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“Where’s Black?” I ask, wondering if she’s dead or alive.
Sean’s jaw tightens in anger. “I don’t know. She’s not dead, but she soon will be.”
I shake my head and hold onto his arm. “Don’t. She’s the reason I’m still alive. Sean, she was trying to protect you.”
“She did a shitty job and nearly killed you. If it weren't for her, you wouldn’t have been sucked into this.”
I shake my head, filling him in on everything that transpired between Black and me this evening. Then, I finally add, “If it weren't for her, I would have died before you met me. If she ran, let her run.”
“If that’s what you want.” He watches me carefully.
I don’t need a moment to decipher Black’s true colors. “I do, let her go.”
Sean wraps his arms around me again and holds onto me gently, careful not to hurt me. He breathes in my ear, “Anything you want. God, Avery, I didn’t think I’d reach you in time. I thought I’d lost you. I was convinced you’d light up this place.”
“I was going to,” I explain and then glance at Mom. “I got sucker-punched when Vic showed me what he’d been hiding.” I bite my lips hard and suck in a long pull of air that races out in a jagged rush. “This is my Mom.” I extend a hand, introducing them and then start sobbing.
Sean wraps his arms around me, holding me like he’ll never let go, and then his tears start as well. They fall freely, welcome, and weary. People talk around us, and there’s a murmur of voices, but I can’t focus on anything but Sean. So much has happened that I feel completely insane. I was mentally prepared to end everything, lose my baby, my life—and then Mom was there, and Sean wasn’t gone. I feel caught between hysterical laughter and retching from the tumble of nerves uncoiling within me.
I don’t know how much time passes like that before I manage to whisper in his ear, “I need to tell you something.”
I’ve put off telling him about the baby. I didn’t know how he’d react and honestly, it scares me. What if he’s not ready? So much has changed since we spoke about picket fences and children. What if he’s changed his mind? The pain in his voice when he talked about finding Amanda and losing his child still clings to the inside of my mind. What if he doesn’t want to go through it? Pregnancy is uncertain, and there’s no guarantee of anything. I’ve been beaten thoroughly tonight—what if the baby isn’t all right?
Sean kisses the top of my head. “We need to take care of something first. Is that all right?”
I meet those beautiful blue eyes, and smile carefully before I nod. I’d rather tell him when we are alone. Clearing the tightness from my chest, I lean into him and ask, “What is it?”
Head bowed, he grins at the floor. “You’ll see.”
CHAPTER 16
This feels surreal. All of it. I’m experiencing sensations again. It’s as if someone jump started my heart again and restored my ability to feel. Excitement mingles with exhaustion, and the only thing I want right then is to curl into Sean’s arms and press my body against his chest in a big warm bed. That has to wait, though.
Men I’ve not seen before rush past, dressed in black fatigues with thick vests covered in pockets housing weapons and bullets, communicating through earpieces. Gabe follows close behind and beams a huge smile at me. He stops in his tracks, takes my face in his hands and frowns briefly before laughing and throwing his arms around me. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.”
Crushed by the bear hug, I wince and pat his back. The thick man steps away, suddenly regaining his composure. He inclines his head at Sean who is trying not to laugh. Gabe has been fairly stoic the entire time I’ve known him. On rare exceptions, he shows emotion, but it’s usually anger—not this—not joy.
“Things changed,” I smirk at him.
“I heard. Your mother is alive.”
I avoid his eyes, afraid that I’ll start crying again and slide my palm over my arm, smoothing the goosebumps. “Yeah, I didn’t see that coming.”
“I’m sorry, but neither did we. The morgue records indicated both bodies were identified and claimed. I never suspected that your mother was alive and hidden somewhere.” He glances at Mom and inclines his head in a bow of respect before saying to me, “Some people couldn't recover from something like this. Let me be explicitly clear. You are not one of them. You’re strong, a fighter, and you’ll heal. You both will. I’m glad you stuck around, Avery.”
“Me too.” My voice is so taut that it’s barely audible. I force a smile. “So, I guess this place will be crawling with cops shortly. Shouldn’t we leave?”
Gabe glances at Sean, and it becomes clear that they aren’t telling me something. “Something like that. I need to take care of a few things. I want to hear everything, if you want to say it. But first, if you’ll excuse me.” Gabe rushes down the hallway.
We start walking again, and I say to Sean, “So that was weird.”
“What do you mean?” Sean avoids my gaze and focuses on the carpeted floor leading down the corridor.
“Something like that?” I mimic Gabe’s thick old dude voice and grin. “Fine, I don’t want to know. I’m just not looking forward to giving a statement about any of this.”
Sean squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry, Avery. One thing at a time.”
I’m walking through Vic’s hallway with no fear. He’s gone, dead. It wasn’t until I stopped crying and noticed his body that I saw what I did to him. That piece of wood was sharp enough to puncture his skin but too short to hit any organs. Mel told me how to fight with a knife, and I must have held the shard the same way. When I swung, Vic must have moved because the stake caught the edge of his neck, puncturing it. My sick bastard of a brother drowned in his blood.
As Mel tends to Mom, I walk hand in hand with Sean into a room with a couch and a small fireplace. It’s lit, crackling happily as if this was any other regular night.
Constance is sitting in a wing chair, appearing weathered and worn out. Her body is thinner than it should be. Her sallow skin is paper thin and shows scars that weren’t there the first time we met. She doesn’t watch me. Instead, her attention is on a furry white mountain at her side—the bear. The animal lifts its head and considers me for a moment, sliding those freaky pink eyes over my battered body.
Constance commands, “Rest.” The creature lowers his head and doesn’t move.
Gaping, I point at the carnivore sitting by Sean’s mother. “Vic’s bear ate someone. Why is it here?”
Constance snorts. “Because he’s mine.” She sighs deeply, too tired to explain, but there’s no way I’m letting that go.
“You owned him first? Why?” My mouth is hanging open, and I regard Constance like she’s insane.
Constance sighs and waves her fingertips in a small circle as if this is normal. “Security reasons, and unlike his second owner, I didn’t announce that I owned this beast. So when I learned Vic was shopping for an intimidating pet, I had my people sell him to Vic. Bears are loyal to their first owner.”
Shock renders me silent. Constance explains that she had the bear first, trained it, sold it to Vic without him knowing and then used it to attack his men to get into the mansion. Damn, she’s devious. This woman is always ten steps ahead of everyone else and planning for things years in advance. Who buys a bear?
Sean crouches beside me. “I need to find a doctor for you, your mother, and mine. I’ll be right back.” He turns his attention to his mother, glaring at her cold eyes. The two of them stare like they might start fighting, but then Sean says, “Thank you.” The words are sincere, painful, and utterly heartfelt.
Constance nods slowly to her son, confessing, “It was always for you.”
Confusion dances across Sean’s face. He remains still, waiting for more of an explanation. His mother sighs deeply and presses her fingers to her forehead and avoids Sean’s penetrating gaze. “I had an agreement with Vic’s father—let’s call it a trade agreement.”
Sean’s jaw locks
as his fingers dig into the arm of my chair. I press my palm on top of his, and he stills. “You were trafficking drugs?”
“Only things that the affluent wanted and couldn’t find in tasteful social circles. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, Sean. It put dirty little secrets in our pockets and cash in Victor’s. It gave us power and position. None of New York’s elite knew how I found out. They’d been so careful. They only used the man their friend used for drugs—heroin, crack, and those other disgusting vices. Not one of them realized I was the one who offered the first recommendation. That rumor began with me.”
“Don’t gloat, Constance. You were working with my brother. Don’t deny it.” My voice is firm but not forceful. I say it like a fact. Sean squeezes my hand.
She nods. Silence passes for a few minutes, and there’s only the ticking of the mantel clock as the bear nuzzles his maw into his massive arm and closes his pink eyes. Then Constance swallows hard and lifts her gaze toward her son. “When the alliance with Victor Senior ended abruptly, there was a power vacuum. I wasn’t able to secure it. Being in that kind of position created too many questions. I let things play out, which turned into a massive mistake. One misstep cost me dearly. Victor’s son took the helm of that empire and then everything went to hell. Vic Jr., your brother, tied a rope around my neck when he started moving different merchandise.”
“They weren’t merchandise.” I protest. “He sold women, and you helped him.”
“Not just women.” Constance looks me in the face, and I finally see the horror in her eyes. “Men and children as well. Some for sex, some for other purposes. I didn’t ask. I vied my time until I could sever our business relationship but it became apparent that time would never come. I tried to protect my sons, behaved very badly, and did anything to distance them from the family—from me. I could accept the consequences for what I’d done, but I didn’t want you to pay for my mistakes, Sean. And not Peter, and certainly not Jon. Your father,” she shrugs as if he didn’t matter, “the man has been on my shit list for two decades. They would have cleaned up a mess for me.”
