Chapter 35
thirty-five
GAGE
I close my eyes and try to focus solely on the fact that Ava is safe in my arms and not the fact that a man is bleeding profusely behind me or the fact he just had his hands all over the woman I love.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the sight of Ava trapped against a wall with tears streaming down her face and terror in her eyes out of my head. All I saw was red.
I think I might have killed the man if Declan and Caleb hadn’t shown up. Though, I might not be in the clear considering Caleb is still bent over that bastard’s unmoving body.
I don’t know how I missed the sirens when I see police officers and paramedics pour into the hallway. But considering my focus is entirely on the woman in my arms, I’m not surprised.
I see Reid out of the corner of my eye and prepare myself for the fact that I’m going to have to let Ava go. There’s no way I won't get taken into the station after this.
I take one more deep breath, inhaling her apple and vanilla scent, before pulling away slightly, just enough to see her eyes. I cup her face in my hands and turn us so her back is to the scene in the hallway. She doesn’t need to see that asshole ever again.
“I’m gonna have to go to the station with Reid.”
“No!” she interrupts before I can say anything else, panic more than evident in her eyes and voice.
“Rebel,” I say as softly as I can. “I don’t have a choice.”
“Then I’m going with you.” Her grip on my shirt tightens
“We’re going to need her statement as well,” Reid offers quietly. The glare I send his way has him stepping back.
It’s not fair, but right now, all I care about is keeping Ava safe and out of harm’s way. I know Reid means absolutely no harm, but she shouldn’t have to relive everything.
“Gage.” Ava brings my focus back to her. She looks behind her to the piece of trash lying on the ground before bringing her eyes back to mine. Her eyes are clear and focused when they meet mine. “When he wakes up, he’s going to press charges. They need my statement.” She’s gone into lawyer mode, and while I’m glad she’s not shaking in my arms anymore, I’m worried about what happens when she doesn’t have this to focus on.
I look over her shoulder to see the paramedics lifting him onto a stretcher, Caleb by their side, giving them orders. My focus comes back to Ava, trailing from her toes to her head. But I’m halted at the sight of her undone jeans.
Swallowing the urge to ram my fist into Brian’s face again, I gently reach forward to button and zip her jeans, pulling her into another tight embrace.
“Okay. I don’t think I can stand having you out of my sight anyway.”
“You’ll have to ride in the cruiser,” Reid murmurs in my ear.
I nod, taking another minute to just hold Ava. Over her head, I see Declan step up behind her. Reluctantly, I pull away so he can have a moment with his sister.
Declan doesn’t give her a chance to say anything before he pulls her into a fierce hug.
“I’m okay,” she murmurs against him.
“I don’t believe you.” Declan’s eyes find mine over her head, a look I can’t quite decipher in his eyes. “What happens now?”
“I’m not technically getting arrested, but I have to go to the station.” I might not be getting charged with anything right now, but that doesn’t mean the charges won’t come. No matter what, I don’t regret a single thing.
“Arrested? Why would you be arrested?” Quinn demands from behind Declan.
Ava pushes from his embrace, stepping into my side and holding tight.
“Assault, excessive force, take your pick.” I shrug, trying to play off the seriousness of the situation.
“Let’s just start with a statement. From the both of you,” Reid says.
“We’ll meet you at the station then.” Declan leans forward, pulling Ava’s head toward him to kiss her forehead quickly before bending to meet her eyes directly. “I love you, squirt.”
It takes her a second, but he holds steady until she responds. “I love you, too, big brother.”
It’s hours later, and I’m pacing the length of Lyle’s office. I’m grateful they didn’t put me in an interrogation room, but I haven’t seen Ava since they separated us when we walked through the station doors, and I’m desperate to see her.
I know it’s procedure to separate us to get our statements, but I still hate it more than anything in this moment. I want to be somewhere far away from here. Anywhere would be fine, as long as Ava’s by my side.
The door to the sheriff’s office opens as Lyle and Reid step through. “Well, I have good news and I have bad news.” Lyle steps around his desk to take a seat, gesturing to the two seats in front of him.
I don’t move from my position by the wall.
“All right.” He leans forward, hands folded in front of him on the desk. “Brian Wellsley is going to be fine, but he’s pressing charges.”
My head falls forward. It’s not a surprise, but it doesn’t take the sting out of it. No matter what, if Brian presses charges, I’ll lose my badge. I step up to the empty chair in front of his desk and fall into it.
“Ava corroborated your story. Brian assaulted her in the hall outside the bathroom, and you intervened. Unfortunately, it’s the force you used that’s the problem.” Lyle studies me for a minute, looking for some kind of reaction, but I’ve been trained to keep my mouth shut in the worst situations. I know how to keep everything hidden.
He leans back in his seat, releasing a deep sigh. “Gage, you know I don’t fault you for what happened this evening. And if it were my choice, you would walk out of the station right now, and things would carry on exactly like they always have.”
“I know, sir.”
He sighs again, his gaze flicking to Reid behind me for just a moment. “I don’t want to do this, but I don’t have a choice. The mayor will have my head if I don’t follow the letter of the law. Especially with what Wellsley is threatening.”
“I understand.” I stand from my seat. “I don’t regret it. I would do anything for that woman.”
Lyle stands and moves around his desk, placing his hand out to shake mine. “You would have done it regardless of the person in that situation. It’s what makes you a damn fine man.”
Turning to Reid, I offer him a tight smile. I know he hates what he’s about to do, but I don’t blame him for a second.
“I’ll talk to my dad, see if he can schedule an emergency hearing so you don’t have to stay longer than a few hours.”
“No. I know how much you hate asking your dad for favors. I can wait it out until Monday.”
“Gage—”
“It’s fine, man. I promise.”
There’s a reason Reid always gets uncomfortable when he has to go to court, and his father being a judge is just the tip of the iceberg. I know he wouldn’t hesitate to ask his dad for a favor, but I won’t put that pressure on him.
“Can I get a few minutes to talk to Ava?” I turn back to Lyle.
“Sure.” He nods toward Reid, silently telling him to get her. “Keep your chin up.” He squeezes my shoulder once before walking out the door.
I don’t wait long before the door opens again, and Ava plows through, straight into my arms. “What’s happening? I’ve been trying to get in here to see you for hours.”
“Shh.” I smooth her hair back and hold her face between my hands.
Her eyes are swollen and red-rimmed. I hate that she’s been crying and I haven’t been there to hold her, but I know Declan and Quinn haven’t left her side, and I know she’ll have the entire Marks family when she leaves here.
“How are you?” I can’t stop my eyes from roaming her body yet again. I know I took inventory of every inch of her at Murphy’s, but I need to see again that she’s okay.
“Physically, I’m fine. He didn’t have the chance to do anything other than pin me to the wall and undo my pants. You pulled him off before…” Her words trail off, and I can’t blame her for not being able to say it. I can barely stand hearing it.
I slide one arm around her and cup the back of her head in my other hand, bringing her forehead against my lips. “You have to tell me what you need. I don’t know what to do here,” I whisper against her skin.
“I don’t need you to do anything more than this. Just being here is enough.”
My arms tighten around her. I hate what I’m about to tell her. I want nothing more than to be by her side until she’s sick of me, but that’s not in the cards for us, at least not right now.
Ava must feel the tension in my body. She pushes back, her eyes bouncing between mine. “What is it?”
“Brian’s awake, and he’s already told the police he wants to press charges.” Ava’s eyes fall shut. She’s a lawyer; she knows what happens next. “It’s late Friday, so they can’t set a bail hearing until Monday.”
“No.” Her eyes fly open, and she shakes her head in denial.
“Rebel.” I keep my voice firm, trying to instill a little bit of strength into this situation. “You know he’s a powerful man with a lot of connections. He’s already made threats that are making the mayor nervous.”
“Gage.” Her voice cracks, and my heart rips in two.
“It’s just forty-eight hours. I’ll be home by Monday, and I’ll be stuck to your side like glue. You’ll get so sick of me,” I tease.
“I’ll talk to him. I’ll get him to drop the charges.”
“No. Ava. Don’t.”
“Gage—”
“Ava, I’m serious. Just let everything run its course. If the charges stick—and that’s a big if—I’ll plead out and end up with community service. I don’t have any priors, and I’m an upstanding citizen. I won’t serve any time.”
“But you’ll lose your job over this.” Her eyes fill with tears, and I hate the stress this is causing her.
“So I’ll find a new one.” I shrug. “It’s just a job. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing; as long as you’re okay, nothing else matters.”
“I hate this.” Her head falls forward to rest against my chest as her arms snake around my waist, squeezing tight.
“I know.”
We stay wrapped around each other for a few more minutes, neither wanting to pull away. “Maybe stay at your brother’s this weekend. Or in the house with Scott and Max.”
“I’ll be okay.” She pulls back to see my face.
“I know.” I rest my hand against her neck, my thumb brushing her jaw gently. “I’ll just feel better knowing you’re not alone.”
She doesn’t answer; she simply moves to her toes to press a tender kiss to my lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I kiss her one more time and wipe the lone tear that manages to fall down her cheek before we both move to exit Lyle’s office.
I shouldn’t be surprised by the crowd standing outside, but I am. I knew Declan and Quinn would be here, and I’m not surprised Caleb, Emily, and Abbey are here, considering they were at the bar. But to see my parents, Scott, and Walt has me momentarily stunned.
“What are you all doing here?” I ask, dumbfounded.
“Did you really think we wouldn’t be here to support you?” Dad steps forward, pulling me into a hug.
“No. I just…who called you?”
“I did,” Ava says. “I didn’t want them to hear about it anywhere else. Plus, I wanted them to be able to prepare your siblings in case someone said something to them. I didn’t tell them to come down here, though.”
I pull her back into my side, kissing her temple to hide the bout of emotion I feel welling inside.
Swallowing, I turn back to everyone gathered. “Thank you, but you all didn’t need to stick around.”
“It’s bullshit what’s happening here,” Declan growls. “I’ll talk to my parents. Get them to?—”
“No,” I interrupt, reaching for his shoulder. “Just keep an eye on your sister for me. I know she can take care of herself,” I say, releasing Declan and looking down at Ava. “But it doesn’t hurt to have someone to lean on.”
Declan steps forward, pulling me into a tight hug. “Thank you for loving her like you do,” he whispers in my ear. The words are gruff and filled with so much emotion that I swallow back a lump in my throat.
Stepping back, I give everyone else a tight smile before turning to Ava, cupping her face in my hands. “I love you, and I know you’ve seen this before, but I don’t want you to see me get arrested.”
Ava opens her mouth to argue, but the pleading look in my eye stops her. “Okay.”
“I’ll see you Monday.”
“I love you.”
“I love you more than you know.” I press a soft kiss to her lips and let her go.
Ava, being the strong woman she is, holds her head high as she walks out the door, Declan and Quinn right behind her.
“I need you all to go, too,” I tell everyone else still standing around.
“We’ll take care of her till you’re able.” Scott offers me a quick handshake before ushering Caleb and Emily out the door.
“If I knew who he was, I never would have let him in the bar.”
“I know that, Walt. None of this is your fault, and no one blames you.”
“Just…let me know if you need anything.”
I nod and watch him and Abbey follow everyone else out the door—leaving my parents.
“I love you, Gage, and I respect that you don’t want me to see this, but you’re my son, and I’m damn proud of you.” Mom’s words get choked up, and she turns to look at my dad, swallowing thickly before she brings her eyes back to mine. “Like hell am I leaving you here.”
“Mom, you can’t stay here all weekend.”
“Well, if that’s how long you’ll be here, then yes, I can.”
My eyes shift to Dad, pleading with him silently to make her see reason.
“Sweetheart, he’s right. You need to go home and be with Liv. She won’t handle it well when she hears what happened.”
Mom’s eyes bounce between Dad and me a few times before her shoulders fall in acceptance. She pulls me into a fierce hug, holding on longer than necessary. But, I don’t rush her, appreciating the love and support she’s offering.
“We love you, son.” Dad squeezes my shoulder before pulling Mom away from me.
“Love you, too. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” I offer a tight smile, watching Dad practically pull Mom out the door.
It’s quiet; Lyle and Reid giving me a few more minutes to digest everything. It’s a shitty situation, but I know I did the right thing, and that’s all that matters.