THE CONTRACT (The Chosen Series #2)

WHERE ARE YOU NOW

4 Weeks Previous  

"Answer your fucking phone," I growl, glaring at my dashboard as if it's to blame that the call goes to voicemail.

"Hi, you've called Ava. I'm currently unavailable at the moment. If you'd like to leave your message after the tone, I'll return your call as soon as possible..." Beep.

"Bitch, this is like the 6th time I've called. You better be asleep or have someone balls deep inside you," frustration boils within me, and I tap my fingers against the steering wheel. "I'm on my way over, so if you're naked, don't bother covering up. I've seen it all." I end the call and continue tapping, channeling my excess energy.

I'm already on edge after last night's dinner with Alexei. The whole evening, I was caught between worrying about Ava after I took her home from her hypnosis session and trying to protect myself against Alexei's advances.

Checking my dash, I see that it's 10:00 am. I try to tell myself that it's still early, but unlike myself, Ava's an early riser, and it's unlikely that she's still in bed.I pull my car onto her street, breathing a sigh of relief when I notice that her silver Ford is out front.

Parking, I turn off the ignition, make my way up to the front porch, and knock twice, tapping my booted foot impatiently. "Ava, open the door," I yell, counting to 10 under my breath, "Ava, if you don't open the door in like 5 seconds, I'm using my key."

Not bothering to wait, I let myself in and scrunch my nose at the sour smell. "Ava!" I shout, looking around the living room, not seeing any sign of her. I decide to check her bedroom and race up the stairs only to find her room empty, the king bed immaculately made.

Entering the connecting bathroom, it's also bare. "Ava, where are you?" I yell, panic taking over. Running to the spare room, my occasional room, I also find it empty, old photo albums littering my old bed. "Damn it! I'm going to kick your ass when I find you."

Returning downstairs, I go to the kitchen and freeze when I see a mixture of vomit and glass over the floor. It's only when I hear Ava's mobile ringing that I shake off the fear flooding my veins. Turning in a circle, I find it lying face down on her marble counter and snatch it up, Liam's name displaying on the screen. Without thinking, I answer it, a strong, masculine voice coming over the line, "Ava, love, finally you answered."

Stunned at the relief in his voice, I'm lost for words. "Ava, talk to me, are you okay? I've been calling all morning." The rich brogue becomes uncertain when I remain quiet.

Pulling myself out of my daze, I clutch the phone closer, "Sorry, not Ava, ah," I hiccup, a sob coming out of nowhere.

"Who's this?" he asks.

"Erin, Ava's friend." Mind whirling, my words come out scattered.

"Okay, Erin," his voice patient but firm, "can you put Ava on?"

Fingers tapping, heat pooling at the tips, my control starts to slip, and I hiccup again. "I can't, I can't find her, there is broken glass and vomit all over the floor. I can't find her." Where is she? Is she hurt? Oh, God!

"Erin, I need you to calm down. I'm in the area and can be there in 10." His voice softening, "can you do that for me? We can look for her together."

Sniffling, I use my left hand to wipe away tears from my face, the water sizzling at my touch, jolting me out of my mid-panic and clearing my thoughts. "Okay, but hurry."

Ending the call, I head outside and wait on the porch step, my jeans resting against the cool wood as I rock myself. Five minutes later, a large red truck pulls into the street, its wheels screeching as it comes to a stop. Standing and using my hands to wipe away the dust from my clothes, I feel a weird sensation slide down my spine when an exceptionally tall man climbs out and strides towards me.