Chapter 11
AVA
“Iagreed to the date to get more information,” I tell Theo the next morning as I drive him to Mom and Dad’s house before going to work.
He makes a murmuring noise that sounds suspiciously like, Yeah, right…
Last night was a confusing, beautiful mess. First, there was the fact that my parents’ defenses dropped far more than I knew they planned. They felt the same tugging of emotion as I did when they watched Rafe with Theo. They experienced the same confusion, the same sudden approval.
After he left, Dad said, We need to be careful not to get carried away. All of us.
I don’t know what came over me in that moment except that when Rafe looks at me in that way – like no other woman exists, like the idea of him being attracted to anybody else is a joke – I just lose it.
“I am,” I go on. “I need to know more, Theo. That’s all this is… for now.”
After dropping Theo off, I drive to work, thinking about how Rafe was basically interrogating me about Adrian last night. He was firing questions at me like he was going to go full psycho if I even hinted at a romantic connection. But Adrian has never been like that, never even hinted at it.
When I arrive, Adrian calls me into his office. He seems more distant than usual, pacing behind his desk, unwilling to meet my eye. We discuss a few pieces for an upcoming show, placement, and the flow of the exhibit.
Then, trying to be casual, he adds, “Has Rafeal Bellini contacted you?”
My stomach tightens at Adrian’s tone. “Uh…”
Adrian glances at me, then looks out the window and runs a hand over his head. “I know I shouldn’t be asking you about your personal life. But he’s the father, isn’t he? He’s Theo’s father?”
I’ve never heard Adrian’s tone like this before, snappy, almost like he’s interrogating me.
Adrian drops into his seat and leans forward. “You know I’ve got your best interests at heart, Ava. You must know that, right?”
“Yeah,” I murmur. “Of course.”
“I wouldn’t be asking you about this if I didn’t think it was important. And I realize people might see this as crossing a line. ”
I feel like I’m suddenly walking on a tightrope, as if a wrong answer could send my career toppling.
“Would it be a problem if he were his father?” I ask.
“What?” Adrian snaps, his emotionless eyes suddenly flaring. It’s the first time I can remember him looking unequivocally angry with me. “Do you think I’m going to fire you for seeing your son’s father, Ava?”
“No, I—”
“Is that what he’s been saying about me?” he goes on in disgust. “Is that the poison he’s been filling your head with? Oh, he’s been painting me as a monster, has he?”
“Adrian, no,” I say, shifting in my chair to catch his gaze, looking into his eyes. “No. He hasn’t said anything about you at all.”
Adrian leans back, breathing slowly. “Jesus, Ava. I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”
“Well… yeah.”
He drums his fingers on his desk. “I want the best for you and your son, that’s all.”
“Are you saying that seeing Rafe wouldn’t be in our best interests?”
“Rafe,” Adrian repeats. He looks at me for a few long beats, then waves his hand. “I think it might be for the best if you just get on with your work. This is really none of my business.”
Then why did you bring it up?
“Okay, sure.”
I leave his office, feeling his eyes on me the entire time.
If it’s common knowledge that Rafe is in the mob – or runs the mob – then it makes sense for Adrian to be protective.
But my instincts tell me there is more to that.
It was like Adrian was personally invested, as if he were afraid Rafe might tell me something that would force me to see my boss in a new light.
As I drive home, I notice the same black car taking the same turns as me. Just to be sure, I zigzag a few times, and sure enough, there it is. I stop outside my apartment building, breathing hard, remembering what Rafe said about my apartment being on mob turf.
I pull out my cellphone and call him.
“Hey, angel. I’m just making myself handsome for our date.”
A smile touches my lips, but it doesn’t last long. “Someone’s following me. Black car. It’s parked down the street. Is this some mob thing?”
“Give me the license plate.”
I do, thankful I paid attention.
“Those are my men,” Rafe says.
A spike of worry goes through my head.
“Your men,” I murmur. “Why on earth are your men following me?”
“I told you what happened last year,” he grunts. “I was forced to run because someone – presumably the Hungarian mob – sent men to your apartment. I’m not going to risk you or Theo getting hurt, not until I’ve got answers to certain questions.”
“So, you just put a tail on me without asking me for permission.” A beat, silence. “Rafe?”
“I’m trying to keep you safe,” he growls.
“I’ve come and gone from this apartment hundreds of times since we last saw each other. Nothing has happened. I’m pretty sure I’m safe.”
“That was before I came back,” he grunts.
I massage my head, thinking of Adrian early, the warning in his shark eyes. “So, you’re saying we’re in danger because of you.”
“No.”
“Then you’re saying we might be, then.” Another pause. “Rafe, if I have to keep reminding you not to lie—”
“Yes,” he admits huskily. “Dammit, angel, yes. That’s what I’m saying. That’s what it means to be… with a man like me. But I’ve said more than I should already.”
“If I were going to betray you, I would’ve done it by now.”
I sit back, letting my head fall onto the headrest.
“Ava?” he says. “I’ve got plans for the three of us. You, me, and the little guy.”
The little guy. How can a man steeped in shadows and violence sound so parental and loving?
“Don’t tell me you want to cancel,” he snarls, his voice shaking. “I want, need to see you both. I want us to forget, Ava.”
“Forget,” I murmur.
“Just like that night. That beautiful, magical night. Where we forgot about everything and everyone else. When it was just me and you and those secret looks and that feeling like we’d known each other for months, and not one night.
When you told me how you’d wander the aquarium as a girl, feeling like you were an astronaut and the fish aliens. ”
I smile at the memory, even as tension tightens in me.
“I swear, nothing is going to happen to you,” Rafe says fiercely. “I just want…”
“To pretend this isn’t complicated. To focus on just tonight, and pretend this isn’t messed up and complicated.”
“Yeah, exactly. Can you do that, Ava? Just for one night?”
Part of me screams to tell him no. Not that I can’t do it, but I refuse. I’ve got too many responsibilities to willfully bury my head in the sand. But there’s another part, the fierce spark that awoke that magical night, that wants to follow his lead.
This is my last mistake…
“One night,” I tell him.
I can hear his smile on the phone. “Thank you.”
“My parents are dropping Theo off soon. I’ll start getting ready.”
“Okay, see you soon, Ava.”
I hang up, then bury my face in my hands, groaning even as a smile tugs at my lips. I’ve heard of fight or flight, obviously, but I’ve never felt the urge to fly and fight in the same breath before, until now.