*Ava’s POV*I make it back to the office feeling bold and accomplished. I did a thing. Ellie would be proud of me, as she nonstop nagged me to take a step in the right direction with Seymore. “He’s interested,” she had said the night before. “You have to stop hiding from the world and letting Conner win.”I had already written down my number and tucked it in my pocket. Had Dr. Davies not interrupted us, I would have handed it to him in the office. Seymore had looked so rejected when I answered the intercom, I couldn’t resist the offer of a walk through the park. I don’t remember ever having this effect on a man.It feels good, and I try not to let my emotions cloud my judgment. I pull out my sandwich and chips before getting a glass of water from the sink. He has a dog. That’s a bonus for sure. The next four hours are going to drag as I look forward to an evening out with Seymore.“Going out after work, you still coming over?” I message Ellie. She had asked to take me out
*Seymore’s POV*I drop Zeus’s leash the moment I see Conner behind Ava. He grabs her before I have the chance to warn her he’s there. I watch as he slaps her, hard. My adrenaline is more than I can stand as I bang at the glass door, trying to get it to break.“Get off of her!” I scream, causing Conner to turn around and look at me before delivering a kick to her side.I’m going to kill him. The minute I get through these doors, he’s a dead man.I rush over to the buzzer box and start frantically buzzing her condo. Ellie is up there, I saw her. She just needs to let me in and I’ll turn this entryway into a real crime scene. Zeus is barking non-stop at Conner, ropes of saliva dripping from his muzzle as he bares his teeth.I watch as Conner delivers a few more blows before glancing up the winding stairwell. He looks back at me one last time, flashing me an evil smile, before taking off past the elevator and down a hall. I see Ellie fly down the steps and drop down next to Ava.
After taking care of my morning chores, I head out to the garage feeling determined to make it a good day for Ava. I considered taking the train and walking her into the office, but I imagine she’s going to be sore and not up for a walk. Instead, I will give her a gentle ride down the block with a quick stop for coffee. I pull up to her building and text her I’m there. A few minutes later, she and Ellie both exit the front door. Ellie walks around to my side as Ava climbs in. She winces as she steps up into the vehicle, making me wish I had taken a car out of my storage to make it easier on her. “Hello, Ellie,” I cheerfully greet as I roll down my window.Both women look like they haven’t had a good night's sleep, and the energy around them is anything but chipper.“Morning, Seymore. I took an early shift at work, but I won't get out until seven. Do you mind staying with her till I get out?” she asks, glancing over at Ava in the passenger seat. “It would be my pleasure,” I
*Ava’s POV*Panic grows in my chest as I search the darkness for any sign of Zeus. My own pain takes a backseat as I focus on finding him. Some low whining from somewhere in front of me pulls my attention deeper into the darkness. I scan the ground, hoping he isn’t injured and lying on the grass. I don’t know what I’ll do if Zeus is hurt. It’s already my fault Seymore’s house was turned upside down. Conner must have figured out where he lived and came over with some of his friends to ransack the place. My ex isn’t just threatening Seymore now, he’s a danger to Zeus as well.It’s the only thing that makes sense. Who else would do something like this? I feel like I’m taking advantage of Seymore’s kindness. Maybe I should put some distance between us. Before I can obsess too much over the situation with Seymore, Zeus comes crawling out from some underbrush. “Come here, baby,” I coo after yelling for Seymore. I drop down as low as my tender rips will allow and wrap my arms a
*Seymore’s POV*I make it back out to the Range Rover after dropping Ava off at her door. The kiss on the back of her hand has me longing for more. Thinking back on her standing in my shower, the soaking wet T-shirt hugging her, causes my cock to twitch around in my pants. She had turned away from me, making me think she was being sensitive to my addiction. It turns out, she’s ashamed of herself and how she looks. Conner really did a number on her. Ava is soft in all the right places, making me long to grab hold of her love handles and show her what a real man does with them. The vision of her in the shower causes a full erection to push against my pants. An ache grows in my scrotum as I shift in the seat, trying to relieve some of the pressure. Seeing her like that makes me want more.I pull back into my driveway and take a few deep breaths, pulling up thoughts of Zeus lost in the woods to kill my desire before going in.I walk through the door to hear Marcus putting some
Marcus guides me to a suburban neighborhood. All the houses look remarkably similar and hold no old-world touches. A newer neighborhood, if I have to guess. I can also assume Conner makes a decent paycheck to be able to afford to live in this location. All the houses are two-story with white picket fences.Marcus texts me the address and adds, “He has a doorbell camera out front, but the back should be clear.”Looking around, it would appear that most of the neighbors are at work. Marcus gets out of his car and I do the same, walking up to him casually. “So, what’s your plan?” I ask, wondering what he has in mind.I don’t know that I’m okay with trashing Conner’s place, I plan to destroy his life silently. That, and I don’t want to bring any more heat onto Ava. I have no doubts that if Conner catches Marcus or me on camera, he will find a way to punish her.“Nothing too major,” Marcus says, looking up and down the street to see if anyone is looking. “Break in, dig around a l
*Ava’s POV*It’s late when Ellie and I get back to her apartment. We were going to go to my place, but I still don’t feel safe in my own home. Texting with Seymore had been the highlight of my evening. While Ellie flirted with every guy at the bar, I spent the night shutting myself off to the noise and drunken fun and scrolling through my phone.I now have a bunch of new books to read on my book app, and it kept me away from the unwanted attention of the bar patterns.“Wasn’t that fun?” Ellie asks, throwing her stuff on the floor by the door and kicking off her shoes.“Sure, lots of fun,” I reply, trying not to sound too ungrateful at my friend's attempt to cheer me up.She pauses in front of me and sighs.“You asked me to keep you from thinking about Seymore and this mess with Conner. The only thing that comes to mind is a night out at the bar,” she huffs, throwing her hands up on her hips like a disappointed parent.“I know, and I appreciate it. I just don’t do the whol
*Seymore’s POV*I look down at the tracking app and am shocked to find the wrong car stalking around Ava’s condo. I had thought Conner was having another go, but the blip is the tracker Marcus had planted on the tail earlier. The only reason I set it to Ava’s block is because I see him sitting outside Dr. Davies’ office a lot. “What would he be doing over there?” Marcus wonders, saying the question in my head out loud. “I have no idea,” I reply.“Should we go check on her place?” he continues.“No, the girls were at the bar when I messaged a little while ago. Let’s see if he hangs out or if he moves on.”I watch the app more than the television as we finish the pizza and Marcus’ show comes to an end. The stranger had moved on, but not very far. He drove about fifteen minutes away to another part of town. His house maybe? After looking up the address, I found an apartment community on the map.He sits there for what feels like forever before suddenly speeding away. “W
***Three Months LaterThe last few months have been a blur as Ava and I move forward with building a life together. I love waking up to her every day, afternoon sex is amazing, and holding her in my arms at night is the only way I can fall asleep. “Are you almost ready?” Ava yells from the kitchen.“Almost,” I answer, finishing up getting dressed.Zeus and Goldie run into the bedroom, excited about the day ahead. They will be getting dropped off at Doc’s place while we help Sophia and Ellie move. We also need to get all of Ava’s things out of her condo and into our house. “Come on, you two. Time to go see Grandpa Doc!” I holler as I walk down the hall. Ava started calling him that because he spoils the dogs like they were his own grandchildren. They have more toys and comfy beds at his place than ours. We pile into the SUV and take off, eager to get the day going. “Did you remember to grab the bottle of wine out of the fridge?” I ask Ava as we drive into the city.
*Seymore’s POV*Once I can no longer hear all the emergency vehicles, I pull back onto the road and head for the house. This isn’t over yet, but at least we are all together again. Marcus calls Doc and Ellie to let them know we have Ava and are going to my place. There’s no telling what Duncan will do once he finds out his head henchman is out of commission. “Lock yourselves in and don’t open the door for anyone,” Marcus instructs each of them before hanging up.“When we get to the house we need to do a sweep and then barricade the doors,” I explain while turning down my street.Talking makes my neck throb. I’m hoping Corbin didn’t do any permanent damage with the death grip he had on me. Looking in the rearview mirror, I can see redness along Marcus’ neck. As we get closer to the drive, the white car from the other day is parked in the street.“Marcus,” I growl, drawing his attention to the car.“Give me a break,” he huffs from the backseat.I pull up close to them a
*Ava’s POV*I came to, my face pressed into whatever it was that I landed on. Everything hurts. It feels like I was hit by a bus and not thrown down a flight of stairs. I listen for any sounds before I try to move or open my eyes. I want to make sure Corbin isn’t sitting next to me on the steps, waiting for me to show signs of life. Once I’m sure he’s still upstairs, I open my eyes and slowly push myself up. From the feel of it, I’m sitting on an old mattress. At least my landing had some cushion. I can’t imagine what damage could have been done if I landed on concrete. There’s no sunlight coming through any windows in the cellar. If this was an old hunting cabin, I would imagine this floor was used for cold storage. I can hear Corbin walking around overhead. He’s still in the building.A phone ringing upstairs draws my attention. I can hear Corbin’s deep voice until he takes the call outside, signaled by the door slamming behind him. I’d imagine the reception out here isn’t
Desmond should still be at the office. No need to call ahead this time, if he has a client I will throw them out the door to free up some time. What’s happened isn’t just my fault, and he has to take responsibility for what he’s done.I pull up in front of the office with Marcus right behind me. I jump out of the SUV and head for the steps.“Seymore, will you wait?” Marcus yells, getting out of his own car.“Where are we at with tracking down Corbin?” I ask, not interested in anything else right now.There will be no talking me out of anything. Until Ava is back in my arms, I will rain down punishment on anyone who’s harmed her. “Doc’s working on it. He says he has an idea, but that we should wait for him to call before blowing our cover,” Marcus huffs.“Ava’s gone, Marcus. As far as I’m concerned, there is no more cover,” I snap at him, opening the door to the office and rushing up the steps.I kick in Desmond’s office door, slightly disappointed at finding him alone. T
*Seymore’s POV*Ava hasn’t been gone for more than twenty minutes and I’m already losing my mind. I wish I hadn’t sent her away, it really did go against everything I was feeling. Her safety is my top priority, even if it means I’m going to suffer for it. At least Ava will have her friends to distract her, making the time we spend away from one another move quickly. I suppose I could go see Doc and Marcus. We could play some cards and just hang out. No matter what, I need to find something to keep my mind off of Ava. I pull out my cell and call Marcus.“What’s up, Seymore?” he asks right away.“I just sent Ava away. I guess Sophia talked with Corbin and he warned her to stay away from Ava. I figured she would be safer at Ellie’s than here, but I need to find something to do while she’s gone,” I explain in a drawn-out breath.“I understand, and it makes sense. I’m heading back to your place with the dogs. Doc finally got tired of me hovering over him and told me to go home
*Ava’s POV*I can’t believe it. The man I trust above all others has sent me away. Sure, there had been no point in arguing with him, but that doesn’t mean I want this. I’m so tired of everyone else telling me what to do with my life. I know what’s good for me, and what I feel should override anyone else's opinion. I sit in the back of Sophia’s car, sulking as she drives. She and Ellie are both trying to tell me how to feel, and I’m over it. I would rather be with Seymore, fighting by his side. This is ridiculous and an unnecessary step. “If Corbin was the one who killed Conner, we need to treat him like the threat he is,” Ellie is saying. “That’s true, Ava. Corbin doesn’t care what the order is, he will carry it out without prejudice. The fact he mentioned I should stay away from you specifically worries me,” Sophia adds. My heart had dropped when Seymore said I should stay away from him. That’s the last thing I had been expecting. I thought he would step up his efforts
The phone rings a few times before Kade answers. The states are six hours behind us, so midnight here is only six o’clock over there.“Seymore, nice to hear from you again. Raven and I were just talking about you,” Kade says after the initial hellos. “How have you been?”“Do you have time? I’ve got a lot going on,” I reply, heading out to Doc’s garden to speak to him in private. It takes me a good hour to fill him in on everything going on. Kade asks his questions as we talk, congratulating me on my relationship with Ava, and then lecturing me for not calling him sooner when it came to the Duncan problem. “You know I could have helped, he’s someone I do business with,” Kade had scorned.I love that he wants to help, but I’m used to taking care of my problems on my own. Suddenly having a large support group of friends is taking some adjusting on my part. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner, I was trying to deal with it on my end without bothering you,” I retort. “But I co
*Seymore’s POV*I dart up the steps with Ava on my heels. I feel like my heart is about to pop out of my chest. This is the most dangerous part of our mission, and I can’t turn around to see if anyone sees us. We reach the top and I pull her around a corner, both of us are out of breath as we press our backs against a wall. “We’re up,” I tell Marcus through the earpiece. “It looks good out here, Corbin’s sitting at the door checking IDs again,” he replies. “Find the black door and let me know when you’re ready for the code.”“It’s okay, Corbin doesn’t know we’re up here,” I relay to Ava, causing her to nod that she understands. We should have plenty of time to find the door we need. According to Sophia, Corbin won't be back up to check the building for at least forty-five minutes. There is a long hall to our right and a short hall to the left. I point to Ava and down the left side. She nods and heads down the hall while I take the right. The noise of the club is distrac
*Ava’s POV*Seymore has been looking at me funny all day. He hasn’t brought it up, but I know what he’s thinking. I hadn’t allowed him to pull out. I had an oh-no moment the night before when he came inside me, but once my brain worked through it I decided it wasn’t a bad thing. If I get pregnant, so be it. I went through years of being unable to conceive with Conner, and I don’t want to have children too late in life. If Seymore brings it up, that’s exactly what I’ll tell him.The afternoon was too busy to talk about it. We needed to contact everyone and let them know what the plan was. Ellie was stoked, asking me if I wanted to come over to get ready together. I declined. She will take Sophia and head to the club early so they can get in place and let us know when it’s busy enough to slip in. Doc and Marcus said they would get the earpieces ready. Seymore and I left a little while ago to come home and prepare.“Is that what you’re wearing?” I ask as he steps out of the be