A Beautiful Fate (32 page)

I nodded my head again.

“No way, are you serious?”

I once again nodded my head then opened my mouth. “It was Ari’s sister.”

“You’re lying!” August exclaimed.

“I wish I were,” I said as I closed my eyes and tried to fight back fresh tears.

“So what happened,” he pressed. I tightened my eyes, squeezing them closed as hard as I could. I would come clean to August. Our friendship would just be easier that way.

“Well, those two men kidnapped Ari’s sister. I found them, managed to free her, and one of them shot me,” I began to explain as I pulled Ari’s sweatshirt down off my left shoulder revealing my now scarred gunshot wounds.

“They thought I was dead and put me in a garbage bag. They were going to dump my body at sea but I regained consciousness. I cut myself out of the bag and found the gun. I shot one guy in the back of the head and I killed him. A fight broke out between the other guy and me and I managed to get a rope around his neck and then push him over the side of the boat; I hanged him. Ari saved my life; I nearly bled to death on his back patio. I moved here to London the day they released me from the hospital.”

“Nuh uh,” was August’s response.

I shrugged my shoulders, not caring if he believed me or not.

“So is the fact that one of their brothers was found dead a block from here just a coincidence?”

“He came here to kill me few nights ago. I did the only thing I could to survive.”

“Oh hell, Ava! We have to call the police.”

“Go ahead and call them if you want. I don’t blame you, but by the time the police get here I will be gone and you will never see me again.”

“Why?”

“I can’t really explain it; I just can’t be connected to this.”

August paced the floor for a while, and then he finally took a seat on the couch. “Fine, I trust you.”

All I could do was roll my eyes at him. August took in the sight of my oversized sweatshirt, “so does
he
know?”

“No, I haven’t told them. I’m sure Ari’s father has been made aware of the situation by now, but I don’t owe them anything. They chose to keep Aggie’s cancer from me so I don’t feel a need to tell them anything.”

“You are so messed up, Ava.” August said with a sigh.

“Whatever, you want to go with me to Jake’s?”

“Sure, but I am not going anywhere with you until you shower and brush your teeth.”

I took in one last inhale from Ari’s sweatshirt then put it back in the corner of my closet and headed to the shower.

At Jake’s, I had a third tally mark tattooed onto my left wrist.

Chapter 19

I was on edge for a couple of weeks, worried that someone would come to question me about Kakos No. 3, but the only person I heard from was Margaux; she texted me, saying that if I should need anything to let her know. Her message indicated clearly that she knew I was involved in the murder. I began to lighten up a bit and August and I went out much more as the weather got warmer. We began to hang out with Nora and Adler in Soho. Sometimes Claude, August’s ex-boyfriend, would tag along. Claude had just moved to London and was trying to get back into August’s life. The “should he or shouldn’t he” conversation became a daily feature of our lives.

One night when I was sitting at a bar with August, I got a text from Rory: “Pick us up at Heathrow in an hour?” A second text arrived from him immediately after: “Please?” Then came a third: “Oh & can we stay w/u for a week?”

I stared at my phone and blinked several times. Rory is here. Here in London. My lips pulled up at the corners and I felt… excited! I typed a quick “okay” in response and grabbed August, telling him we had to head to Heathrow. We said goodbye to Nora and Adler. We ignored Claude, who was having a moment on the dance floor, dancing by himself to
Deadmau5
, and headed out to pick Rory up at the airport.

“So who is this person exactly and who else is with him?”

“Um, he’s my friend and Ari’s cousin.”

“Is he with Ari?!” August exclaimed.

I shoved that thought away; I was not going to let myself get excited about the prospect of seeing Ari.

“I doubt it.”

“Oh…So, he is staying with us for a week?”

“Yeah. I guess. I would have told you sooner but I only just found out.”

“Are you sure Ari isn’t with him?”

The very thought of seeing Ari was like a crazy addictive drug. It made every nerve in my body dance around with excitement. I knew not to get my hopes up.

“Yes August, I’m sure he isn’t here.”

We got to Heathrow just in time to meet Rory at the pick-up area. I heard Julia’s squeals and closed my eyes, bracing myself for what was to come. Rory scooped me up into a giant bear hug that made my ribs scream out in pain, but I had missed him so much I didn’t care. Just seeing him standing there was a very surreal moment. I took one tiny glance through the corridor. No Ari.

As though able to read my thoughts, Rory bit down on his bottom lip, shook his head no and gave me one last reassuring squeeze.

“So what are you guys doing here?” I finally asked as I tried to get us a cab.

“It’s spring break and we missed you, so here we are! Julia used the tickets you and um… well, the tickets she got for Christmas.”

“This is an awesome surprise,” I said, then turned and introduced them to August.

We got a cab, and packed it down with luggage and headed to my makeshift home.

August moved to the couch, giving Rory and Julia his room, and we stayed up most of the night talking about school and parties and stuff no one cared about; we were all very careful to avoid the Ari conversation. The next day, Julia and August slept in while Rory joined Nora and me on our run. I could tell our slow pace was killing him, but he was gracious and kept stride for Nora’s sake.

We spent the afternoon touring London. Since Julia had grown up nearby, we visited all of her favorite places; the tour gave us a chance to get to know each other a little bit better. They forced me back on the London Eye and I kept my eyes closed for the whole half hour ride. We visited the cemetery where Julia’s family rests. I could tell it was a very hard thing for her to do. She started crying and threw her arms around me in a hug.

“You did it, didn’t you?” she whispered in my ear.

“I don’t know what you are talking about...I’m sorry.”

“You killed him. The Kakos they found here last month. He was the man who killed my parents. Thank you, Ava.”

“Oh…”

We spent nearly every night out in Soho, and since August did not believe in spring break, I continued my studies with him in the mornings. Of the many schools I had attended and of the many teachers I had had to deal with, August was by far the most strict. But he made up for pushing me by coming home Thursday night with six tickets to the
Mumford & Sons’
Friday night show at The Hammersmith Apollo. I gave him my biggest hug and a little kiss on his cheek while he tried to wiggle away.

We dressed up for the evening and I even let Julia do my makeup. Then we met up with Adler and Nora at Les Trois Garcons for dinner, one of my favorite places and one of August’s too. Its pink-and-blue chandeliers, stuffed monkeys smoking cigars, and handbags strung from the ceiling create an atmosphere that is somewhat whimsical but also very chic. After a great dinner, complete with lots of storytelling and laughter, we made our way to the show. The Hammersmith was bursting at the seams but the
Mumford & Sons’
show was fantastic and worth the close quarters. We all had a great time and I could tell that Julia and August had become fast friends. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed earlier how much alike they are.

We got back to my flat really late. Julia and August crashed on the couch as soon as we walked through the door. I donned my tank and boxers and climbed up in my window seat with a cup of tea. Rory found me there and pulled his giant self in next to me.

“He misses you, you know,” Rory whispered as he nudged my shoulder with his. A big fat tear rolled down my cheek.

“I miss him, too,” I said quietly.

“So come home, Ava. This place is no good for you. No offense, but you look sick and tired. And thin and pale. You’re sleeping on a bare mattress for Pete’s sake. You have a home with us. Come back with Julia and me, please.”

“I can’t Roar, you know that. I just can’t.” I swallowed hard. “So, does he know you are here?”

“I didn’t tell him, but I’m sure he knows by now. You know no one in our family can keep a secret.” Rory paused for a moment, “Ava, Ari is a mess; all he does is mope around. Aggie is worried sick about him.” Rory pulled out his phone and held it up so I could see a picture he had taken of Ari asleep, in his bed at home, with a two-headed teddy bear tucked under his arm.

“He said it smells like you, whatever that means.”

I started to cry, even though I had a smile on my face. That picture made me both the saddest and happiest I had been in a very long time. Rory pulled me to him and let me cry into his shoulder until I was all dried up.

I finally got myself together. “So do you think Ari will be mad at you two for sneaking off here?”

“If I know Ari, and I think do, he is going to be irate. He has been looking for a reason to break my nose for months now. But he won’t be as mad as when he sees those tats, Ava.”

“Oh, yeah,” I said, scrunching up my nose and holding out my arm to display my new art. “Well, I guess we won’t know until we get to see each other again, if ever.”

“I’m joking, Ava. He’ll probably think it’s the hottest thing ever. I’m sure he won’t be able to take his hands off you, not that he ever could to begin with.”

I blushed and the thought of Ari’s touch sent happy shivers down my spine.

“I told him I didn’t love him.”

“I know you did.”

“I lied.”

“He knows that. We all know that.”

“Rory, this is so much harder than I ever imagined. I just want the Kakos thing to all be over with. I just want to go home.”

“I know, Baby. But you can come home whenever you want. We’ll always have a place for you, no matter what.”

****

We took Julia and Rory to the airport on Saturday. August and Julia hugged about a million times and I am pretty sure I even saw him cry when they said their final goodbye.

“How come you never told me about Julia before? She is so awesome,” August said as we headed out of the airport.

“Umm, Julia is… nice. She’s a good friend. I guess I didn’t think my past would ever mingle with my present. I am really glad you like her.”

I didn’t say much more on the cab ride home. A part of me was elated that they had come to see me, but now that they were gone, I felt empty. The anger and sadness started to creep back into my psyche. I felt that old self-hate begin to rise in me again. If I could be any other person in the world, I could just go home and be normal with Ari.

August and I arrived back at our flat and I went straight back to my room. I lay on my bare mattress, covered myself up with a sweater, and let the tears roll down my cheeks.

That night I had a dream that August had gone to Camden Bar & Kitchen to fetch our drinks. At first, I paid no real attention to the dream; then I noticed a man dressed in black, sitting alone at a small table near the window. I had seen this man before, in another dream. This was No. 4 and his plan was perfectly clear. Poison.

By the time the sun peeked through my windows, my plan was already under way. I woke August up by digging through his closet for a ginger-colored, curly-haired wig that I had seen in there a few weeks ago. I also dragged out a pair of fish-net stockings and a leather mini skirt, then headed to the bathroom to get ready. I paired my new outfit with some black leather boots and a black leather jacket. Julia had left her eye make up on the counter, so I put on dark eyeliner and fake eyelashes to go along with the rest of my ensemble.

August stumbled groggily in to the bathroom, looked at me and said, “Ok, Ava, you have seriously lost it.”

“Shut up and listen,” I snapped as I pushed him down onto the toilet as a makeshift seat. “Here’s the plan. The fourth Kakos is making an appearance today and he has added you to his hit list, so if you want to survive, you will do as I say.”

I saw that I had his full attention, and continued. “Today, at ten o’clock, No. 4 is going to be at the Camden Bar & Kitchen. He will have paid the cashier to spike the drinks that you order with poison. I am going to go down there, before you arrive, and switch his glass vial out for mine,” I said as I pulled out a tiny glass vial that was filled with plain tap water.

“No. 4 will make a huge mistake right before you walk through the door. He will go to the loo, and when he does, he’ll leave the poison in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. I am going to switch the vials, pour the real poison into his coffee and then leave to make a phone call. When you see me leave, that is your cue to order our drinks. You need to sit by the counter and act pre-occupied so No. 4 will feel comfortable with the transaction. He will walk from the bathroom, grab the vial out of his pocket, and pretend to make small talk with the cashier as he nonchalantly passes the now fake poison on. As soon as you get the drinks, you need to leave Camden’s and bring the coffee straight back here. No. 4 is going to return to his table and drink that poison and I don’t want you anywhere around when he does.”