Page 50 of Three Hearts Hideaway

Gathering his hair into a bun, Roman sighed. “No. You’re right to worry.”

“Thank you. Now, what are we going to do?”

“We’re going to call one more time. If she doesn’t pick up, we have to wait until morning.”

Sometimes Roman’s sensibility really pissed him off. But there were reasons they were best friends, and this was one of them. Roman was the calm, cool, collected match to his quick-to-anger, fire-filled soul. “One more time..”

Roman nodded his approval, and Logan dialed Ava on speakerphone again.

“Hello?” Ava’s voice was drowsy on the other end of the call.

“Oh thank fuck you’re alive, sweetheart,” Logan practically bellowed into the phone.

“What’s going on, love? We haven’t heard from you all day.”

“I’m really sorry. The whole day was rough. So rough and—” her voice caught and he could tell she was trying not to cry.

Logan knew it. “We’re listening. If you feel ready, you can tell us everything.”

“I know I was supposed to call but…I got fired. Yup. Mr. Carter had me return to let me go face-to-face. Said I wasn’t family-friendly enough for the clients. I need to find a new job as soon as I can.”

Logan didn’t miss the way her voice cracked as she rushed through the words.

“Motherfucker. Notfamily-friendlyenough? Because you’re a woman that enjoys sex? I’ll come down there and shove my?—”

“What Logan means to say”—Roman interrupted—“is he’s really sorry that happened. We both are. It’s completely unfair and your personal life shouldn’t have impacted your work life like that.” He flashed wide eyes at Logan, wordlessly telling him to take it down a notch. “When did this happen?”

“Just before noon today.”

Logan had to ask. The way she’d ignored him was driving him out of his mind. “Ava, I’ve texted you almost twenty times since then. You haven’t responded to a single one. Is this all because you lost your job?”

Silence.

“Love, you can tell us what’s happening,” Roman reassured her. “Logan is tearing his hair out. And to be honest, I’m worried too. This isn’t like you.”

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.” She sounded unconvinced.

“How can you say that?” Roman’s eyebrows knitted together in worry as he stared at Logan.

Sniffling. Quiet sniffling. Which meant she was crying, and didn’t want them to hear.

“Sebastian was right. No one is going to want me when you’re done with me.” Ava wept, and Logan swore a crack formed in his heart. “I’ll be used and alone.”

Roman jumped in immediately. “Ava, that’s not true?—”.

“Sebastian?” Logan interrupted, irate at the mention of the dickhole’s name. “This is because of fucking Sebastian? When did you talk to him? What did he do?”

“He was waiting for me at my apartment. I thought I could be free. When I met you both, it seemed like I could finally be me and be happy. But he’ll come back for me. He always does.”

He couldn’t take it anymore. This. Fucking. Guy. He shoved his phone into Roman’s hands and stormed out the front door into the cool night air.

Roman would say the right things.

Roman would calm Ava down and make her see reason.

There was no point in him yelling through the phone at Ava. It wasn’t her he was mad at. He was livid with her no good,asswipe, son-of-a-bitch ex-boyfriend. Ex being the keyword. And he was going to stay that way.

How dare he tell her she would be used and alone. That no one would want her. This guy hadnarcissistwritten all over him. After listening to the little one-man show he put on for Ava’s contacts, he’d suspected as much. No one in their right mind would do that to someone they loved. Sebastian wasn’t capable of love. He lived to manipulate, which he was still doing to Ava.

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