“She’s probably not the only one,” I mutter.
Sam is mid-smile when he stops to listen to something in his earpiece.
“Our snipers are having trouble getting eyes inside his place,” he tells us. “The blinds are all closed.”
“I’ll be with her.” Daniel puts a hand on my knee. It’s so big it covers the entire lower half of my thigh.
“We like to have backup,” Sam says. He considers for a couple seconds. “We’ll go ahead, but don’t bring her inside if he’s got other people in there. They could drag her into another room, and you wouldn’t be able to stop them.”
Daniel’s laugh is humorless. “No one’s taking her, man. Not with me beside her.”
Sam meets his gaze seriously. “Be careful. This guy’s got no scruples. You’re bringing a woman he wants dead into his home. It could turn bad fast.”
“I’ve got it,” Daniel says tersely.
“Yeah, because you hunt every weekend,” Sam grumbles. “But deer can’t fire back.”
Daniel ignores him and turns to me. “Are you still sure about this? Because you don’t have to do it. I can go in there with a wire and get pretty damn far with what I know.”
I put my hand on top of his. “I’m sure. And I’m ready.” I look at Sam. “Are you guys ready?”
He nods and looks at Daniel. “Try to get the blinds raised in the room you’re in if you can.” He looks back and forth between us. “And if you’re in trouble, say, ‘It’s hot in here.’ When we hear those words from either of you, we’re busting inside the place. So for fuck’s sake, don’t say that just because it’s warm in his house.”
Daniel checks the handgun tucked into the front of his jeans. I’m not sure he even slept last night. Every time I woke up and snuggled close to him, his body was tight with tension. His demeanor is cool and confident, though. Probably for my benefit. Daniel always projects calm.
My nerves are on edge for another reason. In a matter of minutes, I’ll be seeing Dax again. He wanted me dead and is responsible for Allison’s death. It’s not that I dread seeing him, just the opposite. I want to hurt him, despite my physical inability to do so. I want to inflict pain on him the moment he opens the door. Whether I can kill him with my bare hands or not, I want to try.
But that’s not what I agreed to do. Sam wants me to talk to Dax and hopefully get him to admit to his crimes. At least some of them.
When it’s time to step out of the van, I take a deep breath and steel myself. This is my shot. One way or another, I’m getting justice for my sister.
Daniel looks down at me and tugs the baseball hat he gave me a little lower to shield my face.
“Until we’re inside, look down at the ground,” he says. “And let me do the talking to get us in there, okay?”
I nod and look up at him solemnly. He cups my jawline in his palm, his thumb grazing across my lips.
“I love you,” he whispers, the words meant only for me.
“Okay, guys, it’s go time,” Sam says from inside the van. “Please don’t get me fired, Delgado.”
Daniel flashes him a slight grin as Sam pulls the van doors closed. Then he takes my hand, and we walk down the street to Dax’s apartment. It’s morning, so I’m sure he’s still asleep. He likes to party into the early morning hours.
When his elegant brownstone comes into view, I look down at the ground, squeezing Daniel’s hand for support. My heart is racing with anticipation. If I blow this, I’ll never forgive myself.
As we climb the stairs, I think back to the first time Dax brought me here. I had naïve stars in my eyes back then. I feel like I’ve aged years in the past six months.
I hear the click of Daniel pushing the buzzer. There’s no response.
“We know he’s in there,” Sam says in my ear. Daniel and I both have on earpieces to keep us in touch with Sam. “Keep ringing.”
Daniel lays on the buzzer button, not stopping until Dax’s sleepy, pissed-off voice responds.
“Who the fuck are you?”
Daniel’s response is gruff. “I’m the attorney for a woman you impregnated, Mr. Caldwell. I suggest you let us in, because we have much to talk about.”
His lie makes my stomach roll. Thank God it’s just a ruse to get us inside.
Dax scoffs into the intercom. “Talk to my attorney.”
“I’ve sent two requests to your attorney and gotten no response,” Daniel says tersely. “If you don’t speak to us, we’re going to meet with a reporter this afternoon.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Dax says flatly. “I didn’t knock anyone up.”
“Hopefully, your father and the board of his company won’t give a fuck, either,” Daniel says. “We’ll be seeking a seven-figure settlement.”
“Christ,” Dax mutters. “Money-grubbing whores. Who is she?”
Daniel shakes his head in disgust. “You know what? I’m not doing this over your intercom. We’re leaving.”
He takes my arm and we turn.
“No, wait,” Dax says, sounding more awake now. “I’ll be right down.”
“We’re in,” Daniel murmurs, probably for Sam’s benefit.
I let out a shaky breath as we wait, then mentally build up my resolve. This is my chance, and I have to be strong. It’s not about me; it’s about Allison. I won’t do anything stupid and let her down. I’m cool, calm, and collected, just like Daniel.
When I hear the door open, I see Daniel’s foot edge into the doorway. Now Dax can’t close it.
“Mr. Caldwell,” Daniel booms. “Thank you for your time. If we could just come in for a minute—”
“Look at me,” Dax orders me. “We’re not talking if I never even fucked you.”
Oh, you fucked me, Dax. And I’m about to fuck you back.
I raise my face up to look at him.
“Allison?” He stares for a full second and then goes pale, his eyes wide with disbelief. “No, you’re . . . Ava?” It’s all he can do to choke the word out.
Daniel grabs a fistful of his shirt and walks him backward, his other hand pointing his gun at Dax’s chest.
“What the fuck is this?” Dax snarls.
Once Daniel has him inside, I follow and close the door.
“This is your due, Dax,” I say.
He makes a move to fight Daniel off, but Daniel is bigger and stronger. He shoves Dax against the exposed brick wall of his entryway.
“Make another move, and I’ll blow your fucking brains out.” He edges closer to Dax’s face. “Go ahead, give me a reason to do it, asshole.”
Dax raises his hands in the air, his eyes narrowed.
“Ava,” he says in a level tone. “Tell your bodyguard this was all just a misunderstanding.”
“You sending two men to my apartment to kill me was not a misunderstanding.”
“I didn’t send anyone to kill you. They were just supposed to scare you.”
“Bullshit.” Tears gather in my eyes as I approach.
“Stay there,” Daniel says to me. “Don’t come any closer to us.”
Dax is still looking at me with disbelief. “I went to your funeral. I paid for your funeral. I fucking saw your body before—”
“You saw my sister,” I say bitterly. “Your thugs murdered my twin sister, Allison.”
Silence hangs in the air as I wait for him to admit it. I need him to admit it, or Sam won’t be able to arrest him.
“I just want my book back,” he says. “Give me my book, and we can go our separate ways.”
“Fuck you. My sister is dead.”
The rage inside me is so powerful I can hardly keep it in. I want to hurt him.
“Madeline gave you the book,” Daniel says.
Dax looks at him silently for a few seconds. “No, she didn’t. I’ve gone to a lot of fucking trouble to get that book back. I wouldn’t have done that if I’d had it this whole time.”
“What, like paying off Hawthorne employees to get the information out of the woman you
thought was Allison?” Daniel asks.
“Who the fuck’s been talking?” Dax demands. “I seem to have a mole.” He glares at Daniel. “You get your hands off me, or you won’t walk out of this house when we’re through.”
Daniel slams Dax against the wall again. “I’m gonna ask you some questions. You’ve got two seconds to answer each one. If three seconds pass, I pull this trigger.”
Dax licks his lips nervously. I’ve never seen him in a subordinate position like this. He was always the one making the rules.
“Did your employee Eli hire a CNA named Eric Hunt and a doctor named Marcia Heaton to get information out of Allison Cole while she was a patient at Hawthorne?”
Eyes narrowed, Dax says, “I don’t know the names of the people Eli approached for help, but yes, there were two and one was a female doctor.”
“You get to live for at least a few more seconds,” Daniel says, the gun still aimed at Dax’s chest. “Now, did you hire two men to break in to Ava’s apartment in March and kill her?”
Two seconds of silence pass. I don’t know if I want Dax to admit it, or if I’d prefer that Daniel kill him. Sam wouldn’t be okay with the latter option, but from the vein standing out in Daniel’s neck, I feel like he’s angry enough to do it.
As Dax opens his mouth to respond, the front door opens. I look over and see Madeline coming inside. She closes the door while looking at her cell phone screen and calls out, “Get naked, baby.”
She sees me and stops. Shock sets in, her lips dropping open as she stares at me.
“Ava?”
None of the people who knew Allison and me well enough to tell us apart saw me after she died. I can only imagine that when Dax saw Allison’s body, she was in a state that didn’t allow him to tell the difference between us, which sickens me. We always wore our hair the same and even shared clothes. It was our voices and mannerisms that set us apart.
Madeline’s not the only one who’s shocked. I’m still reeling from her “Get naked, baby” comment.
“You’re with Dax?” I can barely get the words out.
She knew when I brought her the book that it was about Dax and it was bad. And then I was murdered the next day, or so she thought.
“You’re alive?” she croaks.
“Mad,” Dax says. “A little help here?”
She looks over at him for the first time, and her eyes widen. “What the hell is going on?”
“There’s a gun in the desk drawer of my office,” Dax says. “Go get it, baby.”
She nods numbly and starts to move.
“Don’t let that happen, Ava,” Daniel says. “Stop her.”
“We don’t want to hurt you, Madeline,” I say. “You need to stay right where you’re at.”
“Where’s the fucking book?” Daniel demands, pressing the gun to Dax’s head. “Madeline said she gave it to you.”
“She never even had it,” Dax says.
Madeline moves to dart past me, and I jump on her, both of us falling to the ground. We wrestle each other for control, hands grabbing and long hair obstructing our vision.
“Stop,” I cry. “Dax had Allison murdered. It was supposed to be me, Madeline.”
She keeps fighting me, and I realize the news didn’t even faze her. Something is very, very wrong here. When she grunts and starts to get the upper hand on me, panic fills my chest. If she gets that gun, things will go to hell.
I grab a handful of her hair and slam her head to the ground, then crawl out from under her and straddle her waist, panting with exertion.
“You knew,” I say bitterly. I press my knees to the floor and hold her wrists together in front of me. “You fucking knew he tried to kill me.”
She fights to regain control, breaking her wrists free. I slap her in the face to daze her, then take hold of her arms again. Betrayal runs hot through my veins, infusing me with newfound strength.
“Dax says she never had the book,” Daniel says from several feet away.
“He’s lying. I handed it to her in her office the day before Allison was murdered.”
“The fuck?” Dax yells. “Is that true, Maddie?”
“No, she’s making it up,” Madeline says, still fighting to break free of my hold.
“Why would I make that up?” I yell in her face. “I told you to keep it safe, and you fucking brought it to him, didn’t you? Were you already with him then?”
The hatred I see in her eyes is like a punch to the stomach. Where did it come from?
“Yes, I was with him. I’d been fucking him for a month.”
Her vitriolic tone tells me she thinks this news will hurt. It doesn’t hurt that Dax did it, but my business partner? My friend?
“Did she give you my book?” Dax demands angrily. “Maddie, if you’ve got my fucking book, after all the goddamn trouble I’ve gone through to get it back—”
“I called Dax right after you left my office that day,” Madeline says to me.
“Yeah, and you told me she had my book and planned to give it to the cops. You never fucking mentioned that you had it.” Dax is way past angry.
“Why?” I keep my voice level, forcing myself not to let the hurt show.
“I didn’t want to share Brighton Cole with you anymore. It was supposed to be fifty-fifty, but you wanted to be the star. You were the face of the label. You were a selfish bitch.”
Her admission stuns me. She never even hinted at feeling this way in all the time we were business partners.
“I left my half of Brighton Cole to Allison,” I say. “You still didn’t have control.”
Madeline’s lips curl into an ugly smile. “Actually, your will allowed me to buy her interest out.”
My heart stills in my chest. “It did not.”
“Hmm.” She arches a brow. “The will was in my safe, Ava. Don’t you think I know what it says?”
“You bitch.” I tighten my hold on her wrists. “You conniving, evil bitch. You changed my will?”
She holds my gaze, victory written all over her smug face.
“I would’ve given it to you,” I say, my voice breaking with emotion. “All of it. Dax, too. If you had just said . . . Allison meant more to me than the company.”
“I didn’t know he’d have her killed instead of you,” Madeline says dismissively. “Obviously, the guys he hired fucked up.”
“Yeah, they did,” Dax says darkly. “And they’ll pay. But you fucked up, too, Maddie.”
“Are you gonna have me killed, too?” She turns to glare at him. “Your stack of bodies is getting pretty tall, Dax. One of these days you’ll get busted.”
The front door opens with a thud as it slams against the wall. A team of SWAT officers storms inside. There’s yelling and commotion, and soon I feel myself being lifted off of Madeline.
Daniel carries me out of the apartment, turning to the side as he walks through the doorway.
“It’s over,” he says. “Sam got what he needed. It’s over now, Ava.”
I cry silent tears, both relieved it’s over and sad that the betrayal went even deeper than I’d realized. The truth hurts sometimes. This truth hurts so deep I’m not sure it will ever stop.
I EXHALE WITH RELIEF AS I walk back into the hotel room. Ava’s curled up in a chair, looking lost in thought.
“How’d it go?” she asks, turning to look at me.
“Good.” I sit down on the edge of the bed so I’m facing her. My phone call with Joanne Hawthorne had gone much better than expected.
“So you’re not fired, then?” She arches her brows hopefully.
“Not fired. And not in trouble with the law.”
She smiles. “I’m so glad, Daniel.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Leonard’s service was yesterday.”
“Oh, no.” Ava gets up and sits next to me, wrapping her small arm around my broad back. “I’m sorry we missed that.”
I nod. “Leonard would have wanted us to do what we were doing. Tha
t’s the kind of guy he was. He was cremated, and he asked in his will for me to scatter his ashes in the lake we always fished at. That’ll be . . .” I clear away the lump in my throat. “That’ll be when I pay my respects to him.”
She rubs her palm in circles over my back. “So what else did Joanne say?”
“She’s broken up about things. She thinks if she would have listened to me before, Leonard would still be alive.”
Ava’s “hmm” of sympathy is soft. “I understand exactly how she feels.”
I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my lap, holding her close. “I’ve got regrets, too. If I wasn’t a drunk, Michael Trone would still be alive.”
“Your patient who died?”
“Yeah. I think about him. What he might have done with his life. Whom he might have influenced or saved. Life’s one big row of dominoes, and I took one out of the mix.”
Ava puts her head on my shoulder. “After Allison died, I didn’t feel like I even deserved to live. Did you go through that, too?”
“Yeah. I had some very dark days in rehab. All that guilt and remorse, and no booze to drown it in.”
“But you made it,” she says softly. “And then you saved me. So the dominoes of life are still doing their thing.”
“I didn’t save you.”
She sits up and meets my eyes, hers shining with sincerity. “You did save me, Daniel. You saw me as a whole, worthy person when no one else did. Not even me. You believed me over Dr. Heaton. You saved me from Eric. When I was most vulnerable, you were there for me.”
My heart fills with love for her. “I always will be, Ava. Always. Joanne wants me back at Hawthorne, but I know there’s no life for you there. You don’t need to be an inpatient at a mental hospital anymore. So if you want to go somewhere new and start fresh . . . together . . .”
The longest second of my life passes as I wait for her response.
“I want to go back to Hawthorne with you. If we can be together, that’s all I need.”
“You mean that?”
She smiles. “Of course I do. Hawthorne feels like home to me now. The people there . . . the ones I know, anyway . . . I get them. I know what it’s like to feel yourself losing control of your own mind. It’s terrifying. Maybe I could be of some help there, somehow. I could work there.”
Come Closer Page 17
