Page 94 of Edge of Desire

The call from Pete came two days later and I couldn’t put off the talk with Avery any longer.

Twenty-Nine

Avery

I had just returned from my doctor’s appointment and was informed that everything was fine, and he released me. I was elated because I wanted to head up to the cabin and get away from Vail for a couple of weeks, or until the cartel business was over. I was in the den, reading, when Preston came in and asked the security detail to wait outside.

This didn’t spell good news. The only time he did that was when he had to tell me something he knew would upset me. My stomach coiled into a knot.

“Pete just called. Everything is set for the mission in Mexico.” He’d taken a seat on the couch but sat at an angle towards me. He awkwardly stared at his feet, his eyes shifting everywhere except on me.

“What’s going on, Preston?”

He rubbed his face and then looked at me. I knew in that instant.

“Say it. I want to hear you say it.”

“I’m going. I have to go. I have to see this thing completed with my own eyes.”

My heart flipped and tumbled to my toes. My hand grabbed my chest, where I imagined my heart to be, and began rubbing the ache that had already formed. I wanted to say something, but a band tightened around my neck, strangling me. Tears burned my throat as I shook my head. I honestly didn’t know what to do. That he would even think of doing this had never entered my mind. I rose to my feet and clumsily walked to the bedroom. He followed, as I knew he would.

“Say something, Avery.”

Words wouldn’t form. There were so many things I wanted to say, but for some reason, they wouldn’t come out of my mouth.

“Avery, please.”

The tears flowed and then the sobs followed.

“Christ. Please talk to me.”

Finally, between sobs, I eked out, “You can’t go. What if you die?” My body shook so badly I felt like I was having a seizure. “I can’t do this.” I’m not sure he could even understand what I said.

“Avery, they have controlled my life for years. I have to see an end to it. I have to know.”

“I told you from the start I wanted no part of this. This isn’t what we agreed to.”

“I know, but this is the final act.”

Still weeping I aimed my arm toward the door. “If you walk out that door, don’t come back.”

His eyes widened to a point I almost thought they’d roll out of his head. “You can’t mean that.”

“I do and I can. We talked about this, Preston. You know it’s a deal breaker for me. I won’t be a part of it. I won’t sanction this. If you go, you go on your own. Without me in your life. You choose. Me or them.”

“Avery. That’s not fair.”

I swiped the tears away. “And this is?” I pointed to myself. “I almost died because of those bastards. We almost died. And now you’re choosing to go back. If you want to go, fine, but you do it alone, without me.”

We stood there and stared at each other for an eternity. And then I turned away, not waiting for him to tell me what I knew he’d already decided. Then his strong arms came around me from behind, pulling me against his chest.

“I lost you once and I won't lose you again. I won’t go. But I have to be with Pete for the course of the mission. Can you handle that?”

“Where?”

“EPIC.”

“For how long?”

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