“I have to go,” she whispers almost soundlessly. “I have to go.”
“Ava.”
She shoves me with more strength than I would have thought possible from such a small body. I stagger, my body tilting backward. The stiff muscles in my left leg protest the abrupt movement. As I step back, she grabs her purse and runs.
“Ava!” I start to rush after her the second I regain my balance.
“Sir.” The waiter physically blocks my way. “The bill.”
Ah shit. I reach into my pocket, pull out my money clip and hand him a couple of hundred-dollar bills. “That should cover it.”
He glances at the money, but doesn’t move. “This is not Thai baht.”
“It’s U.S. dollars.”
“But, sir…”
“You have currency exchange places everywhere! Do it and keep the change.”
The waiter wets his lips and shakes his head. “We cannot accept foreign money in this restaurant. If you want, you can exchange at the concierge desk.”
Oh for fuck’s sake! I throw my Amex Centurion Card his way. “Charge it. I’ll be right back.”
Before he can protest again, I dodge around him and run out. Ava’s gone. I search the elevator bank, but she isn’t there either.
I drive my fingers into my hair and bite back a curse. I have to talk to her. Something I said—the thing about wanting what she took from me—scared the shit out of her.
I have to know what she did two years ago.
Chapter Four
Ava
You took something from me, and I want it back.
He can’t know. How could he? I’ve been so careful. Used my middle name. There’s absolutely nothing that can tie me to it.
But what if he found out anyway?
My belly churns dangerously as Lucas’s words ring in my head. My fingers are shaky, and it takes me two attempts before the door unlocks. I shove the card in the slot by the entryway and run straight for the toilet.
The second my knees hit the cold floor, everything comes up. I retch until there’s nothing left, until my stomach and throat are so raw it hurts to breathe. My legs feel like quivering gelatin, and I slowly sit back and stare at the wall.
Lucas has money, and he’s very well-connected. Google told me he’s related to some very powerful people.
If he really wanted to, he could figure it out.
I jerk my torso back up and dry-heave into the toilet. There’s absolutely nothing left in my gut, but I can’t stop. By the time I’m through, I’m completely wrung out. I collapse on the floor, feeling like a corpse.
Why did I tell him I had a flight to catch? What if he follows me to the airport?
I need a simple game plan, something I can stick to no matter how emotionally upset I am.
Deny everything. Pretend ignorance. Distract him if I have to.
Besides, it’s not like he has any room to talk or get upset. What he had his brother say to me…
He has no right to barge back into my life like he’s entitled to something.