Waves

Part 15

Let's get ready to rumble! It's about to go down folks-buckle up!

There were several times over the next week where Eve thought to herself  "this is truly the happiest I've been in years."  The past 4 months with Joe, from their initial reconnection to their current relationship, felt euphoric but grounded; the slow build allowing Eve to feel confident in the changes Joe had made while still maintaining her own identity outside of him.

"I think the 13 months since we first broke up have provided me the space to see how codependent we were previously. Yeah, I had a job and friends, but in a lot of ways, I put myself on the back burner. My dreams and goals always felt paltry in comparison to his," Eve reflected one day to her therapist Angie.

"Do you think you considered them 'paltry' because Joe made them seem that way or because you projected that onto them?" Angie questioned. Eve thought for a few minutes before answering. "Honestly, a little of both. When you're as lauded as Joe was going into the NFL, the stakes are sky high. There's no room for error and everything feels do or die. It made what I was working on feel comparatively less- than, even though my accomplishments were hard fought and well earned by any measure."

"And how do you feel the dynamic is now?" Angie asked. "I feel like his equal now. The power balance feels level and we're able to maintain our own identities while still working on us. He's so much more engaged than he was before and I think a lot of that has to do with the maturing he was forced to do when we broke up. I wasn't there to hold his hand through everything," Eve mused.

Eve and Angie talked for a few more minutes before wrapping up for the week. Walking out of the brick building, Eve immediately received a phone call from Clara as soon as she turned her phone back on. "Hey, we just received a call from a woman by the name of Connie Banks in Cleveland. She says she has proof that her father was in the convenience store the night of the Rooks murder and that she thinks her father may have killed Bridget Pope," Clara blurted out.

Bridget Pope was the woman Taylor Rooks had been accused of murdering that fateful day 17 years ago, and while the retrial was slowly unfolding, this new witness could be the connecting link Eve was missing. While the DNA evidence was on their side, the lack of a witness inside the store remained an obstacle. This could be a massive break in the case and Eve was filled with a sense of cautious optimism at the news.

"Tell her I can be in Cleveland by the morning. Can you book me a room for at least one night?" Eve strolled towards her car as she rattled off a number of instructions to Clara before hanging up, confused when she spotted something on her windshield. Realizing it was a manilla envelope, Eve plucked it from underneath the wiper and opened it, her mood suddenly going from high to low as she thumbed through the contents.

It was dozens and dozens of photos of her with Joe; all of them taken from a distance. There were snapshots of them at The Bolero Room from a few months ago; another set from their regular Farmer's Market visit every Thursday, and in one particularly concerning series, photo after photo of Joe and Eve walking into her apartment.

The pictures alone were enough to frighten even the most stoic person, but the thing that made Eve's chest tighten was the black 'X' over her face in every single photo. Closing her eyes and exhaling, she looked around for some sort of clue as to who had left these photos on her windshield. She asked a few people passing by if they had seen anyone by her car, each one shaking their heads.

Eve got into her car and tried to lower her heart rate. Yes, the photos were odd, but Joe was a public person in a small city. It wasn't a secret that they were back together and naturally there would be pictures taken. The only worrisome thing to her was the photos of her apartment; the intimacy of that invasion feeling personal. Who would have something out for her? She shuffled through various old cases and clients in her head; nothing that screamed "grudge" coming to mind.

Deciding to not tell Joe about the photos right now, she typed out a text to a friend of hers with the district attorney's office and asked him to call her; hoping he could have someone with the local PD investigate them. Driving back to her apartment, she noticed herself checking her rearview mirror over and over again, looking for signs of someone following her.

Pushing the photos out of her mind temporarily, she smiled as she walked into her apartment, giggling at the sight of Joe trying to clip Flossy's nails. "Come on buddy, this is for your own good. Here, do you want another salmon nugget?" Joe's voice was cheery as the cat let out a low meow, letting everyone know his unhappiness at the impromptu grooming.

"You've gotten brave. I seem to remember you hiding in the game room whenever it was nail trim day," Eve joked. "His one dewclaw is too damn long. I don't want him to accidentally cut himself," Joe muttered, pulling Flossy into his chest for a better angle. "There. Got it. Good boy Flossy! Here, two nuggets for the king." Joe set the cat down on the floor and pulled Eve in for a kiss, his hands tangling in her hair.

"So, I have good news and bad news," Eve started, "the good news is, I can make it to Kansas City next week for the game. Bad news is, I've got to leave for Cleveland tonight. Got a potential break in the Rooks case and it's time sensitive."

"That's great baby. I'll let my mom know you're coming so you guys can coordinate. Now tell me about this break in the case." Joe pulled various ingredients out of the fridge as the pair made dinner, discussing the new development and what it could lead to.

"I'm trying not to get my hopes up but I can't stop myself. This could be it Joe. The thing that changes the whole tide of the case," Eve sipped her wine and looked out the window, the sunset over the river casting a marigold sheen on the water.

"I don't think a little hope is going to hurt. You always said trial law was a game of luck. Maybe this is your lucky break," Joe grinned, reaching to pull Eve's legs into his lap. They sat there chatting about their days for a while before Eve looked at her watch.

"I've got to start packing in a little bit. I'm going to leave first thing in the morning to beat the traffic on the 71," Eve said. "Do you have time for a little more recreation before you start packing?" Joe smirked, his hand moving higher up Eve's thigh. "Depends. What do you have in mind?" Eve's eyes twinkled as Joe stood up and pulled her towards the bedroom, tugging his shirt off and tossing it on the floor as she crawled on top of the bed.

Unbuttoning her dress, Joe slid her panties off and buried his head in between her legs, staying down there until she orgasmed twice. Eve's chest heaved as Joe kissed his way up her thighs and torso until he reached her lips, moaning when he felt her start stroking his dick. Tossing one of her legs on his shoulder, Joe slid inside of Eve and cursed, still not over the way her walls fluttered around his cock with every thrust.

Once they both climaxed and cleaned up, Eve quickly packed her suitcase before they got into bed, yawning as Joe rubbed her back. "I love you Evie. Please be careful tomorrow. Lot of weirdos out there," Joe whispered drowsily. Eve's eyes briefly narrowed, the photos from earlier rearing their ugly head. Stop being paranoid WIlson. He's just being sweet. "I will Joey. I'm always careful," Eve replied, placing a kiss on his chest before drifting off to sleep.

At around 4AM, Eve was jolted awake by her alarm, grumbling as she dragged herself out of bed and into the kitchen to make some coffee. She had tried not to wake up Joe but she soon heard him padding down the hallway, his large frame appearing in the kitchen behind her.

Grabbing her suitcase and a bag of snacks, she kissed Joe repeatedly and reviewed the feeding schedule for the cat with him before it was time for her to leave. "Oh! I'm so sorry but I keep forgetting to tell you-in the basket on my credenza, there's a package for you. Says it's from someone in Arizona," Eve called out as she left, not noticing the way Joe's jaw clenched at the mention of Arizona.

He stood by the window and waited until he saw Eve's car leave the parking garage before he snatched the package from the basket and ripped it open, noting the fact that Lana had been so bold as to put her name on the return address.

Pulling the contents from the package, his brain took a few moments to register what was inside before he ran to the kitchen sink and dry heaved; the pure shock and fear that pulsated through his body making him physically ill.

Feeling his legs give out, he collapsed onto the floor, his hands shaking as he dialed Sam's number. "Sam, it's me. I hate to drag you into this, but I need you to arrange a meeting between me and Lana. Today."