Page 52 of Honest With You

“Okay.”

Then he turns to address Ryder and I, but his eyes are on Vanessa.

“Is she okay?” His voice is a near whisper as he stops a foot away from her.

I shake my head. “She’s pretty out of it.”

I look to Ava for help, not knowing if I can divulge what we found on Vanessa’s body.

Ava’s eyes widen in understanding and she grabs her brother’s hand, steering him to the door. “Let’s talk about it at home. We need to get out of here before the press gets wind of this and we start fielding reporters. Dad will have an even bigger fit.”

Stephen curses, his palm rubbing his forehead.

“Right. We’re parked in the back.” He turns to Ava “Cain sent a car. He wanted to limit the risk of anyone identifying my car or us getting followed.”

Ryder picks up Vanessa and we follow everyone out.

I’m sitting in the very back of a 7-seater Ford Explorer with Ava’s head on my shoulder and our hands clasped in my lap. She fell asleep as soon as the car started moving.

A driver and security are at the front while Ryder, Stephen and Vanessa occupy the middle seats.

We’ve been driving for about thirty minutes with their security insisting they needed to make sure we weren’t being followed.

At some point, Vanessa coughs, breaking the silence in the car. She sways in her seat in her effort to sit upright, rubbing her palms on her face like she’s trying to force herself to wake up.

Stephen’s hand shoots out to her arm, helping her sit up. She groans in pain then tilts her head, looking at him with one bleary eye open. Shaking her head, she shuts them again, going back to the same position she was curled up in while mumbling to herself.

“A dream. This is a dream.” She drifts off again.

“I’m sorry you went through such a traumatic event and I appreciate you coming to my sister’s rescue, but please understand that our family does things a little differently. Discretion is of the utmost importance and it’s how we’ve been able to live our lives away from the spotlight. I will explain more later today but please refrain from talking to anyone else about the situation. Just be aware that our lawyer will be here and if you all don’t mind staying through lunch, we would appreciate it if you signed the NDAs.”

I nod my agreement. I know how important secrecy is to the Torres kids. It’s been the only way they’ve been able to stay out of the tabloids. But I also understand that the spiel is more for Ryder than me.

We had left Vanessa asleep in the guest room next to Ava’s room since she was still out of it and we couldn’t get ahold of her grandparents.

Stephen had called their family doctor, who is making a visit first thing in the morning to check on both the girls' injuries.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I will never do anything that would harm Ava or her family.” Ryder smiles at Ava in a way that makes my teeth grind with how non-friendly it is.

Ava peers around Stephen’s shoulder where she had been hiding while they gave us a quick tour and smiles back. Then, she slides that tentative gaze my way and I hold my hand out. When she comes to me, we both exhale a sigh of relief and I tuck her deep into my arms. I feel her body slack and know she’s just about ready to crash.

What happened tonight never should have happened. My heart wrenches from the overwhelming guilt I feel that’s guaranteed to keep me up for nights to come, but it’s a fair consolation for not taking care of her properly. For leaving her with Vanessa alone at that party.

“Uh, I don’t suppose you have something I can change into?” Ryder muses sheepishly, breaking the tense silence as he pulls on the collar of his Elvis jumpsuit.

Stephen pulls on the closet door in the guest room we’re standing in that will be Ryder’s, pointing at the stacks of clothes folded neatly and ranging in color, size and style.

“You’ll find that each of your bedrooms has its own bathroom and is fully stocked with all the toiletries you need, as well as clothes in the closet.” Stephen runs a hand through his hair before tipping his head toward the door. “I’m going to go check on Vanessa, leave a cup of water and some ibuprofen for her, then head to bed. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Ryder runs his palm down the back of his neck and lets out a breath in amazement as soon as Stephen leaves us alone.

“Wow…” Ryder chuckles. “You guys really thought of everything, huh?”

Ava looks down at her feet, “We don’t typically have guests over besides family. This is new to us too but we like to be prepared in case they need or want anything. But if you’re also talking about damage control, our lawyers have protocols in place for when something happens. The quicker we move, the easier it is for them to diffuse it. Granted, we’ve only ever had to do it once before, so we’re not used to it either.”

Ryder nods in understanding. “It’ll be alright, Ava. No matter what happens, we got your back, okay? I know I speak for Van too. I’m glad you feel safe enough with us to be able to share this part of yourself. But just remember–” He grins his signature, dimpled smile, “--you’re the same person to us no matter what. You don’t need to worry about us treating you any differently.”

Ava trembles in my arms, her grip on my shirt tightening. A lone tear slips down her cheek and I know before she says it what she needs to do. I let go and let her hug Ryder.

---