Resolution (Heart of Stone) (6 page)

She climbed
over to me and pulled me into her arms. “It’s over, Ava. We won’t let him hurt
you again, babe” she said softly and I nodded wildly again.

Neo gave me
a reassuring smile and nodded then left the room as Courtney and I settled back
down but it was impossible for me to drift back off and after another hour of
tossing and turning I slipped out of bed, grabbed my robe and went in search of
coffee.

“You okay,
Miss Stone?” Neo asked as I entered the kitchen. He was sat at the table,
tapping away frantically on the keyboard. I nodded to him and held up a mug in
query. He smiled and nodded as I filled the kettle and made coffee.

Sitting at
the table I took a large gulp and sighed at the caffeine hit. “What are you
working on? “I asked and he regarded me over the rim of his cup.

“If I told
you that I’d have to kill you, Miss Stone” he grinned.

“Please,
call me Ava” I told him as I reached into the cupboard for a packet of cookies.

“I’m
updating the system with Dane Winters details and loading his profile into the
network so it should pop up when we get a hit, either facial or technical” he
told me as he carried on typing.

“Technical?”
I asked around a mouthful of chocolate chips, and he glanced at me.

“Yeah,
hospital admissions” he smirked, “We presume after the amount of blood left in
the shower that he will be receiving hospital treatment” he divulged.

I shrugged.
“He deserved every fucking thing he got” I told him.

“He did” he
admitted frankly as he leant across the table for his own biscuit. “Other
things it tracks are card transactions, access to his online accounts, and we
have triggered his house to let us know if he enters it or he opens his phone
messages.” He frowned at something on his screen but continued typing at a
professional speed and ability.

We sat in
comfortable silence for a while as I savoured my coffee and he worked as he
demolished the rest of the cookies. My mind started wandering and it wasn’t
long before it was thinking of Mason and I refused to let it.

I started
rummaging about in the cupboards, pulling out ingredients and equipment and I
started to bake, needing the relaxing feeling it always gave me.

A couple of
hours later and the worktop was covered in muffins, cookies and cupcakes.

The sun came
up as I iced and creamed them and I was feeling much better by the time I had
finished. Neo had been constantly dipping fingers and nibbling at things and we
had laughed hard and often and I appreciated his effort to distract my
thoughts.

Courtney
joined us early and we were now sat at the table, drinking coffee and eating
banana and toffee muffins whilst we chatted. Something beeped on Neo’s laptop
and then all hell seemed to break loose.

Neo
frantically typed and pressed keys whilst dialling people on three phones. I
recognised Elijah’s voice through one of them. “We’ve got a hit” Neo said
calmly and professionally.

“You got the
guys out?” Elijah asked and Neo confirmed that he had. “I’ll be thirty minutes”
He said and the call ended abruptly.

Neo pressed
more keys and then swung the laptop round to me. “Is that him Ava?” he asked
and I shivered as I saw Dane’s bloodied face on the screen. I swallowed and Courtney’s
hand rested on my shoulder.

“Yes” I
whispered.

Neo patted
my hand and then continued to rapidly speak to different people on different
speaker free handsets, competently and efficiently giving out orders.

My heart was
in my chest as the two way conversations were frenzied and constant. “Where is
he?” I asked quietly and Neo’s gaze swung to mine.

“His house”
he said calmly.

I nodded. “I
had hoped I had killed him” I whispered, more to myself than anybody in the
room.

He smiled
encouragingly. “Hold that thought, Ava” he winked and I stood and left the
room, needing calmness and quietness.

I switched
on the shower in the bathroom and let it run before I stepped in and winced as
the water pounded the sores on my back, reminding me that they would forever
more mar and disfigure me. Reminding me of how they got there, how they had
been thrust upon me.

I closed my
eyes and shifted my thoughts and finishing my shower, I dressed and went in
search of smiley little faces.

 Katie was
awake when I entered their room and I swept her up, nuzzling her hair and
inhaling her sweet scent. “Good morning peanut” I said softly and she grizzled
at me. “Hungry baby?” I asked as I took her over to the changing table and
swapped her squidgy nappy for a clean one and took her downstairs before she
woke her brother.

It was still
action stations downstairs and Elijah had arrived. “Good morning, Miss Stone”
he smiled softly at me and held out his finger to an inquisitive Katie, who
ensued to grasp it firmly. He smiled at her and she smiled back and it made my
heart swell. She was such a good baby, hardly ever complaining and grumbling.

Courtney
held out her bottle for me and I smiled my thanks to her and popped it in
Katie’s mouth as I cradled her in my arms. She immediately latched on and
guzzled, “Greedy guts” I chuckled at her and kissed her head.

She grinned
at me over the teat and I chuckled at her, “You are so beautiful” I snuggled
and she squealed at me.

Katie was a
proper Daddy’s girl and I wondered if she was missing Mason, I know I was but I
refused to let it show. I didn’t need anybody to know how much I was struggling
without my man.

“Have you
managed to find him?” I asked Elijah and he shook his head.

“No, the
bastard had gone before our guys got there” he said angrily.

“
Fuck!”
I hissed.

“Precisely”
Neo chuckled. “We’ll get him next time Ava” he said and I nodded and strolled
into the lounge, sitting on the sofa with Katie and enjoying our precious time
together.

 “What are
we gonna do Katie, eh? Do you miss your Daddy?” I smiled down at her and her
huge eyes watched me, her facial expressions changing with each of my words as
she continued to suck on her milk.

“I won’t let
anybody hurt you baby girl, I promise” I kissed her forehead as a tear slipped
free and dropped on her cheek. I stared at it, as it trickled across her pink cheek
and down onto her chin. “I miss him so much, Katie” I whispered as another tear
dripped onto her.

I swallowed
the rest back; I didn’t want to drown her. She grinned at me as though she knew
what I needed and a sob escaped my throat at her happy face.

I felt
somebody sit next to me and I turned to see Elijah regarding me with a frown,
his eyes dropped to my cheek and he brushed his thumb across my tears. “Don’t
cry, Ava” he whispered and I swallowed at his tenderness.

I smiled
shyly at him and then flinched back from him as Greg entered the room. He came
up behind me and kissed the top of my head. “Morning sweetheart, how are you
feeling?” he asked as he scanned the room.

“I’m good
and she’s in the kitchen” I told him. He gave me his cocky grin and winked then
went into the kitchen.

I could feel
Elijah’s eyes on me but I didn’t look up. “Do you want me to put a trace on
him?” he asked quietly and I glanced at him.

“Who? Dane?”
I asked; confusion setting in as I knew they already had him under surveillance
that is if they could ever find him.

He shook his
head. “Mason” he informed me softly and I sucked in a breath.

“No, I don’t
think I want to know where he is” I shrugged as he frowned at me and cocked his
head questioningly “He uhh, he has a tendency to fuck anything with tits when
he’s high” I confessed.

Elijahs’
eyebrows hit his hairline. “And you just, what? Accept it?” he scoffed and I
looked away and bit my lip.

“No” I said
quietly.

“
Fuck!”
he hissed and my eyes shot to his “You don’t deserve that, you know that don’t
you?” he narrowed his eyes on me and I gulped.

“I haven’t… I
haven’t actually been an innocent party” I divulged and he sighed.

“I see” he
said and his eyes dropped to Katie.

“Nothing
like what you’re thinking” I defended, suddenly needing him to understand.  “I…
well I fell for somebody else when my life was a bit… well it was fucking shit
at the time and me and Mason were having problems” I explained.

Elijah
frowned at me. “Ava, it’s none of my business” he said and I shrugged.

“I know but
I didn’t… I didn’t want you thinking I was… I was…”

His hand
palmed my cheek and I blinked rapidly at him. “Ava… I don’t think you are… well
whatever you think you are” he scolded firmly and then smiled at me softly. He
held my gaze for perhaps a moment too long and his eyes suddenly dropped to my
mouth. I parted my lips in a puff of breath and Elijah cleared his throat and
stood up quickly.

“I’ll… just…”
he gestured to the kitchen and I nodded.

What the
hell had that been about? I couldn’t deny that my body had reacted to him, the
throb in my belly was proof to that, but I didn’t understand what had happened.
Was he just being friendly or caring or…. No! I would not go there; I didn’t
need that kind of complication in my life at the moment.

I heard
George’s faint cry from up the stairs. Courtney shouted “I’ll get him” her
voice carried from the bottom of the stairs as I popped Katie in the playpen
and switched on the mobile that hung from the side of it as I went to prepare
George’s bottle.

The kitchen
was a hive of activity and Elijah, Neo and Greg were all leant over the laptop
pointing at co-ordinate’s on a map as Greg was filling them in on Dane’s old
haunts.

I warmed the
bottle and turned to catch Elijah watching me before he quickly averted his
eyes as I walked into the room to a happy smiling George. “Good morning,
peanut” I grinned at him and he chuckled happily.

My heart
broke as I looked at him, he was the spitting image of his father, from his
hair to the shape of his nose to the twinkle in his eye and I knew this boy
would break plenty of girls’ hearts, just like his father had broken mine
yesterday.

He gurgled
and babbled at me as his hand reached for my mouth. “I know George” I stated
seriously as I placed my mouth to his fingers and sucked on each one. He
chuckled merrily and Katie joined in as soon as she heard her brother. “Aunty Courtney’s
giving him his breakfast this morning” Courtney said as she took the bottle
from me and sat down with George.

There was a
knock on the door and Neo shouted that he was getting it and a moment later
Nate and Liv entered the room.

“Hey you”
Nate said softly as he kissed my forehead and pulled me in for a hug “Jesus,
Ava” he whispered and I hugged him back.

Nate was my
boss but he had become a really good friend and right now I relished the
security and affection he offered me.

“How are
you?” he asked as he pulled back and Liv embraced me. I nodded and smiled at
him over Liv’s shoulder but he scowled at me slightly, knowing I was far from
okay.

“I’m glad
you’ve called in” I said to Liv “I need a recommendation for childcare. I need
to get back to work.”

“Ava, there’s
no rush” Nate informed me.

“No, I’m
ready” I told him.

He grinned
at me. “Well good, cos’ that secretary I’ve got now keeps hassling me for my
body” he winked and I smirked at Liv who narrowed her eyes on her husband.

“So the call
through from your office yesterday saying ‘Get that sweet ass bent over my
desk’ was me hassling you?” she lifted her eyebrows at him.

He grinned
at her. “But you didn’t say no, Angel” he smirked.

Courtney and
I laughed at them. “Well if you can’t fuck your boss who can you fuck?” I
winked at Liv who smiled at me ruefully.

“Well you
should know” Nate snorted and I poked my tongue out at him “Where is he anyway?”
he asked and I sighed. He narrowed his eyes on me “Ava?” he asked.

I looked
away. Nate’s hand grasped my chin and turned me to look at him, he was very
protective of me and I loved him for it, not romantically… mine and Nate’s relationship
was purely platonic and I could never picture myself sexually involved with him
as was the same for him and I think that’s why we got on so well.

He was
utterly and wholly in love with Liv and luckily she knew this too and had been
gracious and accepted mine and Nate’s friendship for what it was.

I diverted
my eyes but he didn’t let me go. “What’s he done, Ava?” he asked quietly but
coolly and I sighed.

“He just
said some… some things yesterday, that’s all” I answered but didn’t look at
him.

He tilted my
head back. “Now answer the question truthfully and honestly” he said as I saw
Elijah enter the room and stand beside the door.

“He… he kind
of accused me of… enjoying Dane’s… you know… the sex, Mason thought I had
enjoyed it with Dane.”

I saw Nate’s
face close down and I heard Liv’s sharp intake of breath. Nate released my chin
but didn’t take his eyes off me. “He said what?” he hissed.

I tensed.
“It doesn’t matter Nate, he was just coming down and it was just the coke
talking” I defended but I noticed his fists clenched and his eyes darken.

Shit!

“Nate
please, I don’t need this right now” I warned but he shook his head.

“How many
fucking times are you gonna let him fuck you up and then fucking defend him,
Ava?” he snarled and I bit my lip.

“Nate!” I
implored.

I looked at
Liv who shook her head at me. “He’s right, Ava” she said and I shook my head
but Nate palmed my face.

“Ava, you
know how much I love you, you are like my best friend rolled into my sister but
for fucks sake, I can’t sit back and watch him destroy you” he said gently.

I flinched
at the sincerity in his voice and I nodded. “I know” I whispered, “He’s gone
now anyway. He’ll be high by now so…” I shrugged.

“So he’ll be
fucking any unknown tart” Nate finished and I cringed harshly.

“Nate!” Liv
scolded and he flung his hands into the air and stormed out.

I sighed and
sagged into a chair and Liv crouched in front of me. “He just cares about you,
Ava” she specified and I smiled at her and nodded.

“I know, and
I appreciate his honesty. That’s one thing I can always bank on from him” I
admitted and she scoffed.

“Oh yeah, he’s
too honest at times” she winked and kissed my cheek “Better get to work. I’ll e-mail
you the company I use for Helena, they’re brilliant” she told me.

I nodded, “Thanks.”
She smiled at Courtney who disappeared up the stairs to change George’s nappy
and left.

I sighed and
sagged into the chair, drawing up my knees and propping my feet on the edge of
the chair I rested my face in my hands and sighed heavily.

“He seems to
care about you” Elijah said and I jumped a mile and held my hand to my pounding
chest, “Sorry” he chuckled.

I nodded to
him. “Yeah Nate’s my boss and one of my best friends” I told him.

“He seems to
have his head screwed on” he shrugged when I frowned at him.

“Sorry?” I
asked with puzzlement.