Page 62 of Ties That Bind Us

“Maybe he’s trying to use the Russians against us. He’s always wanted control of our group, and maybe he thinks if he blinds us with this bullshit arrangement he came up with, we’ll fight with the Russians to the death. Then we’d have no choice but to merge under any terms he wanted,” Leo suggested, scratching his chin. I could see the wheels turning in his mind as he tried to make sense of it all. It was no use, though. I had been trying all night, so much so that I hadn’t slept a wink, and couldn’t figure out what Alessandro was up to.

“If he wanted control, why would he hand Ava over to be in the cross fire?” my dad asked, just as mystified as any of us. He wasn’t used to being in the dark about things, and was struggling to find the solution.

“He couldn’t care less about Ava. We should have realized that the second he didn’t tell her about the arrangement before we met,” I snarled, still sore about the memory. Alessandro was a fucking coward, and if I wasn’t marrying his daughter, I would have offed him already.

“I say we confront him about it. Vince wouldn’t just put the bug in your ear for nothing,” Leo interjected.

“I agree. Something is definitely up, and I won’t have Ava hurt in the process.” The thought of that man hurting her in even the slightest way was infuriating. I hated Alessandro for so many reasons, but mostly for how he treated Ava. I had no idea how someone as sweet and genuine as her could come from such a horrendous man.

“Look, I think we all just need to take a breath here. I don’t want to make any rash decisions,” my dad said, trying to wrangle Leo and me back in. If it was up to us, we’d act big and act fast. My dad was much more controlled, though. He liked to know all the information before we sent people in and risked anything. It was probably good that we had him to keep us level headed.

My phone buzzed on the table and Vince’s number popped up on the screen. I frowned; that was certainly unexpected.

“Vince?” Leo asked, just as confused as I was.

“Maybe he’s got some information,” my dad said, nodding at the phone.

I picked it up hesitantly. “Hello?”

“Nick,” Vince said sharply. “There was an accident.”

With those few words, all the wind was knocked out of my lungs. Something was wrong.

“What—what is—” I stuttered, my mind already clouding with the possibilities. Was she okay? Had it been a car accident? Something with her father? Wasn’t she trying on dresses today? What the fuck was going on?

“There was a shooting at the wedding dress shop. Can you meet me at the hospital?” Vince cut me off, his voice flooded with urgency.

Shooting. The dress shop. I felt like throwing up. Ava was shot?

I jumped out of the booth, as Leo and my dad looked at me in confusion.

“What’s going on?” Leo asked, but I ignored him.

“Yeah. I’m on my way,” I said trying to focus my mind. I had to get to her. “Is she okay?” My voice broke as a lump grew in my throat. The answer to that question was terrifying.

Vince hesitated. “I don’t know. Just meet me there as fast as you can.” The line went dead.

“Is everything okay?” my dad asked, frowning.

“There was a shooting at the dress shop on Fifth Avenue. Ava was there.” I had to focus on every word I was saying in order for them to make sense. I was completely numb, my chest heavy with panic and terror.

“What? Is she okay?” Leo shrieked, grabbing his coat and leaping from the booth as well. I was nearly paralyzed with fear. What if she wasn’t?

“I—I don’t know.” I shook my head. She had to be okay, right? We were just barely getting the opportunity to have a life together; there was still so much we had to do. This couldn’t happen.

“We’ll go with you,” my dad said, ushering us out of the restaurant to his waiting car.

I was glad to be with them because I had no idea how I would have gotten to the hospital otherwise. I was used to things like this, but with Ava involved, it changed everything. I was normally calm and collected, even when things didn’t go as we were expecting, but right now, I felt like I was going insane. All I cared about was getting to Ava. I needed to touch her, to physically hold her in my arms, and make sure she was okay. I wouldn’t be able to function until I did.

I didn’t even wait for the car to stop before jumping out and sprinting inside. The emergency room was complete chaos, crawling with reporters and police. I caught sight of Bella out of the corner of my eye, standing outside a room with her fiancé, and rushed toward her.

“Nick!” She sobbed when she saw me.

“Where is she?” I asked breathlessly.

“She’s inside. Vince is with her,” she said, pointing to the door behind her.

I didn’t even knock. Ava was sitting on the edge of a bed wearing a white gown drenched in blood. She was heaving with sobs as Vince sat next to her and held her hand.

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