Chapter 30 Elijah
Chapter thirty
Elijah
She’s still asleep when I wake.
The early morning light spills through the window, golden and soft, and it turns her skin into something glowing. One arm’s curled under her pillow. The other is draped across my chest like it belongs there. Because it does.
I watch her for a moment, this woman I’ve come to care for in ways I never expected—deep, protective, consuming. She trusts me with so much. And last night? That was more than physical. That was her handing me the most vulnerable pieces of herself and saying here, I trust you to hold them.
God, I hope she knows I’ll never drop them.
Her nose scrunches a little in her sleep. Probably dreaming. She’s beautiful when she’s like this—unguarded and peaceful. A contrast to the guarded tension she sometimes still carries, like the world might ask too much of her at any second.
I smooth her hair back from her face and kiss her temple, careful not to wake her.
Last night, when George showed up at the shop uninvited, I saw that shadow in her eyes. That pull to be polite, to be quiet, to disappear. And then I saw how fast she texted me. How much trust that took.
She doesn’t even know how strong she is.
I slide out of bed without disturbing her and pad quietly into the kitchen to start the kettle. Coffee first, always. She’ll wake soon, and I want the house to smell like something warm and familiar. Like safety. Like home.
Because she’s made this place feel like home to me too.
***
The buzz of the machine hums low in the background, but I’m not working on anyone at the moment. The studio’s mostly quiet—just the scent of ink and antiseptic, the low thrum of music vibrating through the floorboards. My hands are still, but my mind isn’t.
The shop smells like ink and disinfectant, same as always, but today there’s this edge in the air I can’t shake.
I’ve had this itch since George showed up at Ava’s store. I didn’t make a scene—not in front of her, not in public—but I saw her face. Her body language. The way she froze.
And the thing is—she didn’t look scared. She looked like she was remembering something that hurt.
“Yo,” Asher calls out from the back, wiping his own hands on a towel. “You’re in your head again.”
“George,” I say, leaning on the counter. “Ava’s ex.”
“Ah.” He stretches his arms out and raises an eyebrow. “You thinking stalker ex? Or just dickhead ex?”
I shake my head. “Don’t know. I don’t think he’s the guy who’s been leaving the notes. But something about him doesn’t sit right with me. The timing. The way he just… popped in. Like he wanted her to know he still could.”
Asher leans his hip against the doorway, watching me carefully. “You want to know if he’s hiding something.”
“Exactly. Not jumping to conclusions. Just… I’ve got this gut feeling.” I glance up.
“Talk to Kade,” he says. “He’s got the kind of people who can dig. Subtle. Quiet. Dangerous, if they need to be.”
Kade Kingston. Old friend, old blood. His family doesn’t deal in ink—they deal in power. Quietly. Effectively.
I pull my phone from my pocket and dial.
“Elijah,” Kade answers, voice cool and deep like always. “It’s been a minute.”
“Yeah. Wish this was a social call.”
“I assume it’s not,” Kade says, no real surprise in his tone. “Talk to me.”
I keep it direct. “Ava’s ex. George Whitmore. He’s been popping up uninvited. She’s rattled. I don’t like it.”
“You want me to look into him.”
“I want to know if he’s a problem. If he’s stalking her. If there’s anything I need to prepare for.”
There’s a pause. I can hear him thinking. Calculating. Another beat of silence, then Kade’s voice comes low and sure.
“Come to the house.”
“Tonight.”
“Bring anything you’ve got.”
He doesn’t ask questions he doesn’t need answers to.
“We’ll go over it with the team,” he adds. “My brothers’ll be there. Kaleb, too.”
I exhale, already feeling steadier. “Thanks, man.”
“You care about her,” Kade says simply.
“Yeah,” I answer without hesitation. “A lot.”
“Then we’ll handle this right.”
Click.
***
The Kingston estate looms ahead, sprawling like a fortress built not just to impress, but to intimidate.
Beauty hides its teeth. White stone walls gleam under the sun, flanked by wrought-iron gates and hedges manicured to military precision.
Every corner hums with the weight of old money, generations of dominance etched into the land itself.
But beneath the surface, there’s more—everyone knows it.
The Kingstons don’t just own wealth; they command fear.
In the city, their name is spoken with a reverent hush, like a prayer—or a warning.
Billionaires whose businesses stretch across oceans, whose secrets are buried deeper than their vaults.
Whispers of Mafia ties drift just beyond the reach of evidence, persistent and unanswered.
The Kingstons are power dressed in silk—elegant, untouchable, and lethal. Their companies are so pristine the SEC doesn’t blink. But behind every polished deal and flawless smile, there’s a shadow no one dares to trace.
I park in the circular drive and approach the grand front doors. No guards in sight—they don’t need to be. Everyone knows better than to come uninvited.
Inside, the den is quiet but charged. Kade sits like he owns the air in the room.
Because he does. CEO of Kingston Enterprises, he’s the face of the family—clean-cut, cold-eyed, and far more dangerous than he lets on.
Kaleb is perched on the arm of Kade’s chair, relaxed, casual.
The gesture is casual, almost dismissive—unless you know them.
But his eyes track every move. He runs The Vault—neutral ground in a world full of fire. The kind of place where kings kneel and devils behave. Because they know what happens if they don’t.
Keller leans against the mantle, half in shadow, half in firelight. He and Kai run Kingston Security. They protect billionaires, power brokers, and anyone smart enough to pay their retainer. But make no mistake—they don’t just keep people safe. They decide who gets to feel safe.
“You said it was urgent,” Kade begins, his voice calm, controlled. It’s not a question—it’s a command to start talking.
“It is. It’s about Ava.”
That gets their attention. They might not know her well, but they know she’s mine.
“She’s being stalked,” I start, voice steady. “They started shortly after we started dating, maybe? I'm not entirely sure. Flowers first. They showed up at her shop the morning after our first night together. We’d just taken a big step—intimately. She thought they were from me.”
“They weren’t,” Kaleb says, not a question.
“No. Then came the notes.”
I pass them the envelope. Kai flips it open with gloved fingers—typical. Always prepared.
“They’ve gotten bolder. Creepier. The tone… it’s possessive. Watching her. Not threatening exactly, but it’s escalating.”
I take a breath. “And then this.”
The photo slides across the table.
It’s of me and Ava. She’s laughing. My hand’s on her lower back. We’re outside her store, wrapped in a quiet, intimate moment. And someone was close enough to catch it.
Kaleb leans forward slightly. “They’re close.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Too close.”
Kade studies the photo, then me. “You think it’s her ex.”
“I don’t know what to think,” I admit. “George showed up at an exhibit. Coincidence, maybe. But then, he showed up again—at her shop. No appointment, no call. Just... showed up.”
Keller hums. “Divorce finalized when?”
“Six years ago.”
Kaleb tilts his head. “That’s a long time to stay quiet.”
“It is,” I agree. “He’s smooth, rehearsed. Asked subtle questions—about her schedule, when she’s alone. It didn’t feel like casual curiosity.”
“But you’re not sure he’s the stalker,” Kai says.
“I’m not. If I was, I’d have put him on the ground by now. But my gut says he’s hiding something. I want to know what.”
Kade looks over at Kaleb, who gives a small nod. No words needed between them.
“Sophia had a moment—thought Ethan might be involved,” I continue. But it turns out he just wanted to reconnect with Mia, Ava’s employee. It seems innocent enough, but nothing about this situation feels right.”
Kaleb glances at me. “You’ve been staying with her?”
“Every night,” I confirm. “Since it started.”
“Good,” Kaleb says quietly. “Keep it that way.”
Keller flips through the folder I brought, the notes and photo lined up neatly inside. “You’re worried George is hiding something.”
“I am,” I say.
Kade leans back. “You want us to dig. See what George isn’t saying.”
“Yes. And if it leads to someone else—anyone else—I want that too. I need to know who it is before it escalates.”
“You’ll want Keller and Kai on point,” Kaleb adds. “This kind of thing—obsessive, escalating—it doesn’t go away on its own.”
“I know.”
Kade’s voice is calm, final. “We’ll find out who’s behind it. And we’ll deal with it.”
Kade’s gaze hardens, a promise in his tone. “We’ll look into everyone.”
Kai smirks. “If he’s hiding something, we’ll find it.”
“Even if it’s not him…” Keller’s voice trails off, a dark edge in his calm.
The meeting feels done, but there’s an undercurrent—a silent agreement that this isn’t over until they say it is. I gather the folder and stand, locking eyes with Kade.
“Thank you,” I say.
He nods once. “We’ll handle it.”
He doesn’t have to say what handle it means.
They’re the Kingstons. Their businesses are pristine. Their files are clean. But people still disappear. Not from inside The Vault—Kaleb’s rules are iron there—but elsewhere. In the gaps. The silences. The places no one sees.
And if this stalker thinks Ava is unprotected? He’s about to learn what happens when you touch what belongs to someone like me.
As I leave, I glance back. Kade and Kaleb are deep in conversation, Keller is flipping the photo over, and Kai’s pacing hasn’t stopped. They’re already working on it.
Whoever’s behind this made a mistake. They underestimated Ava’s value to me—and now, they’ve got the Kingstons involved, and ask questions in a world where the answers are guarded by men like them.