“You redirected the cameras?” she asks softly.
“I did. Whichever surveillance camera they tried to track when you disappeared, I redirected in another direction. I did as many as I could, including all the ones you drove past on your way here, plus others to stop them guessing the route you took.”
It must have driven Stone mad when he realized that every camera was pointing the wrong way.
I turn to Ava with a grin, but it breaks off when I see her wiping her eyes.
Shit. Well done, Bastien.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She shakes her head abruptly. “You haven’t upset me. This is…” she blows out a breath, staring at the screens around us.
“I thought I was alone.”
Her whispered confession drops into the room like a stone. The small words just about break my heart.
“I thought they were taking me back. Max left me, and I really thought…,”
She swallows hard, hugging her arms. I desperately want to touch her, to give her some comfort, but I know she won’t welcome the contact.
Ava laughs a little. It’s the saddest sound I’ve ever heard.
“Now I’m here. And I don’t know what to do.”
I stare at the screens in front of us, thinking over her words.
“Why do you have todoanything?” I ask her.
She slides a look at me. “I can’t just sit here on my ass forever.”
Her sass, even when she’s upset, still makes me want to smile.
“It’s okay to just take some time to rest, Ava,” I say quietly. “You’ve been through a lot—,”
“So everyone keeps telling me.” A hint of frustration colors her tone as she waves her hands in exasperation. “But I don’t have time to rest, Bastien.” She gestures at her stomach for the first time. “I have to facethis.”
Her voice breaks on the last word.
I scooch my chair across the room, giving her plenty of time to see me coming. She stares at me, her eyes dark as I pull the chair up next to her.
Slowly, I reach out for her hand, raising my eyebrow in a silent question.Is this okay?
She nods imperceptibly, and I swallow a sigh of relief as I draw her hands into mine, swallowing them up.
“You might have thought you were alone.” I stare at the soft whirls in her palm, so small between my hands as I try to explain the jumble in my head. “But you weren’t, Ava. You hadus, you just didn’t know it yet. And you’re not alone now. You don’t have to face this on your own. We’re a family. And there’s a space for you if you want it.”
I can’t explain the chaos of feelings in my chest. But Ava… staying here, with us. It feelsright.
Her eyebrows draw down over her face as she watches me. “Why would you do all of this for me?” she asks, glancing away. Her face is open and vulnerable. “I’m going to bring trouble to your door, Bastien.” She swallows hard, looking toward the screens. “If Stone finds me…”
I gently squeeze her hands in mine, but my words are forceful. I need her tosee.
“I willnotlet that happen. Do you understand? None of us are going to let that man find you, sweetheart.”
A tear trickles down her face. “And what then, Bastien?”
“Then,” I say firmly, “Youlive, Ava. And we’ll be here to help you.”
