Chapter 255 - 255: Tell Me Your Price

Evan makes a small sound at the back of his throat, and Avery raises her eyebrows at him. He just shakes his head at her. She doesn't need him to tell her who rigged the elevator to fall. She knows Jackson is behind it. She just didn't expect his next attack to come so soon.

"We'll use the stairs," Evan says. "It's only on the third floor, anyway."

He takes Avery's hand in his, and his grip is as firm as iron. Still, he's patient and slow as he climbs the stairs, worried that too much activity will be bad for her pregnancy. The bodyguards walk in front with their guns in their hands—ready to fight any surprise attackers lurking in the stairs.

The dining room is huge and empty. A giant rectangular table dominates the room, and dozens of leather chairs line both sides. Every single place has been set for a meal, and there's already food on every plate. Evan pulls out a chair and almost pushes Avery into it. He immediately kicks the chair on her right side. Then he sits down to her left and puts his arm on her leg possessively. She's annoyed but decides it's a bad idea to push his hand away.

"Evan, you can't negotiate with him if you insist on acting like a jealous child," she whispers.

Andrew smiles sarcastically and sits across the table from them. He rocks back in the chair and casually slides a cigarette out of his pocket. He dangles it from between his lips and strikes a match. Then he looks at Avery and shakes out the match, dropping the cigarette onto the table.

"I think you wanted to do more than just invite me to dinner," Andrew says.

"Fine, let's cut to the chase," Evan says. "Tell me about your price."

Andrew glances at Avery and winks. Then he says, "I think my price is too high for you, Evan. I can't imagine you'd be willing to pay it."

"You don't know that," Evan said, clearly not understanding that Andrew wants Evan to give up Avery. "Just tell me what it is."

Andrew picks up the unlit cigarette and twirls it between his long fingers. He looks at Avery and then at Evan and rocks his chair back even further. For a minute, Avery wonders if he's going to fall over, but he catches himself just in time and leaned the chair back toward the table. His face suddenly becomes serious, and he drops the cigarette again.

"Put yourself in my shoes, Evan," Andrew says. "If you were in my position, can you think of anything you'd value more than your own life?"

Evan frowns and looks at Avery. Avery looks down at her lap, refusing to meet his eye. She has no idea how Evan will react to Andrew's demand, but she's terrified he'll lose his temper.

"Exactly, but she's not mine," Andrew says with a cold laugh.

"You're right, that's way too high a price," Evan says cooly. "If you're not willing to negotiate, I'll take the heart the hard way."

Evan snaps his fingers, and the door bursts open. Dozens of Howel bodyguards burst into the room carrying guns. Robert runs in front of them, grabs Andrew, and pulls him from his chair. Robert pulls a pistol and presses it into Andrew's temple. 

"Are you going to take me to a hospital first, or do you plan to use one of the dinner knives to cut the heart out of my chest here?" Andrew asks, casually.

Avery stares in horror at the scene around her. She doesn't like Andrew, but she can't bear to see Evan treat the man so cruelly. Though she hopes Evan will at least bring Andrew to a hospital, a part of her wouldn't be surprised to see Evan cut out the heart himself.

"Evan, you can't," she whispers.

"Are you frightened?" Evan asks, taking her hand in his.

"You don't have to do it this way," Avery says. "You didn't even try to negotiate."

"He would never have agreed to anything less than you, and I won't give you up," Evan says fiercely. "This is the only way. So you can choose—him or Charles—but you can't have both."

Avery looks at Andrew and sees that his usual calm and confident expression has vanished. He looks pale and sad, but there's still a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He seems to know she won't choose him, but he can't help himself from hoping anyway. She looks away, guiltily. She already knows that she's going to choose Charles, but it seems terribly cruel to say it in front of Andrew.

"I—I choose," she says, looking down at her feet.

"If you choose Charles, I'll personally bring Andrew to Jackson Oliver, but if you choose Andrew, it will be trickier," Evan says.

Avery digs her nails into her palms. She knows she has to choose Charles. Even if she decided to spare Andrew's life, Jackson never would. She's sure that Jackson would hunt Andrew and Evan until he'd captured and killed them both.

"I pick Charles," Avery whispers miserably.

Andrew laughs loudly, but there isn't anything funny about the sound—he sounds almost crazy. The sound fills Avery with sick guilt. Though she hates Andrew and everything he's done, it seems unfair to sentence him to death. Besides, he just saved Evan and me from the elevator, she thinks. He didn't have to do that, but he did.

"Take him away," Evan says coldly.

The bodyguards surround Andrew and grab his arms. Andrew stops laughing, and Avery can see a tear fall past the mole at the corner of his eye. She's not sure if it's a tear of sadness or part of his crazy laughter from before.

"So just because she chose Charles I'm condemned to death?" Andrew asks.

"You can't possibly think you still have a choice," Evan snaps. "You're not going to talk your way out of this, you know."

"You have no right to make this decision," Andrew says.

Avery sees Evan and Robert exchange a look, and she fights the urge to throw herself at Andrew to protect him. I can't have this both ways, she thinks. I can't save them both, and I need to accept that.

The bodyguards briefly let go of Andrew, and Avery sees Robert fumble with a pair of handcuffs. Before he can snap the metal cuffs around Andrew's wrists, Andrew grabs the front of his shirt and ripped it open. Buttons go flying across the room, and Avery stares in confusion. 

"Oh god, it's a bomb," Robert screams.

Avery stared at Andrew and saw that the man was wearing a strange white waistcoat. She feels her mouth go dry, and she protectively puts her hands on her stomach.

"If you shoot me, we'll die together," Andrew says. "We might even take Avery with us. You see, death is inevitable, but I don't mind a little company on my way to the grave."

"Are you so desperate to steal something that doesn't belong to you?" Evan asks with disgust.

"Are you sure it belongs to you in the first place?" Andrew asks, with a meaningful look at Avery.

Evan looks at Avery with a sharp and curious look. She can see the hurt and confusion in his eyes, and her heart twists a little more. Andrew laughs again.

"Well, unless you're willing to end the night with a bang, I think I'll be going," Andrew says.

He slowly walks across the room, and the bodyguards all raise their hands above their heads. He stops at the door and winks at Avery and then disappears down the stairs.