by Dawn, Taylor
Her thoughts reconciled, Ava found herself in front of the basement door, her hand on the knob. She turned it and headed down the steps. It wasn’t as dim as it was the last time she’d been down there. Sunlight managed to beam through the dust-covered windows enough that she didn’t need to click on the light. Her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting and soon she was wandering around taking in the items down there. At first she didn’t see much of interest, but something shiny caught her eye as she rounded the corner into a small side room off the main area. Squatting down she looked closer.
“Look at you.” Her eyes lit up at what she’d found.
She knew there’d be some sort of treasure down here. “With a little cleaning you would be brilliant.” She pulled the item out and took stock of it. She wasn’t positive but she had a hunch that this was a hand-carved, gilded wall mirror. She was astounded that it was in such good condition; even the glass was still intact. Running her hands over the frame she brushed away some of the dust that’d built up over the years. What it revealed was an intricately carved scene of flower petals and leaves. As she looked closer she could see vines twined in and around the other details. This had to be an antique. Her heart fluttered at finding such a cool thing in a drab basement. Now to get it upstairs and cleaned a bit. She stood upright and bent forward to carefully grasp the treasure in her hands. When she stood up again a sharp pain hit the base of her skull and the mirror slipped back to the floor. The sounds of shattering glass invaded the tiny room as she was also pulled to the floor. The last thing she heard as her body went limp was the side of her head making a sickening thud as it smacked the filthy concrete.
***
Luke sat in Cole’s truck as they headed toward Gulfport. All he could think about was the fact that he’d left Ava behind and it was eating his guts like some rabid disease. They’d only made it about twenty miles out of town but with each mile marker, the feeling of longing took root even more. Damn it, this wasn’t how this whole thing was supposed to go down. He was there to do a job and get the hell out. Now he doubted himself and his actions from the very beginning.
“What’s with the broody act?” Cole asked.
Luke looked over at him and winced at the bluish-purple bruise that’d developed from the force of his fist. “Got a lot on my mind.” Luke shrugged.
“Wouldn’t be a certain blonde would it?” This time Cole wasn’t really joking. He’d taken a serious tone and Luke wondered why all of a sudden he was being like that.
He rubbed a hand over his jaw where a two-day beard was starting to cover his face. “I have to tell her.”
“You know you can’t do that,” Cole warned.
“I don’t give a shit about my job anymore. They can shove it up their ass.”
“Man, I get it. But you have to think of the repercussions of this entire thing. She’s the key player in all of this. If you run back and tell her, this entire thing will go to shit. We’ve worked too long, lost sleep for too many nights and put up with more shit than any two men are supposed to handle. Don’t let what you feel for her get in the way of all that.”
“Fuck. I don’t know what the hell I feel.”
“You have to remember, she’s lying to you also,” Cole reminded him of the harsh reality that he’d been living over the past few weeks.
“I guess that’s what bothers me the most. We’ve gotten so close I wonder why she hasn’t said anything.”
“She’s running scared. I would be too if Frank the Tank was after me. He’s one bad motherfucker.”
“If she told me the whole story, I could protect her.”
“Can you really? Can you honestly sit there and tell me that you could stop everything from going down like you know it will?”
“No,” Luke bit out.
“Then I think you have your answer. Stay tight-lipped about this and maybe we’ll all make it out alive on the other side.”
“I fucking hope so.”
A few more miles of scenery passed by but it didn’t make him feel any better about the situation. Cole was right, they were all lying and covering something up, Ava included. But that didn’t change the way he felt about her. He’d bet everything he had that she wasn’t pretending to be someone else when she was with him. There was just no way. Other than her name change and the slight appearance shift, Ava was being one hundred percent herself. He didn’t doubt that for a second.
“You gonna check that?” Cole pulled him out of his reverie.
His phone was chirping from the dashboard where he’d tossed it upon getting in the truck. Hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention as he heard the distinct notification tone. “Pull over,” he demanded.
“Why?” Cole asked.
“Just pull the fucking truck over!”
Cole did as he said and Luke flipped the phone over to see what was going on. One of the first things he’d done when he moved into his grandmother’s house for this particular job was to install motion detectors and security cameras in the basement where he kept his supplies. If someone went down there, he’d get an alert on his phone and then be able to see exactly what was going on down there on the screen. That’s how he knew Ava was down there the first time. But this time, he was mortified at what he saw. Even though the image in front of him was in grainy black and white, he knew what he was seeing was about the closest thing to his worst nightmare.
“Turn around,” he barked.
“We have to get to this meeting,” Cole argued.
He shoved the phone in front of Cole’s face. “Holy fuck.” Cole immediately pulled back onto the road and did a U-turn. He didn’t pay any mind to speed limits as he blazed down the road on the way back to Luke’s house. “Calm down. She’s going to be okay.” The other man tried to give him some solace but it wasn’t helping the least bit.
Luke kept his eyes plastered to the screen, hoping he’d see her move again. But even after several minutes, Ava’s motionless body still lay on the dank concrete of his basement—shards of what looked like mirrored glass scattered all around her. Panic like he’d never experienced before swamped him as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. They hadn’t even been gone long. How could someone have broken in and attacked her in such a short amount of time? It didn’t make sense.
“Fuck,” Luke cursed and slammed his hand on the dash of the vehicle.
“What?” Cole was genuinely concerned.
“Brandi was supposed to be there with her. Do you have her number?”
“Yeah, here.” Cole grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He hit the call button and handed the device over to Luke.
After a couple rings Brandi answered with, “Couldn’t get enough of me could you?” she giggled.
“Brandi, its Luke.”
“Oh, hey.” She sounded embarrassed.
“Where are you?”
“Just leaving work. I’m heading out to your place to spend the day with Ava.”
“Don’t go to my house,” he ordered.
“Oooookay.”
“I don’t have time to explain, I just need you to stay away from there.”
“Wait. Is Ava okay?” Brandi’s voice came out worried but Luke didn’t answer. “I’m calling the police.”
“No! Whatever you do, keep the cops out of this. Please.”
“If you want me to keep law enforcement out of this, you’d better give me a good reason.” He had to hand it to her she wasn’t one to back down. Something he normally admired but right now, it downright pissed him off.
He did something he was getting to be a pro at. He lied. “Actually, our meeting was cancelled and I wanted to surprise her.” Damn, even that sounded lame to his ears.
“For someone who wants to surprise his girlfriend you sure did sound like something was wrong.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I panicked when you said you were heading over there. I apologize.” Keeping the worry out of his voice was a chore. On the outside he
sounded calm and collected but inside was a rising shit storm that was ready to take down anyone who’d laid their fucking hands on Ava.
“Alright then. I’ll just go home. Have a good time tonight. Oh, and will you tell Cole he can call me later?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.”
Luke tossed the phone back to Cole and ran a hand through his hair. With the speed they were going, they’d be back to his house in just a few minutes. “Do you have an extra piece in here?” he asked Cole.
“Under your seat.”
Luke bent over and swept his hand under the seat until he felt it touch cold metal. It banged against the underneath mechanism of the seat as he pulled it free. “This your spare?” he asked as he released the clip, making sure there were enough rounds inside. The silver casings should’ve calmed him—they always did—but not this time.
“First one they gave me.” Cole sounded somber, like he was readying himself for who or what they might find.
He shoved the clip into the firearm and slid back the hammer just as Cole turned into his long driveway. If he had to put a hole in some crazy fucker today, the entire plan would be ruined. He just hoped that wasn’t the case. They’d worked too damn long on this shit for some asshole to come in and blow things to smithereens.
Chapter Seventeen
It’d seemed like she’d been out cold for hours. The blackness swamped her still but Ava was finally coming to. She smelled something strange. It was a metallic smell that had her nose scrunching up in distaste. What the hell was it? Her entire body felt like it’d been run over by a train, the ache mostly in her head though. The room came into blurred view as she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Basement. She was still in Luke’s basement. What’d happened? She didn’t want to move just yet. So she laid there on the damp concrete staring at the brick and mortar wall across from her. Something shimmered and caught her eye—the mirror. Which was now in unrecognizable shards, scattered all around her body.
The sunlight was still seeping through the small basement window and causing a glittering effect on the broken glass surface. The pain in her head was a piercing type that made her wince and almost cry out. What the hell was that smell? She didn’t know but now the sensation of wetness near her head came over her. Was she lying in a puddle of water? Her hand snaked up and over her head to feel where the foreign sensations were coming from. Something was wet. What was it? Pulling her hand back down she focused the best she could on the dark substance streaked against her fingers and palm. Red. A gasp left her lips as she recognized what it was…blood. Panic overtook her as she tried to sit up.
The pain was excruciating but she managed to end up on her butt with her legs extended in front of her. She wiped her hand on her dress to rid herself of the disgusting substance. Trying to keep her breathing under control she got on all fours and stood shakily, using the wall for support. Her stomach roiled and the feeling that she might vomit hit her.
Suddenly though, she heard heavy footsteps on the wooden stairs descending toward the basement. Ava’s heart raced as she waited for whoever it was to see her.
“Ava?” Luke’s booming voice shouted through the large room.
Her voice cracked as she called back, “Luke.”
Through her hazy vision she caught sight of him taking long strides to get to her. “Jesus, what happened? I need you to tell me everything.” He grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her.
She couldn’t manage any sort of speech as the pain throbbed insistently.
“She’s bleeding.” Cole. He was here, too. “We need to get her to the emergency room.”
“They’ll want a police report,” Luke said.
“Yeah, and?”
“You know we can’t do that.”
“Fuck, man. What if she has brain damage or something?”
Ava’s raspy voice finally came out. “I’m fine.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Luke swept her into his arms and held her tightly to his chest. He took her upstairs and into the kitchen. Her ass was put in a chair while Luke went about gathering things around her. She felt hands on the back of her head as she sat there trying to think of anything but what was going on. “Cole, I need you to grab my phone and go back over the footage. I want to know who the fuck was in this house,” Luke ordered. “Ava, did you see anyone while you were down there?” he asked in a lighter tone.
“No. I was looking at a mirror I’d found and the next thing I know, I felt this sharp pain and fell to the floor,” she said almost on a whisper. It even hurt to speak.
“Were the doors to the house unlocked when you went down there?”
“Yes. Brandi was supposed to come over. Oh no. Where is she? Is she okay?” Ava sat up a little straighter.
“Calm down. Brandi’s fine, I’ve already spoken with her.”
Something about this whole thing wasn’t siting right with Ava. Luke and Cole weren’t the laid back guys they’d been before. They almost sounded like they were trying to investigate this whole thing. Like they were some sort of law enforcement. But that wasn’t right; they were just good ole country boys. There was no way in hell they could’ve been with the law.
As she pondered everything, Luke inspected her head. “It’s just a minor cut. I don’t know what you got hit with but you were lucky.” She felt him wiping around the area on the back of her head.
“You okay, Ava?” Cole entered the room once more and patted her on the shoulder.
“Yes. I think I’ll be fine.” She wasn’t entirely sure of it, but she hoped she’d be fine. Once this massive headache subsided she’d be up and running again.
“You need to take a look at this.” Concern in his tone and on his face, Cole handed Luke’s phone over to him.
Luke studied the screen. “He looks familiar. Not sure where I know him from though.”
“Can I see it?” Ava reached her hand out for the device. Luke handed it to her and she gasped when she saw the person. “That’s the guy from the grocery store the other day. He was leaning against the lottery machine, staring at me while I waited for you to get back to the cart.”
“Do you know him?” Luke inquired.
“No. I was trying to place him but I couldn’t. He gave me the creeps, though.” Ava shivered, remembering how the man made her feel uncomfortable.
Luke handed the phone back to Cole. “Run it. See who it is.”
“Maybe it was just a random break-in. Is there anything missing?” Ava asked.
“No. Cole already swept the place.” Yet again he sounded like he was on official business.
Ava needed to point it out. “Why do you sound so official? Like you’re some sort of law enforcement?” The room became silent.
“I told you already, I’m ex-military. That’s how we talk.” He began to bandage up the small cut on the back of her head. “Let’s get you upstairs. You need to lie down for a while.”
“Luke, I’m fine,” she argued.
“No, you’re not. You just got smacked over the head with something. You’re far from fine.” He helped her from the chair and again swept her into his arms.
“Why do you always have to be so bossy?”
“Because I’m an asshole. Does that answer your question well enough?”
“I’d say it does. Thanks,” she grumbled.
He climbed the stairs while holding tightly to her, his scent rubbing off on her clothing so she would smell him later. When they reached his bedroom, he put her down on her own two feet and grabbed one of her bags. “Here, change clothes. Your dress has blood on it.”
She slowly dug through the bag and pulled out a thin cotton nightgown. Luke watched with a heated gaze as she pulled her dress over her head and stood there in nothing but her panties. She turned to him before she slipped the clean garment over her head. “I need you,” she whispered. Something about the tense situation had her desperate for contact.
Luke strode over to her and cupped her face in h
is hands. “I would love nothing more than to toss you on my bed and bury my cock inside you. But you need to rest.”
“Please.” She felt tears brewing in her eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“You don’t want me. I understand.” She dropped her head and unfolded the nightgown.
“Hey, we’re not going down that road again. I’ve already established that there’s no place I’d rather be than in this sweet body of yours. But this is for your own good.” Ava nodded. “Let me help you with this.” He pulled the garment from her hands and began to slide it over her head. Once it covered her body he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Get some rest, please? I’ll come back up and check on you in a little while. If you need anything, just yell for me or Cole.”
“Alright, I will.” Ava pulled the sheets back and climbed in the bed. Luke stood there with indecision on his face. “The invitation is still open,” she teased.
“I can’t. If I climb in that bed with you, we’d not be leaving for the foreseeable future.”
He left the room and closed the door. Sadness overtook her along with the events of the day. The tears that’d threatened earlier spilled out onto her cheeks. She furiously wiped them away and laid back into one of the plush pillows. She loved Luke’s bed but the one thing that would’ve made it better was Luke.
***
“I don’t think you’ll want to see this.” Cole brought his laptop to the table and hesitated. The look on his face told Luke there was nothing but bad news on the screen.
“Might as well show it to me.” He grabbed the side of the screen and spun the computer so he could see more clearly. “Fuck.” He sat back in his seat and scrubbed both hands over his face. The outgrowth of hair was almost a full-fledged beard now and the sound of the course hairs rasping against his palms irritated him. But he didn’t have the fucking time to shave.