Avery's phone buzzes again, and she sees a ssage from an unknown number. She reads the ssage once and then again: Do you need so help, Felicity? She looks behind her at the Bugatti and tries to see through the tinted windows. Andrew is the only person who ever calls her Felicity, but she blocked his number. She looks back at the carsoggy cigarette butts litter the ground outside the driver's window.
Has Andrew really waited for this whole ti? She wonders. I can't trust him, but he's the only person with a car near here, and I can't afford to lose any more ti. Going with him is dangerous, but Leonie and Fiona will make sure that the Howel's know where I am. Hopefully, Evan will rescue before too long.
Avery chews her lip and looks between the car and Leonie. Leonie narrows her eyes suspiciously and shrugs her mother's arm off her shoulder. Avery slowly backs toward the car, keeping her hands raised protectively in front of her stomach.
"I don't have ti to stand around and talk with you about this," Avery says. "If you're so keen on helping Florence, take my ssage back to her. Tell her I know she misses , and I promise to see her soon."
Leonie splutters angrily and waves for the bodyguards to co over, but Fiona grabs her daughter's arm.
"Leonie, we can't let anything happen to her," Fiona says. "If she wants to go running about at night, that's none of our business. If sothing happens to her, she'll surely bla us, and we can't afford to take responsibility for her. Let's just worry about your child for now."
"But Mom!" Leonie wails, "We can't just let her leave. What should we do?"
"Don't worry," Fiona says. "We'll send so guards to follow her and report on her location. If she wants to go running around, fucking every man in the city, we can't stop her. All we can do is make sure Evan knows."
Leonie smiles and snaps a picture of Avery and the car. Then she backs away toward the Howel cars. Avery opens the passenger door and hops into the car. The air is thick with stale cigarette smoke, and Avery coughs and rolls down a window.
"Take to the Dragon Bay," she says.
"The casino?" Andrew asks, frowning slightly.
"Yes, I don't have ti to explain myself to you," Avery says. "Bryan is in danger."
"That place has a terrible reputation," Andrew says. "It's full of gangsters, mafia, and worse."
"So, of course, you know it well," Avery snaps back.
Andrew chuckles and says. "Okay, Felicity, I'll take you. If you manage to make it out alive, I'll respect you even more. The lion was nothing compared to these n."
Avery ignores him and looks down at her phone. She dials Evan's number and listens to the phone ring and ring until it finally goes to voicemail. She tries Robert's phone, and the sa thing happens. Frustrated, she drops the phone onto her lap.
"Where's Evan?" Andrew asks. "Why didn't he co to your little date?"
Avery closes her eyes and presses her hands against her churning stomach. It feels like there's a heavyweight pressing against her chest, and she gasps for breath. Why didn't Evan co to the date? She wonders. Has he really been imprisoned by his grandfather? And how did Bryan get himself into this situation? I know he likes gambling, but how could he be so careless and stupid?
Her phone buzzes, and the screen lights up with another picture ssage. She bites her tongue, but she can't bring herself to open it and look at Bryan's bloodied hand. She flips the phone over so she can't accidentally see the screen.
"Can't you drive any faster?" she asks.
Andrew's hand shoots across the car and snatches the phone from her lap. With one eye on the road, he looks at the pictures on her phone. Then he picks up his own mobile phone and presses a few buttons.
"There's sothing I need you to deal with at the Dragon Bay Casino," Andrew says into the phone. "There's a man nad Bryan therepay his debts and make sure they don't lay another finger on him. The price doesn't matter."
Avery bites down harder on her tongue. She wants to refuse Andrew's help, but she knows it might be Bryan's best chance. She can't let her personal grudge against Andrew get in the way of helping Bryan.
She glances across the car at Andrew and whispers, "Thank you."
"Wow, that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to ," Andrew says with a smirk. "Now that Bryan's been taken care of, I want to take you sowhere. Will you co with ?"
"I'm in your carwhat other options do I have?" Avery asks.
"You've got the point," he says. "Well, Avery, let's go to the hospital."
Avery presses her lips together and looks out the window. She's surprised that Andrew wants to go to the hospital, but she knows he has health problems. Besides, she's more worried about Evan and Bryan than wherever Andrew is taking her.
"Don't you want to know why we're going to the hospital?" Andrew asks. "Doesn't it seem a bit strange to you?"
"You're sick, aren't you?" Avery replies.
"True, I have a disease, but my dicine isn't in the hospital," Andrew says with a wink. "It's sitting right next to . "
Avery rolls her eyes, wishing she'd never said anything to him at all. I should know better, she thinks. He'll take any opportunity he gets to try to flirt or seduce . I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut. Andrew glances over at her and laughs at the expression on her face.
"You've stolen my heart, Felicity," he says.
"Actually, you've stolen Charles' heart," Avery says.
Andrew's phone rings, and he answers it imdiately. He nods twice and then hangs up.
"Bryan is fine," he says. "My n have handled the situation, but you better warn him to steer clear of the Dragon Bay Casino from now on."
Avery feels relief flood her body. She nods and closes her eyes, resting her cheek against the cold window. When she wakes, two hours have passed. While she was sleeping, Andrew must have draped his coat over her body. The wool itches her skin, and she pushes it off.
The car is parked in front of a small building surrounded by green trees. Small insects and moths fly in the glow of the street lamps. It's not raining, but the ground is wet, and puddles reflect the dim light. Avery looks at the building and frownsit looks more like a nursing ho than a hospital.
"Where have you taken ?" Avery asks angrily. "What kind of trick have you played on ?"
"I'm taking you to see soone," Andrew says.
"Is it Charles again?" Avery asks. "Because that trick you pulled with the ultrasound image last ti wasn't funny. It was sick."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is," Andrew says lightly.
"Don't joke with it's really not funny," Avery says.
Andrew shrugs and steps out of the car, and he crosses in front of the car and opens Avery's door for her, offering his hand to help her out. She snatches her hand away from him the second she's out of the car and walks nervously toward the front doors. A doctor with gold-frad glasses and a white lab coat waits under the overhang in front of the doors.
"Is everything ready?" Andrew asks the man.
"Yes," the doctor says with a brief nod.
Andrew looks at Avery with concern and asks, "Are you ready?"
Avery glares at him and climbs the steps to the front doors. The doctor in the white coat walks down a dim hallway. The walls and linoleum floors look colorless and drab in the late night light. The doors to the wards are all closed, and the hospital is silent except for the echoes of their footsteps. The doctor leads them to an inner lobby with an elevator.
Avery steps into the elevator and imdiately notices that it's big enough to accommodate a surgical bed. She swallows hard as the creaky elevator slowly rises. Andrew is silent, but Avery can feel his intense eyes on her. The elevator doors finally slide open, revealing a large frosted glass door to a private room.
"Are you ready?" Andrew asks again.
Avery nods, and Andrew gently pushes the door open.
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