Chapter 85

Chapter 85
\[AVA\]

I drift in and out of consciousness, a series of disjointed images and sounds flashing through my mind like a broken film reel.

The cold. So much cold. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

A man’s voice. Cold. Cruel. Laughing.

“Good girl,” he whispers, his voice terrifying. “Stay still. Just like that.”

Then darkness again.

And then, warmth.

A gentle touch on my hand. A deep, familiar voice that cuts through the fog in my brain.

“You’re going to be okay.”

Brian.

His voice is a lifeline, pulling me back from the edge.

I try to open my eyes, but they feel like they’re glued shut.

I try to speak, but my throat is dry and raw.

All I can do is squeeze the hand that’s holding mine, a silent plea for him not to let go.

And then, darkness claims me again.

\--

\[BRIAN\]

The squeeze is so faint I almost imagine it. A fleeting pressure against my palm, gone as quickly as it came. But I didn’t imagine it. My entire being is attuned to her, a live wire stretched taut between us. I felt it.

Hope, sharp and painful, pierces through the ice of my rage.

“Ava,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. I lean closer, my free hand brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek. Her skin is still too cold, but it’s not the clammy, lifeless chill of the floor anymore. There’s a flicker of warmth beneath it. A stubborn spark.

“Is she awake?” Max stands behind me, his own tension a palpable thing in the room.

“I don’t know. She moved. Just her hand.”

He comes closer, peering at her face. “She’s fighting. That’s good. She’s a fighter.”

“She shouldn’t have to be,” I grind out, the rage returning in a hot surge. “Not like this. Not when I’m with her.”

The words are a vow. A promise I make to myself, and one I’m making to her now, even if she can’t hear it. I will be her shield. I will be her sword. I will be the wall she stands behind, the storm that rages for her. No one will ever touch her like this again. No one.

My phone buzzes on the table, a sharp, insistent sound that grates on my nerves. I ignore it.

“I’ll get that,” Max says, ever the pragmatist. He picks it up, glances at the screen, and his expression tightens. “It’s your—”

He doesn’t have to say it. I know who he’s talking about.

Reluctantly, I get up from the bed and walk over to him, snatching the phone from his hand.

“Stay with her,” I say as I grab my jacket from the back of the chair. “Don’t leave her side. Call me the second she wakes up. If she needs anything—anything at all—get it for her.”

He gives me a solemn nod. “I will.”

I take one last look at Ava before stepping away.

I walk out of the room, my mind already a whirlwind of plans and contingencies.

“Did you find it?” I ask as soon as I answer the call.

She doesn’t waste any time with pleasantries. “Yes. I did. But he’s already on a flight to Dubai. We can’t touch him. Not there.”

I stop in my tracks, my frustration mounting.

“But someone hired him. Someone paid him to do this. I want the names.”

“It’s not as easy as you think,” she says, her voice laced with a warning. “These people are no rookies. They know how to cover their tracks. It will take some time.”

“I don’t have time. I need answers. And I need them now.”

There’s a pause on the other end of the line. I can almost hear the gears turning in her head as she weighs her options.

“There is a way,” she says slowly, cautiously. “Instead of following every single person in Ava’s life, if you can just give me one name you think is capable enough to do something like this, then I’ll have something to work with.”

I know the name. Of course I do. The question is—how did he pull it off?

Beau Edwards has been behind bars for months now. His family has abandoned him after the scandal, and he obviously has no contact with the outside world.

Then how… how could he possibly do this?

Unless…

“Brian?” Her voice pulls me out of my reverie. “Are you still there?”

“I am,” I say, my mind racing. “Beau Edwards has been in prison for a while now. It almost sounds impossible, but this incident has his name written all over it.”

He has the motive and the history to do something this cruel to Ava. He has a vendetta against her since she was the one who helped put him away. And as far as I know, Beau Edwards is known for holding grudges.

“I’ll check into it,” she says. “But from behind bars, Brian… that’s a whole different level of complication.”

“Then maybe it’s time I personally pay him a visit.”

He won’t be able to hide it if he’s involved. He’s too arrogant for that. He’ll want to gloat. He’ll want to see the fear in my eyes.

And I’ll give him that. I’ll give him the satisfaction of thinking he’s won.

Right before I rip the world out from under him.