the room.  “The man that owns this house, his Mom is supposed to be coming by.”

“I will fill her in as much as I am allowed too.” The Detective said with a light smile.  Eve didn’t return it as she turned around and left the room.