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I twitch, a stressed sweat coming on, no matter how hard I try to reason with myself. I’ve been looking forward to seeing her all fucking day, and now I’m on a wild goose chase across London, trying to catch her. I take a sharp left, seeing the van up ahead in the traffic. There’s no chance of me losing it; I’ll just have to follow the cloud of smoke it’s leaving in its wake.
I tail them all the way to Belgravia, nowhere near Ava’s home, only increasing my curiosity. It turns into a street, and I start impatiently smacking my wheel, willing the Sunday driver in front to put his fucking foot down, at the same time checking ahead in the road for a chance to overtake him. I spot a gap and zip out, slamming my foot on the accelerator. The sounds of horns ring out everywhere as I zip back into the right lane, just missing an oncoming car. I reach up and wipe my brow. Fucking hell, that was close.
The turn the van took comes up on the left, so I indicate.Good boy.Check my mirrors.Good Boy.See the lights up ahead turning to amber.
Fuck.
I can make it. I can make it.
I put my foot down and spot a little old lady step into the road, oblivious to the Aston speeding toward her. “Fuck!” I slam on the brakes and brace my arms against the wheel, my face screwing up in dread, my eyes partially closing. The sound of my wheels screeching stabs my eardrums, and I eventually close my eyes completely. I wait for it, the sound of her hitting my bonnet. But it doesn’t come.
My car stops.
I gingerly open one eye.
And exhale, seeing the old lady still crossing the road, in a world of her own. She’s got to be deaf. And perhaps a bit blind too. I blow out my cheeks, relaxing my arms and glancing around. The looks of disapproval come at me from all directions.Yeah, yeah. I know. Total twat.I take a moment to breathe, working my heart rate down. I can’t see her again if I’m dead.
Dead.
I flinch.
Slow the fuck down.
The lights turn green, and I pull into the tree-lined side street and come to another stop. “For fuck’s sake.” I crane my neck to see what’s holding up the traffic. The pink van is stationary in the middle of the road. Broken down? I wouldn’t be surprised. I scan the street for somewhere to park. Nowhere. The gods seriously aren’t playing ball today. “Fuck this,” I mutter, pulling over and parking as considerately as I can. My phone rings as I get out. I consider, only for a second, ignoring John. But he’s already fucked off with me. “John,” I say as I start pacing down the street toward the van.
“Where the fuck are you?” he asks.
Trying to get myself killed just so I can find out where the fuck the object of my affection is going. “Shop,” I mutter. “Then home.”To remind the object of my affection how amazing we are together.“Why?”
“Get your arse here and deal with this shit, Jesse. I’ve had it up to my motherfucking eyeballs.”
“She’s back already?” I ask, my eyes unmoving from the van, the scream of car horns hurting my eardrums.
“She never fucking left, so get your shirking motherfucking arse here and sort it out or I’m out of here.”
My sigh is heavy. I’m tired of this bollocks, but I know when John is serious and he’s serious now. Enough is enough.Fucking Coral. My mood takes a nosedive as I slowly accept that Ineedto deal with the remnants of my past. Freja is sorted. Now it’s Coral’s turn. I just hope no more women pop up and declare their undying love for me. Unless it’s Ava. That would be fine. “On my way,” I confirm quietly before I hang up, feeling my mood lift when I spot Ava by the side of the van. I stop. Take her in. Grin from ear to ear.There’s my girl.
But my smile falls like a rock when I see a man up in her face, yelling, making her back into the side of the van. Then he grabs her arm.
He grabs her fucking arm.
My blood goes from cool to red-hot in a nanosecond, my head ready to explode. “Get your fucking hands off her!” I bellow, breaking into a sprint. Mother ofGod, what is this rage inside me? I have the urge to kill, and that bald fucker holding Ava is going to sate my urge. I see Ava look up, followed by the guy, who quickly releases her and backs off.
Wise man.
But I’m still gonna kill him.
His eyes get wider the closer I get, and I crash into him, taking him out, tackling him to the ground like a rugby player and giving him a few jabs on his nose, ignoring the sound of it cracking.You call this being a gentleman, do you, Ward? Calm the fuck down, for fuck’s sake. You’ll be locked up. Then you’ll never get to see her again.“Get off your fat arse and apologize,” I yell, wrestling his fat body up from the road and thrusting his alarmed form in front of Ava. I can’t appreciate the shock on her face. I’m too shocked myself. “Apologize,” I bellow.Or so help me God.
He stammers his apology as I shake him, hoping to shake my rage away too. It’s not subsiding. I feel lethal.
“Lay a finger on her again,” I breathe, getting my face close to his ear, “I’ll rip your fucking head off. Now, fuck off.” I release him before I do more damage and grab Ava, if only to occupy my hands.
The turmoil and anger within settles in an instant. Gone. Like it was never there. And then I feel her body jerk and hear the muffled sounds of her sobs, and that anger returns. “I should have finished the bastard off.” I look over my shoulder to check he’s gone, praying he has for his own sake. “Hey, stop the tears.” I can’t bear to hear her cry. “I’ll get crazy mad.”Because you’re not already, Ward?
“Where did you come from?” she asks, looking up at me.
Ah.
