โWhere is she?โ I grasped Madeline by the throat,
resisting the urge to squeeze until I wiped the smug look off her face.
Iโd never raised a hand to a woman outside the bedroom
โand then only if they consentedโbut I was this close to losing my shit.
After I saw the video of Madeline pushing Ava into the pool, which I recognized from my previous visits to the Hauss mansion, I broke every speed limit to get here. By the time I arrived, the party had ended and only a few stragglers remained. I found Madeline laughing with her cronies in the kitchen, but it had only taken a glare from me for her to excuse herself and follow me into the hall.
โWhy donโt you tighten your hold a little?โ she purred. โYou know you want to.โ
โIโm not here to play games.โ I was holding onto my patience by a thread. โAnswer my question, or Hauss Industries is over.โ
โYou donโt have that kind of power.โ
โDonโt underestimate me, sweetheart.โ It wasnโt an endearment. โJust because weโve fucked a few times doesnโt mean you know whatโor whoโI have in my back pocket. So unless you want to explain to dear old Dad why
regulators are breathing down his neck and his precious company stock is tanking, I suggest you answer me. Now.โ
Madelineโs lips compressed into a thin line. โHer friend pulled her out of the pool, and they left,โ she said, sullen. โHow was I supposed to know she canโt swim?โ
My grip tightened, and my lips curled into a sneer when I saw the resulting flare of desire in her eyes. โPray sheโs all right, or the downfall of Hauss Industries will be the least of your worries,โ I said softly. โDo not contact or come near her or me again. Understand?โ
Madeline lifted her chin in defiance.
โDo. You. Understand.โ I pressed my thumb into the soft flesh of her neckโnot enough to injure, but enough to make her flinch.
โYes,โ she choked out, resentment coating her voice.
โGood.โ I released her and walked away, keeping my steps calm when all I wanted was to race to Avaโs house and check if she was okay. She hadnโt answered any of my calls and texts, and while I understood why, it still made me nervous.
โIs she really worth it?โ Madeline called after me. I didnโt bother answering her.
Yes.
When I reached my car, I floored the gas and nearly mowed over a group of drunk frat boys. My grip strangled the steering wheel as I imagined how Ava must have felt when she fell into the poolโor how she must feel right now. A mixture of worry and anger coiled in my stomach.
Fuck what I told Madeline earlier. Sheโd put a huge target on her familyโs back, and I wouldnโt rest until Hauss Industries was no more than a footnote in corporate history.
I pulled up to Avaโs house in time to see Stella exiting. I cut the engine and made it to the front door in half a dozen long strides.
โHow is she?โ I demanded.
Worry etched itself on Stellaโs face. โShe could be worse, given the circumstances. I was getting us drinks when she went into the pool roomโฆโ She gnawed on her bottom lip. โAnyway, I found her when that woman pushed her into the pool. I got her out before she passed out or anything like that, but sheโs pretty shaken. Jules isnโt home yet, and I wanted to stay with her, but she said sheโs going to sleep and insisted I leave.โ Stellaโs brows knit together. โYou should check on her. Just in case.โ
That was a big ask coming from Stella, who liked me the least out of Avaโs friends, and it said a lot about Avaโs current state.
โIโll take it from here.โ I brushed past her into the living room.
โHow did you find out what happened so fast?โ Stella called after me.
โOnline,โ was all I said. I made a mental note to call my tech guy and have him scrub every trace of the video off the internet. He was the same person I relied on to hack into my competitorsโ computers and dig up offshore accounts. Five years of working together, and there hadnโt been a single leak or job he couldnโt complete. In return, Iโd paid him enough money over the years that he could buy a private island off the coast of Fiji if he wanted.
I took the stairs two at a time until I reached Avaโs room. The light spilling through the crack in the door told me she was still awake, despite what sheโd told Stella.
I rapped my knuckle twice against the wood. โItโs Alex.โ There was a short pause. โCome in.โ
Ava sat in bed, her hair damp and her gaze wary as she took me in. Worry edged out my anger when I saw how pale her cheeks were and the way she shivered, even though the heat was on and sheโd tucked herself beneath a thick comforter.
โI saw what happened. Some fucker filmed it live on social.โ I sat on the edge of the bed and resisted the insane
urge to tuck her into my chest. โIโm sorry.โ
โItโs not your fault. Donโt blame yourself for fucked-up things other people do.โ
A smile ghosted my mouth as she threw my words back at me.
โYou have terrible taste in women though.โ Ava sni๏ฌed. โDo better.โ
โMadeline and I are over. We never even started.โ โThatโs not what she told me.โ
I cocked my head at her stiff tone. โAre youโฆjealous?โ The thought pleased me more than it shouldโve.
โNo.โ With her scowl and fluffy gray top, she looked like an angry kitten. โAs if. So what if sheโs tall and blonde and looks like a Victoriaโs Secret model? Sheโs a horrible person. Next time I see her, Iโm going Krav Maga on her ass.โ
I bit back a full smile. Ava had attended all of one lesson. Itโd be a while before she went anything on anyoneโs ass, but her indignation was adorable.
โShe wonโt be bothering you again.โ I grew serious. โThe poolโโ
โI thought I was going to die.โ
I flinched, horror skating through me at the thought.
โI thought I was going to die because I canโt swim and I have this stupid phobia and I amย so sick of it.โ Ava fisted her covers, her mouth tight. โI hate feeling helpless and out of control in my own life. Do you know one of my biggest dreams is to travel the world and I canโt even do that because the idea of flying over an ocean makes me sick?โ She took a deep, shaky breath. โI want to see whatโs out there. The Eiffel Tower, the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China. I want to meet new people and try new things and live life, but I canโt. Iโm trapped. When I was in that pool, thinking those were my last momentsโฆI realized Iโve done none of the things I want to do. If I died tomorrow, Iโd die with a lifetime of regrets, and that
terrified me even more than the water.โ She looked up at me, her big brown eyes wide and vulnerable. โThatโs why I need you to do something for me.โ
This time, I was the one who swallowed hard. โWhat is it, Sunshine?โ
โI need you to teach me to swim.โ
