“Hand it over, then.”
She did, and then watched as he took it apart.
“Was that necessary?”
“Yep. We’ll do a sweep of your belongings when we get back to the house too.”
“Why?”
“Because someone could be tracking you.”
“Were you tracking me?”
It was one of those questions Tabon struggled to answer. She was beginning to pick up on more of his mannerisms.
“Yes,” he finally said.
“It’s okay, Tabon. I understand.”
“I’m glad you do. Last question, then. What about your parents?”
Ava looked away from Tabon, willing her eyes not to tear up. No matter how she responded, she was going to sound like she felt sorry for herself, and to a certain extent, she did.
She loved her parents. Her mom was far more trying than her dad, but neither had been very parental. She and Aine weren’t certain their mother’s pregnancy had been accidental, but there were times they both felt like a big inconvenience.
“We aren’t close,” she answered.
“Your father wanted to have dinner when you returned to New York.”
“He won’t remember saying he did.”
“Ava, look at me.”
She shook her head. The tears she tried to will away were threatening to spill over on her cheeks and that was the last thing she wanted Tabon to see.
“Please, baby. Look at me.”
She brushed away her tears and turned her head.
“Let me take care of you.”
Ava nodded. She wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, but right now, having someone like him take care of her, no matter how, sounded so good.
How nice would it be to not have to be in charge of her own life, even for a little while? She had been since she was seven years old, and a little break sounded really nice.
She and Aine had never had to worry about money, and thankfully, they’d both been relatively responsible with it. Neither got in trouble with drugs, or hanging out with the wrong crowd. Neither was what Ava would consider extravagant either. From time to time, their father would ask if the amount of their monthly stipend was adequate. It had always been more than enough, given he paid for their apartment and the associated expenses, along with school.
But being taken care of didn’t relate solely to money. Sometimes she just wanted to put her head on someone’s shoulder and let them make the world go away, even for a short amount of time.
Dash had never done that for her. If anything, she was the more responsible person in their relationship. When she last saw him, and witnessed the meeting she wished she never had, she’d guessed that he was going to try to get back together with her, given she’d heard his wedding had been called off.
He’d looked terrible too. He was thinner than she’d ever known him to be, and he looked exhausted. She told herself that his criminal activities were certainly to blame, but if he’d gotten mixed up in something bigger, maybe the way he looked was a result of the pressure he was under.
“Where did you go?”
Ava turned and looked at Tabon. “Just thinking about Dash and what a mess he made of his life.”
“I’m sorry you had to get involved.”