Chapter 27

Rowan

“Boss?” Drake called, his voice unusually shaky.

I disengage from Emma, who was lying on my chest while we watched a movie. It had taken a lot to finally get her to forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt her more than I already have. I wanted things to go back to how they were when we were younger.

I was still confused as F*** and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Kissing one sister while in a relationship and in love with another. I can still feel the taste of Ava’s l*ps days after but just like with everything about her, I push her and the k*ss to the back of my mind. 1

I’ve waited so long to be with Emma. I wasn’t about to ruin my chances with her again. Whatever I was feeling for Ava was nothing. Apart from Noah, Emma was my world, she has always been. I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of that again.

“What?!” I ask him in irritation, pissed off that he interrupted my date night with Emma.

Today I was supposed to spend the night at her place. None of us wanted to go out, so we decided on a movie instead.

He hesitates for a moment, which was uncharacteristic of him.

“Spit it out Drake, I don’t have all F***ing night”

Emma looks at me in question, but I just shake my head at her. I stand up and move a few feet away and she goes back to watching the movie.

“An intruder broke into Ava’s house. I think it’s the same person that has been after her”

“What?” I snarl.

I don’t hear anything after that. My heart is beating wildly. Fear gripping me like a F***ing vice. I start moving. Putting my shoes and coat on.

“Ro, what’s wrong?” Emma asks worriedly.

I see her mouth moving but her words don’t register or make any sense. I just had this need to leave. To go and make sure that Ava was safe. That she was okay.

“I need to leave” I mumble and open her door.

I hear her calling my name but I ignore her. My mind and focus on getting to Ava as soon as possible. It’s like someone else was in control of my b*dy.

I was on autopilot as I got down to the underground parking and get into my car. My heart breaking over and over again as I imagined the worst case scenario.

How the F*** did he get into her house? Where the hell was Drake? I was going to fire his sorry ass and beat the shit out of him if so much as Ava’s hair was harmed.

Breaking all the speed limits, I get to her house just as the cops do. I notice neighbors coming out of their homes, probably wondering why the cops were here at almost eleven o’clock at night.

I get into her house and my heart stops when I see her. She had a cut on her forehead, her l*p was split and the left side of her face red, as if she had been hit.

Rage consumes me. It wasn’t that long she was in the hospital and now this. I was going to kill whoever did this to her and I was going to make it F***ing painful.

I take a seat on her right and turn my eyes to Drake. My fury directed at him, the need to bury him. alive consuming. He was supposed to be watching over her. What the F*** was I paying him for if he couldn’t look after her?

“Are you okay?” the question draws my attention back to Ava.

Ethan was holding her hand tenderly. I wanted nothing more than to rip her hand from his. He had no right holding her like she was his.

“My head hurts” she replies softly.

I know Ava, and I know she was fighting back tears. I can’t imagine what she felt when she was attacked. All alone in her house.

She closes her eyes and leans her head back against the couch.

“Hey, keep your eyes open, talk to me…tell me what happened”

“I’m really tired and I just want to go to sleep, Rowan” her voice is small.

The vulnerability in her tone almost brings me down to my knees. I wanted nothing more than to pull her in my arms and hold her. Which was just weird because I’ve never felt anything like this towards Ava.

“I know but you have to wait for the paramedics. We have to make sure you’re okay”

I wanted to ran my finger down her cheek but I stop myself. The action would just confuse the both of us further.

“Okay” she replied and opens her eyes.

Brian cuts in. “Don’t worry, they’ll be here any minute, meanwhile do you mind if I asked you a couple of questions?”

Ava shakes her head and then winces.

Fuck! I run my hand through my hair. She was hurting and it was wreaking havoc inside me.

“Good. Can you describe to me what the man that attacked you look like?” Brian asks her.

She takes a deep breath. “He had a mask on, so I can’t tell you how he looked. But he had shaggy brown hair, he was fairly tall, maybe around six foot tall and he was built like a tank”

“Anything else?”

“No…that’s all”

“Did he say anything? Like why he was after you?”

“Yes, he said he wasn’t part of any gang but that someone promised to pay him a huge amount of money if he killed me. He didn’t mention a name or who he was working for though” her hand was shaking by the time she finished speaking.

The more I heard the F***ing scared and angry I became. I didn’t want to imagine that someone was after her, but here was the proof. Staring right at us.

“So, I was right after all. Her attacks have nothing to do with the threats that were made on both families. Which means someone else is after her” Brian says more to himself than us.

“But why would anyone be after her?” Ethan asks the question that’s been running rampant in my head.

It didn’t make any F***ing sense. Ava didn’t have enemies mainly because she kept to herself. Her life consisted of her work and our son. So why would someone want her dead? And who could the person be?

“That’s what I can’t figure out for now” Brian answers frowning. “The fact that whoever it is, is will go to any length to make sure the job is done”

I was about to speak when an officer interrupts us.

“Sir, we found blood on the kitchen floor” he says.

Brian turns to Ava. “Is the blood yours or your attacker?”

“Probably his. I managed to hit him with a lamp and then stab him with his knife”

For the first time since Ava’s case began, Brian smiles. “This is just perfect. Swipe the blood as evidence. We can run a DNA match on our systems and figure out who it belongs to”

The cop quickly rushes back to do as he was told. Finally, maybe we can get this bastard and when we do, he won’t live long enough to get to his trial date. I’ll make sure of that.

Jim and Mike enter the room.

“We weren’t able to get him, boss” Jim informs me and Drake curses.

“How is it that a man that has been stabbed is able to escape you?” I asked in annoyance.

Mike gulps. “My guess is that he knows the area well, that he has been keeping in the shadows and watching her for some time. It’s probably the reason why we never noticed him”

“That makes sense” Brian adds. “He might have even been watching her for months and used the

Reapers‘ involvement as the perfect cover up.‘

Reapers‘ Angels is the criminal gang that had threatened us.

“They were probably hoping to kill her that first time and no one would have been the wiser. We would all have thought that the Reapers were responsible for her death” Ethan concludes.

“Exactly” Brian agrees, snapping his fingers.

I feel Ava shaking beside me just as the siren’s for the medics are heard. Seconds later they rush in. Two of them head for Ava while one heads for Drake. Both Ethan and I move to give them

space to check out Ava.

My phone rings and I pull it out of my pocket. I curse when I see Emma’s name flashing. Damn it! I had completely forgotten about her. I feel my frustration building up. Frustration at this situation with Ava and my relationship with Emma.

This time I’m not sure she’ll be an forgiving especially if she learns that I left her the moment i beard that Ava was attacked My reaction was was the problem. Even I can tell that my reaction was too strong especially for someone who claims to have no feelings towards his ex wife.

How the hell was I going to explain to Emma that Ava meant nothing to me when I rushed to het the minute I heard she was in danger? Fuck my life. Things had just gotten more complicated.