Page 10 of Choose Me

“I know,” he muttered. “And I will keep my promise. I don’t know how, but I will figure it out. I will be here for you and our baby. You know as well as I do that after Oregon, I am on thin ice. You told me I needed to do what it took to fix what I could in the bureau. I came back to New York because you told me I should! I am doing everything I can to keep you and our baby safe. I am here every fucking day trying to fix everything, keeping my mouth shut while I get raped at work by a boss that wants nothing more than to see me fail. I do all of it for you.”

“Wow, raped, huh? That must be very traumatic for you.” I scoffed.

“Ava, that’s not—It was a poor choice of words.” He threw up his arms in exasperation.

“You just told me you are leaving tomorrow morning to fly to Miami for an undisclosed amount of time, leaving me to not only deal with this pregnancy alone but also, news flash, I still have a fucking stalker, and you expect me not to be angry with you? Did you even try to fight it? Or did you roll over and take it in the ass?” I spat out bitterly.

“That’s not fair.”

“Fuck being fair!” I stood up, and James tried to pull me back down, but I tore my arm out of his grip. “Don’t touch me!” I cried with venom in my words.

“What else do you want from me? I am doing the best I can.”

“Nothing. I don’t want anything from you.” Fury filled each syllable as my words pushed out of my mouth. Once I said them, I instantly regretted it. But they were out there now, twisting inside of him, shredding his heart, and leaving a blood trail in their wake. I was so blinded by anger that I didn’t dare take them back. I just watched his face drop as my words ripped him apart, but I didn’t care. I wanted them to hurt. Because that was the only way I felt I could handle what had just happened. That I could feel like I was in control. So I wouldn’t crumble on the floor in front of him out of fear and paranoia about being alone again.

I could feel the oppressive air thickening with each step I took, like a vice squeezing my lungs until I couldn’t breathe. My heart thundered in my chest, and my hands clenched into fists as rage flooded my veins like lava. I refused to try and tame the tears that threatened to spill over, instead pushing forward towards the bedroom, ignoring James as he called my name behind me. I collided with Everett, who decided to come out of his room to see what all the commotion was about.

He eyed me cautiously, “Ava, what happened?”

I sneered in reply, “Why don’t you ask your best friend,” before pushing past him and slamming the bedroom door behind me with a resounding bang.

As soon as the door shut, I collapsed on the bed, sobs wracking through my body. I pulled the pillow over my face and cried harder than I had in a long time. I didn’t know what to do. All I could think about was how alone I was going to be during the rest of this pregnancy and how afraid I was that this stalker—whoever they were, was going to come after me, and James wouldn’t be here to protect me. Yes, Everett was here, but no one would ever replace James.

It felt like he was abandoning me when I needed him the most. It felt like I was drowning in my emotions and like he was twisting a knife in my gut. I clutched my belly, feeling the baby move inside of me, and for a moment, I felt a glimmer of hope. I would do whatever it took to protect my child, and if James couldn’t be here for us, then I would find a way to survive on my own.

If there was one thing I was good at, it was surviving.

SIX

JAMES

Ava’s footsteps thundered away, and I felt my heart plummet into the pit of my stomach. My entire future hung in the balance—if I chose to go to Miami for work, I would have to trust Everett with Ava’s safety while I was half a country away. Even worse, it meant leaving Ava vulnerable to the same evil that had already taken so much from us.

I shouted after her as she fled to our bedroom, slamming the door behind her. I felt completely helpless. I didn’t know what I should do. If I didn’t go to Miami, the ramifications would be severe, and I could face judicial punishment for dereliction of duty, and then I would for sure not be able to protect her or be a part of our baby's life. I knew Everett would protect her with his life, but letting go of control and trusting someone else was difficult. With me in Miami, it meant that I couldn’t focus one hundred percent of my attention on finding the sick fuck that was after her now. There were so many moving parts, and I felt sick to my stomach.

Everett came into the living room, his eyes like saucers as he took in the fury radiating off me, the sight of my white knuckles gripping the coffee table with a ferocity that could uproot it, causing concern to flash across his face.

“Is everything okay?” He asked cautiously.

My head snapped towards him, and I growled, “No, it’s not.”

“What happened?”

I marched past him and into the kitchen like an animal in search of food, clawing through the cabinets before finally finding what I was looking for—a large bottle of Jameson whiskey. I yanked the lid off, barely stopping as I guzzled down a double shot, willing for the warmth to quell the rage that coursed through me like wildfire.

Everett followed me into the kitchen and waited patiently while I paced back and forth, gulping down another shot before I explained what happened.

“Tell me what’s going on.” Everett finally said.

I poured another drink, guzzling it down before I answered. “Martinez ordered me down to Miami tomorrow morning to assist with a case down there.”

“What? Why? The Miami office is more than capable of handling their own cases.”

“That’s what I said. However, this case involves the fucking sister of Benjamin Callahan, the killer that came after Ava, and apparently, they think I can provide a psychological profile of his sister because of my connection with Ava and Benjamin.”

“Jesus, what the fuck?”

“Yep.” I gulped down another drink, hoping for a buzz as soon as possible to quell my anger.

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