Ava’s voice mocks me in my thoughts, and I wait for Rachel’s affection to turn to judgment.
I’m not worth your love, Rachel.
Can’t you see?
“Maybe I thought there was some truth in the stories that drove my mother to her death,” I continue bitterly. “Maybe I was sick of watching him drink himself to death while ignoring his sons, but I stood there while Aidan shredded him, and the next morning he was dead.”
“Stop this…” she whispers. Her voice is shaking, but her eyes don’t waver.
She loves me.
“How long before it’s you?” I can’t bear the thought. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll end up like us?”
She takes my hands. “No, because I don’t see anything wrong with you, Landon. I love you.”
If I were a better man, I’d let her go. I pull my hands from hers and head to the bar. “I need another drink.”
Her voice stops me. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. This is not the time to fall apart. Think of the negative press, the questions people will ask about the security at the Gold Dust. Think of the fact that Evans is on the run, of how much he hates you. You have to pull yourself together and manage this.”
I lower myself back on the sofa. She’s right. Of course she’s right.
“I’m going to ask Jed to call the pilot and make sure you’re ready to leave in a few hours,” she says. “The whole world knows she was asking for you. You have to go.”
Yes. Ava will need a familiar face beside her, a friend, and I ne
ed to find her brother before he hurts anyone else.
“You’re right,” I admit. “Of course. I have to go.”
She rises from the sofa and starts to walk away.
“Will you come with me?”
She doesn’t turn around, and for a moment, I’m afraid she’ll say no.
“Of course,” she says finally, then she turns around and gives me an encouraging smile. “Of course I’ll come.
There’s more press outside the hospital, but they’re far enough away from the entrance that they aren’t really a problem.
An orderly lead us to Ava’s ward. Outside, there are a few of her relatives, uncles and cousins I vaguely recognize. We have little to talk about, and I’m relieved when the doctor arrives.
“You’re Landon Court?”
“Yes.” I take the hand she offers. “How is she?”
“She’s asleep right now, as you can see.” She gestures toward a small window where I can vaguely see Ava hooked up to a couple of machines. “And she’s healing nicely. The attacker missed any major organs, so she’ll be out of here in a few days.”
“She’s not in pain?”
“Not right now, no, though it will take some time for her to heal completely.”
I nod. Rachel is looking through the window at Ava, a look of immeasurable sadness on her face.
“She looks…” She trails off, but I know exactly what she means. It’s hard to think of the woman on the bed as Ava.
“I know.”
Rachel sighs, and I notice the signs of tiredness on her face. In just one day, she’s spent hours in the air, taken an unplanned trip, been harassed by reporters, and endured proximity to a tragedy, because of me.