Chapter 247 - 247: I’m Not Defenseless

Avery's mind races—with everything that's happened in the last few days, she hasn't thought about the offer at all. The truth is, I don't know much about jewelry, she thinks. But I don't know much about anything—my whole life, I was trained to become an ideal match for Evan. No one ever asked me what I wanted to do or what I wanted to learn. Now it turns out, all that was for nothing.

Evan and I are getting divorced, and even though he says he still wants me, there's no way I can live my life with a killer. I'm pregnant with his child, but the pregnancy may kill me. I've never done anything just because I wanted to do it. So why not do it now?

"Okay, I'll come work for you," Avery says.

Sophie's face lights up with joy, and she says, "You're doing the right thing. You're going to carry on your mother's legacy."

"It's not just for my mom," Avery says firmly. "It's for me too."

"Just as it should be," Sophie says, reaching into her purse and pulling out a thick stack of papers and glossy catalogs. "Here's some background information on the company and catalogs showing all of our major work from the last few years. If you want to come to see any of our workshops in person, just let me know, and I'll arrange a visit."

Sophie hugs Avery and kisses her on the cheek and then rushes away down the hall. Feeling overwhelmed, Avery returns to Bryan's room and sits on the small sofa near the window. She flips through the catalogs as a nurse changes Bryan's IV bag. She rolls her eyes as Bryan flirts outrageously with the nurse.

Her phone buzzes in her purse, and she glances down and sees Evan's number. She hits ignore and puts the phone back. It rings again, but she ignores it. When it rings for the third time, she grabs it and sees Gabrielle's name. She hits the answer immediately.

"Avery, Avery, where are you?" Gabrielle asks breathlessly.

"I'm at the hospital," Avery answers calmly.

"The hospital?" Gabrielle asks. "What happened? Are you hurt? Are you ill? Tell me!"

"What's going on with you, Gabrielle?" Avery asks. "You sound more nervous than normal."

"I'm just worried about you," Gabrielle says. "You saw my text message, right?"

"I did, and I've got two bodyguards here with me," Avery says. "And to answer your other question, no, I'm not hurt or sick. I'm just here for a visit."  

"Tell me exactly where you are, and I'll come to meet you," Gabrielle says.

Twenty minutes later, Gabrielle runs into the room, panting for breath. She stares at the man in the bed and feels her face flush. Suddenly, she's conscious of her messy hair and plain outfit. She combs her hair with her fingers as Bryan lazily lowers his magazine.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss C.o.c.keyed," he says.

"Hello, Mr. Deadman," Gabrielle says.

Bryan is lounging in the bed with the sheets thrown back. Instead of a hospital gown, he's wearing his usual white T-shirt and dark ripped jeans. A necklace shines around his neck, but his rings have been removed for the bandages. He looks good, Gabrielle thinks. 

"What are you doing here?" Bryan asks.

"I came to meet Avery," Gabrielle said, feeling her face get hotter. "I'm not here to see you, I mean."

"I didn't ask if you were here to see me," Bryan says with a slow wink. "Anyway, that's a very poor lie—you've always been a terrible liar."

Gabrielle bites her lip and looks down at her shoes so Bryan can't see her face. When they were children, Nanny was overwhelmed by all the Peters girls. Gabrielle was the youngest, and she was constantly getting sick. When Nanny didn't have time for her, she'd ask Bryan to help out.

Bryan was three years older, and Gabrielle thought he was the coolest person she'd ever seen. Of course, he used that to his advantage. Once, he threw her into the deep end of the Peters' pool, even though she didn't know how to swim. Another time, he tied a raw steak to her jacket and let the neighbor's vicious guard dog out of its cage. She hid from him, but he'd always find her and drag her out of her hiding spot by her pigtails.

"Think fast, Miss C.o.c.keyed," Bryan says, tossing something at her feet.

Gabrielle calmly looks at the object—a toy snake. Instead of jumping away, she bends over and picks it up. Then she flicks it across the room at Bryan.     

"You're such an idiot," she says. "I'm not scared of snakes anymore."

"Guess I'll have to try harder," Bryan says with another wink.

"Bryan, where the hell did you get that toy?" Avery asks, grabbing the snake from the bed.

"From the child in the room next to mine," Bryan says with a quick smile.

"You stole a child's toy?" Avery asks, rolling her eyes. "You're impossible."

She takes the snake and then grabs Gabrielle's arm and guides her into the hallway. Gabrielle glances up at Bryan and smiles shyly before letting Avery lead her into the hall. As soon as the door shuts, Gabrielle feels her eyes sting with tears.

"Avery, you look like you've gotten thinner," she says. "You're supposed to be gaining weight with the pregnancy, not losing it. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay, Gabrielle," Avery says. "Just tell me what's going on."

"Earlier today, I overheard Mrs. Meyer and Jackson talking," Gabrielle says. "It was horrible."

Avery wraps her arm around Gabrielle's shoulder and smiles softly, "Tell me everything. From the beginning."

Gabrielle swallows hard and begins to tell the story. Every few words, she stumbles and has to start over. By the time she gets it all out, Avery is frowning deeply. Still, Avery's next question takes Gabrielle by surprise.      

"Did you have s.e.x with Jackson Oliver?" Avery asks.

Gabrielle feels her blood run cold, and she stammers, "Um, no, I, no."

"Then what were you doing in the hospital?" Avery asks. "I'm confused. I thought you said something about a test?"

Gabrielle curses herself for being so careless. Avery has always been perceptive—between the police station and this slip-up, it's possible Avery will figure out what happened. Gabrielle swallows hard and shakes her head.

"You must have misheard me," she says. "I said I was here for a visit. To see an old classmate."

"Good," Avery says. "Jackson isn't good for you, and anyway, you're far too young to be wasting your time with men. Learn from my mistakes and focus on your education."    

Gabrielle nods nervously and follows Avery back to Bryan's room. They say a quick goodbye and head toward the elevators. The bodyguards follow them the entire way. Besides, the two men, the hospital is strangely empty. Still, Gabrielle can't shake the creepy feeling that someone else is watching them.

As the elevator doors slide open on the ground floor, Avery sees Robert and a group of bodyguards.

"Mr. Howel asked me to escort you back to the mansion," Robert says.

Avery nods and follows Robert out to a black town car. She slides into the backseat with Gabrielle and lets Robert take the passenger seat upfront. She asks the driver to take them to Gabrielle's campus nearby, and then she begins to ask Gabrielle all about her classes and her grades.

Suddenly, she looks up and sees that the car is driving way too fast—trees and buildings speed past the window in a blur. She rolls down the partition and sees Robert gritting his teeth.

"Quick, get in front of that car up there," Robert tells the driver.

Avery looks nervously out the window. Though Robert isn't a bodyguard, he's had years of experience protecting Evan. He always knows when there's a threat nearby, and he seems incredibly worried. Avery unbuckled her seatbelt and leans forward.

"What's going on?" she asks Robert.

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Howel," Robert snaps. "Just put your seatbelt back on."

"Is someone following us, Robert?" Avery asks. "I deserve to know the truth. Are we being chased?"

"Yes, there's a car following us," Robert says. "Now, please put your seatbelt back on. I need to focus on."

Avery twists around and looks out the back window. A dark green SUV is weaving between traffic behind them. Horns blare as the SUV cuts people off. Gabrielle grabs Avery's hand, and her face is pale, and her body is rigid.

"Please, sister, just put your seatbelt on," Gabrielle whispers.

"Whose car is that?" Avery demands.

Robert shakes his head and whispers more instructions to the driver. Avery opens her purse and fumbles through it until her hand touches something cold and metal. She pulls the small gun from the purse and leans forward to show it to Robert.

"Let's just play it by ear and see what happens," she says. "If they catch up to us, I'm not defenseless. I can do whatever it takes, okay?"