The Red Evening

Chapter Forty-Seven

The waitress placed our food in front of us and walked away from the table. Elijah took a sip of his water and looked down at his plate.

"As expected, prison food isn't the best and I'm very grateful that I can eat a delicious meal with a beautiful girl I call my wife," he spoke.

"Ah, I see what you're doing."

He took a bite and tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"You're buttering me up before our conversation. My dad told me a majority of his side, so I know it can't be too bad."

"I mean it, you are the most beautiful woman I laid my eyes on. I missed looking at your warm brown eyes, feeling your smooth tan skin, and kissing your pink lips. I closed my eyes every night and dreamt of you. I had to or I would've gone insane." He grabbed my hand from across the table and kissed it.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," I sighed. "You know, dads can be a little over protective..." I tried to play off cooly.

"A little, hmm?" He chuckled, looking unbothered about the whole situation. The average person would've been fuming and seeking revenge towards my father. They would've also left me to avoid any future problems. Elijah, however, had gone through our whole interaction without even mentioning my father. He wasn't fazed by the past.

"How do you do it?" I asked him.

"Do what?" He asked, continuing to eat.

"How do you keep it together? I feel like you should be mad at me or pissed off at my dad for all the bullshit you've been through."

"Oh, I'm pissed at your dad, don't be fooled. But, he did assign me to you. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have met the woman I love. I also don't blame you for any of this."

Even through our ups and downs, Elijah still saw me as a grand prize, which I didn't understand but I wasn't going to fight it. It was clear that he loved me and commiting himself to the good, the bad, and the ugly.

"So, what did you know about the Red Lounge? Did you know that my dad was associated with it?" I asked.

"Before I received his assignment to watch you, I had been working with the DEA on the case about Natalia. I didn't know that my cases would overlap. Natalia had access to very powerful people and exhanging deals with them all. The DEA just wanted to talk to her and give her a deal if she gave up a bigger fish."

"When I received your father's request, I was hesitant because anyone offering millions up front are not the cleanest person. Marius had attached a picture of you to the email so I knew how you looked. When I walked to the lounge that night we met, I didn't expect to find you there. I was working on my Natalia case but it seemed like seeing you was a sign I should take the assignment with your dad, and I did. It seemed like an easy lay out -keeping an eye on you and Natalia."

I exhaled deeply and sat up.

"At some point with my email exhange with Marius, he mentioned that his client didn't approve of his daughter's profession. It got a bit challenging to juggle you and Natalia, but I chose to put you first because I was falling for you...hard."

I recalled what my dad shared with me about the lounge. "Dad said that once he heard I was working there, he wanted me out because things were getting intense and didn't want me to be in danger."

He nodded. "It makes sense. At that point, I provided you with some income and got closer to you. I never wanted to hurt you, but I did. I should've said something, but what would make the situation sound okay?"

I thought for a second and shrugged. "Nothing," I murmured.

"As you know, it only became worse after I brought you back home from Princeton. Your dad knew who I was, where I lived, and what I did. He wanted to punish me for taking you away from him. I didn't think being framed for murder would be a consequence of my actions, but it was a surprise."