As he handed me back my phone, he stepped aside. Number two already had the door open. “Thanks, gentlemen,” I said primly as I entered.
Instantly, loud music harasses my eardrums. “Goodness,” I muttered as I looked around. There were a bunch of scantily dressed people dancing, drinking, laughing, lounging… You name it.
“All good, Ava?” Sienna asked in my ear.
“Yes, thanks.”
“Sorry about the harassment. I guess Jaden’s agent forgot to mention you to the security. He’s still there.”
“His agent. Right.” I racked my brain to recall whether Allan had shared that information. Maybe I forgot because I’d been so excited for the opportunity. But I couldn’t recall anything about an agent. “Um… and his agent is…?”
“Shoot, I forgot to tell you. I was expecting Walt Voss, who would have gotten all the info.”
“It’s no problem.”
“Just ask around for Lincoln Ford. He’ll get you right to Jaden.”
My entire world came to a screeching halt.
The name hit me like a physical blow, knocking the breath out of me. For a moment, all I heard was the pounding of my heart in my ears, drowning out the bass thumping from inside the mansion, and the hum of Sienna’s voice in my ear.
That couldn’t be right.
Unfortunately, it was because when I looked ahead, who did I see staring at me as if he’d seen a ghost?
Lincoln.
My phone slipped from my suddenly numb fingers.
4
LINCOLN
I was standing beside the staircase with my arms folded, scowling at the crowd like an annoyed dad when I saw her. A woman walked through the door. I couldn’t see her face. Her curtain of wavy espresso hair concealed it. Although I could barely make her out, she reminded me so much of…her.
That familiar ache started in my chest
Don’t think about her. Don’t think about her…
It was hard. Every time I glimpsed a woman with similar features, like the same color eyes or hair, I spiraled back into the past. It had been getting to be too much recently. Sighing, I scrubbed a hand over my face.
I’d been seeing Avaeverywhere.
Ava Montgomery. The woman who still held my heart… but she didn’t know that. She never would, because I’d likely never see her again. That was probably for the best, since she hated me. Plus, I heard she was supposed to be getting married soon. That reminder caused another pang of regret. Just as my gaze started to drift away from the new arrival, she flipped her hair back and looked in my direction.
My attention honed back in on her, and I froze.
Holy shit.
What were the odds of my ex-girlfriend from an eternity ago walking into my client’s house? Was I hallucinating? Because this didn’t compute. Did I somehow get high from the fumes I’d inhaled when I checked the bathroom upstairs? A couple had been hiding in there, smoking weed.
I shook my head slightly, expecting to return to reality and see a stranger. But…sonofabitch. Itwasher! My arms dropped to my sides at the same time my jaw damn near touched the floor. The sight of her after all these years hit me like a sucker punch.
What was she doing here? In LA? In Jaden Cole’s house, of all places?
I started moving before I even realized it, cutting through the crowd with a steady stride that masked the storm inside me. Just as I reached her, she finally took her eyes off me and bent down to scoop up her phone.
She put it back to her ear and said, “Yes, Sienna, I’m fine. Thanks again.”
