Prologue
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Trey Walker stood outside the hospital roomdoor, waiting patiently in the corridor for his brother to arrive. He’d just learned the devastating news from Charlie, but before he dragged Magnus out of the room to hear it for himself, he wanted to see his brother’s face to confirm that what she said was true.
God knows, if it was, it was going to be devastating.
Perhaps not so much for Magnus as it would be for Ava. Her life had been irrevocably changed in a matter of days. The effect this news would have on her was going to add insult to injury, with a bucketful of pain, heartache, and mourning to follow. Perhaps, times two. At least for Ava. She had a long, tough road ahead of her, according to her doctors.
She’s alive. That’s all that matters.
The little voice in his head had been repeating that every time he looked at the beaten and battered woman. It was true. She was alive. That was all that mattered, and since the prognosis was good, some of the tension had eased out of his shoulders. Mostly. Okay, that was a lie. Yeah, he was relieved that Ava was all right. Honest to God relieved, even if it meant his entire life was about to go into a tailspin.
Trey did his best not to eavesdrop on a couple of nurses talking quietly two doors down while he stared toward the end of the hall, waiting for his brother to appear. It could’ve been ten minutes or ten hours—time had long since stood still since they’d found Ava March beaten and broken, hovering dangerously close to death. He finally heard Brantley’s voice echoing down the hallway, bouncing off the tiled floors and the false ceiling above.
He steeled himself, and the moment Brantley came into view, Trey met his younger brother’s gaze, exhaling for the first time in what felt like forever. What Charlie had told him was true. Of that, he was certain.
“You have a chance to talk to Magnus yet?” Brantley asked when he was close enough to keep his voice at a normal level.
Trey shook his head. Rather than admit he’d been too chickenshit to relay the news himself, he said, “I didn’t want to pull him away from her until I had to.”
Brantley’s expression held a wealth of sympathy. “I think it’d be best if we told him first, let him decide how he wants to relay the information to Ava.”
Trey appreciated that Brantley thought he had a choice in the matter. What his brother didn’t realize was that Magnus was acting like a bristly grizzly keeping his cub safe as he sat watch over Ava, ensuring no one did anything that might cause her any more pain. Trey understood the protective instinct because he felt the same overwhelming need to wrap her in cotton and tuck her away so nothing could get to her. He wasn’t sure where the instinct came from, but it was there all the same.
“It won’t go over well, regardless,” Trey mumbled. “Bad news never does.”
“You wanna grab him?” Brantley prompted, nodding toward the door.
Not really, no. He forced himself to turn toward the door, slowly opening it. His gaze shot to Ava lying in the hospital bed, looking so young, so pale and fragile after her horrific ordeal. She was hooked up to wires and tubes, stark white bandages prominent against her sallow skin, covering the damage done by the bastard Ava was married to. Trey had to admit seeing her like that pained him in a way he didn’t understand. Hell, there was so much about this situation that pained him, he was surprised he could breathe without choking on his confusion and anger.
“Magnus,” he said softly, not wanting to wake Ava, although the pain meds kept her sedated.
“Hmm?” Magnus’s gaze lifted, those hazel eyes wary as he stared at Trey.
“Brantley and Reese are outside. They need to talk to you.”
He looked over at Ava, then back to Trey. “Do I have to?”
“Yeah. You need to hear what they have to say.”
Reluctantly, Magnus nodded as he slowly rose to his feet. He reached over, lightly tugged Ava’s blanket higher to keep her warm before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t move, and the monitor tracking her heart rate remained steady at the side of the bed.
Taking a deep breath, Trey waited for Magnus to join him, then opened the door and let the other man precede him into the hall.
“We’ll make this quick,” Reese said as soon as Trey closed the door behind him. “But we figured you needed to know before someone leaked the information.”
“What information?” Magnus glanced between the three of them. “Did they arrest that bastard?”
Trey squared his shoulders, preparing to let Magnus lean on him if he needed to.
“Harrison Rivers is dead, Magnus,” Brantley said.
Trey appreciated the fact his brother didn’t mince words.
Magnus frowned, his dark eyebrows slashing downward over tired eyes. “Dead? How?”
