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“Not funny,” I retort.
“It kind of is,” he says. “But it worked out for the better. I wouldn’t have wanted you or the girls at the mansion when Marcus…” His voice trails off as he looks at Luke. “I’m so sorry, man. I know I’ve said it so many times already, but I am sorry.”
Luke nods slowly. “It’s okay.” He takes a deep breath and gives me a warm smile. “Kellan is right, though. We can’t guarantee that we’re all going to survive what comes next. We don’t even know what it is that’s coming, but you are not alone, Avery.”
Why do I feel so lonely, then?
I already know the answer to that. I’m scared and it’s eating away at me, inch by inch. I only hope we untangle this nightmare before anybody else gets hurt.
24
Avery
Istill can’t shake the feeling that I’m being followed, and it doesn’t involve the Wolfhound Security agents. I’m more than aware of them. Over the course of a couple of weeks following Marcus’ funeral, I have grown increasingly wary and jumpy. Constantly looking over my shoulder. Obsessively checking and doublechecking that I’ve locked everything—doors, windows, even my car when it’s parked at home. Glancing everywhere and scanning anything that pops into my field of vision to make sure it doesn’t become a threat to me.
Marcus’ death has added sharpness to an edge I was already having a hard time navigating.
What’s worse is that Kellan, Fallon, and Luke have been keeping their distance from me, just like they said they would. They’re hoping to keep any aggressor away by leaving me and the girls out of their lives, hoping that whoever is watching will believe that we are no longer involved. It’s supposed to be a temporary measure, but it still hurts like hell. I know I was the one to leave the mansion in the first place, but I had good reason, and it was never meant to invoke a permanent distance between us. It wasonly meant to reset some boundaries.
One night, Luke sneaks out of the mansion to come and see me. I welcome him with arms wide open while Helen and my girls are sleeping upstairs.
Quiet like mice, we settle in the living room for some hot tea and leftover blueberry pancakes—my cravings have gotten more intense lately. This baby bump is starting to show through my looser fitting clothes, too. I hope we are able to get our life and balance back before the baby arrives. I don’t want our child to be born in the midst of chaos and attempted murder.
“You look beautiful,” Luke says, his gaze lovingly set on my face.
We sit on opposite ends of the sofa, some show playing on the TV in the background. The lights are on overhead but dimmed, which gives the room a soft, golden glow.
“Thank you. I don’t feel so beautiful these days, but I’m sure it’s just my hormones acting up,” I say, smiling gently. “How are you, Luke? How are the others?”
“Good, for the most part, anyway. We miss you and the girls, of course,” he sighs deeply. We talk on the phone every day, but it doesn’t beat spending actual time together. “Kellan and I have all hands on deck investigating everything we can about the attacks. It’s hard because we’re also trying to grieve Marcus’ death without losing our nerve.”
“Are you making any progress in your investigation?”
He shakes his head slowly. “Not as much as we’d like.” There are certain aspects of the process that I know they’re not sharing with me. I assume it’s meant to protect me, but I wish I could help them. I wish I could get them closer to a conclusion. Thelonger we have to live like this, the more it hurts. “But we’ll get there, eventually,” Luke adds.
“So, still no word on the guy or guys who attacked Kellan and Fallon, either.”
“Not yet. We’ve picked up some fingerprints to run through the system, but no match so far. I think it’s only a matter of time, Avery.” He pauses, his eyes searching my face. “How are the girls?”
“They’re on track for now. Getting used to their new home, even if we agreed it’s going to be temporary. They go to school, they take their naps and eat their veggies. But they miss you guys, terribly.”
“We miss them too, trust me.”
I can’t help but sigh deeply. “I hate this hiding part… you sneaking out to come and see me. It’s weird.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“God, no!” I exclaim, my heart beating a tad faster. “No, please, stay.”
He nods. “I get it. I don’t like the sneaking around, either. It’s not like we have a choice, though. Once we catch these fuckers, we’ll resume our lives. Until then, it has to be like this.”
“I know, Luke, and I completely understand,” I say. “It doesn’t make it any less pleasant.”
He inches closer, a devilish grin stretching his lips. “If you think about it, this does have a forbidden fruit kind of vibe to it. Incognito. Without anyone knowing it’s our dirty little secret.”
“What are you doing, mister?” I quip, feigning outrage. But my core is already on fire under his burning blue gaze. He closes the gap between us and I barely have a moment to set my mug down before he takes me in his arms and showers me with hot, hungry kisses.
“Oh…”
