Chapter 21 #3
I didn’t have the patience for her indecisiveness.
“A pretty redhead will be walking past your shop in…” I quickly calculated the time, relevant to my girl’s pace, “three minutes and twenty seconds, give or take a few seconds. I need you to invite her in. Get her to sit and eat something. Take good care of her, and I’ll reward you handsomely. Are you in, Shannon?”
“Is there a reason you want me to do this?” she questioned suspiciously.
I ground my teeth together. At least Shannon showed more emotional intelligence than the delivery man, but it was still very inconvenient. “That woman is the only reason I have to keep breathing, and she hasn’t eaten today.”
“Aawh, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard!” Shannon squealed, her suspicion all but extinguished.
So much for the emotional intelligence.
“Ooee, I can see her now. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her, mister.”
“Be sure to mention the caramel cheesecake. It’s her favourite. You still have it, right?”
“Yes, we do. Cheesecake is our specialty. Will you be joining her?”
I sighed. “No. I’m not her favourite person at the moment. Don’t even mention this call to her.”
“I see,” Shannon said. “But you guys will work things out. Just apologise and I’m sure she’ll come around.”
“Thank you, Shannon,” I said, before dropping the call, wishing there was a truth in the na?ve girl’s words.
Moments later, I leaned against the brick wall of the alley, blissfully watching Ava eat, while sticking to its shadows—the darkness sheltering me from all the eyes, like we were old friends.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Hunter’s mom.
Is Ava okay?
I texted back, She’s good. I got her to eat.
That’s sweet of you, honey. Always taking care of everybody. Although, I can’t imagine how you managed it without her knowing. Have you eaten anything today?
I frowned down at my phone. I got a burger this morning, I twisted the truth, flinching as I hit send. I did get a burger. I just never ate it as Ava had come darting out the door of Becket’s apartment like a hoard of demons were after her.
Good. I just want to let you know your father says the invitation was accepted. And Volkov has reconsidered your offer. Be safe. Love you, sweetie.
Love you too, M.
I let my head fall backwards, resting it against the brick wall as the relief flooded through my system.
The dominoes I so painstakingly laid out were finally cascading into place.
It was just a matter of time now. I just had to keep them all safe until the auction.
And keep the FBI on a leash, before they trample all over my city of cards.
I chuckled to myself as Ava swooned after her first bite of the cheesecake, doing a little happy dance I hadn’t seen in forever. I knew she’d like it.
After she was done, she continued her walk, not ready to go back to Becket’s apartment. It was obvious she was avoiding going back there, but why? Was it because she would be alone? Was she afraid? After what happened with Volkov?
God! If I’d only gotten the call sooner.
I hated seeing my girl like that. Volkov and especially Vlad would pay.
In the most excruciating fucking way. As soon as their boss was dealt with and the dust had settled back over the Bratva.
I would make sure the curse they believed Ava had casted over them will be realised.
And I was inclined to break a few of Becket’s bones too, just for good measure. And maybe a few of my own. If she hadn’t known about the paint, she wouldn’t have found Volkov.
I placed two thousand dollars inside the check book as I passed Ava’s table. Shannon did good.
Ava browsed through a few more shops on our way to my favourite bookstore. I made sure she entered the Esoteric Shop, where I once bought the most beautiful necklace for her. I’d always meant to take her, but the world was fucking cruel.
I was happy to see her walk out with a grin and two small bags.
If I knew my girl, and I did, it would be filled with crystals and incense.
Maybe a dreamcatcher or two. If there was anything I’d learned from watching her sleep for all those months, it was that Ava did her best thinking while asleep.
Maybe she unlocked her subconscious in her dream state, somehow.
All I knew was that she solved some of my more complicated puzzles after dreaming about it.
Some, even my Yale professors would have difficulty with.
But it was also how she delt with her trauma.
Night after night I’d watched her body lock up, sweat gleaming on her forehead as she furiously mumbled her protest to Digger.
On those nights I had pulled her into me, wrapped myself around her and felt her relax against me, all while plotting the most gruesome ways to punish Digger.
I shook those thoughts off before the memory of his screams would pull me from reality. I only had today with my girl. I had to stay present, no matter how enticing those memories were.
While walking around a corner, I grabbed a hotdog off the street vendor’s cart, replacing it with a hundred-dollar bill. That was the third time since I’d known Hunt’s mom that I lied to her. And I hated it. But she had enough to worry about without me adding on with my lacklustre appetite.
“Thank you, sir!” the vendor called out behind me.
As we neared the bookstore, Ava’s eyes snagged on a shop further up the street. She would pass the little bookstore in the alley without even seeing it.
I calculated our surroundings, then crossed the street, quickening my pace. I walked almost parallel to her across the street, making sure to stay out of her periphery.
I watched the people in front of her, predicting their path, while flicking open my favourite knife.
And four, three, two…
I threw the knife, aiming for the front wheel of the guy on the bicycle. From the angle I threw it, it stuck between the spokes.
“Boom,” I whispered, as the bike with the guy on it, flipped over itself.
“And three, two… crash.” The woman walking behind the bicycle, tumbled over them as well, distracted while texting.
“Oh my god!” I whispered in unison with the woman who’d stood nearby, smoking. I snorted. People were so predictable.
Ava dropped her bags and flowers, helping the texting lady up from the ground. They’d crashed right in front of the alley, with a perfect view of the hidden little bookstore.
“Just look to your left, Princess. You’ll love it.”
I frowned. She was not looking to the left. Instead, she made her way to the bicycle, and I held my breath as she helped the man pick it up from the ground. Of course, she would help him. But if she sees the knife… In my excitement, I clearly hadn’t thought this one through.
Head up, Princess. Don’t look at the wheel.
I picked up a pebble from the street, letting it arch high over them, before it crashed onto the metal trashcans in the alley.
Ava turned, looking for the source of the sound, then got distracted by the sign of the bookstore.
That’s it.
She turned back to the man, patting him on the shoulder while he looked a little dazed. Maybe because of the fall, maybe because of her beauty. She finally turned into the ally, the little bell on the door chiming as she stepped inside.
I retrieved Ava’s knife, before crossing the street again, sitting patiently on the curb, waiting on her for four hours.
When she finally stepped out, it was already dark.
She blinked up at the sky as if it surprised her, then blushed a deep red as she realised the owner of the store had stayed open three hours past closing time for her.
She was the most beautiful thing this world could ever produce when her cheeks flushed. I’d never been able to keep my hands off her when she blushed, determined to keep it there. Even now, seeing it from across the street, my cock twitched in my pants.
I kept behind her as she made her way back to Becket’s apartment.
I hated that she lived with him while in the city.
But it was safer than a hotel. Becket wasn’t too bad a shot, when the dimwit actually carried his gun with him.
And at least she was sleeping in her own room.
For how long, I didn’t know. I didn’t want to think about it.
But it was something I had to face, to accept. Soon she wouldn’t be my Ava anymore. She would be Becket’s. And even though it made me want to scream till my vocal cords ripped apart, it was inevitable.
I’d been watching her with him. She loved him. She may not yet admit it to herself, but it was more than just friendship. They always stood too close, touching too easily. She was comfortable with him, in a way that she never was with me. And it tore me to shreds.
I didn’t want to be around when that day came.
I would lose my fucking mind if I had to see him kiss, touch or fuck my princess.
I would surely die. How could I continue breathing when I knew another man was lovingly tracing the contours of her perfect face, mapping the freckles over her nose and tasting heaven inside her mouth?
That was the real reason I had shot the dog in Florence.
Not just because he’d dragged her back into danger like I’d told myself and Hunt’s father.
No. It was the way they had walked arm in arm through the streets the previous night.
How he’d made her laugh and how she’d rested her head against his shoulder like he was her safe place.
And in that moment, I wanted to cut that shoulder right off his body.
His dick too. His hands too, so he could never touch her again.
Oh, I wanted to cut him in ribbons and feed him to the street rats. I still did.
Breathe, Grayson. Breathe, asshole. My hands started to shake again.