Chapter Three
There were two bounty hunters at the party.
Knox couldn’t be distracted, even though he had the most beautiful woman on his arm.
Ava looked stunning. Her blonde hair had been curled, she had left it down, and it seemed to frame her whole body.
He had no idea her hair was so long. The glasses she sometimes wore were gone, replaced with what he assumed were contacts.
The red dress that molded to every single curve drew men’s eyes.
He loved her curves. Ava refused to starve herself, and he was a man who appreciated a woman with some meat on her bones.
He also knew there had been periods of Ava’s life when food was taken from her.
She always needed a stocked fridge and freezer, and always get a little irritated when they were getting low on groceries.
Knox knew that had more to do with her experience when she was younger, needing to keep a supply of food.
Men’s heads turned as they made their way through the ballroom. The whole party screamed of wealth.
That didn’t stop the bounty hunters, and Marshal seemed to get a sense that his life was on the line as well. He fidgeted a lot. This is what Marshal did when he was nervous. To some, it might seem he was on drugs. He wasn’t, he just wasn’t able to control his body when he was nervous.
Ava, however, was always in control. Her head was raised just a little higher, and it was like she refused to acknowledge the sight of men looking at her.
Knox didn’t like it. Any man that looked in his direction as if to treat him as competition, got the glare. He would kill anyone who even attempted to get close to her. He placed a possessive hand at her back, making all of them aware she was taken. He would not be giving up this woman.
“I see Blondie,” Ava said, leaning in close.
She smelled like vanilla and honey, a wickedly sweet combination, but one that had him getting harder than a fucking rock. Now was not the time to be losing his head. He had to stay focused.
He looked across the room, and sure enough, he spotted Marshal’s wife. Marshal turned toward the two of them and stole a glass of wine off a passing waiter’s tray.
“I don’t know if I can do this. I mean, I could pass all my fortune to you, Knox, and just live with you. I could totally redecorate your house, and put a little color into your ... world.”
“You want to let her ruin your life?” Knox asked.
“Tell me I’m safe right now,” Marshal said.
Ava reached out and took the glass of wine from Marshal’s hand.
“You are safe right now because Knox is here to protect you. Do you think this is over? She wants that money you want to sign over to Knox. She is not going to stop until she gets it, and right now, she thinks she has a right to it, because you’re not doing anything to stop her.
There are vile and vicious men out there, as well as equally vile and vicious women.
Do not let her actions go unpunished. She thinks she can get away with killing you.
Do not let her win, and that is a damn order.
” She held up the USB key Marshal had given her. “We end this now.”
Ava looked toward Knox and he nodded.
“Time to go and make a scene,” Knox said.
He wouldn’t mind Marshal hanging out at the house, even without the money.
He had become a nice guy to talk to. It also helped that when he was away, Marshal had been more than happy to keep an eye on Ava.
This was the only downside to some of his business trips—he couldn’t always take Ava with him.
He knew she could handle herself, and no one was going to try and stop Ava.
With his hands on Marshal’s shoulders, he had already signaled the undercover cop to be ready. It was time to let the games begin.
Marshal had seen his wife, but his wife hadn’t seen him.
The moment Knox got Marshal to break through the crowd, he saw how nervous the man’s wife was.
Her eyes went wide. She did have a lover on her arm, as expected.
From the moment Patricia had met Marshal, she’d been cheating on him, always looking for a bigger meal ticket.
“Marshal? Oh, my, it is so good to see you.”
She went to move in close but Knox stepped forward. Patricia recognized him, and he saw the glare in her eyes.
Ava was already working her magic, as the screen behind them showed the evidence Marshal had been keeping close to his chest.
“I’m going to have a lot of money. All you’ve got to do is kill him. Marshal is a fucking loser, and he doesn’t deserve his money. Kill him, and you will be rewarded.”
Patricia’s voice played over the speaker loud and clear.
“You hired people to kill me.”
Patricia had gone pale. “What is this?”
She looked panicked. Afraid.
Marshal didn’t let her back down.
“Do you really think I didn’t know the kind of woman I married?
” Marshal asked. “Trust me, I knew, but I was going to wait until we had at least a couple of anniversaries before divorcing you. I thought it would be funny to watch you squirm. You signed a prenuptial agreement, baby, and in the event of my death, all my money goes to the charities I was working with. You wouldn’t have gotten a penny. ”
Patricia threw herself at Marshal, but Knox grabbed her around the waist. “I did warn you when you attempted to hire me that this was not going to end the way you thought.”
The police came in, and the press were taking pictures as the scandal of the night took over, and Marshal was spoken to by police. Knox made himself scarce, and just like he knew he’d find her, Ava was in a darkened corner, where no one would dare look for her.
“You did good,” he said.
“I know.” She offered him a smile. “I didn’t get to see her face.” She let out a pout.
He couldn’t help but laugh, then he pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Ava frowned and then laughed, because he had taped the whole thing, just as he knew she would like to see it.
He looked over her shoulder at the moment Ava loaded up the video evidence for the whole room to see.
“Magical,” Ava said.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Knox asked.
“Yeah, I do.”
He put his hand at her back, and they didn’t go out the front entrance, but to the back. They were parked at the back of the parking lot and were heading toward his car when Marshal called out to them. Knox gritted his teeth, and they both turned to look at Marshal.
“Thank you,” Marshal said. “To both of you, for making me do that. I ... I was quite willing to let her just take everything, or think she was taking everything.” He let out a laugh.
“Did you seriously have everything changed so that if you die, it goes to charity?” Ava asked.
“Of course. Giving to charity is something I am passionate about, and if I’m not here to make sure they get what they are entitled to, then I will make sure it is legally binding that they do.”
Ava held up the USB key. “This is for you.”
She gave it to Marshal, and Knox was shocked to see her hug him. “Enjoy your newfound freedom.”
“Thank you.” Marshal hugged her back, and Knox should have known a hug was coming, but he didn’t put up a fight or have time to divert it.
Marshal threw his arms around him. “Thank you.”
He patted him on the back. “Yeah, yeah, that’s fine. We’re all good.” He gave his back a little slap, and then stepped back.
Marshal laughed. “I will allow you to leave, but thank you, and if there is ever anything you need from me, please do not hesitate to ask.” He looked between the two of them, then he turned back toward the party and made his way inside.
****
“I’m starving,” Ava said, climbing into the front passenger seat.
“Burgers?”
“Are we going home so I have to cook them?”
“Nope. I know a good place,” Knox said.
“Count me in.” She had no problem if they wanted to go home, but she was hungry, and the sooner they were able to get something to eat, the happier she would be.
Knox pulled out of the parking lot and they left the grounds, making their escape.
She rested her hands on her thighs and couldn’t help but look toward Knox.
The tuxedo he wore looked stunning. It molded to his body like a second skin, only it didn’t look tight or uncomfortable. Like always, he was a man in control.
“You did good tonight,” Knox said.
“Come on. All I did was upload a video. Marshal did the rest.” She liked his praise, though.
“Don’t sell yourself short. That shit is hard to do, and trust me, I know. Anything could have gone wrong.”
“But it didn’t.”
“Do I need to smack your ass for you to take a compliment?” he asked.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe.”
Knox glanced over toward her, and Ava hoped her makeup was thick enough so he couldn’t see her blush. She couldn’t even believe she had said something like that. There was no way she wanted him to smack her ass. If Knox even got near her ass, she wasn’t going to be able to walk for weeks.
She tried to look outside, but it was late and dark, and there was no really good passing scenery.
She felt her stomach flip-flop, as they came to one of his favorite places to eat.
It was Burger Heaven. Any kind of burger you wanted was available here.
Knox knew the owners, Linda and Beverly, two sisters who had opened this place with the last of their parents’ inheritance, and it had been a safe haven since.
Ava loved it. On the night he rescued her, he’d brought her here.
Linda and Beverly were like the two aunties you always wanted. Neither of them were married or had children.
They walked right inside, and like always, it was busy. They were able to find a small booth. No one gave them a second look, even in their designer clothes.
Linda came to the table, giving them both a look. “You both hungry? Those fancy dinners don’t exactly cater to hunger.”
Ava couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll have my usual, please, Linda,” she said.
“Make that the same for me.”
Linda wrote down their order, and Ava loved the hug she got. Knox got his hair ruffled, and they were alone.
“You know, no one ever messes with my hair and gets away with it,” Knox said, running his fingers through it.
“Linda is not just anyone, and I have a feeling if you did anything to that woman, the whole state would turn against you, including me.” She reached over the table, because he kept running his fingers through his hair.
“Stop.” She ran her fingers through it, getting it just the way he liked it.
“See, you don’t need to keep messing it up. ”
She offered him a smile, and she became aware of the fact she’d touched his hair. Not that there was anything sexual by it, absolutely not, but it was intimate, at least to her.
Get a grip, Ava. You’re just doing your job, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with just doing your job.
Knox was unreadable, as always.
She took a deep breath and reached for the menu, even though she knew it by heart. The burgers were the stars of the show, but their sides were just as delicious. Fully loaded potato skins, fries with chili and cheese, mac and cheese. There were just so many delicious meals.
“Are you just going to stare at the menu all night?” Knox asked.
Ava put the menu down and looked across the table. “What would you like to talk about?”
“Anything.”
She looked at him and promised herself she would never say anything, but now seemed a really good time to ask. “Do you want to tell me why you killed Pete Carmichael?”
Knox sat back in his chair. Her question didn’t have any impact. He didn’t care what he had done.
“You want to know why?”
She nodded.
“He hurt you.”
“Is that all?” Ava asked.
Knox put his hands on the table and leaned in close. “I told you when I found you, that I was going to do everything in my power to protect you. Anyone who has ever hurt you is on my shit list, and that means they are all going to die, Ava.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“The people on that list are not good people. You’ve been fucking unlucky, but I’m going to make it right. Do you understand me?”
She nodded. No one had ever cared to make her feel safe, not the way Knox had.
“The doctor Pete used has been taken care of as well,” Knox said. “Trust me, he deserved to go.”
Ava felt her stomach flip-flop, but not out of nerves. She couldn’t believe Knox would do that for her. No one had ever cared that much about her, yet he was doing so, and she adored him for it.
Linda didn’t make them wait long for their food, and she looked toward her with a smile and thank you.
Right now, words failed her, because what did she say to a man who was making her safe? Who did everything he could to protect her?
There were no words.
There was nothing she could say.
He was everything.