Chapter 86

The ringing doorbell startled both Ethan and I. Mars and Olivia were on their honeymoon after the wedding, Tristan had a spare key or would have called beforehand, and nobody else that we would want to see would have a reason to visit us at this hour.

I hopped off of Ethan, scouring the bedroom floor for mine and his shirts, throwing them over our bodies and started descending down the stairs towards the door.

Ethan was still stiff and sore, despite not being in excruciating pain, and he limped through the hallway and down the stairs.

When we got to the foyer, I jogged a little ahead to open the door, but Ethana pulled me back lightly.

“After what we just went through,” He began with a stern look, “I don’t think it’s wise to answer. We aren’t expecting any more visitors.”

I opened my mouth to argue that maybe it was important, but he was right. We were still unsure of who was targeting us. Answering a ringing doorbell in the dark of night was not the wisest of choices.

The doorbell never ceased, though, and we felt as though there was no other choice to end the incessant ringing.

Ethan gestured for me to take a few steps back. I obeyed and watched as he grabbed a baseball bat from the coat closet off to the side and slink towards the door. He was hunched over slightly, the bat resting on his shoulder as he adjusted his grip so he could swing it if necessary.

He opened the door just a crack, and a slight gasp fell from his lips as he took in whoever was on the porch. My heart beat frantically, imagining the worst, imagining more guns.

However, Ethan swung the door open fully to reveal a very pale, very frightened looking Mrs. Hudson shivering on the other side of the threshold. Her eyes were big and panicked and she was wringing her wrinkly hands together anxiously.

“Mrs. Hudson!” I cried out, rushing closer to the door.

Ethan started ushering her into the house and slammed the door closed behind her shuffling figure.

“Are you alright?” Ethan placed a hand on the old woman’s shoulders and she broke her silence.

“Men came to the children’s home today,” She said, her voice meek and small. She had always seemed so large and powerful. I had never seen her look pathetic, never noticed how small and frail of a woman she truly was.

“What men?” Ethan asked seriously, guiding her into the kitchen so that we could get her a place to sit and something to eat. I followed behind them after locking the front door behind us.

“I don’t know who they would have worked for,” She placed her palm against her forehead and tutted as she moved to sit at the kitchen table. “They were wearing all black suits and the lower halves of their faces were hidden behind masks.”

Ethan and I looked at each other, worry evident on both our faces.

“Did they hurt you?” I asked, placing a mug of hot chamomile tea on the table in front of her, urging her to take a sip and calm her nerves.

“No,” She breathed out a sigh, “They didn’t touch me or the children, but they ransacked the entire house. They threw the food from the kitchen on the floor, shattered pottery pieces, and completely tore the childrens’ bedrooms apart.”

A small quiver made her words shaky and unsteady. I could tell by the look on her face that she was holding back tears. She must have been so scared. She was the woman in charge, she was supposed to be this force of nature, she was supposed to protect the children.

In one moment, all of that had been undermined. The men coming in and acting as a tornado through the house would shake up the children and have them wondering if they were safe with Mrs. Hudson.

“Did they say what they were looking for?” Ethan prodded, rubbing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Mrs. Hudson looked over at Ethan, eyes wet and wide.

“They were looking for you and Ava,” She said.

Ethan was taken aback, but I wasn’t all that surprised. It made sense that whoever wanted us on the beach would be searching for us in other places. I was more surprised they would look for us at the children’s home.

“Why would they think to look for us there?” I asked, but it dawned on me that I may have been followed from the beach. There was also the photoshoot and article Ethan and I did a little while before that was shot at the orphanage.

I gasped inwardly. We had put Mrs. Hudson and the children in danger unknowingly through our own selfish pursuits of good publicity.

Mrs. Hudson watched us with big eyes as Ethan started pacing around the kitchen, limping slightly at the movement. I grabbed a plate and handed Mrs. Hudson a caramel scone that I made for Ethan prior that day.

She took a bite, and I had to keep asking questions for her to recall what happened in excruciating detail. That way we had all the facts and knew as much as we possibly could.

We needed to figure out who was behind these abhorrent attacks against us.

“How many of them were there?” I asked.

“Seven,” She replied robotically. “All male.”

Ethan nodded, writing down what she said on a pad of paper.

“And did they seem like they were from the city or somewhere else?” He asked.

“Somewhere else, they didn’t even know what sort of neighborhoods were nearby.” Mrs. Hudson clarified. She bit the scones tentatively as we continued bombarding her with questions.

“Did they mention having a boss or that they were working for someone?” I inquired, rubbing hy palm up and down her arm soothingly.

Mrs. Hudson thought about her answer for a moment. The gears in her head were turning as she recalled every bit of information she could. This answer was not as forthcoming to her, though, I thought that maybe the men were trying to hide that from her.

“I know one man mentioned ‘the boss’ to another one in passing,” She scrunched her face in thought, “But they stopped talking when they saw that I was behind them. They didn’t want me to know about him.”

Ethan hung his head so low it almost hit the notepad he was writing on. It was exhausting trying to gather what we could and interrogating Mrs. Hudson in such a manner.

“Alright,” I smiled at her appreciatively, “I think that’s enough for you tonight. Thank you for coming here and telling us everything.”

Ethan added in his own thanks. His face was stern and hard - so very different from how he looked a mere hour ago in bed.

“Do you want to stay the night here?” I offered, but she shook her head. She said she didn’t want to leave the children on their own for much longer. She just came to tell us as soon as it was safe to. As a warning.

Ethan’s brow was furrowed and he turned to regard me. He frowned as he spoke.

“We are going to hire bodyguards tomorrow, Ava,” He did his best to temper the cold anger in his voice. It was not directed at me by any means, but he was furious at the situation.

“Okay,” I agreed, thankful to have extra protection.

“And, I’m sorry, but I don’t want you out of my sight at all until this is all settled. We cannot be separated until we figure out who we are up against.” Ethan announced, seriously. “No one outside of this room is to be trusted.”