I swallowed. Dorian Vauxhall was rumored to be the guy behind half the shady deals in the entertainment world. Drugs, coercion, laundering. But no one touched him. Too many celebrities and executives owe him favors. Hell, not even law enforcement risked going after the man. There was no way Ava was touching anything remotely close to him.
“Phoenix is connected to him…” I murmured.
“There’s no proof,” Ava said. “Just a connection with the manager.”
I glanced at her with worry clawing at my chest. She already felt protective of the girl she’d just met. As much as Ava put up a tough, no-nonsense journalist front, she was all soft and compassionate on the inside. She was determined to save a stranger. She was made of pretty special stuff, but I was going to have to rain on her exposé parade.
I stepped away from the counter, heart thudding. “No. Absolutely not. Ava’s not going anywhere near that man.”
She turned to me, startled. “Lincoln?—”
“I’m serious.” My voice came out sharper than I’d intended.
Alex’s eyeballs swiveled from me to Ava. “I’m gonna let you two have a chat. Ava, you know where to find me if you need anything else.”
She forced out a smile. “I do. Thank you so much, Alex. You’ve been super helpful.”
“No problem.” Alex gave me one last wary look before logging off.
The silence that ensued made the air heavier than it should be.
Ava stared at the blank laptop screen before letting out a small sigh. She then slid off the stool and faced me. I stayed where I was, arms crossed and jaw tight.
“You’re overreacting,” she finally said.
I snorted. “No, I’m reacting exactly how anyone who gives a damn about you would.”
Her eyebrows snapped together. “You don’t get to pull that card, Lincoln. Not after everything.”
There was the answer to one of my questions. She hadn’t forgiven me. I stepped closer and dropped my arms, hoping to seem less like I was demanding she drop her story, so she’d actually listen to me. “Yeah? Well, I’m pulling it anyway. This story—this guy—it’s too risky, Ava.”
“If this man is as dangerous as you say, that’s more reason to help Nyla.”
Nyla. The fact that she was calling the singer by her real name told me she was already too invested.
“You think I don't know I’m treading a dangerous line here?” She shrugged. “I mean, I’m a nobody-journalist with no backing. My boss doesn’t even know what I’m pursuing. But I’ve weighed the risk, and it’s one I’m willing to take. If I’m going to become a serious journalist who people respect, when I’m chasing the truth, I can’t back down.”
I stifled a groan. I could practically see all the progress I’d made with her evaporate into thin air. She’d likely hate me more after this. That caused an ache in my chest. But better she despise me than get in over her head with dangerous people.
“Back down, Ava. It’s for your own good. Be smart about this.”
Her disgusted scoff echoed, practically slapping me in the face. I hated telling her to give up on something important to her.
“I can’t believe you. You said you’d help. You said you wanted to help that poor girl.”
I swallowed the guilt clawing at me. “That was before I knew just how much danger you’d actually be in.”
She harrumphed and snapped her laptop closed. “You can’t tell me what to do. Thanks for getting me this far. Goodbye, Lincoln.” She slid her feet into her sandals and grabbed her bag. “I’ll take things from here.”
“The hell you will,” I growled, following her as she marched to the living room. We reached the foyer when I gently snagged her wrist, forcing her to stop. She spun around with fire in her eyes. However, it wasn't her fury that got me—It was the look of betrayal. I felt awful. I’d encouraged her to trust me enough to help her, only to backtrack. I could feel the rift we had just started to mend getting wider.
“Ava, please. It’s not that I don’t want to be supportive.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“Finish Jaden’s feature and go home.”
“So you’re running me out of LA now?”
