Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Oliver

M y cell rings as Viktor is talking to me.

"Fuck," I look at the screen. It reads Marco. "I have to take this." I turn to leave.

"Oliver, I'm not done." Viktor tries to grab my arm.

"I have to go." Once I'm out of the office, I answer. "Why are you calling?" I ask, knowing something must be wrong but hoping it isn't.

"There's been another incident."

"Where are you?" I walk out of the building to my car.

"The hospital."

"What the fuck? How is she? The baby?" I turn on the ignition. "What hospital?"

"The one near her apartment. Ms. O'Brien and the baby are fine. She's been moved to a room."

"I'll be there in twenty. Call reinforcements."

"Done." I end the call.

My cell beeps. I ignore the text from Viktor. I can't deal with his bullshit right now. Only one person wants to see Ava gone—McIntyre. They've been quiet since the first incident, and I thought they finally decided to leave Ava alone. I made sure she wasn't on anyone's radar. Even Viktor has taken a step back. I guess I was wrong. I get to the hospital, not knowing what to expect. Outside her door are Marco and Jimmy.

"How is she?" I ask Marco.

"Quiet, sir."

"The reinforcements?"

"One on each staircase door and two outside the hospital."

"Thank you."

A few weeks ago, I put a contingency plan in place in case something happened again. Marco recruited a few of his marine buddies to be on standby in the event of another attack against Ava. If I assigned men from the clan, word would get out about Ava, and I couldn't take that risk. I was hoping to never need them.

"Hey," I say as I enter her room.

"Oliver," she responds. She looks pale.

"How are you feeling?" I stand beside her.

"Okay, but everything hurts." Her voice is just a whisper.

"And my nephew?"

"Thank God he's fine." She takes a deep breath.

"I have to tell him."

"You can't."

"I told you last time that if something happened, I would tell him."

"Pull up a chair."

"What?"

"Please," she begs. I pull the chair beside her. "Oliver, no one knows him better than you. If he finds out..." she starts but looks away.

"What is it?" I ask nervously.

"Someone could hurt him if he comes to me, and Fiona…" Tears roll down her cheek.

"What about Fiona?"

"She could hurt the baby." She puts her hands on her belly.

"You know I would never let that happen. But Viktor deserves to know. You will be safer with both of us protecting you."

"There is no place on earth I could go that I would be safe. That much is clear. You must realize that I wouldn't be any safer with Viktor. It might actually make things worse."

She isn't exaggerating. It's one of the conclusions I reached when she asked me to keep her secret.

"You aren't safe in the open either."

"What do you suggest?"

There's only one thing I can do. "Double security and full lockdown."

"I have to go to work. I have friends."

"Can you cut back on shifts? And I'm sure your friend Max wouldn't mind visiting you at home."

"How do you know about him?" She looks at me, confused.

"Do you really think I would let anyone near you if I hadn't vetted them myself?"

"I guess not. Oliver, I don't want this."

"I know. But there isn't anything we can do about it now. I would say it's a little too late for that." I give her a smile trying to comfort her.

"Can I come in?" Max asks from the door with Marco behind him. I nod for Marco to let him in.

"Sure," she answers. He eyes me. "This is my friend Oliver. Oliver, this is Max."

"Nice to meet you, Oliver." He holds out his hand, and I shake it. I don't particularly like him, but Ava seems less sad with her friends around.

"I'll be outside. I'll give you two a minute."

"Ok," she tells me.

"Let's take a walk, Marco," I tell him.

"Yes, sir. Holden, cover me." He speaks into his earpiece.

"What happened?" I ask when we arrive in the waiting area.

"We saw an Irish run out with her purse. We immediately knew something was wrong. Jimmy tried to run after him, but there was an SUV idling with the door open. We knew Ms. O'Brien was the priority."

"Good call."

"Sir, if I may?" I give him the go-ahead. "They aren't going to stop. She needs to stay out of sight, or we need to be in closer proximity. No more distance protection."

"I know. But you know Ava won't give in easily."

"She shouldn't have a choice. Not anymore. Or at least not until we apprehend whoever is trying to hurt her."

I've known for some time it would come down to this.

"I want four men at all times. Money is not an issue."

"Yes, sir." I walk back to her room.

My cell beeps again. Viktor is asking where I am. I quickly reply that I'm wrapping things up on a personal matter. I'll meet him at Eros in an hour.

"It's a long story," Ava says as I enter.

"I need to go. Did you decide between option one or two?"

"Viktor can't know."

"Option one it is." I stand beside her with Max on the other side. "Marco and Jimmy are going to be with you at all times. No more distance. You and my nephew are my priority." I lean in and kiss her forehead. "He will kill me if anything happens to either of you."

She closes her eyes. "I know. Thank you."

"You will never have to thank me for keeping you safe. You're family." I leave the room knowing the words couldn't be any truer.

I leave the hospital and walk to my car. I still have to deal with Viktor. He isn't going to let go that I left his office so abruptly. I know him well enough to know he will want answers to questions I can't answer for now.

Pulling up to Eros, I park and enter. Viktor is talking to Angus at the bar. He looks pissed, but that isn't new. It's his permanent state of mind as of late.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he barks.

"I told you, a personal matter."

"Stop with the fucking lies. I want the truth." He's a few feet from me.

"My girlfriend, dickhead. She's going through some shit, and she needed me." I hate lying to him, but what choice do I have?

"Don't fuck with me. I'm not playing."

I've been preparing for this scenario for a while. I had a contingency in place in the event it came to this. I take my cell and dial. I set the cell on speaker.

"Hi, Sarah."

"Hi, Babe. I'm fine. Promise."

"Are you sure? I'm sorry I had to leave, but I just needed to check in again."

"I swear I'm fine. I'll cook something for dinner tonight if you can get away."

"I'll be there. I'll text you when I'm on my way. I have to go."

"Okay. Thanks again for always being here for me." I end the call.

"What kind of trouble is she having? Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?" he asks, taking a few steps back. His shoulders are now relaxed.

"We haven't been together long enough to meet the family. The drama isn't anything I can't handle."

"I'm here for you if you need anything."

"I know."

This lie is going to cost me. I had never lied to Viktor before Ava came along. I have never kept anything from him. But just like him, I feel a sense of responsibility to protect Ava and my nephew. I can't explain it. There's something about her that brings out the protector in me. I'm not in love with her. It's something else entirely. What started as a vow to my brother has become a brother protecting his sister. Insane, considering we aren't related, and she isn't from the clan. But at the end of the day, it's not about blood or the clan. Me protecting her is about doing the right thing. She needs me more than Viktor needs me to tell him the truth. Because Ava is right. I'm not sure she would be any safer if Viktor learned I'm helping Ava keep a secret that could change our lives as we know it.