Best Friend's Ex Box Set

“Oh my God! You are so pigheaded!” I yelled. “Why can’t you trust me? Why don’t you believe me?” I stopped yelling and began crying in frustration. He was choosing not to believe me, and there was no way I could convince him that I’d had a plan to try and trap Dominic.

“Ava, I wish I could believe you, I really do,” he said. “But I can’t.”

PROTECTOR #6

“Brian!” I cried as he looked at the computer screen and then turned away. I was shocked that I’d blurted out how I really felt about him, but I was more concerned that he didn’t believe me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to prove my plan, and I cursed myself for keeping it a secret from him to begin with.

“This is just…” he trailed off as he set the computer down on the desk, grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, and headed toward the door.

“Just what?” I yelled. “It’s nothing! I didn’t mean it! How can I prove to you that I was trying to help you? I wanted to lure Dominic in so you could trap him and call the police. You’ve got to believe me!”

“It’s hard for me to know what to believe, Ava,” he said as he turned and looked at me. My heart ached at seeing the look on his face, but I knew why he felt betrayed. I hadn’t been honest with him.

“Brian, I wasn’t trying to lie to you,” I said softly. “I was honestly trying to help.”

“Ava, can we just let this go for the moment?” he asked. “I need to go out and get some air and clear my head. We’ve been cooped up here for so long, I can’t think clearly anymore.”

I nodded and looked at the floor. I was ashamed of what I’d done, but I also knew that I had the best of intentions and that I’d never wanted to hurt him. I felt confident that if he really thought about it, he’d realize that as well, and that we’d be able to work things out.

“Okay, I get it,” I said.

“I’ll be back in a half hour,” he said as he walked to the door. “Please don’t leave this room, and don’t answer the door. No matter who it is, okay?”

“Fine, fine,” I agreed. “I’ll just stay holed up here like a fugitive while you go out and paint the town.”

“Ava…” he replied in a tone that let me know he wasn’t finding any of this funny at all.

“I’m kidding,” I said as I held up my hands. “I’ll stay here and do my homework, and I won’t answer the door. I promise.”

“Please, just do that,” he said. “For me?”

“I will,” I said solemnly. “I promise.”

He nodded as he grabbed his jacket and phone, then turned and headed toward the door. Just before he opened it, he turned and looked at me once more, and I saw it; the look. He gave me a look that let me know just how much was at stake in me following directions this time. I nodded slowly and bowed my head.

*****

With one hand on the door knob, Brian opened his mouth to say something just as someone knocked on the door and called, “Room service!”

Brian looked out the peephole and confirmed that it was the guy who usually brought up our meals, and opened the door. As he turned the handle and the door flew open, the room server came flying into the room. He collided with Brian and knocked him against the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of him and send him to his knees. Brian quickly sprung back up as two masked men rushed into the room. One was short and square, and the other was tall and lanky. Brian swung at the short man, landing a punch in his stomach before the second man attacked.

“What are you doing!?” I screamed as the two masked men attacked Brian. “Leave him alone!”

The tall one rushed Brian, but quickly found himself on the ground as Brian swept his feet out from under him. The fat one regained his footing and tried to punch Brian in the face, but Brian ducked and the man missed, throwing him off balance and giving Brian a chance to land a brutal punch to the man’s kidney area and making him cry out in pain. The tall man pulled himself off the floor and landed a punch to Brian’s crotch, causing him t

o crumple to the floor, and giving the tall one a chance to reach under Brian’s hoodie and grab his gun. Before Brian could fight back, the tall one held the gun to his partner and said, “Put him out of his misery.”

“Stop it! Stop it!” I screamed hysterically as I ran toward them and began hitting the tall man who’d taken Brian’s gun. He turned and shoved me hard against the wall before spinning around and whipping Brian in the head with the pistol.

I watched as Brian slumped to the ground and the fat masked man kicked him in the ribs.

“Don’t hurt him!” I yelled.

Then the tall one looked down at the frightened room server on the floor and threatened, “Stay down there and be quiet or you’re next. Got it?” The boy nodded and lay still.

When I realized that they hadn’t come after me yet, I turned and ran toward the bedroom, but before I could reach the door, the second man quickly covered the distance between me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and grabbed a fistful of my hair before he slapped his hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming.

“Shut the hell up,” he growled in my ear as he pulled my hair so hard I thought he was trying to yank it out of my scalp. “I don’t want to hear your useless whining, got it?”