Mark waggles his brows before bolting out the back entrance of the club.
“And don’t break anything today,” I yell, rolling my eyes.
Mark is the newest bartender at The Chapel. If it weren’t for his GQ magazine cover good looks, I would have let him go his very first night. But even with him spilling more drinks than he serves, the female clientele love him. Whenever he is on duty, the women flock to the club in droves. He is good for business and staff morale.
“We are not open for a few more hours,” I say when the entrance bell on the front door chimes.
I finish signing my signature at the bottom of a receipt before turning my eyes to the door. I’m shocked when I notice Ava standing there, staring at me wide-eyed. It won’t matter how many times I see her, my eyes drink her in every single time.
“Hey,” I greet her, pacing closer, wanting less space between us before my eyes ravish her skin. “You’re early.” I lean in to press a kiss on the edge of her mouth.
Normally Ava doesn’t arrive at the club until a little after six PM. We have dinner together in my office before she occupies the remaining hour of my self-prescribed two hour lunch.Obviously, she got a little excited about my teasing message.
My brows scrunch at how cold her cheek feels when my lips press against it. Although we haven’t hit summer yet, the temperatures the past week have been setting record highs. I pull her to arm’s length and run my eyes over her face. Her pupils are massive, filling her entire cornea. Her face is white and covered with a dense layer of sweat, but the most concerning feature to me is the devastation reflecting out of her beautiful eyes. Her terrified look sets me on edge.
“Ava, babe, are you okay?” I ask with concern.
“Y-your phone,” she stutters.
My confused eyes bounce between hers, baffled by what my phone has to do with her frantic state. My stomach cramps with dread when her eyes erratically dance between mine and she says, “Y-y-you didn’t answer your phone.”
I run my hand down the front of my jeans, discovering my pockets are empty. “I must have left it in my truck after my appointment with Avery.”
A heavy weight of despair slams my chest when fresh tears spill down Ava’s pale cheeks. A rock settles into my stomach, subjugated with confusion. My eyes dart from Ava to Isaac when he pushes off the doorframe of my office and paces to stand next to me.
“Ava, what’s going on?” I query, lowering my eyes to absorb the rest of her body.
The air is forcefully sucked from my lungs when I notice a blood stain on the front of her dress. My fists clench as my back molars smack together.
“Did someone hurt you? Are you hurt?” I question, my voice coming out in a frantic rush. Fury blackens my veins, heating my body. “Who did this to you? Did Marvin do this?”
Tears fling off Ava’s cheeks when she rapidly shakes her head. She runs her hand under her nose, wiping away the contents of her nose spilling over her lip. Her chest thrusts up and down as she strives to regain a sense of composure. I stare at her, wild-eyed and spiraling out of control.
My heart thrashes against my ribs when she whimpers, “There was an accident.”
Her eyes are facing to the side of me. She looks like she is in a trance.
I grip her chin and slant her head upwards. “You were in an accident? Is that why you have blood on your dress?”
I try to keep my tone neutral, but panic and fury are making my tone come out as abrupt. I’m spiraling out of control, unable to grip the reality of the situation. I turn my bewildered eyes to Isaac when Ava shakes her head. I stare at him, silently questioning if he has any better understanding of the situation. He looks just as lost as I feel.
My eyes rocket back to Ava when she says, “Not me. Jorgie,” through a barrage of hiccups.
Fear grips my heart. “Jorgie was in an accident?”
A painful sob tears from Ava’s mouth as she nods her head.
“Where?” I question, my voice coming out in a loud roar.
Her pupils widen even more, but she remains silent.
“Where, Ava!” I yell, projecting my voice over the ringing of my pulse in my ears. “Where is she?”
When Ava stays quiet, Isaac grips the top of her arms and shakes her hard enough, her teeth clang together. Normally, his type of response would cause my blood to turn potent with violent rage, but I can tell from the look in his eyes, he isn’t trying to hurt Ava. He is doing everything in his power to snap Ava from her trance.
“Where is Jorgie, Ava?” Isaac asks, his tone demanding and clipped. “Tell Hugo where Jorgie is!”
Ava’s massively dilated eyes lock with mine. “She is at the hospital.”
