“Sadie Black and Sandy White.” Julian lifts a brow.
“Exactly.”
“So, I Google Sandy White and Digby’s Dirt, and a bunch of stories came up that she’d written about other celebs. So, I went onto Images and scrolled through the pictures. Ava stopped me, pointing at a picture, saying that it was Sadie, and in the picture with her was Bradford Digby.”
“Fucking Digby,” Vaughn growls.
Charly pulls her phone from her pocket, swipes the screen, and turns it around for me to see. “Look familiar?”
I take the phone from her and stare at the picture.
Holy fuck, she’s right.
It’s her—the chick who cleans my apartment. She looks a bit different in this picture to how I normally see her, but it’s definitely her.
“That’s her.” I grit my teeth. “That’s the chick who cleans here.”
“That’s Sandy White the journalist, who pretended to be Sadie the cleaner, so she could bug your apartment and record your conversations.”
“You think her and Digby were in on it together?” Vaughn asks.
“Yeah. I think that Sandy is a staff writer for him, and I think, when he gets wind of a story, he sends her in undercover to sniff it out. She’s written all the big exposés that he’s done over the last few years. It was her who wrote the story about Piper and Cain,” Charly says to Vaughn.
I see his eyes darken with anger.
But all I can feel is my own anger. I blamed Ava. I yelled at her. I said some awful things to her.
I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to control the anger I feel.
“Gabe?” That’s Charly.
I open my eyes and hand Charly her phone back. “What I don’t get is how Digby would have known there was a story to be had about me. No one knew about my past.”
“Someone always knows,” Julian says.
And he’s right; there is.
“Maybe Digby heard something on the grapevine,” Charly says. “Or maybe he was after a completely different story. If so, then I bet they thought they’d hit the mother lode of all jackpots when they listened to your conversation with Ava.”
I tip my head back and cover my face with my hands.
“Gabe, you okay?” Julian asks.
I lower my head, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Yeah.” No. “I’m just trying to get my head around it all.”
“Ava was telling you the truth,” Charly says softly.
She was. And I didn’t believe her.
God, I’m such a fucking asshole.
“I can’t believe you figured this all out,” Julian says to her. “You’re seriously badass, Charly.”
“I can’t take all the credit.” She shrugs. “It was Ava as well. We figured it out together.”
I was here, hating on her, thinking that she’d betrayed me. All that time, she’d done nothing wrong, and she was out there, trying to clear her name.
I’ve never hated myself more than I do in this moment.
“She wanted to come, Gabe…to tell you herself, but she didn’t think you would listen to her,” Charly says.
And that hurts the most because she was right. I wouldn’t have listened.
Jesus, I’ve fucked things up so very badly.
I need to see Ava now.
“Where is she?” I ask Charly.
“She’s at the hotel. I can take you to her. I came in Ava’s car, so we should be able to get you out without the paparazzi seeing you, as I don’t think they’ll expect you to be driven around in a Smart car.”
“Is that the car that broke your foot?” Vaughn grins.
“Not now,” I growl at him. “Can you just call Gil, explain everything to him, and have him call my lawyers? Oh, and we need to get someone to do a sweep for bugs in my apartment as well.”
“I know a guy,” Julian says, reaching for his phone. “I’ll call him now.”
“Thanks,” I say. Then, I yank open the bathroom door and gesture to Charly. “Let’s go.”
Ava
Charly’s been gone for ages. Well, it feels like ages. It’s actually only been just over an hour.
She said she’d call me once she talked to Gabe. But I’ve heard nothing so far.
What if he didn’t believe her, and she doesn’t know how to tell me?
Either way, it doesn’t matter if he believes her or not. I have the truth now, and I can do something about it. I won’t have those bastards using and slandering my name like that.
I should call Jayce. He’ll know what I should do. I have no clue what time it is in Japan, but this is an emergency.
I’ve just pulled up his number to call when there’s a knock on the door.
Charly.
Gucci jumps off the bed and runs to the door. She starts jumping around in excitement in front of it. “Baaahhh! Baaahhh!”
She can probably sense it’s Charly at the door.
It’s bad news. I know it is. If it were good news, she would have called me, like she said she would.
She probably just didn’t want to tell me over the phone.
I put my phone down and pad over to the door. I scoop Gucci up in my arms and then open the door.
“Gabe.” His name comes out in a breathless rush.
The surprise of him being here knocks the air from my lungs.
I only saw him less than a day ago, but it feels like forever, looking at him now.
He looks exhausted. Dark rings under his eyes.
But he’s still beautiful.
“Hey, Speedy,” he says in that husky, deep voice of his.
And my mouth dries.
He’s here, and he called me Speedy. That’s got to be good, right?
“Baaahhh!”
Gucci starts wriggling in my arms, so I put her down. She bolts to Gabe and starts jumping around his legs. I’ve never seen her act this way around him before. Normally, she head-butts him.
The one time she should head-butt him, and she’s whoring it up around him.
Traitor.
“Hey, Gucci.” He bends down and picks Gucci up, holding her.
I stare at them, my heart flipping in my chest.
He’s never held her before. But he’s holding her now.
Tears fill my eyes. I don’t know why.
He looks at me. Guilt flashes through his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I try to make my voice sound strong, but it doesn’t work.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
“Okay.” I stand back, allowing him in the room.
He walks in, and I close the door.
He puts Gucci down on the bed. Then, he turns and walks back to me, stopping a foot away. “I spoke to Charly.”
“Where is she?”
“She just dropped me off and went back to my apartment.” He rubs a hand over his hair. “Charly told me everything. Fuck, Ava, I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you.” His head drops in shame.
My heart breathes a sigh of relief. But my chest tightens in pain at seeing him so beaten down like this. “It’s okay, Gabe. Honestly. I know the evidence was pointing straight in my direction, and I can understand why you were taken in by it. Do I wish that you had believed me when I told you it wasn’t me? Of course I do. But I can understand why you didn’t. I think, if I were in your situation, I would have struggled to believe you with the overwhelming evidence.”
“You would have?”
“I think so.” I nod. “I probably wouldn’t have kicked you out of the apartment, and I probably would have at least let you try to prove your innocence. But, yeah, I’d have struggled with it, too.”
“You’re a better person than I am.”
“It’s true.” I bite back a smile.
“No, you are.” He steps closer. “I’m so sorry for everything I said. Will you forgive me for being weak and stupid and for being an absolute jackass to you?”
“I forgive you for the shitty things you said to me. But, as
for the other stuff, there’s nothing to forgive. We are both victims in this whole thing.”
He’s staring at me, confusion in his eyes. “I thought…”
“What? That I’d be angry?”
“Honestly, yeah. I was expecting you to kick my ass hard. I had this whole speech laid out. I was going to tell you how sorry I am for ever doubting you. That I will never doubt you again. That I love you. So much. Like I’ve never loved anyone before. And that I need you to forgive me. And I want you to come home, Speedy. I was ready to beg if necessary.”
“Really?” I lift a brow.
“Really.” He comes close to me, his nearness and the scent and strength of him stealing my breath. He drops to his knees before me.
I stare down at him. Then, I run my fingers through his hair.
His eyes close. Then, he presses his face to my stomach and wraps his arms around me.
I feel his body shudder against mine.
“Gabe…”
“I’m so fucking sorry, Ava. For everything.” His voice is raw, and it breaks my heart.
I lower down to my knees and take his face in my hands. “It’s okay, Gabe.” I soothe him, brushing my thumb over his cheek. “It’s okay. I love you, and everything is going to be okay. We’re together now, and that’s what matters.”
I kiss his cheek. His forehead. His nose. His lips.
“What those bastards, Digby and Sandy, did to you, putting your past out there for everyone to read about…it’s despicable. And I know you’re worrying about what people might be saying…but it doesn’t matter, Gabe. None of it. What matters is you and what an amazing, kind, generous, and beautiful man you are. A man who stepped up for his kid brother when he needed him most and did what he had to do. Not many people would have been able to handle the situation you found yourself in. Most would have stumbled at the first hurdle. But not you, Gabe. You got on with things, and when the chance to escape was offered to you, you grabbed it with both hands and made something of yourself. I admire you so much. I think you’re the bravest and strongest person I’ve ever met, and I count myself lucky to know you.”
He’s staring at me, his eyes glassy with emotion. “You’re wrong,” he says roughly. “I’m not the strongest person you know, babe. You are. You’re fucking incredible, Ava. And I love you so very much.” Then, he seals his mouth over mine and kisses me deeply as he tightly wraps me in his arms.
And I know that, this time, he will never let me go again.
Ava
Gabe and I walk back into his apartment together, my hand in his, Gucci trotting alongside us, and I’m feeling a hell of a lot better than I did the last time I was here.
Charly, Vaughn, and Julian are still here, sitting on the sofa, and there’s some guy I don’t recognize.
When Gucci sees Charly, she goes bounding over to her and jumps into her lap. Charly proceeds to give her the attention she was after.
Charly stops stroking her and looks over at me. Are you okay? she mouths.
I smile and nod in response.
“Gabe, this is Martin. He’s worked security for me in the past. He’s one of the best in the business. I called him to come and sweep the apartment for you.”
“And?” Gabe says.
“I ran a spectrum analyzer over your apartment, and I found a bug in here. It was under the sofa, just tacked to the base. There was one in your office, under the seat of the desk chair. One in the kitchen, in the light fixture. One in the guest bedroom, behind the mirror, and there was one in your bedroom, tacked to the base of a lamp.”
His bedroom.
Oh God. They recorded us having sex.
My eyes fly to Gabe. His jaw is working angrily, his eyes lit with rage.
“Gabe…”
His eyes come to mine, and they soften on me. His hand comes around my cheek. “It’s okay, baby.”
“No, it’s not.” Tears fill my eyes. “They invaded our privacy. Things between us…private things, and they heard it all.”
Gabe pulls me to him and presses his lips to my forehead.
“Is there any way we can trace these bugs back to those bastards?” Gabe’s voice rumbles through his chest.
“It won’t be easy…but leave it to me,” Martin says. “I know a few people who might be able to help. Are there any other places that could be bugged? Do you have any other properties? What about your car?”
“No other properties. And that bitch, Sandy, didn’t have access to my car.”
“You’d be surprised,” Martin says. “I’ll check it out just to be sure.” He gets to his feet.
Gabe lets me go momentarily and gets his car keys from the coffee table. He hands them to Martin. “Could you check Ava’s car as well, just to be sure?”
“Sure thing.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate you coming down and doing this for us,” Gabe says to Martin.
“Anytime,” Martin replies.
Charly gets my car keys from her bag and gives them to Martin.
“I’ll take you down to the garage,” Julian says to Martin.
We watch them leave. I can feel Gabe’s silent rage vibrating through him.
“Fucking Digby,” Vaughn bites out. “I hate that bastard. I can’t believe the lengths he’ll go to for a story.”
“Nothing surprises me anymore,” Charly says. “Ava, you doing okay?” she asks me.
“Yeah.” I meet her eyes. “Just feeling…violated, I guess.”
“That’s understandable.”
“I need a smoke.”
I glance up at Gabe. I can see the frustration etched into his forehead, his jaw clenched so hard that it might shatter.
“Okay.”
“I’ll be out on the terrace.”
I watch him walk out onto the terrace. He leans against the railing and lights up a cigarette.
“He’s feeling helpless,” Vaughn says to me. “I know that’s how I’d be feeling right now, and if there’s one thing a man hates, it’s feeling helpless. If someone had done that to Charly and me…recorded us doing…well, fuck. Put it this way, I’d want to tear the fucker apart with my bare hands.”
“I should go talk to him,” I tell them.
“I’m going to make some drinks.” Charly gets up from the sofa. “I think we could all do with a little something strong right now.”
Leaving the living room, I go outside to Gabe. I can see how tense he is. His shoulders rigid. His body taut with anger and frustration.
“Hey,” I say in a quiet voice. I rest my arm on the railing, standing next to him, and stare out at the sky. “You okay?”
“No.” He takes a drag of his cigarette and flicks the ash off the end. “I want to kill Digby. I want to get in my car, drive to his house, and beat the ever-loving shit out of him. And I would never hit a woman.” His eyes come to mine. “Never. But that bitch…”
“I know.” I put my hand on his arm. “I want to kick her ass, too. But getting angry isn’t going to change anything.”
“I can’t help it.” He grinds his teeth, working his jaw. “Having sex with you…making love to you, it was the first time in my life that sex actually meant anything to me. And, now, they’ve fucking cheapened it.” He takes a pull on his smoke, drops it on the floor, and stubs it out with his shoe. He turns to face me. The sadness in his eyes hurts me. “They’ve made me feel like a whore all over again.”
“No, Gabe. No.” I take his face in my hands, forcing his eyes to me. “Feeling like that means they win. And I refuse to let them. Those moments with you—you making love to me, you fucking me, all of it—aren’t cheap. They’re everything.”
He lowers his eyes.
“Gabe, if you allow them to make you feel like a whore, that means that I’m one, too.”
His eyes snap back to mine. “Fuck no. Never, Ava. Never.”
“Then, don’t let them make you feel like a whore. Because, if you do, they win.”
“God, this is all just so fucked up.” He
blows out a breath. “I feel like this is my fault. I brought you into my life, and then this happens…”
“You didn’t bring me into your life. I crashed into yours, remember? And the rest of it…I came willingly. And so what? They recorded us having sex.” I lift a shoulder, letting a smile onto my lips. “We gave them some pretty damn good shows.”
Light seeps into his eyes. “We gave some astro-fucking-nomical shows, baby.”
“Damn right, we did.”
“God, I love you, Speedy.”
“I love you, too.” I gently kiss him on the lips.
“Sorry to interrupt you lovebirds, but I come bearing alcohol. Bourbon for Gabe. I figured you liked whiskey; you have enough of it in there. And I made a G and T for you, Ava.”
“Thanks.” I smile at her.
Charly leaves the drinks on the table and disappears back inside.
Gabe is staring over at the glass of whiskey, an expression on his face I’ve never seen before.
“Gabe?”
“I drink too much, Speedy.” His eyes come back to mine. “Way too much.”
I know he does. I’ve always known, but he needs to come to this realization on his own.
“What do you want to do about it?” I ask slowly.
He rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I think maybe I need to slow the drinking down. Or…I dunno…stop altogether.” He blows out a breath. “I think…”
“What?”
“I think maybe I use it as a crutch…to make myself feel better.”
“What are you saying?”
He needs to say this, not me. He needs to admit it to himself.
“I don’t know. I just know, when I think about never having a drink…the thought scares me.”
“Okay. So, what should we do about that?”
He lifts a shoulder. “I think maybe I need help stopping.”
“Then, we’ll get you help. Whatever you need.”
He’s silent, and then he lets out a self-deprecating laugh. “After watching Julian struggle with drugs, I was so worried that it could happen to me. I never even realized that I was struggling just with alcohol.”