Spark: Book 1 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  After they had finished discussing Liam, Sam leaned forward in her chair and looked straight at him. “Xander, I hope you know that Ava is a very sensitive person. She has dealt with something that tore her confidence down. It had happened before I met her and it took a long time to pull her out of her shell.”

  “I know, she told me most of it.”

  “No, you don't understand me. Treat her well.”

  She rose from her chair.

  “Don’t forget you promised to keep things quiet.”

  “You don’t need to tell me twice. Remember you aren’t the only one that cares about Ava.”

  A few days later a restraining order against Liam was in place. He was to stay at least one hundred feet away and not have any other type of contact with her, period. Based on the information about the other cases Xander had gotten from his police contact he was pretty sure that Liam would violate the conditions. This was something he was not willing to divulge to Ava. He did, however, speak with Daniel and Jacob about the goings on at Club Olé that past weekend. Daniel wanted Ava to stay with his family, but if Liam was desperate enough, he would find her. The front desk at Ava’s apartment building was told about the situation. They were instructed if they saw Liam even lurking around the front door, they were to call the police. Xander was hoping they could get him arrested and locked up for a span of time.

  On Saturday, Xander and Ava made their way to the parking garage where his SUV was parked. It was a short walk from his apartment. He had a designated spot, and when he approached the car, he could see that the back window was smashed, and front tires were flattened.

  “Shit, what the fuck? I pay good money for this space, and they are supposed to have twenty-four hour security.” Xander yelled.

  “Who would do this?” Ava asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  But he had a feeling he did know. He took Ava by the hand and walked up to the front office. No way was he leaving her alone. The front office called the police, and Xander filed a report. Xander had to have the SUV towed to a repair station. Their plans for the day were ruined. Xander was going to take Ava upstate to see a minor league baseball game.

  “It’s alright. We can do something else.”

  “It’s not alright. I had this whole day planned, and now we wasted half the day on this nonsense.”

  “They can fix the car if that is what you are worried about.”

  He raised his voice “I don’t care about the car. You don’t understand.” He let go of her hand. Before he knew it, she was walking the other way towards her apartment. He ran after her. “

  “Stop, Ava. I’m sorry. I’m just upset that the first big outing for us was ruined. I want to take you places and spend time with you.”

  “You are the one that doesn’t understand. I don’t need you to take me places or buy me things. I just need you. That means we can just spend time together anywhere.”

  “I have an idea.” Xander started to type something into his phone. She tried to see, but he pulled the phone away. “Give me a minute.”

  They were standing on the street while Xander typed away on his phone. “How would you like to go to a Yankee game tonight? They are playing the Red Sox at 7:00 PM.”

  “I have never been to Yankee Stadium.”

  “Are you serious? I thought you were a baseball fan?”

  “I am, but I love the Braves. They don’t play the Yankees.”

  “Let’s get back to my apartment and print the tickets up. We can take the subway.” He held her hand as they walked back to his apartment. He was still worried about who caused the damage to his SUV. It had to be Liam since no other cars were touched. It couldn’t be a robbery since the vehicle was only vandalized. Hopefully, the footage the police had taken would show something.

  Ava clung to Xander’s arm as they entered Yankee Stadium. He had great seats along the first baseline on the one hundred level. They were so close to the action that the backs of the seats had little metal placards that said, “Be Alert for Bats and/or Balls.” She was excited to be here with Xander. He had changed into his Yankee jersey and hat. It was a close game, and though it was a bit expensive, Xander gave her the full stadium experience. He bought her a bag of peanuts, an ice cream Sundae that used a small replica Yankee helmet as a bowl, some hot dogs and a small cup of beer. He was thrilled to see that she was eating so much.

  During the seventh inning stretch, they walked around the ballpark looking at the souvenir booths and watching the game from higher levels. On the subway ride home, she dozed off and leaned against him. She was so tired at their stop that Xander gave her a piggy back ride and carried her up to his bedroom. He laid her on the bed and removed her jacket, sneakers, and jeans. She didn’t argue.

  After she was in bed, he looked through his mail. There was an envelope with no return address and a postage stamp from Connecticut. He opened it and inside was nothing but a postcard. No writing, but in one corner was a tiny hand drawn bull’s eye. His address was typed on the front of the envelope. That is strange. Who would send a card with a bull’s eye on it? He threw it away not thinking twice about it.

  When he slipped into bed Ava was fast asleep. He too was very tired from their busy day, and he drifted off to sleep quickly.

  He woke to the smell of cinnamon in the air. Ava had made delicious pancakes, and he ate a large stack. After breakfast, they showered and spent Sunday reading the paper and sharing the crossword puzzle. Xander, who until he met Ava had a busy lifestyle, was getting used to being a homebody as long as it meant being home with her. The Late afternoon passed, and they got ready to leave to spend the next few nights at her place. When they arrived, she retrieved her mail from her box in the lobby before she went up. She went through the envelopes and noticed one with no return address but a postmark for Connecticut. Xander looked over her shoulder at it; it was just like the one that he had received at his apartment.

  “This is strange; I don’t know anyone in Connecticut, and there is no return address.”

  “Open it. Maybe there is something inside that can tell you more.” Xander’s stomach started to churn as she ripped the letter open. Inside was a postcard with a capital letter “U” on the back of it. It was written in block letter form. No other marks were on the card. She threw the letter and card in the garbage. When she went into her bedroom, Xander fished the card out of the garbage and shoved it into his back pocket. He would have to get the one that was in his garbage at home and save it. He had a feeling this would not be the only one like it that she would receive.

  Chapter 17

  It was nearing the end of May and was time for the weekend with Ava at Xander’s parent’s summer home in Lake George. She was excited because she had never been away with a boyfriend. Maybe this would be the weekend he would finally make love to her. Xander wanted to make sure that she felt ready even though she said she was. He wanted her first time having intercourse to be wonderful.

  His first time was a disaster probably because what does one know about making love when they are sixteen. His girlfriend was the same age, and they had fumbled along. But eleven years later he had learned a few things and had quite a lot of experience.

  To get ready for the weekend trip, Ava had asked Sam to go shopping with her for lingerie and a few other things. Late last week she and Samantha had a conversation on the steps outside the building about her relationship with Xander. She apologized for not letting Sam know sooner, but they didn’t want too many people to know they were dating.

  As five approached, Sam texted her, and they met to shop.

  Ava let Sam lead the way. They took a cab to Victoria’s Secret. There were so many types to choose, but Sam made some suggestions. Ava wanted several things because they were going to be away for three days. She selected them in different colors and Sam told her which ones would look the best with her skin tone. Then, they went to Bloomingdales so that she could pick a few pairs of shorts and shirts. She also wanted
a summery dress since Xander had said he wanted to take her to dinner. They finished shopping and stopped to get something to eat, where Sam just couldn’t resist asking Liam.

  “Have you heard from Liam?”

  “Not since we filed the restraining order against him. He has to stay at least one hundred feet away from me and can’t have any other type of contact. Why? Anything new?”

  “He gave up that apartment he shared with Justin and is living with his sister in Connecticut.”

  Ava felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. “When did he move there?”

  “A couple of weeks ago. Justin no longer talks to him, but he hears things through the grapevine at Magellan.”

  I wonder if he is the one that sent the postcard to me? All through their meal, her mind wandered back to the postcard so much so that Sam finally told her they should go home.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not fine. This is the third time I had to repeat what I said to you. What gives?”

  Ava felt that she needed to confide in someone other than Xander. “This weekend I got a postcard in an envelope. There was no return address, but the postmark said Connecticut. The card had the letter “U” on it.”

  She watched as Sam sucked in her breath. “I hope it wasn’t from that bastard.”

  “I think it might have been. Sam, why is he doing this to me? We barely dated and I never slept with him.” Sam took Ava’s hand in hers. “I’m so sorry I got you involved with him. I thought he was a decent guy and on the surface, it seemed like he was. Justin never knew about his arrests or that he was a suspect in a stalking case.”

  “Oh my God! How did you find that out?”

  “Xander found it out from a contact at the NYPD?”

  “He promised never to keep anything from me.”

  “He is trying to protect you. You told him about your anxiety, and he probably didn’t want to upset you.”

  “I know, but this is important. I need to know this information. It turns out that he is more dangerous than I thought.” Suddenly Ava felt very nauseous. “Can we leave? I’m not feeling so well.”

  They signaled the waitress and Sam paid the bill. “Do you want me to take a cab home with you?”

  “No, you would have to go downtown and then back up to your place. I’ll be fine.” They hugged, and Ava hailed a cab. When she got home, she ran directly to the bathroom and vomited. She didn’t know if she should confront Xander about the information he kept from her. She knew that Sam right, he was only trying to protect her.

  She went to change and read a magazine while waiting for Xander. She texted him about finding out something she needed to share, but he didn’t text back. He was going to be late tonight, but it was already eight, and she hadn’t heard anything from him. Still worried about knowing Liam lived in Connecticut now, she checked her mail, and there it was. Another envelope with the Connecticut postmark. Her hands were shaking as she opened the letter. There was another postcard in the envelope, and this one had one letter “R,” written in the same block lettering. She dropped the card as if it were on fire.

  She wished she kept the first one, but it was long gone since she had already thrown the bag of garbage into the incinerator. She left the card on the counter and curled up on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest. She rocked back and forth feeling the effects of an anxiety attack getting ready to rip through her. Her chest started to tighten, and she was having trouble breathing. Her phone rang causing her to jump. Xander’s name popped up on the screen. She pressed the button to answer it and all she could get out was a strangled “Xander.” She dropped the phone and tried to gain control of her breathing.

  Xander was screaming into the phone “Ava! Ava! Ava! Are you there? What’s happening?”

  Silence. A minute later, the building superintendent, Hector was knocking on her door.

  “Miss Keene, are you alright? Miss Keene? I’m coming in.”

  Fortunately, she hadn’t put the chain on the door, and he was able to enter her apartment. He rushed over to her. “Miss Keene, are you alright? Your boyfriend called and said he couldn’t get in touch with you.”

  She struggled to talk. “I’m having an anxiety attack.” Hector held her hand and helped her try to relax. “My daughter has them, and we practice some relaxation techniques.” She gripped his hand, and they worked together to bring Ava’s anxiety down. By the time her chest started to feel better and her breathing returned to normal, Xander was barging in the door.

  He ran to her. “Ava, are you okay?” He was breathing heavy and could barely catch his breath. Ava noticed he was sweating profusely.

  “Sir, she is okay. I came up right after you called,” Hector said.

  Xander extended his hand and thanked him. “If everything is alright I’m going to leave. You take it easy, Miss Keene.”

  “Thank you, Hector.” He left, and Xander sat in the spot on the couch that Hector had occupied. “I thought something happened to you. You only said my name and it sounded like you were being strangled. I ran here from my apartment.”

  “I started to have an anxiety attack because I got another one of those letters.”

  Xander eyed her suspiciously, “What letters?”

  “It’s on the counter. I got one a few days ago but threw it out. I didn’t think it would mean anything.” Xander went to the counter and picked up the postcard. It had the same postmark as the one he had taken from her garbage and that he had received.

  “Why didn’t you tell me what you found out about Liam? I had to hear it from Sam!”

  Dammit, I told her to keep it confidential, and she goes and blabs. “Ava, I did it for your protection. I didn’t want you to get upset over his record. You see what happened when you found out.”

  “And I texted you earlier. Sam told me that he lives in Connecticut with his sister. The postmark on the envelopes is Connecticut.”

  “I need to make a phone call.” Xander went to her bedroom and shut the door. He came out several minutes later. “I have to go for a little while. I asked a friend of mine to see if he can find fingerprints or anything on the letters that might incriminate Liam. I also heard back from the detective that took the report on my SUV. He said that the person that vandalized it was wearing a hoodie that obscured his face. If it was Liam, he knew exactly what he was doing.”

  “I can’t just sit and wait for him to get me. I am going to take some self-defense classes at the gym. Robert has them twice a week.”

  “You would be no match for Liam if he got his hands on you. What if he had a weapon?”

  “I’m not going to make myself a sitting duck. He knows where you live, where I live, the car you drive. He knows too many things about me.”

  “Let the restraining order do its job.”

  Ava laughed sarcastically. “The restraining order is a piece of paper. It’s not going to save me from him if he wants to get to me. He is furious. You didn’t see the look in his eyes when he was assaulting me at the club.”

  The thought of Liam putting his hands on Ava made Xander full of rage. She was right; he couldn’t be with her twenty-four hours a day and maybe the self-defense classes would give her confidence.

  “Okay, go and take some self-defense.” He hoped she never needed it.

  He met his friend at a coffee shop to give him both letters. Officer Mike Halloran sipped his coffee while he examined the letters. “You know things like this get touched so much I might not be able to pull any fingerprints from it. The stamp might have something because a lot of times your finger touches the glue before you stick it to the letter. More than likely this will be a dead end, but the fact that he now lives in Connecticut could help us.”

  “Anything you can do, Mike. I need to keep Ava safe.”

  “Can I make a suggestion? Get yourself a firearm. And you might want to have your girlfriend get one, too. My experience with guys like this is that they don’t give up until they either are t
hrown in prison or they do what they set out to do. A gun could be an equalizer if he ever shows himself.”

  “What if he has a gun? There are plenty of places around the city to get an illegal gun.”

  “That is true but would you rather not have a gun, and he does?”

  Xander didn’t want to get a gun. When he was a public defender, he heard too many stories about the misuse of them. “I’ll think about it. I have to go, but I appreciate you taking care of this for me off the record.”

  “I’ll let you know if forensics finds anything we can use.” Xander shook Mike’s hand and left the coffee shop. He didn’t want to leave Ava alone to long. She had a sleepy look on her face when she opened the door. She hugged him tightly.

  “Did you take care of what you needed to do?”

  “Yes, my friend is going to let me know if they can find anything to put the finger on Liam. I hope they do.”

  The next day Ava couldn’t concentrate at work. She felt alone since most of her friends, family and Xander were on the eighteenth floor. She had Mark check her work for mistakes before she brought it to Victoria. He found several and she corrected them. Victoria had been treating her much better, but she still had her moments. Ava was so on edge that anything could send her over it. The only saving grace was that she would be leaving for the holiday weekend with Xander at two. He had gotten the SUV repaired, and assigned a new spot on the first-floor closer to the parking garage office where there were more cameras.

  Ava kept checking her watch. She was excited because she was pretty sure that this was going to be the weekend when she lost her virginity. Xander had hinted that he had several special things planned. The drive would take close to four hours. Being able to spend time with him without any distractions was what she was most looking forward too. It seemed like lately, that was all they had, distractions. She waited in the lobby for Xander so they could go home to get their things together.