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His eyes dropped to her hand "I don’t see a ring on those pretty fingers It looks like so her car door, he stared at her breasts, ot to go" She felt herself going into full-blown panic mode All she could remeo, when another man hadn’t taken no for an answer In the ain at theaway, a cab pulled up to the curb and without thinking, Ava turned and ran toward it She heard so behind her, but she didn’t turn

"You call for a cab, miss?" the driver asked as she huddled in the ave hi on the seat When they pulled up in front of her apart that she must have dropped it somewhere Oh God, she didn’t have h her pockets, she was relieved that she had stuck her keys in the "IehCould you wait here while I go inside for "

The cabdriver looked at her for aher a kind smile "Don’t worry about it You look like you’ve had a hard night Just pay it forward sometime" Ava felt tears well in her eyes at the kindness she saw on his face She thanked hi across the expanse of concrete with her arhtly around her body She was lost in her own thoughts when so her around Suddenly, the face that she had run froh her Her head started spinning and it was only a moment later that darkness descended to claim and protect her

Mac had just opened his door to find Gwen unexpectedly standing on his doorstep when his phone rang Hethat she seemed to be dressed a littler sexier than usual "Just a second," he said while he hit the call button on his phone "What’s up, Jeff?"

"Mac, I’ve got a problem here, and I don’t knohat to do about it" Jeff worked part-ti in for one of his regular guys this week He should be in the hout the city now

"What’s the proble major

"It’s Miss Stone She had just arrived hoot here to check around her place as usual, but then so lot, and before I could walk over to find out if she needed assistance, she just collapsed I had the security guard at the co on"

Fear gripped Mac as he started hunting for his keys on the entryway table All he could think about was that Ava was hurt and he needed to get to her "Where is she now?" he growled

"I carried her into the clubhouse here The er called one of the residents who’s a doctor and he’s checking her over She’s starting to come back around now, but she took a pretty hard lick when she hit the pavement"

"I’m on et there, got it?" Without waiting for the other rabbed his arm He tried to shake her off, desperate to reach Ava, but she was stronger than she looked

"Mac, what’s going on? Has so any ti hiood o Shut the door behind you" With those words, he was gone without sparing her another thought

Hein front of Ava’s building in less than fifteenthe area, he saw Jeff waving at hi pool As he drew closer, Jeff held the door for hio to her apartment, and I’ve barely been able to keep her here The doctor thought she should go to the hospital to be checked out fro out, but she refuses Says she just wants to go ho to her before she passed out was froroup Said she dropped her purse in the parking lot, and he was just bringing it back to her We got his inforh"

As if sensing he was near, Ava swung her head around fro on the couch in the corner, and Mac’s heart sla eyes What the fuck had happened to her? She got up on shaky legs and propelled herself toward hi to hi her sainst the top of her head, "what happened?"

Treet out of here" Without thinking, Mac swung her up in his arht of stairs up to her place He had to set her back on her feet so she could fish the keys from her pocket and open the door As soon as she was across the threshold, she turned back to hi the quiet and her body relax before asking quietly, "Baby, what happened? Are you sick?" He felt her shake her head against his neck He rubbed his hand soothingly up and down her back, letting her know that he had her

"I got scared," she ainst his throat "Ipanicked and started to hyperventilate It just happened so fast I couldn’t control it"

Pulling her away from him, Mac searched her eyes She still looked so da Right now, though, she needed soht back, baby Just sit tight for aher arms from around him, he went into her kitchen and pulled out a bottle of vodka It would probably burn her windpipe, but it should settle her nerves He poured a generousHe wrapped her hands around the glass, helping her raise it to her lips "Don’t sip, Avie Throw it back I know it’s gonna taste like fire, but drink it" She started gagging on the first sip, but he kept steady pressure on her wrist After a few lass on the table and pulled her back into his arms "Better?"