In bed with Havoc

CHAPTER SEVEN

RYDER

I stood in the command center staring at the monitor that showed Ava's room. She had been pacing for the last twenty minutes. Back and forth like a caged animal looking for a way out.

She was going to hurt herself if she kept moving like that. The doctor said she needed rest. Her ribs were bruised. The cut on her head required eight stitches. She had been through hell and now she was making it worse by refusing to sit still.

But that was Ava. Stubborn, reckless and too brave for her own good.

"She's going to try to run." Gabe stood beside me with his arms crossed. "First chance she gets she'll bolt."

"I know."

"We should post guards outside her door."

"Already done."

Gabe was quiet for a moment. Then he said what I already knew he was thinking. "You should have told her the truth."

"The truth won't keep her here."

"Neither will lies."

I did not respond. What could I say? That I panicked when I saw her name on the news connected to the Vargas investigation? That I had been tracking her movements for months through security feeds and police reports? That when I got the alert about a crash on my property I knew it was her before I even saw the wreckage?

She would think I was crazy. Or worse she would realize I never stopped watching her and never stopped caring even when I should have.

"She hates me." I said it out loud for the first time. "She's hated me for five years and she has every right to."

"Then why bring her here?"

"Because the alternative is her dying." I turned away from the screen. "I can handle her hating me. I can't handle her being dead."

Gabe studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"Show her the photos. The ones we pulled from the security footage at her apartment. Make sure she understands who she's dealing with."

"And if she still wants to leave?"

"She won't."

I hoped I was right.

***

I waited thirty minutes before going back to her room. I hoped it was long enough for her to calm down or it would be short enough that she would still be angry instead of plotting.

The guard outside her door stepped aside when I approached. I unlocked it and walked in without knocking.

Ava was sitting on the edge of the bed. She had changed into clothes someone must have brought her. Black leggings and an oversized sweater that made her look smaller than she was. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a messy knot. The bandage on her temple stood out stark white against her skin.

She looked up when I entered. Her green eyes were cold.

"Come to lock me in again?"

"I came to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Too bad." I stayed near the door. Close enough to block it if she tried to run. Far enough that she would not feel cornered. "You're under protection now. Twenty four hours a day. Seven days a week. You don't leave this estate without my permission."

"Your permission." She stood up slowly. "You really think you have that kind of control over me?"

"I think you're smart enough to understand the situation you're in."

"The situation I'm in is being held prisoner by a man I should have never trusted five years ago."

The words hit harder than they should have but I kept my face blank. "Believe what you want. You're staying either way."

"No." She moved toward the door. "I'm leaving right now."

I did not move, instead I used my body to fill the doorframe. There was no way past me unless I let her through and I was not going to let her through.

"Move." Her voice shook with rage that I was all too familiar with by now.

"No."

"Ryder I swear to God if you don't move I'll—"

"You'll what?" I looked down at her. She was very close now. I could smell the antiseptic soap on her skin and see the flecks of gold in her green eyes. "Fight me? You can barely stand."

"I hate you."

"I know."

She stared at me, searching for something I could not give her. Then she stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you'll die if I don't."

Before she could respond Gabe knocked and entered. He carried a tablet and his expression was grim.

"Show her." I said.

Gabe handed Ava the tablet. She looked at the screen and her face went pale.

"These are the men who ran you off the road." Gabe's voice was professional. "We pulled the footage from traffic cameras along the highway. All three are known associates of Leon Vargas. Two of them have warrants for murder."

Ava's hands tightened on the tablet. She scrolled through the images. Her breathing changed becoming faster and shallower.

"They're still looking for you." Gabe continued. "We intercepted communications this morning. Vargas wants you found. He's offering half a million to whoever brings you in."

"Brings me in." Ava looked up. "You mean kills me."

"Yes."

She handed the tablet back like it burned her. Then she walked to the window and stared out at the darkness.

I watched her shoulders rise and fall asleep she tried to process what she just learned. Part of me wanted to go to her and tell her it would be okay. That I would keep her safe no matter what it cost.

But I stayed where I was because distance was safer for both of us.

"I need to see where I'm staying." Her voice was quiet. Defeated. "If I'm trapped here I want to know the layout."

"I'll show you." I said.

She followed me without argument. We walked through hallways lined with expensive art and marble floors. I explained some rules as we walked past rooms she was not allowed to enter and security checkpoints she could not pass without clearance.

My suite was on the top floor separate from the guest quarters and staff areas. I opened the door and let her walk in first.

The space was exactly what she would expect from me. Cold and minimalist. Everything in shades of black and gray and white. Floor to ceiling windows overlooked the estate grounds. A king bed sat against one wall. A desk with multiple monitors filled another corner.

There was nothing personal here. No photos. No mementos. Nothing that showed who I was beneath the surface.

"This is where you live." It was not a question.

"Yes."

She walked to the window and looked out. "It's empty."

"It's functional."

"It's sad."

I did not respond. What could I say? That she was right? That I had built this empire and this life and filled it with nothing that mattered?

She turned to face me. "Where will I stay? Still the hospital looking room?"

"No. You'll stay in the guest wing on the third floor. You'll have your own suite."

"My own cage."

"For your own protection."

She laughed but there was no humor in it. "You really believe that don't you? That you're helping me."

"I am helping you."

"No." She walked past me toward the door. "You're helping yourself feel less guilty about what you did five years ago."

Before I could respond she stopped. Gabe was in the hallway speaking into his radio. His voice carried into the room.

"She's a liability we can't afford… keep eyes on her at all times. Report anything unusual directly to Kane."

Ava went still. I saw the exact moment the words registered in her mind. The way her spine straightened. The way her hands curled into fists.

"A liability." She said it so quietly I almost missed it.

"Ava—"

"Don't." She held up a hand. "I heard what I needed to hear."

"That's not—"

"Save it." She looked at me and her eyes were empty. All the fire from earlier was gone replaced by something worse. Disappointment and resignation. "I'll stay. I'll follow your rules. But don't pretend this is about protecting me. This is about you controlling the situation. Controlling me."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" She stepped closer. "You couldn't control what happened five years ago. You couldn't control the fact that I left. That I built a life without you and now you have me here and you can pretend you're the hero instead of the man who destroyed me."

Each word was a sharp knife designed to cut deep.

"I'm not trying to be a hero."

"Good." She moved past me. "Because you're not one."

I watched her walk away and disappear down the hallway with a guard trailing behind her. My jaw was clenched so tight my teeth ached. My fists were pressed against my sides hard enough to leave marks.

Gabe appeared beside me. "That went well."

"Shut up."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "She's right you know. About the control thing."

"I said shut up."

But he was already walking away.

I stood alone in the hallway staring at the empty space where Ava had been. Somewhere in another part of the estate she was probably making the same vow I was sure she made five years ago.

I won't rely on you again.

The difference was I deserved it.