CHAPTER 19
AVA
I was regretting telling Mason I wouldn’t freak out the second I walked into a maintenance room for the subway, where that monster had held Colt.
Mason had already explained to me that the maintenance rooms were rarely entered unless there were issues with the track, so it was the perfect place for him to hold Colt, close to the abduction site, for easy transfer and with multiple exits if the psycho needed to flee, which he obviously had one after Colt’s escape.
“I was held in a room like this. Not this one, but it was so similar,” I uttered as I tried hard to not breathe through my nose.
The sight of the familiar space was bad enough, but the smell, the smell was what was going to take me right back to my night of torture and have me losing my mind with anxiety and fear.
“I’ll have units start checking subways across the city. It’s unlikely this fucker left evidence, but we might get lucky,” Mason said, and I nodded It was definitely worth a try.
The room was dark, lit by just a single lightbulb that hung above us. It was a concrete room, lined with pipes and wires that obviously serviced the subway and above.
I gasped and covered my mouth as I stepped further in and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was a chain hanging down from one of the thick pipes above and below it, and spread far and wide across the concrete ground was blood. So much fucking blood.
I had seen gruesome crime scenes before, many times in my time with homicide. I’d seen blood and brain matter and so much more that turned my stomach, but it had never affected me the way the sight of that blood did and that was because I knew that blood belonged to my brother.
“Breathe, baby. Colt’s safe,” Mason said softly as he came up beside me and ran his hand up and down my back.
“I’m okay,” I uttered as I pushed down my nausea and took a calming breath. “What did forensics bag?” I asked. The crime scene had already been photographed and any potential evidence bagged and removed.
“Nothing good,” Mason sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face. He had changed into one of his trademark suits, but he looked completely exhausted.
“Tell me.”
“Ava…”
“Okay, I’ll tell you and you stop me when I’m wrong.
” I turned to face him and folded my arms over my chest. “A whip?” Mason nodded.
“A cat and nine tails, barbed, right?” Again he nodded and the reluctance on his face had my resolve slipping.
My lip started to tremble and I couldn’t talk to go on.
Images of what that kidnapping, murdering bastard had put me through flashed in my head and I felt myself sway to the side as my legs started to shake along with he rest of me.
Mason grabbed me and pulled me into his front, surrounding me and shielding me from everything around us.
“I’m here, baby girl. You’re safe,” he whispered as he kissed softly close to my ear.
“Colt’s not okay. He can’t be. Not after this,” I whimpered as I clung to him.
“No, I don’t think he is, but we’ll get him through this,” mason promised me.
“I was wrong. I…I can’t handle this, Mace,” I admitted, which was monumental for me, but being there, surrounded by not only my own memories of hell, but seeing Colt’s too, it was too much.
He gathered me up in his arms and carried me right out of there like I was a child, and I clung to him feeling as lost as one.
I lifted my head from his shoulder as the fresh air surrounded us, and I took in a huge breath. I was shaking again, but this time it was caused by my memories, not by my injury. I looked to Mason and tried for a smile, though it was weak.
“Sorry. I really thought I’d be okay,” I told him.
“You did amazing, baby. Now will you please let me take you back to Jack’s so you can rest a little?”
“I should get back to Colt,” I wavered.
“Jack text me to say he’s out cold for now. Let’s go and get a few hours’ sleep, then we can see Colt this afternoon, okay?”
“Did they find anything here Mace?” I asked as I looked from him to the forensics team who were loading their van.
“They found the knife, as well as the other stuff. We’re hoping for finger prints or DNA but that’s gonna take them a while. There no cameras around here so that’s a dead end, but Colt will be giving a statement later, Maybe he will remember something that can get this guy,” Mason explained.
“We have to stop him.”
“We will. I won’t stop until he’s dead or behind bars for the rest of his life. He hurt the woman I love. Nothing will stop me from bringing him down,” he promised.
I lay my head back on Mason’s shoulder and tucked my arms under me. It was freezing cold and there was once again a covering of snow on the sidewalks.
“I’m tired,” I admitted.
“Let’s go then.” Mason didn’t put me down until it was to set me in the passenger seat of his car.
He shucked off his gray wool coat and draped it over me once I had my seatbelt in place.
“Close you eyes and rest, baby,” he told me, and I think I passed out before he even rounded the car and got into his side.
***
I woke up and smiled a little when I realized my head was resting on Mason’s naked chest. He was fast asleep and snoring loudly, but he had a tight grip around my middle where he held me against him.
I didn’t remember anything after falling asleep in his car, so I assumed he had carried me inside without waking me.
He’d even removed my sneakers and sweats so I was laid in just my panties and sweater.
I managed to reach my cell which was on the nightstand and checked the time, relieved I hadn’t been asleep for too long.
I needed to get back to Colt, but the nap had definitely done me good.
My pain was less and the pounding in my head had stopped.
I quickly opened a message to send to Kylan.
I didn’t know if Deacon would still be there and I was still to annoyed to speak to Jack.
AVA – How’s Colt?
KY – Sleeping. They have him pain meds so he’ll be out for a while. Get some rest.
AVA – I’ll be back soon.
I placed my phone back on the nightstand, feeling better knowing Colt was resting too. He would need to sleep a lot after all of the blood he had lost.
“You should be asleep,” Mason rumbled as he pulled me so I was actually laid across his body.
“I slept,” I countered.
“Do you feel any better?”
“Much better after waking up laid against you.”
“I didn’t want to leave you in case you had nightmares,” he explained. I rose up and rested my head on my arm as I used my other hand to press a finger to his lips.
“You’re exactly where I needed you to be.
You don’t have to explain,” I told him, feeling lighter than I had in a long time.
I had dreamed so many times of laying in bed with him, usually having hot and wild sex, but also just as we were then, just snuggling and talking.
In my dreams Jack would be laid in the bed with us too, but that wasn’t happening right then, not with how pissed I was with him.
But Colt was safe. He was being guarded by the security team that Ky had paid for, and from what he’d told me, they were the best. Kylan was with him so I knew he wasn’t alone, and I had actually slept soundly again.
I felt good, and who wouldn’t with the mountain of perfect man I had beneath me, A mountain of perfect man who loved me.
When he opened his mouth and sucked in the finger I’d been holding to his lips every single nerve ending inside of me seemed to come alive and shoot right to my core. He sucked on my finger and my clit throbbed as my breaths sped up.
“Mace,” I moaned as I looked into his deep, dark eyes and pleaded with him to see what I needed. Once upon a time I’d have just told him, but I’d lost almost all of my confidence since those days, especially when it came to sex.
“Do you need to come, baby?” he asked with a small smirk crossing his face.
“So much,” I gasped as I felt his hands wrap loosely around my hips, then run sensually up my sides under the sweater I wore.
“Strip for me.” I hesitated for a second.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but he didn’t really know how messed up I was when it came to sex, and Mason used to thrive on his dominance and power over me when I gave him my submission.
Would he get too carried away after so long apart?
Would I be able to speak up if it all became too much?
“Ava, look at me,” he commanded and I instantly acquiesced.
His hands moved back to my hips and he just held me. “Tell me why you just panicked.”
“I…I didn…”
“And don’t try to lie to me. I know you too well, don’t I?”
“Yes damn it,” I sighed as I rolled my eyes at him. “I just…I’m different. I can’t…not like before. I can’t do that anymore.”
“Do what, sweetheart?”
“Any of it,” I uttered as I slumped forwards and wrapped my hands as far as I could get them around him.
I just needed to feel close to him. “I still need you to be in control. I…it feels good to just let go and do as you tell me, but I…the pain I used to love. That’s gone.
You can’t bind me in any way or I’ll freak out too. I told you I’m a mess.”
“Do you trust me, Ava?” he asked as he held me tightly against his chest and tucked my head under his chin.
“Always,” I agreed easily.
“Then trust me to know what you can handle. This isn’t a scene. Your mine now, and while I still crave some control, this isn’t a scene at the club. I just want to make love to you. Can you trust me to do that?” he asked.
“Yes, Mace. I want that.”
“Me too. I’ve waited far too long to have your perfect body pressed against mine again,” he said as he kissed the top of my head.
“I’m sorry…”
“No. No apologies, but next time you’re worried you tell me, or whoever you’re with, right away. Okay? We won’t ever be able to make anything work if you can’t talk to me and Jack.”
“I know,” I nodded. “I’ll try.”