Marcus’s eyebrows gathered in a scowl. “Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. She’ll move her. Get away from the restraining order.”
“It doesn’t count if Ava goes to her, does it?”
“They won’t enforce it.” He drew in a long breath and let it out. “Surely she won’t bolt in the middle of the night. Ava would know something is up.”
“And all that is only until Ava sees the tattoo about her mother.”
The Mercedes barrels through the night, out of Austin and onto the dark highway. We had to get to them before any of these disasters struck.
CHAPTER 41
Ava
I didn’t sleep well at my mother’s house. I kept hearing noises in the night. Rustling. Drawers opening and closing.
But when I tiptoed to the door and peered out, all was dark and quiet.
Mother was still fully dressed, putting papers in a box.
When she saw me, she said, “Can’t sleep?” She held out another mug of tea. It shook, the surface trembling.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Right as rain,” she said. “It’s almost dawn. Why don’t you go water your roses by the porch? They’ve missed you.”
“Okay.” I sipped the tea and followed her down the hall.
“The hose is at the corner of the house!” she called, heading toward the back door.
Why was she pushing me out the front?
The sun was just peeking over the hills. When I saw the flowers, a breath of happiness unfurled in my belly. I set my mug on the porch and hurried to the water hose totend to them.
The parched earth soaked up the moisture. My hands reached for the dead blooms, expertly plucking them off. My body knew the flowers. My heart opened.
Mother came out on the porch again. “Let’s go for a drive.” Her hands shook.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, my darling. I thought you might like to see the places you used to love.”
“But it’s so early.”
Her expression shifted for only a moment, but my throat tightened. Something was wrong.
“We can pick up some breakfast. There’s a pastry shop you loved a lot.”
I took a step back. “I’d like to stay here a bit longer, if that’s okay.”
Her smile looked painted on. “We really must go.”
“Why?”
“It’s—” Her voice faltered. “It’s not safe for you.”
My heart thundered. “It’s the men?”
She nodded. “They’re coming for you. You can’t trust them.”
