Lie To Me

51. Start of the storm

AVA STONE

"Find that fucking nurse!" I heard Damien sneer at the two men guarding my room's door. "I want to know every single detail about who brought that bouquet, when it was brought and how they managed to sneak it past our security team and inside the hospital."

My eyes were still fixed on the now crumpled piece of paper in my hand, reading the message over and over again as the dread at the pit of my stomach did nothing but grow. My chest heaved up and down at an abnormally fast speed with each breath that I took. It was as if I had his voice stuck in my head, repeating those words, taunting me.

"Ava!" my brother's voice broke me out of my trance, making me snap my head in his direction. "Are you sure you're ok? It's the fourth time I called your name." Of course I was not ok.

"He's coming, Damien. And he won't leave us alone until he's done," I mumbled, gulping down.

"Hey, Ava, sis." Damien cradled my face with his hands, forcing my gaze to meet his reassuring one. "Do not worry about that, ok? I promise you that I will try my hardest so the latest events don't repeat themselves. They won't be able to touch you again."

I gently slapped his hands away before sitting up. "Damien, you don't understa—." My sentence was cut off by a hiss escaping my mouth.

"Ava, you have to be careful. You could reopen your wound," my brother scolded, watching with disapproving eyes how I clutched my abdomen for a few seconds. I think I'll be needing another dosis of painkillers soon.

Ignoring his last warning, I continued. "Damien, I have no idea what they're planning, or what extent they're capable of reaching. They attacked the school, they have eyes on me and everything I do, they send me threats to the hospital. They're even targeting Noah, for fuck's sake, and he had nothing to do with what happened two years ago. They're only doing that because I care about him."

Damien was fully aware of the severity of the situation. He didn't need to say anything to confirm it, his expression already gave it all away. The Myers are a big enemy, and I fear that not all of us will make it out of this war alive.

"Everything will be ok," he muttered, not even himself sounding quite convinced of his own words.

I sucked in a deep breath and allowed my back to rest against the comfortable pillows my brother had previously accommodated for me before throwing the note to the floor. I did not even want to see the piece of paper anymore or else I would only stress myself out and earn myself a headache.

My brother carefully followed my actions with worried eyes before taking a seat at the end of my bed, not tearing his gaze off  of me.

"Are you going to do as the note says?" he asked all of a sudden, his question catching me by surprise. "Are you going to stay away from Noah?"

"I—." I closed my mouth shut, glancing down at my lap.

I didn't even know the answer myself. Did Noah even want to be close to me? Sure, I saved him from the fire and took the bullet for him, but that doesn't change a single thing. The reality is still the same: I lied to him, I betrayed his trust. He could still be mad at me and honestly I can't blame him for that.

"You know I'll respect whatever decision you make, Ava," my brother stated softly.

"But?"