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Chapter 34 : Taking Care of Ava
Last Updated:
2024-04-03 14:13:04Related chapters
Empire of Lust Chapter 35 : A Deadly Game of Cat and Mouse
I make it back to the condo, my heart racing at what I just saw. Corbin had gotten to Conner before I had the chance. I’m experiencing a mixture of emotions. On one hand, I’m happy at not having to deal with Conner anymore. On the other hand, I’m scared shitless. Corbin is more dangerous than I thought him to be.I pull out my phone and call Marcus. He answers, sounding chipper and a little drunk. I fill him in on what just happened, keeping my voice to a low whisper so I don’t wake up Ava. The conversation sobers him up quickly.“You and Ava need to come over tomorrow so we can talk. I know you didn’t want her involved, but she is,” Marcus replies after a long pause of silence.I sigh. It’s true, I hadn’t wanted her involved. Having her know what is going on was necessary, but I wanted to keep her away from the Ambrose family. Considering Sophia had helped her, and Corbin knows her, keeping information from Ava is not going to keep her safe anymore.“I agree. We will come over
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Empire of Lust Chapter 36 : Getting to the Bottom of Things
*Ava’s POV*The guys fall silent as I jokingly suggest killing Corbin. I thought I had been sarcastic when I said it, but I guess not. “I was just joking,” I mumble, hoping to ease the tension in the room. It’s been a stressful week. Seymore’s been great, in every way possible, but I just want to move on and put all this behind us. Corbin and Conner have been constantly present, and all I want to do is enjoy my new relationship with a man who truly knows how to treat me.Marcus chuckles as I clarify, killing the thick atmosphere. “You went really dark on us for a second,” he says with a smile. I’m happy Seymore has decided to let me in on the conversation regarding the Ambrose family, but I’m a little preoccupied with trying to figure out how I’m going to deal with Conner. Breaking into my place for the second time had been the last straw. I also need to talk with Sophia and find out why she had been so against staying when Seymore was on his way. I only half listen
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Empire of Lust Chapter 37 : Dead Wrong
*Seymore’s POV*She said it again, the dreaded ‘we have to talk’. I need to get more clothes, so I turn toward home. It’s killing me to find out what Sophia said to her. Was I right? Did the woman I can’t even remember end my relationship in thirty minutes flat?“I need to go home to get more things,” I say, just wanting to eliminate the silence in the Rover. “That’s fine. Your place or mine, it doesn’t matter,” Ava replies, not giving any hint at what’s about to go down.I suppose she wouldn’t agree to my place if she planned on ending things between us, so I can at least hold on to that strand of hope. During the drive, I try to remember anything new about that fateful night that drove me to hit therapy hard. I just can’t. I still have no face to put with the woman.I pull into the driveway and look at the empty house. No dog to greet me and no Marcus to give me attitude. Just a large empty home without any occupants. I shiver, not ever wanting to go back to that life.
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Empire of Lust Chapter 38 : An Uncertain Future
I whip into Doc’s driveway and jump out of the SUV. Marcus meets me at the door before I even reach it.“What’s going on? Is Ava okay?” he starts to question as I hurry past him.“Ava’s fine, we fought, and I dropped her off at Ellie’s,” I answer angrily as I pull out my phone and pull up the news video about Conner.I hand my cell over to Doc, who is now standing next to Marcus. They both freeze in place, eyes glued to the screen of my device. The reporter sounds unbothered as she reads the teleprompter, adding how it’s so sad that people can’t feel safe in their own homes anymore.Doc looks up at me slowly, followed by Marcus. “So, you were right about the leg belonging to him,” Marcus says, still very confused as to what this has to do with Ava.“Ava thinks I did it. That’s why we fought. Everything I did to try and make Conner’s life miserable came back to bite me in the end,” I reply, dropping into one of Doc’s chairs. “How did she find out about everything?” Marcu
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Empire of Lust Chapter 39 : How to Take Down a Crime Boss
*Ava’s POV*Seymore has been so great about everything, and that makes me feel worse about accusing him of killing Conner. I went back to Ellie’s and talked with her and Sophia. They had pointed out so many inconsistencies in my accusation of Seymore that I felt stupid by the time we were done talking. “He really cares about you,” Sophia had pointed out. “I’ve never had a guy jump through so many hoops for me.”“The fact Corbin was involved has me immediately pointing a finger at him,” Ellie had added. “He’s the one with the background in murder, not Seymore.”“But Seymore flat out said he wanted to kill him,” I had argued. “So? I wanted to kill him, it doesn’t mean I did,” Ellie had retorted. I still feel bad about it, what had I been thinking? The fact Seymore just accepted my apology with a warm smile and comforting touch drove a blade into my heart. I’m so used to things that aren't my fault being blamed on me, that I’m having a difficult time accepting forgiveness w
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Empire of Lust Chapter 40 : Cementing a Plan
*Seymore’s POV*As Ava falls asleep next to me I think about what just happened. Was it the talk of marriage and children that made me act so impulsively, or a darker part of me acting on its own? Either way, something told me to stay tucked into her pulsing womanhood to spill my seed. I’ve never been so careless. Every time I’ve been with someone, I’ve pulled out. I wonder if she noticed. Either way, it felt amazing. Strangely enough, I would love for her to have my baby. Children with her would be a dream come true. I’d given up on ever having children, deciding that life just wasn’t for me. Being with Ava has changed all that. After pulling her in close, I manage to close my eyes and drift off.***The Next MorningWe wake up to Ava’s phone ringing. She answers it and hurries out of the room, trying not to wake me up. While we were asleep, I must have slipped off of her.I hear her talking in the other room, but can’t make out what she’s saying. I climb out of the bed a
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Empire of Lust Chapter 41 : Tempted
Last night was frustrating. Ava filled me in on the two men that came looking for her. Luckily, she was on a break when they came by and her co-workers had not bothered to hunt her down for them. After she got back, the manager pulled the two men up on security footage and asked her if she knew them.“I have no idea who they are,” she had said.“They gave us the creeps, so we just hurried and got them out of the building,” the manager had said. “They asked for you by name, though.”Sophia asked to see the parking lot footage, but she couldn’t get a plate number on the car. Ava told me she doesn’t want to go back to the shelter until we get this tied up.“I don’t like the idea that they know where I work. The last thing I want is to put the people I work with in danger,” Ava said. I understand, but it kills me. She feels like she can’t even do the thing she loves because of Duncan Ambrose. We had gone home from dinner and spent most of the evening sitting on the couch reading
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Empire of Lust Chapter 42 : Hitting the Club
*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
Last Updated : 2024-04-03
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Empire of Lust Chapter 50 : Moving Day
***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.
Empire of Lust Chapter 49 : Picking up the Pieces
*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
Empire of Lust Chapter 48 : True Crime
*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
Empire of Lust Chapter 47 : Betrayal
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
Empire of Lust Chapter 46 : Duncan Ambrose
*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
Empire of Lust Chapter 45 : Taken
*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
Empire of Lust Chapter 44 : The Beginning of the End
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
Empire of Lust Chapter 43 : Nothing's Ever Simple
*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
Empire of Lust Chapter 42 : Hitting the Club
*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
