Page 14 of Reckless Love

“You think the way to get Ava on board with your cause is to terrify her and her kid? Come on, Vanessa. You’re smarter than that.”

“Terrify her and her kid?” She scrunches up her nose.

“Multiple motorcycles with many cartons of eggs and one frozen roast attacked Ava’s car today on the highway.”

“Oh, my god,” Vanessa says, stifling a laugh. “Can you believe that sentence just came out of your mouth? Attacked with eggs and a roast. When you became Mr. Big Serious Tough Guy, did you ever think you’d say that?”

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says, waving me off. “That wasn’t us. Or at least it wasn’t my friends.”

“If you hear anything about it, can you reason with them? Ava and her son are not your enemies.”

“If you’re not with us, you’re against us,” she says simply. “That goes for you too, big brother.”

“This all goes tits up,” I say, pointing my finger at her, “make sure you’re not the one holding the body. You got me? Until I’m on even footing with Owen, you need that job.”

“It’s a minimum-wage job. They’re everywhere.”

“Are they? You think Raul Santos won’t blacklist you for being one of the union organizers? Have all his powerful friends blacklist you?”

“You worry too much,” she says with a little laugh. “Most people don’t even like him.”

“You don’t worry enough,” I say. “Powerful people, even when they don’t like each other, stick together on this island. They’re all just looking to get richer, and if you’re standing in the way of that, they will come after you in whatever way they can.”

“It’s going to be fine,” she says, and she rushes me to tackle me with a hug. “He can’t stop us from forming the union, and then I’ll have more money to help out.”

I run my hand along her narrow back and try not to let my mind go to all the worst-case scenarios. When that kind of thinking is critical for your job, it’s hard to switch it off.

“It’s not weird being around Ava?” she asks, stepping back. “You two had a thing for a while, didn’t you?”

I kept my relationship with Ava close to the vest when I was on the police force. The fact that I was in Celia Tucker’s pocket was bad enough, but other officers could understand that. Lots of police have side deals with wealthy people. I was just lucky enough to somehow land the wealthiest family. Had everyone realized I’d wage war and destroy kingdoms for their irresponsible daughter—for no financial incentive—I’d have had real problems with my colleagues.

“It’s fine,” I say. “Tell your friends to stop making my job so hard.”

“You can handle it, tough guy,” she says with a broad smile.

The thing is, I’m not sure I can handle it. If they were to put her in real danger—not just childish pranks—I’m a little afraid of the kind of retribution I’d seek.

For six years, I’ve wrapped my emotions up, covered them over, tried to bury them in multiple places in my subconscious, but every time I look at Ava, a heap of dirt and hurt that’s been concealing the truth gets thrown aside.

By the time this job is over, I’m worried what’s under there will be fresh and raw and all too fucking real.

Chapter Six

Ava

Stephen guards me and Landon the rest of the week, but he makes sure he’s not the one physically in our space except in the car. He drives us while the other guard leads or trails in a separate vehicle. I haven’t figured out what makes Stephen decide the order, and when I asked, he told me that he chooses based on what’ll make the trip safer. Massive eye roll. No shit, Sherlock. The most basic response, which has become his default.

The minute my day ends and I’m in the house for the evening or Raul gets home with his contingent of bodyguards, Stephen slips away in silence, never saying more than a respectful goodbye to my husband.

The polite distance Stephen has wedged between us is becoming frustrating. We used to fight and fuck, but we never ignored each other. Whenever Stephen came to an event I was at, whenever we were in the same room, the searing heat of his gaze followed me. He cared. A lot. All the time. It’s unnerving to feel his indifference so fully when we’re in such close proximity again.

Tomorrow, Landon has his first day of school, and internally, I’m freaking out. My baby will only gain more and more distance, more independence from me. His safety will be less and less within my control.

With that on my mind, I leave the kitchen, where Landon is eating his breakfast, to seek out Stephen at the front of the house. Raul headed into the office early this morning, and as soon as his guard crew left, Stephen and Datu, who seems to be his partner, appeared.

He eyes me warily when he sees me approaching, but he stays stationed in the front foyer. Initiating any contact with me goes against whatever code he’s developed to deal with me and our past.