Chapter 47 GRIEF AND DISTANCE
Ava's POV
I stared at the photo on my phone for what felt like hours trying to make sense of what I was seeing because Adrian talking to Marcus didn't make any sense unless everything I thought I knew was wrong.
My hands were shaking as I called Dominic and he answered on the first ring.
"Ava, are you okay?" he asked immediately, his voice tight with concern.
"I need you to come to Maya's right now," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "someone sent me something and I think Adrian is working with Marcus."
"I'm on my way," he said and hung up without another word.
Twenty minutes later he was knocking on Maya's door and I let him in, his eyes scanning me quickly like he was checking for injuries.
"Show me," he said.
I handed him my phone and watched his face go hard as he looked at the photo and the threatening text messages.
"When was this taken," he asked.
"Two days ago according to the timestamp, the same day Adrian told us he saw Marcus at the airport."
"Because he was the one meeting with Marcus," Dominic said quietly, his jaw clenching.
"Why would Adrian help Marcus after everything, after Marcus shot me and tried to destroy your company?"
"I don't know but I'm going to find out," he pulled out his own phone and called someone, "Tom, I need you to trace a phone number for me and pull security footage from JFK airport from two days ago, I'm sending you the details now."
While Dominic was on the phone I sat on Maya's couch feeling like the floor had dropped out from under me again because I'd trusted Adrian, I'd let him into my life and my body and now he was betraying us.
Maya came out of her bedroom wrapped in a robe looking sleepy.
"What's going on, I heard voices," she said, then saw Dominic, "oh, hey."
"Sorry if we woke you," I said.
"It's fine, is everything okay?"
I showed her the photo and explained and her eyes went wide.
"That sneaky bastard," she said, sitting next to me, "I knew there was something off about him."
"You never said anything," I pointed out.
"Because I thought I was being paranoid and you seemed happy with him."
Dominic finished his call and turned back to us.
"Tom is pulling the footage now, he'll send it to me as soon as he has it," he sat on the coffee table in front of me, "Ava, I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest."
"Okay."
"Has Adrian ever asked you questions about me or the company that seemed strange?"
I thought back through all our conversations trying to remember anything unusual.
"Not really, mostly we just talked about normal things," then I remembered something, "wait, there was one time a few weeks ago when he asked if you had any business in London coming up, I thought he was just being helpful but maybe he was fishing for information."
"London," Dominic repeated, his expression darkening, "Marcus was trying to flee to London when they caught him."
"So Adrian was helping him plan his escape," Maya said.
"Maybe, or maybe there's something in London that both of them want."
My phone buzzed with another text from the unknown number.
"Ask Dominic about his business in London, ask him why Marcus was so desperate to get there, ask him what he's been hiding."
I showed Dominic the message and watched something flicker across his face.
"What are they talking about," I asked him, "what's in London?"
"It's complicated," he said.
"Everything with you is complicated, just tell me the truth for once."
He ran his hands through his hair and stood up, pacing to the window.
"I have some assets in London that are part of a deal I've been working on for years, Marcus knew about it because he was helping me negotiate and if he got control of those assets he could leverage them to take over the entire company."
"So this whole thing has been about a business deal in London," Maya said.
"Not just a business deal, it's worth billions and it's tied to some very powerful people who don't take kindly to betrayal."
"And Adrian is helping Marcus get to these people," I said.
"Looks that way."
Dominic's phone buzzed and he looked at it then cursed under his breath.
"Tom sent the footage, you need to see this," he turned the phone so we could watch.
The video showed Marcus at the airport terminal and Adrian walking up to him, they talked for a few minutes and then Adrian handed Marcus something that looked like a passport and an envelope, Marcus said something that made Adrian nod and then they separated.
"He gave Marcus documents," I said, "he helped him try to escape."
"Which means Adrian has been playing us this whole time," Dominic said, his voice cold.
"Why though, what does he get out of helping Marcus?"
"Money probably, Marcus must have promised him a cut of whatever he was planning to steal."
I felt sick because I'd been with Adrian intimately, I'd let him touch me and comfort me and the whole time he was lying.
"I need some air," I said, standing up fast.
"Ava wait," Dominic reached for me but I pulled away.
"I just need a minute alone."
I went out onto Maya's small balcony and the cold air hit my face making my eyes water or maybe I was crying, I couldn't tell anymore.
The door opened behind me and I expected it to be Dominic or Maya but when I turned it was neither.
It was Adrian.
He must have climbed up the fire escape because there was no other way he could have gotten to the balcony and my heart started pounding as I backed away from him.
"Don't scream," he said quietly, holding up his hands, "I just want to talk."
"Get away from me," I said.
"I know you saw the photo and I know what you think but it's not what it looks like."
"You gave Marcus a passport to help him escape, what else could it possibly be?"
"I gave him a fake passport so the police could track him easier, I've been working with the authorities this whole time."
"I don't believe you."
"I have proof," he pulled out his phone and showed me text messages between him and what looked like a detective, "I've been feeding them information about Marcus's plans since before he shot you."
I read the messages trying to figure out if they were real or if this was another lie.
"If you're working with the police then why did you meet Marcus in secret," I asked.
"Because he doesn't trust anyone else, he only agreed to take the bait if I was the one delivering it."
"What bait?"
"The passport has a tracker in it, every time Marcus uses it to cross a border we know exactly where he is."
"So you're saying you're some kind of undercover agent?"
"Not officially but yes, I've been helping take down Marcus and everyone he's been working with."
The balcony door opened and Dominic stepped out, his eyes going cold when he saw Adrian.
"Get away from her," he said, his voice dangerous.
"Dominic wait, let him explain," I said.
"Explain what, how he's been betraying us?"
"I haven't been betraying anyone, I've been trying to protect Ava and the company," Adrian said, not backing down.
"By meeting secretly with the man who shot her?"
"By making sure he ends up in prison where he belongs."
They stared at each other and I could feel the tension crackling between them like electricity.
"I don't believe you," Dominic finally said.
"Then call Detective Morrison, he'll confirm everything I'm telling you."
Dominic pulled out his phone and made the call, putting it on speaker.
"Morrison," a gruff voice answered.
"This is Dominic Hayes, I need you to tell me if Adrian Vale has been working with your department."
"I can't confirm or deny that information Mr. Hayes."
"That's all the confirmation I need," Dominic said and hung up.
"See," Adrian said.
"That doesn't prove anything except that you know a detective."
"What do I have to do to make you believe me?"
"Nothing, because I don't trust you anymore."
Adrian looked at me and I saw something like hurt in his eyes.
"What about you Ava, do you believe me?" he asked.
I wanted to believe him because the alternative meant I'd been completely fooled but I also knew that Adrian had lied before and could be lying now.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," I said honestly.
"Fair enough," he stepped back toward the fire escape, "but when Marcus makes his move and you need help, call me, I'll be waiting."
Then he was gone, climbing down the fire escape and disappearing into the night.
Dominic pulled me back inside and locked the balcony door.
"You can't trust anything he says," he told me.
"I know."
"Promise me you won't contact him."
"I won't."
But even as I said it I wasn't sure it was true because part of me wanted to believe Adrian was telling the truth and part of me was terrified that he wasn't.
Maya made us tea and we sat in her living room trying to process everything that had happened.
"So what now," Maya asked.
"Now we wait," Dominic said, "if Adrian is telling the truth then Marcus will make a move soon and we'll be ready, if he's lying then we'll know that too."
"And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime I'm hiring private security for both of you."
"Dominic I don't need security," I protested.
"Someone is threatening you and watching you, yes you do need security."
I was too tired to argue so I just nodded and finished my tea.
Dominic's phone buzzed again and he looked at it then showed me the screen.
It was a message from an unknown number with just three words.
"London. Tomorrow. Come.”