Chapter 17
AVA
Istep aside, heart pounding, feeling like I’m in some kind of alternate world as Rafael and the tall, tattooed man rush past me for the staircase.
“Fucking find him!” Rafael roars, his footsteps pounding down the stairs.
I stare at the broken glass, sunlight glinting off it.
Adrian stands at his desk, hands gripping the edge, breathing hard as sweat slides down his face.
I arrived at work with a skip in my step, my soul alight with last night, sparkling with all the possible miracles I might experience with Rafe.
Now… darkness, bleak decay, a rotten core expanding inside of me.
I approach the desk and gently lay my hand on Adrian’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay,” I murmur.
He hacks out a cough. “I’m fine.”
“You’re shaking,” I tell him. “I think you might be in shock. Here, sit down.”
I grab his chair and wheel it over, gently guiding him into it. He sits heavily, shuddering.
“Should I call the police?” I ask.
He looks at me sharply.
“Okay, no police,” I say.
“I’m sorry,” he says quietly.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
He laughs shakily, scratching his fingernails against the desk.
I walk over broken glass and look down at the street.
Rafe and the other man are walking back toward the building, Rafe barking something into his phone.
He looks like a stranger, his eyes blazing, his huge body tight with muscle and rage.
“What the hell happened?” I ask, turning back to Adrian.
He makes a pfft noise.
“Adrian?” I say.
“It’s… a lot,” he says. “To explain. It’s complicated.”
“That guy jumped out of the window. He was pointing a gun at you!”
“Take the rest of the day off,” Adrian says evenly. “You don’t need to worr—”
“Adrian, with all due respect, you gave me a shot when no one else would. You took pity on a pregnant woman and paid me more than anyone else would have even thought about paying me. Now, the father of my child – a mob boss – has burst into your office and turned everything upside down. I do think I need to worry about this.”
He laughs hollowly. “Yeah, fair enough,” he grunts.
“What should I do?” I ask.
He shudders, clearly experiencing a delayed response to what just happened. “I don’t know.”
“Let me get you some water, at least.”
I go to the cooler in the corner of the room, pour him a paper cup, then put it in his hand.
“Drink,” I say.
His hands tremble as he lifts the cup to his lips.
“I’ll call somebody about the window,” I murmur. “Get that taken care of…”
I trail off when I hear the heavy footsteps from downstairs. Rafe is halfway up as I storm down. His amber-gold eyes swim with conflict, with mafia-man focus but also something else, something softer.
I don’t plan it, but I throw myself at his chest, slapping my hand down. He takes a stumbling step back, not trying to defend himself.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I yell, smacking him again. “You can’t just come in here with guns and pull this shit. What’s wrong with you? I thought we were building something, something real, then you pull a stunt like this?”
I stop, panting, adrenaline coursing through me like a drug.
“You have every right to be angry,” he says calmly, which makes me even angrier.
“Oh, great, I’m glad you condone my response,” I mutter bitterly.
He steps forward, attempting to wrap his arms around me. I fold my arms and glare at him, causing him to back off.
“I didn’t want our worlds to collide,” he grumbles. “That was the last thing I wanted.”
“Adrian didn’t deserve any of that,” I snap.
He flinches at my words. His eyes are brimming with jealousy that sends my traitor’s body into heat, as if it’s a good thing, some part of me glad he’s thinking like that even now.
“Don’t make this about that,” I hiss. “Adrian is a happily married man who took pity on me. He’s been nothing but supportive. He’s a force for good in this community, and you, Rafe, you just barged into his office and nearly got him killed.”
“I thought he was behind my dead soldier,” Rafe snarls, stepping closer, rising to his full height, making me feel tiny.
“What?” I snap.
“Adrian has friends in the Hungarian mob,” Rafe says. “So imagine my surprise when I come back, and you’re working for him… when I’m sure, or was sure, it was the Hungarians who sent those men after me last year.”
“You’re not sure anymore?”
Rafe groans, running a thick hand through his hair. “Now that my cousin has shown his true colors, nothing is certain.” He steps closer, taking my hands. My instincts roar at me to hold him tightly but… “I thought he was the man who made me leave you, Ava. All I wanted was to keep you safe and—”
“This isn’t about me,” I cut in, before the emotion in his voice can disarm me. “This is about what you inflicted on that man up there. And don’t look at me like that, Rafe. Adrian is my boss. He’s a good man. He didn’t deserve this.”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Rafe snarls. “He has connections—”
“What does connections mean, exactly?” I demand.
Rafe hesitates. “Contacts,” he says.
“So he knows someone in the mob?”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t mean he was behind anything!”
“Maybe I don’t like your tone when you talk about it.”
“No, no way.” I prod Rafe hard in the chest. “I’m not playing this game. This isn’t about you and me. This is about you being a decent person. You need to go up there and talk to Adrian right now, and explain that you were wrong.”
Rafe takes a step back, leaning against the wall, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Men like me don’t make plays like that.”
“Well, you’re going to have to make an exception,” I snap.
He tilts his head, and then a smirk touches his lips.
I lose it. Don’t mean to, but this is just ridiculous. I slam my hand down on his chest, knocking him back a few steps. My heart is racing, and sweat is streaking down my body.
I think the events I’ve just witnessed are hitting me with a delay. It’s like it all rushes back. The gun, the surreal scene, the shattered glass.
Rafe’s features soften. He catches my wrist when I try to hit him again, holding it tightly, but somehow tenderly too.
“You’re shaking, Ava,” he murmurs.
“I wonder why that would be,” I snap, trying to sound sarcastic. But it comes out tired and defeated. “You need to talk to Adrian. He didn’t deserve this. If you make this about jealousy or something else, I swear, I’ll be sick. This is the real world, Rafe. You can’t just… do things.”
“Men like me can just do things,” he says. But it’s not a brag. It’s almost like he sounds ashamed. “Come here…”
He tries to pull me into a hug. I let him for a half second, tempted to sink into the warmth of his embrace. But he’s the one who caused this panicky feeling to tear through my body. I can’t go to him for solace too.
I push against his chest, shaking my head. I need to stand firm on this.
He frowns.
“Okay,” he says after a pause. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll do it. Fucking hell.”
He strides past me toward Adrian’s office. I should leave them to their privacy. But I follow him, standing in the hallway. Perhaps this makes me a bad person. Fine. But I need to hear this, proof that Rafe can swallow his pride and put someone else first.
“Adrian…”
Adrian laughs hollowly. “Here to finish the job?”
“I—” Rafe cuts himself off with a deep sigh. “I got a few things wrong. About you and the Hungarians. I thought you were behind all this shit. There were too many coincidences with you and Ava. In my world, coincidences always mean something.”
“Whatever, Bellini,” Adrian grunts. “I didn’t know anything about you and Ava. Hell, if I did, I might not have hired her. I saw a pregnant woman who needed help. That’s it.”
I shouldn’t be stung at Adrian saying he wouldn’t have hired me if he’d known about Rafael and me. But can I blame him after everything he’s been through as a result?
“I’m…”
Adrian laughs dryly again. “You don’t need to say sorry. I can see how hard it is for you.”
“No – I do.”
A pause. “Ah, has she asked you to come in here, hat in hand, to beg my forgiveness? Maybe offer me a new window?”
Rafe grumbles. “This shouldn’t have happened,” he grunts.
“Okay, it shouldn’t have happened,” Adrian agrees. “Are we done?”
Rafe leaves the office. He stops mid-stride when he sees me, his amber-gold eyes blazing, his mouth a tight rictus of tension. He approaches me and wraps his arms around me. Pulls me in close and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“This won’t always be complicated,” he murmurs.
Adrian appears in the doorway, clearing his throat.
Rafe looks hurt when I push away from him, but what else am I supposed to do? Stand here hugging the man who just brought a little slice of hell into my boss’s world?
“Ava, find a window company. I’m going to need a replacement. And please get me that report I asked for.”
“Of course.”
I turn, walking away, hurrying down the stairs. My heart is still pounding, practically lurching up into my throat. I ignore the panic and try to focus on my work. But Rafe’s words return to my mind.
This won’t always be complicated.
I don’t think I can believe that.
And whatever else happens, I need to put myself and my baby first.