Triggered by Love

by Rachelle Ayala

  Avery stormed into Jason’s hospital room and found him gone. She texted him, asking him why he’d checked out without telling her.

  The man was positively incorrigible. Not behaving like a normal friend. Didn’t he know she cared about him? Deeply?

  “Do you know if he called a cab?” Avery asked the nurse.

  “Sorry, he walked out, but I didn’t see where he went. He’s okay, though.”

  Avery thanked the nurse and barged out of Jason’s room. She ran around the corner and slammed into a pack of hard muscle.

  “Eeooch!” Jason huffed when Avery bounced off him.

  His arm was in a sling, and he was gasping with pain.

  “Sorry, so sorry.” Avery’s hands fluttered in front of her face. “I was so worried about you. You won’t believe what everyone’s saying about me, you, and Blade.”

  “I don’t really care,” Jason cut her off. “Blade is only a minion. Whoever’s behind it will try again.”

  Avery’s heart stuttered at the knowledge she would never be safe until the guy who ordered the hits was caught. “Who do you suspect?”

  “I suspect everyone. You hear anything about Trent and Tatiana?”

  Avery nodded, eager to tell Jason the news. “Trent gave his statement to the police, but Tatiana disappeared. Trent said he believed he was helping Blade catch Brando’s murderer. He was at the show last year and met Joselito. He, Jayla, and Joselito went to the after-party, so that Jayla could make contacts for modeling. He said Joselito saw something that didn’t make sense.”

  “What did Joselito see?”

  “Joselito told Trent he saw plainclothes police officer with Ernesto’s toy gun. After Joselito died, Trent smelled something fishy so he went to the Brooklyn apartment to make friends with the other models and find out what Ernesto was up to. That’s where he met Saul and Tatiana, who used to date Joselito.”

  “Tatiana sure gets around,” Jason said. “Why didn’t he go to the police?”

  “He did.” Avery’s hands fluttered because she was so excited. “Except he went to Blade who was the lead investigating officer. Unfortunately, Joselito was dead by then, or actually he’d disappeared and his friends didn’t know where he went.”

  “Did Joselito say anything else to Trent?”

  “No, but he might have told Tatiana.” Avery’s crest fell. “Who has gone underground again. I wonder how all of these people ended up in the Broadway show. It’s not easy to get on it.”

  “They’re understudies for the stars,” Jason said. “I went over the program and they used the names of the stars. The understudies are usually in the chorus line.”

  “What about Harvey Leach?” Avery pointed out. “He was dancing in the chorus line. He knows everyone.”

  “He’s also a suspect,” Jason said. “I’m not sure how we’re going to trap any of them.”

  “Didn’t Blade spill the beans?”

  Jason’s frown ran deep, furrowing his brow. “He claims you received a message inside a box of chocolates.”

  “That’s funny.” Avery scratched her head. “A few days back Richie called and asked if I got a box of chocolates. I was busy, so I said I enjoyed the treat. He seemed confused and asked if there was anything more. I told him they were delicious and hung up.”

  “Why would Richie ask about chocolates with Larry Leach’s fingerprints on them?” Jason asked. “Which box are we talking about?”

  “Did you eat them already?” Avery asked. “The box I gave you?”

  “Oh, shit!” Jason slapped the side of his head. “I gave those chocolates to Mrs. Bonet before the fashion show.”

  “We have to get to her place,” Avery cried. “The chocolates could be poisoned. No wonder she got sick.”

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  “Why, Jason, Avery, how wonderful to see you.” Mrs. Bonet hustled Jason and Avery into her apartment. “Jason, I was so worried when I heard you got shot. Avery, I understand why you didn’t call me. The news was horrible, but your darling brother called to let me know you two are fine, although getting your arm shot out is not really okay, is it?”

  “No, ma’am.” Jason’s weight shifted from foot to foot as if he had to pee. He glanced around her apartment and spotted the bouquet of tulips, looking slightly wilted, but no box of chocolates.

  Mrs. Bonet was obviously still alive, so maybe there was nothing wrong with the chocolate.

  “Avery, darling, did you know Jason stopped by before the show and brought me those beautiful tulips?” Mrs. Bonet steered Avery toward the flowers. “He’s a very thoughtful man.”

  “Yes, he is,” Avery said. “Did you also enjoy the chocolate?”

  “I still have some left,” Joan answered. “They’re much too expensive to indulge in alone. Shall we share them? Let me brew some coffee. Jason, how do you take yours?”

  “With cream, no sugar,” he answered. It was hard to wait because he wanted to rip the box open and see what was inside.

  He was on pins and needles until Joan poured the coffee and opened the gold-leafed box.

  “Were they good?” Avery asked. “Which one do you recommend?”

  Joan pulled out the guidebook high-end chocolatiers included in their package. “It depends on what you like. The one I ate was heavenly.”

  She pointed to the one which had a cherry center soaked in whiskey and vermouth surrounded in a dark ganache.

  “Did you eat it before the fashion show?” Avery asked.

  “I thought to share some with you,” Joan said. “I tucked a few in a sandwich bag. I have to admit I nipped one at the after-party, but when you got sick, I forgot about the rest of them. Let’s try another one now.”

  Jason held his breath while Avery put her hand on Joan’s to stop her from taking one.

  “I’ll replace this box with a new one,” she said. “But we have reason to believe the chocolates have been tampered with.”

  “That’s so romantic,” Joan said, placing a hand on Jason’s shoulder.

  “Romantic?” Jason blurted, wondering what the heck was going on.

  “Yes, Avery, dear,” Joan said. “I do believe Jason meant for me to share the discoveries with you.”

  She bustled into her kitchen while Avery gaped at him. “Are you setting something up I don’t know about?”

  Before he could answer, Joan returned with a plastic bag. “I almost broke my dentures on this huge rock.”

  A giant diamond solitaire ring was inside the bag.

  “I, uh,” Jason muttered while Avery gasped.

  “Is it real?” she asked.

  Joan nudged Jason. “You do the honors. I must say, that’s very creative of you.”

  His good hand shaking, he tried to unzip the sandwich bag, but Joan helped him out and placed the ring in his palm.

  “Go ahead,” Joan said, then turned to Avery and placed both hands on her shoulders. “It’s not easy to find a good man, much less twice. You have my blessing. I could tell that first time I saw you two together, when you were all nervous that he would be true to you.”

  Avery’s eyes shone, and she flashed a saucy smile at Jason, almost daring him to break the spell. While he wanted to get the evidence out of Mrs. Bonet’s apartment, he couldn’t pass up the chance to melt Avery’s heart. If she believed, even for a split second, that the proposal came from him, well, all the better.

  He could get her to accept, and hopefully, share the rest of the chocolates with her.

  Taking the ring, which was at least five carats and priceless, assuming it was real, he got down on his knees and grasped Avery’s hand, not easily, since his left hand was in the sling.

  Avery’s large eyes widened, beneficent and joyful, and her smile was radiant.

  “Wait, wait,” Joan interrupted. She poured the contents out of her purse and grabbed her cell phone. “I finally figured out how to take a video.”

  Jason kept his eyes focused on Avery, but his hand was sweaty. Did she know this wasn’t
his ring? Or was she taken in by the moment?

  No matter which, he wasn’t going to deny Mrs. Bonet a moment of joy.

  “Okay, go when I wave my hand,” Mrs. Bonet said. She tapped her phone and waved frantically.

  Jason cleared his throat, holding the ring up high while Avery moved her hand to the one he had in the sling. She grasped his fingers and mouthed a kiss with her lips.

  “Avery, I remember the first time I laid eyes on you, how radiant and beautiful you were, and how regretful you made me feel.” He swallowed, knowing that nothing less than the truth would work. “I saw you up there with the man you loved, and it hit me then that I would never have you looking at me like I was your whole world.”

  “But here we are,” she said.

  “Yes, and even though you were my impossible dream, and I’m afraid to pinch myself and find out it isn’t so, I’m one hundred percent captivated by you. I love you, Avery Cockburn. Please marry me.”

  His heart thumped so hard inside his chest that he was sure both women could hear how afraid he was. His gut tightened into knots as he waited, hardly able to hope.

  Her smile was graceful and so sweet and kind that he was sure she was about to skewer him with a rejection.

  She lifted her left hand to the ring and shook her head, further deflating him and twisting his insides.

  “Yes, Jason, yes.” She gripped his hand, and he noticed tears streaming down her face. “I’ll marry you. I—”

  “Oh, shoot!” Joan exclaimed. “My battery just died. I hope I got that. I’m so happy for you two.”

  She threw herself at Jason and Avery and went for a group hug.

  Jason hugged both women tight, even though his arm throbbed with pain. His heart didn’t know whether to jump for joy or shrivel up with anxiety.

  Was Avery about to say she loved him? Or did she know all of this was an act?

  Even worse, what if she discovered he wasn’t the guy who bought this huge Cracker Jack ring? He had to tell her, but right now, he both feared and was content to live in an evening of delusion.

  Joan wanted to take them out to dinner to celebrate, and while she went to get ready, Jason called a delivery service to replace the box of chocolates—costing him over two hundred dollars with rush delivery.

  Avery danced around the apartment, wearing the ring and kissing him, acting for all practical purposes as if she were truly and honestly engaged to him.

  All he could do was look up at the spinning ceiling fan and hope the brown stuff that hit it was only fancy chocolate.

  “We sure made Joan happy,” Avery said to Jason after the roller coaster dinner with Brando’s mother at a popular French restaurant. She was so elated, toasting them with champagne and announcing to the waitstaff that she was either gaining a son or a daughter, or both.

  It was all Avery could do to keep the smile pasted on her face. Did Joan honestly think she could forget Brando so close to the anniversary of his death? Or was she, too, overacting and trying to convince herself that happiness was around the corner.

  As for Jason, what must he be thinking about her? So eager to accept a proposal from the first man who asked.

  “You made me the happiest man in the world,” Jason dutifully said as they left Joan’s apartment building.

  “Okay, you can cut the acting.” She tapped his sore arm, making him wince. “I can’t wait to see what’s in the rest of the chocolate.”

  He bent his head toward her, kissing her gently on the lips. “Even though it’s not my ring, I meant every word.”

  “Come on, Jase. It’s sweet of you to consider my feelings.”

  “Ouch, you’re hurting mine.” He winced again and turned away from her, shrugging. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to guilt you into any admission or anything.”

  Her gut tightened as if she’d been punched. She didn’t know which way she wanted the pendulum to swing. Yes, she’d felt cherished when he’d given her the ring and said those lovely words, but at the same time, she had no right to use him to bolster her own emotions.

  He needed looking after too.

  “Shall we go back to my place and dig into the chocolate?” she asked as Jason hailed a cab.

  “That’s the entire reason we spent the evening with Mrs. Bonet,” he said, sounding grumpy.

  “Jason, I’m sorry.” She removed the ring and tucked it in her purse. “I meant it too, when I said yes. I just need some time.”

  He nodded curtly but was unable to meet her gaze. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold you to it.”

  Avery felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, sending her heart careening after it. Had Jason just taken everything back?

  But it was only fair. She’d asked for time, and he was giving it to her.

  The cab ride back to her place was awkward as each kept to their own thoughts. Avery’s ran in a loop, wondering why Larry Leach, whose prints were on the box, would send her a tricked-out box of chocolates while Richie thought he was the one who should have the credit.

  She was aware of Jason watching her from the side of his eye, but every time she tried to catch his eye, he turned to the window. She must have hurt him. But how, when he knew it was fake?

  Except it had felt real, and for one magical evening, she’d imagined an engagement dinner she, Joan, and Brando would have shared. Only she’d never know, because Brando died before he could propose—unless he’d had the ring in his pocket to return to the jewelry store.

  As the cab drew close to the Melbourne Building, Jason jolted her out of her morose thoughts.

  “When Joan poured her purse over the table, did you notice anything out of place?” he asked.

  “I didn’t look,” Avery said. “I thought you were staring at me.”

  “I was, but right after she recorded the video, I thought I saw one of those tiny memory cards. Or it could have been a micro SIM card.”

  Avery glanced sharply at him. “Why didn’t you ask her about it?”

  “It’s not polite to ask a woman what’s in her purse,” Jason said. “I was looking for quills, specifically, and now I wonder if the police searched her purse.”

  “They might have,” Avery said. “I was kind of numb and in a zombie state. Do you want me to ask her?”

  “Never mind.” He turned toward the window as the cab came to a stop. “I’ll check the case report.”

  Avery stuck her credit card into the slot before he could, and she didn’t wait for him to come around and open the door for her. This was her box of chocolates, and whatever secret messages were inside the truffle pieces were meant for her eyes only.

  If Jason was going to act like an ass, she’d just as soon not share any of it with him. Carrying the gold-leafed box under her arm, she marched toward the door.

  “Avery, wait!” Jason caught up with her and put his arm around her as the doorman held the door. “It’s probably a coincidence that she has a memory card.”

  “They use those for cell phones too,” Avery said. “Just about everything these days has a memory card. I can’t be snooping in her purse.”

  “I’m sorry I suggested you should.” He stood with her at the elevator.

  “You know something?” She rolled her eyes and huffed. “I liked you better when you were an ass and not sorry for anything.”

  She wasn’t sure why she was so peeved. She felt like kicking the elevator panels and throwing a fit. How childish. All because Jason faked the second greatest moment of her life. On second thought, since it was fake, it paled in comparison to Brando’s anticipated proposal—the one that was ruined by gunshots.

  As soon as they got into the elevator, Jason pushed the stop button and looped his arm around her, holding her against his chest. He stroked her hair and caressed her back, running his hand up and down her spine.

  “I’m not sorry we made Joan happy,” he said. “But I’m worried what will happen when she finds out we played her only to get that box of chocolates from her.”

 
“We improvised. Did the best we could.” Her arms naturally wound around his waist, and she rested her head on his chest, right over his heart, steadily beating, both strong and vulnerable at the same time.

  She wished she could say or do something, anything, to tide them over this awkwardness, but they had a job to do, and they were partners. Hadn’t he deputized her? And now that Blade had betrayed him, he needed her more than ever.

  “I’m the one who should be sorry,” she finally conceded. “I wanted it to be more than it was, but at the same time, I didn’t want to give you the assurance I wasn’t ready for.”

  “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s not put any pressure on each other for now, except to find the killer.”

  “I agree.” She lifted her face and imprinted the way he looked today when he proposed. “You made me very happy. Thank you. It meant a lot.”

  “Hope you’ll be just as happy with a smaller ring.” A crooked smile cracked his face, and he nudged her.

  “Happier.”

  After he’d thoroughly kissed Avery good, Jason let the elevator continue to her floor. He couldn’t help it. He loved her, and he would have to wait for her as long as she needed.

  He told himself it was okay, that he was a patient man, but Blade’s warning about Avery agreeing to marry someone in exchange for her father winning the election dug under his skin.

  Kerry and Finn were not in Avery’s apartment. They’d gone ahead with the jet-skiing trip around the Statue of Liberty and followed that up with a trip to Atlantic City.

  Jason was happy for the privacy. Whatever was in this box could point to the killer.

  “You ready to pick these truffles to pieces?” Jason asked as Avery set the box on her drafting table.

  “Yes, we need to catalog everything we find.” She took the diamond ring from her purse. “What do we know so far?”

  Jason took out his notebook and checked off the facts.

  “It appeared the day you wrecked my Dodge Hellcat Challenger.

  “Ivanna has a receipt for this box of chocolates but denies knowing who left it here. She said it was a chauffeur who wore gloves.”