Page 75 of The Afterthought

"Of course," she says as I begin to pull away. "Ava," she calls out, and I stop to turn back and look at her. "I'll see you in a month, right?"

"You'll see me in a month," I repeat firmly, and she will. With that, I make my way to the car. She can ride home with Matt. I truly hope that he will take care of her while they're away.

Chapter 33

Avalynn

Arealization hit me after Chloe’s graduation wrapped up. Something's not right. Greyson wouldn't ghost me like this after he tried so hard to get me to fall for him again. I may have my doubts about things, but Greyson Hayes loves me. I have to get to Adam’s Garage and see what I can find out. I put my car in drive, slam on the gas, and my tires squeal as I burn out.

When I arrive, the garage is eerily vacant. It makes me uneasy, and alarm bells ring in my mind. Where is everyone? I open the glove compartment of my car and pull out my pistol—45 calibers of don't fuck with me. The last time I needed this thing was when Alec called to threaten me, and I found the front door of my house open. Thankfully, I had enough sense to put it back in here the next day.

I check the clip and see I only have seven bullets. It's not ideal, but I'll work with what I have. Lucky number seven. Right? Hopefully, I won't need them. I’ve never shot someone before, but I will if I need to. Between my father’s training when I was young and the classes I took before starting my PI work, I’m well-versed in how to handle a gun. I shut the glove box and take a deep breath, pulling out my phone to call Chloe. She answers on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Chloe, I don't have time to talk or explain, but I need you to put Matt on the phone. Now."

"Okay." She sounds nervous, but I hear her call for him. Moments later, his voice fills the phone.

"Hello?"

"Matt, why is there nobody at the garage?"

"Knox said something important was going down, and he needed everyone to clear out." He doesn't see any issue with this at all.

"No. You need to call some of the guys and get here NOW," I urge.

"Boss makes the rules, Ava. He said to steer clear, we steer clear."

"You realize how fucking stupid that sounds, right? Get the crew here, Matt, or I swear to god, I'll cut your balls off in your sleep."

"Fuck, fine. I'll call them and tell them to meet you at the garage."

"If anyone has something to say about it, you tell them I will personally take the blame. The fucking idiots should be thanking me. A whole gang of criminals, and you all thought it was a good idea to leave the garage unattended?"

"Well, I-"

"I don't have time for this. I have to go. Call them now," I say before hanging up the phone.

I pocket my phone and very carefully walk toward the garage, peering in to find that it is indeed vacant. I decide to go around back to check Grey’s torture shed. For a moment, I consider waiting for the crew to get here, but I need to know that Grey is okay. My gut is telling me something is seriously wrong.

When the shed comes into view, I can't stop my heart from slamming inside my chest. Fuck. I have no clue what’s waiting for me inside. With any luck, it will be empty, or Greyson will be torturing someone. The door is open, but I can't see inside from this angle. I need to get closer.

I take a quick look at my surroundings. There's nobody around. I grip the handle of my pistol, just in case, pointing it in front of me as I slowly make my way closer to the shed. I walk along the side of the wall and begin to hear voices inside. My blood runs cold when I hear Greyson talking to Alec.

"What's the plan here, Alec?"

"You burned down my club. You killed most of my crew. In a matter of a few days, you destroyed everything I've built."

This is bad. I take a risk and peer into the doorway to see what might be the worst possible thing I've ever imagined. Knox, Greyson, and Kai are all in chairs in the middle of the room with guns to the backs of their heads. From what I can see, Knox is the only one tied up. That's one positive.

I'm so glad I trusted my instincts and came here instead of leaving town. I shudder at the thought of what could have happened if I actually left. I knew he wouldn't hurt me again unless it was out of his control. My only regret is doubting him at first. I glance towards the garage, willing the crew to show up. We're running out of time. I can tell by Knox's body language.

The crew will be here in a few minutes. I remind myself. I just need things to stay calm until then. Keep him talking, Grey, please. I try not to panic over the sight of the love of my life sitting there with a gun to his head.

Alec steps in front of Greyson, blocking him from my view, and lifts his right arm. I'm assuming he now has his gun to Grey's forehead. "Any last words, Greyson?" I hear him say, and I see red.

I don't wait a second longer. I pull the trigger and watch as my bullet pierces through the back of Alec's skull, and he drops to the ground. Half a second later, the man standing behind Greyson also falls to the ground. The sheer force of the bullet must have gone directly through Alec's skull and into the other man’s. Perfect. Two for one, I love it.

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