An Improper Ever After(85)

My fingers go numb. Ava.

Heart hammering against my ribs, I flip the picture over. Nothing on the other side. I pick up the rest of the photos, but none of them have a message for me on the back.

Suddenly a thought bleeds into my mind. All of the photos are candid shots. Someone's been watching her.

Stalker?

My gut goes cold. My sister Elizabeth has had her share of problems with assholes who didn't understand the meaning of no. But this feels different. Why would a stalker send me Ava's photos?

I dig inside the envelope for clues. My hand grasps a piece of paper.

Le Meridien Chiang Mai, Thailand, it reads. Underneath the name of the hotel are dates-today, tomorrow and the day after-and an itinerary for a flight from Chiang Mai to Osaka via Seoul on Korean Air. The flight doesn't leave until almost midnight two days from now.

If I leave now, I can be in Chiang Mai before the departure.

I pick up the photos again. I didn't see them before, my focus on Ava's face, but the signs around her are in Japanese. I still remember a few hiragana and katakana characters from way back when I spent a semester in Tokyo.

So why Chiang Mai?

I toss the photos on the floor and throw my head against the back of my chair. I never, ever go after exes. Never. Not like some lovesick fool with my heart on my sleeve. I might as well cut off my dick and carve LOSER into my face with a nail.

But I'm entitled to closure. It won't be begging if that's all I want … and maybe a pound of flesh for all I've suffered in the last twenty-four months.

On its own volition, my hand reaches into my pocket and pulls out my phone. My fingers move across the smooth surface and dial my pilot, who's ready to go 24/7.

"Sir?"

"Chiang Mai," I say. "ASAP."

I head straight to the garage. No time to pack.

Find out what happens to Lucas and Ava. Get your copy of An Unlikely Deal.