Chapter 58 (Dealing with a Bully [Part 15]) – Open Sesame

Well, these fights ended faster and easier than I would have expected. It's been, what, five minutes since Eva arrived? And Jack's two goons are already out of commission: one unconscious, one crying about his arm. Eva only needed two hits per bully too. Such efficiency.

Jack's in my peripheral vision, and he remains mostly unmoving, though his face is so red I'm genuinely concerned he might have an aneurysm. Honestly? I'm rooting for it. He's still gripping his crotch, so I don't think he's ready for a fight yet. And looking at the state of his friends, I'm guessing it wouldn't do him any good even if he could stand up straight.

Eva's ice-blue eyes fix on Jack. Seeing that he's not in any condition to fight, she twirls the baton with practiced ease, holding it in a reverse grip. Then she kneels with perfect posture, grasping the baton and sharply hitting the tip against the ground. It collapses with a series of metallic clicks, shrinking back to its compact form.

She pockets it and moves closer, "Can you move?" Eva's voice is flat, professional.

I can't help but admire Eva. Watching the way she absolutely demolished those assholes really did something to me. I... I might be in love.

I'm joking. I’m like 90% sure I’m joking.

"Yeah, I think so." I test my weight, wincing.

I begin standing up, and Luna's immediately there, her small hands gripping my arm as she helps carry me to an upright position. The movement sends fresh waves of pain radiating through my body. Ouch.

But hey, at least my balls are completely pain-free, which is more than I can say for Jack right now.

"You're all fucking dead." Jack's voice cuts through my pain-induced haze, low and venomous. "I'm gonna make you regret this. All of you. You think this is over? I'm gonna fucking destroy you."

His face is still incredibly red, sweat dripping down his temples, veins bulging in his neck. He looks like he's about to pop like an overinflated balloon.

I briefly consider the idea of walking up to him to give him another firm, solid kick in the nuts. Just one more for good measure. A parting gift, if you will. But I really don't think I'm in the condition to do that without falling over. So I ignore him, though I do raise an eyebrow at Eva in silent question. Are you going to take care of that guy too? I wonder, hoping she could hurt him in my stead. It would be therapeutic to watch.

Eva moves to my other side, helping prop me up with Luna. "I am tasked with keeping both of you safe. He is not a threat at the moment." Her eyes flick to Jack dismissively. "Let us move. Now."

Damn. That's unfortunate. I was really hoping for one more demonstration of Eva's combat prowess, preferably applied directly to Jack's face. But yeah, I suppose what she says is true. Jack can barely stand, let alone pose a threat.

One day, though. One day I'll kick him in the balls again. I'm putting it on my bucket list.

We ignore him and walk out of the room, Luna and Eva on either side of me, supporting my weight. Each step sends little jolts of pain through my torso, but I grit my teeth and push through it.

Eva pulls out her cell phone with her free hand, and without breaking stride, she makes a call.

"We are heading outside." She ends the call immediately, not waiting for a response.

We move together toward the front entrance.

And there, parked right at the curb is a sleek black SUV. The windows are tinted so dark I'm pretty sure they're illegal in at least fifteen states.

What the—? Luna has a private driver too?

I mean, I guess that's normal, to be honest. She is ridiculously rich. The kind of rich where having a private driver is probably considered "roughing it" because she doesn't have a helicopter on standby.

Eva opens the door and ushers us into the car efficiently, her movements smooth and controlled. Luna climbs in first, then helps me slide in after her, and finally Eva hops in herself, closing the door with a solid, expensive sounding thunk.

Me and Luna get seated in the back seats, which are made of leather and incredibly soft. The car smells new, that distinct scent of expensive materials and air conditioning.

"Hospital," Eva says to the driver curtly.

The driver, who I can barely see through the privacy partition, nods and reaches for the ignition.

"Wait, no—" I speak up quickly. "I'm fine. Really. I don't need a hospital."

The hospital means paperwork. Questions. Potentially calling my mom, who would absolutely lose her mind and probably never let me leave the house again.

Eva's ice-blue eyes fix on me for a long moment, like she's conducting a full medical examination through eye contact alone. Then she glances at Luna, who's sitting there silently, not contradicting me.

Eva's silent for a beat, processing. Then she turns back to the driver. "Start driving to the apartment."

To me, she adds, "I'll check your injuries."

It's not a suggestion.

The car begins moving, pulling away from the school smoothly. The expensive suspension system is absorbing every bump in the road, which my battered body is extremely grateful for.

Eva gently moves Luna out of the way and positions herself between us in the back seats. It's suddenly much more crowded back here, and I'm acutely aware of Eva's presence in my personal space. She's close. Very close.

"Where is the pain the worst?"

"Uh, my stomach mostly? And my ribs, I think."

"Remove your shirt."

I pause for a second. Having her intense icy blue eyes staring into mine as she robotically tells me to take off my shirt is really awakening something in me. There's something about the complete lack of emotion in her delivery that's simultaneously intimidating and… stimulating.

I oblige, slowly pulling my shirt over my head. The movement pulls at sore muscles and I wince, but I manage to get it off. The cool air of the car hits my skin, and I'm suddenly very aware that I'm shirtless in front of two girls.

Eva leans closer and her scent hits me briefly. It's incredibly slight, but she smells nice, with just the tiniest hint of a sweet floral scent emanating from her. It's so subtle I almost miss it, buried under the faint smell of whatever tactical fabric her clothes are made from.

"Tell me if this hurts." Her hands move to my ribs, and they're cold. Not ice-cold, but noticeably cool, her fingers pressing gently against my side precisely.

She probes carefully, methodically checking each rib, applying just enough pressure to test for damage. Her touch is clinical, efficient, completely professional. She's done this before, probably many times.

Thankfully, I feel nothing beyond the general soreness. No sharp stabbing pains, no grinding sensations, no signs that anything is actually broken. I don't think my bones were affected, which is a relief. I was half-expecting to hear something crunch.

She moves to my stomach, her cold fingers pressing against my abdominal muscles. There are patches of skin on my abs that are reddish in some places, and a few spots are starting to darken into what will definitely become black bruises by tomorrow. They're going to look spectacular. Really capture that "I got my ass kicked" aesthetic I've been going for.

But despite the colorful damage, I don't feel any dangerous levels of pain.

"Nothing feels too bad," I tell her, putting my shirt back on. "Just sore."

"Hm." Eva stares into my eyes for another long moment, analyzing. Then she gives a single, crisp nod. "Very well."

There's a brief pause where we're just sitting there, Eva between me and Luna, the car gliding smoothly through traffic. I can hear Luna sniffling softly beside Eva, and I remember: oh right, I have potentially game-changing evidence.

"Oh, hey—" I reach into my pocket, my fingers closing around the familiar shape of a smartphone. I pull out Jack's phone, holding it up. "I got Jack's phone. The asshole from earlier, the one who's been harassing Luna." I can't keep the satisfaction out of my voice. "There's probably some pretty bad stuff on here."

Eva's expression changes slightly. And when I say slightly, I mean microscopically. Her eyebrow goes up just barely, maybe a millimeter. Wow, I'm seeing a lot of expressions from Eva today.

"...Good work." She sounds almost surprised. "We can have a team here by tomorrow morning. We'll try to gain access to it as quickly as possible. We may be able to find something if we work quickly."

"Oh, uh, I have his PIN," I say casually.

I tap in the PIN: 1-1-1-1-1-1. The phone opens immediately.

Eva's expression shifts again, and this time it's actually noticeable. Both eyebrows rise (both of them!) by what must be at least three or four millimeters. On her, I imagine that shift in composure is akin to full-blown shock. On an average person, it'd be the equivalent of screaming "WHAT?!" with their mouth wide open and eyes bulging out of their skull.

For some reason, I suddenly get the thought that Eva would be a fun person to mess with. She's so stoic and emotionless that it's incredibly satisfying whenever I manage to see even the slightest shift in expression. It's like a game: How to Make Eva React. I could probably turn this into a hobby.

"I... see." There's the faintest hint of something in her voice. Surprise? Approval? It's hard to tell. Her phone buzzes. "Excuse me."

She moves to the middle row of seats and answers in fluid Japanese. The conversation is rapid-fire, all business, and I catch absolutely none of it.

Oh wow, she speaks Japanese too. Is there anything this woman can't do?

Luna shuffles closer to me, filling the space Eva just vacated. She's been quiet since we left the classroom, but I can see her violet eyes are red from crying, her pale cheeks still damp with tears.

"When did you..." Luna's voice is so soft I have to lean in to hear. "How did you... get his phone? And... his password..."

She's looking at me with those big watery eyes, and there's something like wonder mixed with the guilt and sadness.

"Oh, that?" I try to sound casual, like I commit petty theft all the time. "I just grabbed it after I tackled him earlier. He was too surprised to notice."

Luna's eyes widen. And they actually widen, not Eva's microscopic version of widening.

"And the password was just..." I shrug, then immediately regret it when my ribs protest. "I mean, that’s a longer story, but I watched him unlock his phone once."

"That's... that's really… smart… of you."

"What can I say? I'm basically a secret agent." I try for a confident grin.

Luna's smile grows just a little bit, and then she shuffles even closer, close enough that I can smell her subtle cotton candy scent. Her small hand reaches out, gently touching one of the bruises on my side through my shirt. Her touch is feather-light. "Does it... hurt a lot?"

Her voice cracks slightly on the last word, and when I look at her face, I see fresh tears welling up in those big violet eyes.

"Nah, this?" I wave dismissively, channeling every action movie hero I've ever seen. "This is nothing. I've had worse paper cuts. Those guys hit like toddlers."

It's complete bullshit, obviously. Everything hurts. I'm going to be sore for days. But Luna doesn't need to know that.

She sniffles, looking up at me with those impossibly big eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry... This is... all my fault... I'm... useless..."

Before she can break down completely, I pull her to my shoulder. Gently, but firmly enough that she can't pull away. She immediately starts crying, her small body shaking with sobs, her tears soaking into my shirt.

"Hey." I say softly, stroking her silky purple hair. "Stop that. This isn't your fault, okay? None of this is your fault. They're the assholes, not you. I'm fine. See? Still here. Still breathing. We're gonna be okay.”

I continue murmuring reassurances, rubbing small circles on her back while she cries into my shoulder. She's so small, I realize. So fragile-seeming when she's like this. Right now she just feels like a scared kid who needs a hug.

Eva ends her call and turns back to us, her expression returning to its usual neutral state. "We will review any evidence we can find on the phone upstairs in the apartment. I have been notified that Mr. Inoue is already flying back. He will get here tomorrow, early in the morning."

Luna sniffles, gradually calming down in my embrace. "Dad's... coming back?"

"Yes. He'll be handling this situation personally."

"Okay..." Luna's voice is small, but there's relief in it. She slowly pulls away from my shoulder, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Her face is blotchy from crying, her nose a bit red, but she seems calmer.

I give her head one last gentle pat, and she looks up at me with grateful, watery eyes.

The car finally comes to a stop. We're at Luna's building. Eva immediately grabs a sleek laptop case from somewhere up front and exits with military efficiency.

We make our way through the opulent lobby and into Luna's private elevator. The ride up is quiet except for the soft hum of machinery and Luna's occasional sniffles.

Once we're in the penthouse apartment, Eva leads us to the massive dining table. She sets up her laptop with impressive speed, the movements economical and precise. Within seconds, she's pulled out a cable.

"Plug in the phone," she says, handing me the cable.

I do as instructed, connecting Jack's phone to the laptop.

"Unlock it."

I enter the PIN again: 1-1-1-1-1-1, and the phone opens. Eva's fingers immediately start flying across the keyboard, windows popping up on screen. She’s using some professional forensics software, the kind of thing that probably requires seventeen licenses to use legally.

"Good work. I'll begin downloading files, we'll get everything that we can."

Wait, shit. Work. Mr. Vale.

I pull out my own phone and quickly type: Hey Mr. Vale, I'm really sorry but I won't be able to make it to work today. Something important came up. I'll explain more later. Sorry again.

I hit send and pray he's not too disappointed.

While sending the text, I move behind Eva to watch the screen. Luna follows, pressing close to my side.

"How long until—" I start to ask, but data is already flooding the screen. Photos, message threads, all appearing faster than I can process.

The progress bar at the bottom slowly ticks upward: 3%... 4%...

"It'll be about ninety minutes before everything is downloaded," Eva says, not looking away from the screen. "But we can start looking through messages instantly."