Seems Like Friendly Fire
Over the last two days, thanks to Felicia Moss, Avery Hayes's follower count had shot up by over four hundred thousand overnight.
This time, with her agency fanning the flames, the growth was even more explosive.
It helped that Sterling Foods had been tangled up in so many scandals lately, all of them bad news.
Avery's sudden reappearance as the victim was like gasoline on the fire of public outrage, drawing more attention by the hour.
The threatening recording posted by major influencer Leo Foster was the final nail in the coffin.
This social media firestorm was Avery's parting gift to the Sterling family.
Sterling Foods scrambled to react. The second their official accounts started getting hammered online, they put their PR team on damage control.
The incidents with the fatal electric shocks had happened six and eight years ago, and they'd paid the necessary compensation back then.
Their methods had been shady, sure, but the payouts were technically legal, based on standard labor contracts.
Threatening Avery, however, was impossible to spin, especially since she'd just been in a car accident.
Warren Sterling was so furious his chest felt tight, his wrinkled face twisting in a snarl.
Gritting his teeth, he reluctantly called Ronan Bowen and told him to back off for now.
As long as this stuff had stayed under wraps, they could have taken care of Avery without anyone knowing.
But now that it was all public, they had to be careful.
Avery had gotten exactly what she wanted. The Sterling family wouldn't just back off, they'd have to find a way to make sure she stayed safe.
The news cycle was a blur of trending topics and notifications, but Avery didn't have time to worry about online drama. Wyatt Riggs had arrived.
With him was a man with a sharp buzz cut and intense eyes. He was about six feet tall, dressed in a dark windbreaker, with a straight-backed build that gave him a heavy presence, the kind that puts you on edge just by being in the same room.
"Avery, this is Shane Croft," Wyatt said, pushing their suitcases into a corner of the warmly lit living room. "He's from our hometown, too. Should be about your age."
A few days earlier, Avery had asked Wyatt to be her assistant and bodyguard.
Worried she wouldn't be able to handle her own security once things got busy, she'd casually asked him to find one more person, mentioning she could use a driver.
It would be best, she'd said, if they were also ex-military, like him.
"You look a little familiar," Avery said, her gaze lingering on Shane's face. She felt a flicker of recognition but couldn't place where she might have seen him before.
Shane didn't speak, just gave a silent nod, his sharp eyes immediately locking onto her arm.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was a low, gravelly rasp, the words clipped and strained.
The sound of it made Avery's expression shift slightly. That was not a normal voice.
Wyatt added quietly, "Shane injured his throat on a mission. It's a little hard for him to talk."
Avery felt a surge of respect and let it show in her eyes. She smiled. "Just a small cut. It's nothing."
Prompted by Shane, Wyatt finally noticed the scrape on her elbow, and his eyes darkened. "How did you get hurt?"
Avery poured them both a glass of water, had them sit, and quickly explained her history with the Sterling family.
When she finished, she said seriously, "Caleb Sterling thinks this car accident is connected to Ronan Bowen. I don't know if they'll try something else, so I'm going to need you and Shane to handle my security."
As Shane watched the video on her phone of the van rushing toward her, his eyes turned cold. "We'll handle them. For good."
Wyatt nodded in agreement. "Avery, just focus on your work. We've got this." He then turned to Shane, and the two of them began discussing a plan in low voices.
Avery listened from the side without interrupting. Both men were ex-military, Wyatt had served for eleven years, and Shane, judging by his demeanor, looked like he was fresh out of the service himself. They thought about things in ways she never could.
While they were talking, she pulled up a food delivery app and ordered them dinner. They'd gotten straight to business after arriving and hadn't eaten yet.
By the time the food arrived, the two had worked out a rough plan.
They would start with the driver who'd tried to run Avery down, effectively cutting off Ronan Bowen's reach into California.
Then they'd figure out the next steps. After all, Avery would be spending most of her time here from now on.
If they didn't neutralize the local threats, who knew what else might happen.
"Wyatt, you two can pick a room and stay here for now," Avery said after they'd finished eating. "I'll sort out a permanent place for you later."
She got them settled in, then sent a message to her agent, asking them to clear out Apartment 12B. From now on, that would be for Wyatt and Shane.
In the middle of the night, Leo Foster showed up out of nowhere. He must have seen the news about her accident online, because the first thing he did was lean on her doorbell.
The buzz was sharp and long.
Thinking Ronan Bowen's men had found them, Wyatt and Shane sprang into high alert. They opened the door just a crack and, without even seeing who was outside, lashed out with a kick.
"Oof! Avery, what the hell?" Leo doubled over, crumpling to the floor in a pained heap.
By the time Avery came out of her bedroom, pulling her robe tighter, Leo was on the ground clutching his stomach. Wyatt, the one who'd thrown the kick, froze mid-motion the second he heard Leo's voice. He awkwardly pulled his foot back, rubbing his nose.
Friendly fire.
Shane, his face impassive, stepped forward to help Leo up. As he lifted him, he discreetly pressed against Leo's stomach. When Leo didn't cry out, he gave Wyatt a slight nod.
Wyatt let out a quiet sigh of relief. He'd managed to pull that kick at the last second. Otherwise, this kid would probably be in the ER right now.
They all went inside. Avery disappeared into her bedroom, returning with a bottle of bruise cream. She handed it to Shane, asking him to help Leo, then stood behind the sofa and yawned. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"You were in a car accident. I came to check on you."
Shane's touch was rough. The moment he started applying the cream, Leo hissed in pain. He shot Shane an angry glare, snatched the bottle away, and started rubbing it on himself.
"Who are these guys? I'm a big dude, couldn't you see me? You almost kicked me into next week," Leo grumbled, shooting resentful looks at the two newcomers, his glare lingering on Wyatt like he wanted to start something.
Avery gave him a tired look. "They're friends from back home. They're going to be my driver and assistant from now on."
Leo's expression faltered. "Oh," he mumbled, completely deflated. "I guess you really should have a couple of people with you. Fine. I guess I took a boot to the gut for nothing. You owe me."