baby. I really don't want this to hurt you. I'm going to do the best I can. After this, I'm going to start being completely honest with your father, and hope that nothing like this ever happens again.”
The baby was obviously too small to react in any way, but I liked to imagine him or her understanding.
This was a wakeup call for me. I was done making decisions alone. Now I had a family to include in my decision making.
I took a very deep breath and tried to relax my body. I'd always heard a car wreck was more harmful if you tensed up. But staying relaxed when I was deliberately aiming to crash my car was a tall order.
I held onto the steering wheel with both hands and yanked it to the right, slamming my car into his.
Metal against metal screeched, and I flew sideways.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tyler
I woke up with a groan as Sadie licked my hand. A stabbing pain erupted along my side, which made sense -- I’d been stabbed.
The house was quiet. Too quiet. Ava?” I called out. “Ava? Where are you?”
No response.
I had a vague memory of Ava leaving with my sister. Of her pretty face right in front of mine telling me that my sister was buzzed and couldn't drive home.
“Dammit. Ava. I fucking told you not to leave without Barrett. Why can’t you listen?” I said all of this to an empty house. Well, empty except Sadie. She lay next to me with her chin propped on the couch, wagging her tail.
I struggled to sit up. This was far from the worst injury I’d suffered, but the drugs had left me groggy. Once I was upright, I dug my phone out of my jeans pocket.
No missed calls. Only a text from Barrett saying he had my mom with him, and he was headed to my sister’s house. At least one person would listen to me.
I opened the app that allowed you to track the location of a contact, but nothing for Ava showed up. I’d added her weeks ago.
I made sure the volume was turned up on my phone and stuck it back in my pocket. I pushed myself to my feet and began to pace. I couldn’t drive like this. But I had to get out of this fucking house and go find her. I reached for my phone again to call my neighbor and ask for a ride.
It was pathetic that I’d let myself get stabbed by some mobster, when I’d made it out of a warzone. But my pride didn’t matter right now.
Just as I was hitting the ‘call’ button for my neighbor, someone banged on my front door. I ended the call and hobbled to the front door as fast as I could.
I felt every twinge. Now that I was up and walking, I realized the drugs had worn off. I was just groggy from sleeping in the middle of the evening.
I pulled open the door, expecting Ava. But it wasn’t her.
It was a young blonde woman. She was sobbing and saying something, but I couldn’t understand the words. Her hair was dirty and matted. Her face was gauntt, and her clothes barely fit her thin frame.
I could probably get her to a shelter tonight. If none were open, I’d just have to get her a hotel room until I could get her a place to stay, unless she was mentally ill. In that case, I had a friend at the hospital I’d just left. If she was an addict, I had a friend who could get her admitted into a rehab program. “I think you have the wrong house, miss, but if you…”
She started talking again, and I still couldn't understand her, but I was able to make out the name, ‘Ava.’
“Slow down. Do you know where Ava is?”
She nodded.
“Get inside.” I shoved her into the house, and I looked outside. I didn’t see any cars. I activated the security system and went for one of the guns I kept in the downstairs safe.
“Start talking,” I said, not caring if my tone was harsh.
“I’m sorry,” she cried.
“Stop apologizing. Give me the facts.”
“They found her because of me,” she wailed.
“Who is ‘they?’” I demanded, not caring about how she was involved -- not yet. I could blame her later. And besides, it was obvious this girl would be easy to bribe or blackmail.
“Her dad’s partners. They said they'd kill me. They made me call Ava.”
Fuck. “You have her cell phone number?”
She