Chapter 19
AVA
I paced the tiny balcony of my hotel like a caged woman. Fury still burned in my chest when I thought about Lincoln demanding I give up on my story. What gave him the right? Granted, I knew it was risky moving forward, but did he have to be so… unsupportive?
It annoyed me to be this bothered in the first place. My ex’s lack of faith in me shouldn’t affect me this much. Letting out an aggravated growl, I braced my arms on the metal railing and looked out.
The view was terrible—just the parking lot, a side wall of the adjacent building, and a rusty fire escape that groaned whenever the wind kicked up. A fitting backdrop for the mood I was in. It was fitting for the price of the hotel, too.
My heavy sigh fluttered on the night breeze. Was Lincoln right? Should I give up? Maybe I’d never be good enough to move beyond writing puff-pieces like who wore what at the Emmys, anyway.
I could see my hope of a Pulitzer one day vanishing in the distance…
My shoulders hunched, and my mood plummeted some more. Riding my wave of depression, I groaned when I heard a knock on my door. The only person who would come here was Lincoln. He was the last person I wanted to see.
I ignored the knocking, but it persisted. Rolling my eyes, I went back inside and aimed for the door. If he wanted more of my anger, fine. I had plenty more heated words for him. I didn’t even look through the peephole, just yanked the door open, tongue ready to deliver a lashing.
The words died in my throat when I came face to face with Derek, the ex-fiancé from hell. For a moment, my breath caught and my body locked up. He stood there, wearing the predatory smile that made my stomach twist. Icy, calculating blue eyes pinned me to the spot.
“Hey, Ava,” he said casually, as if he hadn’t followed me all the way across the country and found my hotel room… like a stalker.
But how?
I couldn’t respond. My heart was pounding too hard, distracting my brain from putting together a sentence. I pulled in a breath.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” That was all I could manage in a tight voice.
He shrugged. “I was in town.”
Gathering a little of my wits that had scattered, I studied him. Of course, I didn’t believe he was here by coincidence. The minute I got an assignment in another state, he just so happened to be visiting the same area? Bullshit.
I was officially scared… terrified. Derek’s stalking was escalating. My mind ran wild with headlines like:
Ava Montgomery, Springfield journalist, missing.
Journalist from Massachusetts found in LA dumpster.
Young Massachusetts woman murdered by ex.
Holy fuck!
I knew I had to stay calm. By some miracle, I managed to.
“How did you find me, Derek?” There was no way my parents or Melody told him. They were aware of my discomfort with the way Derek had been hounding me. Allan, despite being a hardass, wouldn’t tell him either. I plunged into a sea of confusion.
He sighed. “You’ve always been so difficult, Ava.”
My molars snapped together. Seeing through his bullshit and demanding better treatment from my partner made me difficult… typical narcissist.
“I thought we could talk.”
My fingers curled around the edge of the door. “You followed me.” I’d have to find out how. “This has to stop, Derek.” There was a slight quiver of fear and desperation in my voice.
He tilted his head back and sighed. “Come on, Ava.” When he met my gaze again, I saw nothing but a monster lurking in his eyes. “I miss you. I thought we could talk,” he said, voice softening. “Maybe… see if there’s still something between us.”
I forced myself to breathe. To think. “Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. “We can talk.” If I could just get rid of him… He always backed down when I was agreeable.
A smug smile slithered across his face. “Good. What do you say about dinner?”
I gulped. “It’s late now. Tomorrow?”
He shrugged, his eyes fixed on my face as if searching for something. Maybe my lie? “Alright. Sounds good. I can meet you here.”
I nodded like a robot. “Are you staying at this hotel?”
“No. Close though.”
“Awesome. I’d invite you in, but I was heading to bed.” I prayed that my composure wouldn’t crack under the pressure… and boy, was I feeling the stress. I was even starting to sweat.
“It’s fine.” He seemed satisfied with our ‘talk.’ “I’ll text you the details tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay, Derek,” I answered softly.
I almost pissed myself when he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. Nausea rolled through my stomach. I immediately wanted to scrub the area with bleach. “Good night, Derek.”
I kept it together long enough to gently close the door before I freaked out. I backed away from the door, heart racing and mind spinning. “Oh God... Oh God.”
Frantically rubbing the skin where his lips had touched, as if I could erase the contact, I wondered what to do. Run? Go to the police? My instincts were telling me not to take this lightly, and I’d listen to my gut. This was beyond disturbing.
“No police,” I whispered.
I couldn’t afford the drama. Not now. I couldn’t have my boss thinking I was problematic every time he sent me away to do a story. I had to be sharp and professional. Walt had never had his assignments hijacked by a stalker. I refused to develop a reputation before my career even properly took off.
The best thing to do was to find another hotel—no way would I stay here now. I’d dodge Derek until I finished my job and went home. I’d get that restraining order the minute I touched down in Springfield.
I sat in a posh lobby, observing my surroundings. I’d already gotten a good look at the place when I came home with Lincoln the other day, but there was nothing to do but take in the opulence again.
Every inch of the place screamed wealth.
The marble floors gleamed like glass under the golden lighting from an elaborate chandelier.
The thing was so massive it looked like it belonged in a palace.
I sat on a sleek velvet armchair in front of a coffee table.
Who had these nice-ass chairs in the lobby of an apartment building?
Then again, Lincoln’s penthouse was doubly extravagant.
I imagined all the apartments here were the shit.
When I got tired of admiring the ritzy lobby, I went back to feeling defeated and embarrassed. I was running to my ex for help because I was afraid of my other ex. What the actual fuck?
Holding my head, I groaned. The friendly concierge looked up from behind his counter.
“Are you okay, Miss Montgomery?”
Okay with having to come to Lincoln to ask him a favor because I couldn't find a goddamn hotel? Not one I could afford anyway. I was far from okay. “Sure,” I said.
“Do you want to come back when Mr. Ford is home? Or you can call him…”
The man must have thought I was crazy because, yes, calling Lincoln before coming here would have been the logical thing to do. The problem was, I wasn’t in the headspace to be logical. After calling and driving around trying to find another hotel, I just… ended up here without much thought.
“I don’t want to disturb him,” I said. “I’ll wait a few more minutes.”
The man didn’t react. He was probably trained to remain unreadable. He simply nodded and went back to looking at his computer.
I blew out a breath. Asking Lincoln to spend the night until I figured something out was going to be hard. He’d probably tell me no after the way I stormed out on him the other day. Maybe I could spend the night in my car…
Lincoln walked in then. He froze when he saw me sitting there with my arms wrapped around myself and my little suitcase at my feet.
My face burned as if a thousand lit candles were being held close to it.
I should have left the suitcase in the car.
I slowly stood up as he greeted the concierge and walked over to me.
He was dressed for a casual night out in a button-down and jeans.
Maybe he’d been on a date. That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it shouldn’t have.
“Ava…”
“Hey, Lincoln.” Was it weird that I wanted to throw myself in his arms and cry because his presence had always made me feel safe? Probably.
His eyebrows pulled together. “What are you…” He glanced at my suitcase. “Are you okay?”
I stared at him, trying to keep my chin from wobbling. “Um… no, actually. I need a favor.”
“Done.” He was watching me with open concern. I imagined how pale and stressed I looked.
I let out a little laugh. “You don’t even know what it is yet.”
His eyes were steady on me. “Still done.”
My heart constricted. Why was he being so nice to me? “I couldn’t find a hotel… I was wondering if I could spend the night… You know until there’s a vacancy somewhere…”
He studied me for about two seconds more before picking up my suitcase without a word. Palm on my lower back, he led me to the elevators. I peeked up at him, shocked that he didn’t ask questions.
When we boarded the lift, he finally spoke. “How long were you waiting?”
“A little over an hour.”
He gave me a reprimanding glance. “Why didn’t you call?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt your night.”
He sighed. “You should have called. I’m glad you’re here.”
“You are…?”
“There’s something I want to talk to you about. But after you settle in.”
I blinked, stunned by the way he was acting so cool with me popping up here. You’d think I hadn’t been an ass to him the other day. My heart softened. But hadn’t that always been Lincoln? Sweet—to me, anyway—and forgiving?
A couple of hours later, after settling into a guest room, I was curled up on a sofa, cradling a mug between my palms. Lincoln said to make myself at home. I did. I found chamomile tea in the kitchen. Hopefully, it would calm my nerves.
Lincoln appeared. He didn’t come in but leaned against the archway to watch me. “Is your room okay? Do you need anything?”
I smiled. “It’s perfect. Thanks for this. It will only be for a day—”
“Ava, stay here as long as you need. I don’t mind. I’m actually relieved you left that dump.”
I snorted softly. “So, you’re not going to ask why I left?”
He slowly approached and took a seat across from me. “If I asked, would you have given me an honest answer?”
I looked into my cup. “Probably not.” I had mixed feelings about letting Lincoln in on my stalker issue.
How embarrassing was it to tell my ex-boyfriend about my ex-fiancé terrorizing me?
I was supposed to be happily married by now, showing myself, the world, maybe even Lincoln that I wasn’t hung up on him since I was a kid. How pathetic was I?
He hummed with amusement. “Then I figured I’d wait until you were ready.”
“I might never be.”
“That’s okay. You don’t owe me anything.”
My eyes snapped to him. “But I do. You’re being so helpful after I snapped the other day.”
“You had a right to. I was wrong, Ava.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Not about wanting to protect you, but about how I went about it. I shouldn’t have demanded that you drop your story. It’s important to you. I’m sorry.”
I gawked at him. Lincoln made it damn near impossible to keep resenting him. I mean, the man was incredibly patient and so freaking… amazing. Damn him for wearing me down like this.
“Thanks for that.”
“An apology isn’t enough,” he said.
“It isn’t…?”
He grinned at my bemused expression. “No. I need to make it up to you. I arranged that meeting with a source close to Phoenix.”
I sat taller. “Oh… Lincoln, thank you.” I wasn’t too prideful to admit I was relieved.
Sienna had mentioned an upcoming function—some high-society fundraiser.
I’d been thinking about crashing that shindig too, but I’d been doubtful about pulling it off.
I’d been so bummed about hitting a dead end with getting information… until now.
“There’s more.”
I put my mug down, paying full attention to Lincoln.
“My birthday is coming up.”
I chuckled. “I know. Are you angling for a gift?”
The smirk that I used to love kicked up at one corner of his mouth. “I won't complain if I get something nice.”
I couldn’t help smiling back. There I went, letting my guard down with him again. It was like an automatic reflex.
“But that’s not what this is about. My friends and I decided that I should host a party on my island.”
I blinked. “Your island?”
“Yeah. People buy islands all the time.”
He shrugged it off as if owning a private island was the same as owning a washing machine.
I gawked. “No, Lincoln. People do not buy islands all the time. That’s not a thing for regular people.”
He seemed unfazed. “Yeah, that’s beside the point.”
My eyebrows elevated.
“I agreed to have the party because it will be perfect.”
“For?”
“You.”
“Lincoln… what…?”
“This is your chance, Ava. I’ll invite a bunch of celebrities, including Phoenix and those close to her. I’ll bring Hollywood to you in one place where you can investigate. Safely.”
My breath caught. “You’re serious?”
He nodded. “What do you think?”
All I could do was stare at him with my mouth open. “I think… you’d do that for me? On your birthday?”
He waved that off. “Once you’ve had thirty-two of them, the novelty wears off. Might as well make this one useful.”
I let out an amused sound—something between a laugh and a snort. “But why would you do this?”
The look he gave me made my heart flutter. His eyes were soft with blatant affection, and I didn’t know what to do with that.
“I’m trying to be supportive.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll come to my party. Say you’ll let me help.”
I swallowed hard. The idea of being surrounded by the Hollywood elite on a private island was surreal. Letting Lincoln help me like this was too much. But the chance to get closer to Phoenix, to Vauxhall’s orbit, to the truth—it was too good to pass up.