by Raven Monet
“No, that's not true at all, Ava. And you know it. That's why I'm here.”
“What? You think you're going to swoop in, find the man who killed my parents and – ”
“Our parents, Ava,” he corrected me. “He killed mine too, remember.”
“Yeah, but you didn't seem as gung ho about revenge until I came around. Why is that?”
I still didn't sit down beside him. I remained standing.
“Oh, that's where you're mistaken, doll – ”
“Don't you fucking dare call me doll,” I said, standing firm. “I may be small, but you have no idea who you're messing with.”
Elias laughed, but he held his hands up in defeat. “Sorry about that. But it doesn't change the fact that you are mistaken. I have always been out for revenge, I just knew I couldn't do it alone.”
That caught my attention. “Go on.”
His green eyes narrowed in on me, and I felt the weight of his gaze as it worked its way down the length of my body. I was wearing shorts and a tank top. Yeah, maybe it was a little revealing, but it was hotter than hell. Besides, I had a nice body, one I worked hard for, and I shouldn't have to cover it up because men like Elias might get the wrong idea.
I crossed my arms over my chest, hiding some of my cleavage without realizing it.
“You're different, Ava,” Elias said, licking his thick, luscious lips as he spoke.
“Are you trying to pick me up or tell me why you need me to help find our parents' killers? Kind of hard to tell,” I said.
My own voice felt weak and I couldn't deny the attraction was there. He was checking me out now and I knew it was no different than when I'd checked him out when he climbed off his bike. Well, okay, he didn't know about me doing that, so I guess there was a slight difference. I wasn't making a public show of it.
“I don't mean that in the flirty, pickup line sorta way,” Elias said, shaking his head. He stood up, and I feared he might walk toward me, but instead, he paced the room. “We have something in common, you and me. You're a hybrid shifter – lion and bear. And I'm a hybrid too.”
“You're also a lion-bear hybrid?” I asked, almost finding it hard to believe.
It was hard to believe not because we didn't exist – because we obviously did. But I was the only one I knew of, and even my parents were stumped by that. But what were the odds of me meeting another hybrid exactly like me in this world?
“No, I didn't say that.”
“Then what are you, Elias?” I asked, feeling tired from all the games he was playing.
My arms fell back down to my sides before I raised them again and began to rub my temples. The heat and his secretive nature were wearing me thin. The air conditioning in the room was kicked up to the highest level it would go, but it wasn't a match for the ridiculous Midwestern humidity. Not that my home would be much better. The south had it even worse. Maybe once we figured all this out, I'd move out west. Somewhere where humidity doesn't exist.
“That's complicated, Ava,” he said softly, turning to face me. “Can we focus on finding the man responsible for our parents' deaths?”
“Sure,” I said, shrugging. Honestly, it shouldn't matter to me what Elias was or what he wasn't. As long as he could fight alongside me – and I assumed he could – we'd be just fine. “But why are you so convinced my parents were murdered too? Especially since Deacon said their deaths had nothing in common with your parents?”
“I'm convinced because you're convinced,” he said, smiling the tiniest of smiles at me. “And because El Monstruo also visited you. I happen to doubt he was just stopping by for a friendly chat.”
“But if Deacon saved you years ago, why would he just now be seeking revenge?” Since Elias wasn't sitting on the bed, I decided to. I plopped down on the hideous floral comforter with a sigh.
“Probably because he had no idea who Deacon was. Until now.”
“That doesn't answer the question about why my parents' deaths were made to look like an accident while he butchered yours. And also – why am I still alive?”
“Good question,” Elias said, walking back toward the bed and standing inches from me, causing me to stare up at him. “And that's something I intend to find out.”
Chapter Seven
ELIAS
Staring down at her, on the bed, I had to hold myself in check. She was beautiful. Beyond beautiful, she was fucking gorgeous. Her dark eyes were the color of the night sky. Set against such pale skin and with her jet black hair, she looked like a doll. Even with the purple highlights I hadn't noticed last night thanks to the darkness in the bar, she could still pass for a porcelain doll with her fair skin and dark features.
I pulled my eyes from her and sat down, next to her on the bed. We were close to one another, nearly touching, but she made sure to keep her distance.
“So you're asking me to come along with you, to find this man?” she asked me, staring down at her hands.
“No,” I responded. “Not at all. It's too dangerous for you – ”
“Stop that, Elias. You said yourself, I'm different.”
“You're also Deacon's niece and I can't let anything happen to you.”
“Then why are you here? Why are we even discussing this if you intended to go alone all along?”
“Because I still need your help, Ava. And that means answering some questions that might be hard for you to answer, but it very well could lead us to our man.”
She sighed. “I'll answer whatever questions I can,” she said. “But I'm not going to sit back and let you do this alone.”
I gave her a sideways glance. She was little but also built. Ava was no stranger to the gym and there was more muscle on her body than fat. She wasn't big or bulky and underneath her regular clothing, you probably couldn't tell what a powerhouse she was. But with such skimpy attire, it was hard to miss. I had no doubt she could hold her own in a fight, but could she stand up against the cartels? I knew that going in, it was likely a one-way mission. It's why I told Deacon to not make me the next leader of the gang – they needed someone who wasn't going to go off and get himself killed. But I couldn't tell him that last bit or he'd make sure to never leave my side, putting him at risk as well. It was my little secret and for now, I just kept telling him I wasn't ready.
I hadn't expected him to make the announcement last night, and part of me wondered if seeing Ava caused him to hurry up and make that decision.
I cared about the club, I did. They were my family, my friends. My entire world. But there was nothing that would hold me back from seeking the revenge I deserved.
Except now, there was Ava.
“You know it's likely a one-way mission, right?” I asked her.
“You don't plan on coming out alive?” she asked.
“Not really. If I do, great. But it's not the plan. My only goal is to kill the man who killed my parents, rip his heart out while it's still beating and whatever happens after that – well, I have nothing left to live for anyway.”
Ava's eyes softened, and for a moment, I thought she might reach out and touch me. But she kept her distance. Smart move considering we were both sitting side by side on the bed together.
“You have Deacon, the other guys – ”
“Yes, but that's not enough to keep me alive, Ava. Not if it means letting that monster live.”
There was a moment of silence, where she just stared at me as if she was trying so hard to talk some sense into me. But there was nothing she could say. I knew she understood.
“Well, I'm not letting you do this alone,” she said.
“But Deacon?” I asked. “You have an uncle who cares about you – ”
“An uncle who didn't even bother to show up to my parent's funeral to comfort me? Who didn't come find me after it was all over? Who made me come find him? Nah, I ain't got him. I'm alone, just like you.”
I didn't agree with her, but I also knew that look in her eye. I'd seen it too many times in others. It was the look of d
etermination, the look that said there was no holding her back.
“Listen, if you don't let me come along, I'll just find him on my own – ” she said.
I knew she would too.
“It's why I came to see Deacon,” she continued softly. “Partially to say goodbye, but also to get some information. I knew it involved him, I just knew it. And now that I have some leads, I'll keep looking, even if it means I do it alone.”
“You aren't alone, Ava,” I said, closing my eyes as I spoke. I couldn't look at the face of Deacon's niece as I said the next part because I knew her life would be in danger. “We can work together to find this guy. And when we do, I'll do whatever I can to make sure you make it out alive.”
“Likewise, Elias,” she said. “Don't discount my abilities just yet. Don't make the mistake of underestimating me.”
Chapter Eight
AVA
We left bright and early the next morning. Elias had to sneak away and not let Deacon see him slip out. It was still dark outside when his bike pulled up to the hotel. I handed in my hotel key and carried everything I had in a backpack. The old man working the counter barely looked up as I checked out, still half asleep in his chair, pretending to watch the television in the corner that had gone off the air hours before.
“Thanks for staying with us,” he muttered, wiping the drool from his chin and dozing back off.
Yeah, it was that early.
“You sure you're up for this?” Elias asked me as I walked over to him leaning against his bike. In the dim light of the streetlights, his eyes shone like emeralds. I was transfixed for a moment until he reached out and touched my arm. “Earth to Ava – ”
“Yes, I'm up for this or I wouldn't be here,” I growled, adjusting the bag on my back.
Elias whistled. “Not much of a morning person, are you?”
I scowled at him. This had nothing to do with the time of day. The fact that he didn't get it said a lot about his expectations of me.
“You sure you're up for it?” I asked, hoping he heard the sarcasm dripping from my tongue.
“Baby, I was born ready.”
I smacked him hard on the cheek, hard enough that he reached up and stroked the spot.
“Listen, don't call me baby. Got it, sugar?”
“Got it,” he said, his smile fading.
“Good.” Together we climbed on his bike.
“Hold on tight,” he said to me as he revved up the engine.
That meant I had to wrap my arms around his body, which I initially resisted. But I knew I had little choice if I didn't want to fall off the back of his bike. It felt weird to hold onto him, my hands at the front of his body, feeling the muscles in his abs and chest and pressing my body against his as we took off down the highway.
Elias told me that he'd talked to some guys who'd recently brought some drugs from some Hispanic guys, said that with their tats, they looked to be cartel members. Whether they were or not, we wouldn't know until we got there, but it was the only lead we had. Oh yeah, the guy at the bar also said something about a tattoo that sounded a lot like the one our guy had.
When I asked Elias how he managed to get this information, he wouldn't tell me. Just said he had his ways to get people to talk. I didn't doubt him, but I did worry the information may be false. If you tortured someone for info, which I fear Elias may have done, you can't be sure it's the truth. Oftentimes they'll tell you anything you want to hear in order to make it stop.
But there we were, on our way to check out the lead. It might lead nowhere, for all we knew. But it was the best we had to go on. Elias seemed confident it might be what we needed. He'd also taken down all the information about my parent's death. All the details from where they found them to the state of their bodies when I ID'ed them.
Not that I officially ID'ed them, only their items. There wasn't much less of their bodies after the train finished with them. Which made me think – perhaps they were tortured and brutalized, much like Elias' parents had been. The train was merely a way to cover up all that was done to them. Good plan, but one that made me sick to my stomach to even think about.
Elias pulled up to an old diner outside of town, about half an hour away.
“What the hell are we doing?” I asked, pulling my helmet off just so I could yell at him. “You want to eat at a time like this?”
“We also need to talk, Ava. We need a plan.”
“I thought we had a plan,” I said.
“Not really,” he said, laughing at me. “And yes, I need some pancakes. If this is my last day on earth, I want to eat some fucking pancakes. You have a problem with that?”
“And what if I do?” I asked arms across my chest.
I climbed off the bike – I had to when he did, but I stayed beside it and didn't move toward the front door of the diner. I was bound and determined to stand my ground. I was in a hurry to get this done, my stomach was in knots, and he wanted pancakes?
“Then unless you can hotwire my bike and learn how to ride it yourself, I guess you'll just have to wait for me outside,” he said, winking as he walked toward the door.
Elias held the door open and motioned for me to follow. When I didn't, he shrugged and went inside all by himself. I watched him through the windows as he walked over to a table and sat down, pulling out a menu.
He was really going to stop for breakfast on his way to tracking down the leader of a violent drug cartel. The waitress walked over to him, and he looked back out at me with a smile.
Damn him, I thought. My stomach growled, but I feared eating might make me sick to my stomach due to all the stress built up inside of me.
But hell, if he was going to sit down and enjoy a nice meal before we walked into almost certain death, I guess I should too. As I stepped inside the restaurant, he laughed and slipped a menu to the empty seat across from him as if he knew I'd be coming in along.
“I don't get you, Elias,” I said at last. “I don't get you at all.”
“Good,” he said, staring at the menu instead of looking at me. “Because I like remaining a mystery.”
I fought back a smile as I watched him mull over his menu choices, oblivious to me staring at him. Or maybe he could tell I was looking at him, I didn't know. Either way, I had to admit he was growing on me a bit.
“What can I get for you, miss?” the waitress named Sue asked me with a polite smile.
“Pancakes,” I said with a chuckle. “I guess we're going to be having fucking pancakes.”
Chapter Nine
ELIAS
I was impressed. Ava may have been a petite little thing, but the girl could hold her own in a pancake eating competition.
“For someone who fought so hard to not eat breakfast, you sure seem to be enjoying yourself,” I said with a wink.
She flipped me off, cramming a bite of pancakes into her mouth. Feisty. I liked it. But while she seemed hardcore in spirit, I had no idea how she'd actually hold up in a fight. Her lean muscle didn't come from sitting at a desk job all day. She obviously worked out. But honestly, I knew so little about her other than the little I now knew about her parent's death and that unnerved me a bit. If we were going to be fighting side-by-side, I needed to feel confident that this woman could hold her own.
“So what's the plan?” Ava asked me, wiping syrup from her chin, but missing a spot. I reached out with a napkin to wipe it off myself and she slapped my hand away. “How are we going to do this?”
Laughing, I said, “Plan? What plan?”
She gave me a look that would have curdled milk, and even though I had no idea what her background entailed, that look said enough. She'd kill me if it served her purposes. Or if I continued to annoy her too much.
“Sorry,” I said with a shrug. “But it's the truth. I don't really have a firm plan in place, I figured we'd see what happened and play it by ear. I heard that El Monstruo's cartel hung out a few towns over, figured we'd go there and see what we might find out. Maybe we'd get really lu
cky and run into the man in a dark alley somewhere.”
Ava sighed, rolling her eyes, but not saying anything.
“What? Do you have a better plan?” I asked.
“So we just head over to this town, hang out, and hope something good happens? That's it?”
“And kill the bastard when we see him, of course,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee which tasted like it had been burned. “But I thought that was obvious.”
Ava looked down at the remnants of her breakfast. I could see her trying hard to scowl at me, but there was a hint of a smile on that face of hers. She tried to cover it up, but it was there, for a split second, before she took a sip of coffee and grimaced.
“This stuff tastes like ass,” she said softly.
And just like that, her smile was gone. But something inside of me wanted to see it again. There was so much darkness in her eyes, so much anger, but I could tell that underneath it all, she wanted to be happy. I knew the feeling.
“I think I've tasted ass better than this,” I said with a smile, hoping to coax a positive reaction out of her.
And it worked. A half smile on her lips, she chuckled slightly before reaching for the bill. I tried to grab it from her hands, but she fought me off.
“No, stop treating me like a girl,” she said, giving me that dark look again. “I pay for this. You can always buy us dinner later because God knows we're going to be spending a lot of time together thanks to your half-assed plan.”
I had to admit, that didn't sound so bad to me. It had been a long time since I'd spent time with a woman who challenged me the way Ava did. And yes, I was curious to see how much of her act was for real. Was she really this tough and hard to get? Or was this simply all for show, a persona designed to protect her from the world.
Only time would tell, and from the sounds of it, we were going to be spending a hell of a lot of time together over the next few days, so I might have time to get answers to my questions.
***
“Where are we?” Ava asked the next time we stopped, which happened to be a couple of hours later. “Why are we stopping here?”