“Gabriel?” Ava softly asked and drew him into a hug.
“I haven’t met him, I promise,” her best friend sobbed.“It’s okay, I believe you.”“But he keeps asking me to meet, and he tells me things and I don’t know if they are true or not. But if they are, I think I should do something,” he then said.“What has he been telling you?” she asked.“He said that when we were together, he went on one of his trips and he felt so lonely, so he spent the evening drinking in the bar. There was a woman there, and she seduced him.” Gabriel paused to collect himself.“Let me guess, he had no choice and it was all her fault?” Ava said. She knew she should be softer and more mindful, but she was just so angry at Jonas and his constant bullshit.“That’s what he said.” Gabriel nodded.“Do you believe him?” Ava asked.“No,” he said in a whisper.“Good.”“But there is more. He said that she go pregnant and that’s why he acted like he did towards me, becauseAva wasn’t surprised when Zane decided to follow her when she left the office to check on Gabriel and Ryder. She knocked on the door to her former room. “What are you doing?” he asked.“It’s rude to just barge inside,” she told him. “Why are they in the guestroom?”“Gabriel and I had our talk there?” she said as she got a reply to come in. She was about to open the door when Zane leaned his hand on it and towered over it.“Why?”“Because unlike you, I don’t have an office here and some things I don’t want to use our bedroom to discuss and even though it’s rare someone is in the library, it happens. So the best solution is to use the guest room,” she explained. Zane looked dumbstruck for a moment. Then he bent down and kissed her.“An oversight on my part,” he told her and took his hand of the door.“What?” “Nothing, don’t keep them waiting, angel.”“I’m not the one who stopped me from opening the door,” she pointed out.“Now you are jus
The look on Jonas’ face was almost comical as he saw Gabriel.“Gabriel?” he asked in disbelief. Ryder had his arm around Gabriel, and when Jonas spoke, he pulled Gabriel closer to him. Gabriel was looking down, but took a deep breath and looked up at Jonas.“Hello, Jonas,” he said. “Who are these people, Gabe?” Jonas asked. Gabriel flinched at the nickname and Ava wanted to hurt the tied up man. Zane seemed to sense her mood and put his arm around her and kissed her temple. “They are my family,” Gabriel said. He straightened his stance and his voice was now stable. Ava smiled. “You don’t have a family,” Jonas said. There was a moment of silence before Ryder let go of Gabriel and walked up to Jonas and punched him in the face. Ava was worried the hit would snap Jonas’ neck by the way his head flew to the side. Zane and Jax had closed in on him as well. First Ava thought they were there to hold back Ryder from inflicting more damage. But she realised they were c
Ava joined Zane and Jax in Zane’s office. Zane pulled her into his lap as Jax got comfortable on the couch. “What did you find out about the child and his mother?” Ava asked Jax as he seemed to have done his homework on Jonas.“The kid’s name is Loka, at least that is the name he gave Laya. I couldn’t find any information about him or his mother. There is no record of the shithead being registered as a father to any child. That doesn’t mean he isn’t the father, it just means no one put it on paper,” Jax said. “How old is he?” Ava asked.“How should I know? I don’t know shit about kids. Four maybe, but he is skinny, so he might look younger than he is.”“I’ll join the doctor when he comes. Maybe I can make a new friend,” Ava said. “He’ll be here any moment,” Zane told her and kissed her. “Maybe I should join you,” he added.“No, you most certainly will not,” Ava said.“Why?”“Why should you?” she countered with.“Maybe you’ll need me. What i
Somehow Anna had found some stuffed animals, children’s books and pyjamas that fit Luka. After they had dinner and Luka had devoured both his dinner and dessert, Ava followed him up to the room that was next to hers and Zane’s bedroom. She helped him change and get comfortable in the big bed. “Me and Zane sleep in the room next to this. If you wake up and feel scared, you can come to us. Or if you call out, we will hear you,” she told him. “And Zane won’t be mad? Jonas always got mad when I had nightmares,” Luka asked.“No, he won’t be mad. And if he scares you, I will put him in time out,” she told him. He smiled and nodded. Ava read him a story, but two pages in and Luka was off like a light. He had had a busy day. She tucked him in and left the door a little opened as she walked into Zane’s office, leaving that door a little open as well. Zane and Jax looked at her questioning, they never left the door open when they were working in there. “It’s in case Luka gets ou
Ava stopped and looked at him. “Why do you ask something like that?”“Because you know that my childhood wasn’t exactly perfect and you know what kind of man I am.”“Okay, come with me,” she told him, took his hand and walked him into their bedroom. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have standing in the corridor. She made him sit down on the bed and sat next to him. “First, you need to stop thinking of yourself as a bad man without redeeming qualities. I have told you before, that isn’t the case. Yes, you may do things outside the law and some of those things involve hurting people. But I have never heard of you doit it to someone that hasn’t been deserving of it. And you have never, ever even made me fearful of you. Maybe with the exception of our first meeting, but that was just a high adrenalin night,” she told him. He huffed.“It’s different with you,” he said. “Why?”“Because I love you.” Ava smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “Just like y
Luka was in a good mood at breakfast the next morning. He was allowed to have cereal because he promised Ava to eat four pieces of the cut up fruit which was in a bowl. He held up his end of the bargain and even ate a couple of extra pieces as he tried some of the fruits for the first time. “Luka, I need to run a couple of errands this morning. I won’t be gone for more than two hours. Would it be okay if Anna looked after you?” Ava asked him as they were almost finished eating. “Sure,” he agreed.“Why can’t Jax and I look after him?” Zane asked. Ava was so surprised it took her a moment to collect herself.“I just thought you had business to take care or,” she said. “Nothing that can’t hold off for an hour or two. Right Jax?”“Right,” Jax agreed as he walked into the dining room. “What am I agreeing to?” he then asked. Ava smiled at him.“That we have time to keep Luka company for a couple of hours this morning,” Zane explained.“Sure thing, that s
Ava could hear laughter as she stepped out of the car in front of the mansion. It made her smile and she followed the sound around the house into the back gardens. On one of the perfectly manicured lawn, Zane and Jax were teaching Luka how to throw a ball. All three were smiling and laughing. Ava stood watching them for a moment. She let the stress and uneasiness drain from her. Zane looked up and saw her standing there and his smile got even bigger as he walked over to her and pulled her in for a hug and a kiss. Ava melted into him and let the feeling of his closeness wash away the last of the unpleasantries from the visit. “What’s wrong?” he asked as the kiss ended. “Nothing,” she said. He looked at her and took a hold of her chin.“Don’t lie to me, angel. You know what happens to liers,” he said in that dark voice, which always went straight to her core. “I will tell you later, when we don’t have an audience,” she promised him.“I will allow it. You’re okay
It had been two days since Ava had talked with Fatima and she hadn’t heard anything back. She spent her days with Luka, and he seemed to settle into life in the mansion. Zane would usually find them when he had a break in his work, or when he decided he wanted a break. Ava was sitting in the garden crocheting; it was a nice day and Luka was sitting on a blanket with his Legos. It had fast become his favorite toy after his bunny. The pink bunny was laying by his side, it was his constant companion. He may have been a bit old for a security stuffy, but with everything he had been through, Ava thought he deserved it. Her phone rang and she saw it was Fatima calling.“Hi, Fatima,” Ava answered.“Hello, my friend. I hope you are well,” Fatima said.“I am, thank you. And you?”“I’m good. I have good news as well.”“I’m happy to hear it, I hope it’s regarding the thing we talked about,” Ava said.“It is. I have found his mother. I talked to her most of t