Page 46 of Lost to Thievery
I hadn’t seen Gem in a month. And I missed the pushy little brat. She’d gone into hiding, staying with Hunt’s mother in one of their safe houses. She wasn’t happy about it, but she knew it was for the best. Hunter still refused to leave my side. I had to find a way to shake him too.
“I can tell she misses you by the way she keeps cussing you out. And just a heads up, she’s not staying put any longer. Your mother is trying everything she can, but you know Gem.”
God, everything was a complete fuckup. “I’ll find him. I’ll end this,” I vowed.
“I know, son. I have faith in you to protect this family. I always have.”
Guilt slammed into my gut, my throat closing up, choking off the words I wanted to say. It was because ofmethat we werein this predicament in the first place. Because I was always chasing a high I could never quench. Going after prized objects of powerful, depraved men to satisfy my self-destructive lust for danger, for excitement. It was bound to come bite me in the ass. I was no better than my father. “I’ll fix this,” I swore again. “I’ll figure it out. I’ll keep them all safe.”
Hunter. Gemma. My Ava. I would die before I let anything happen to them.
“You keep me updated on what you’re planning. No more going rogue on me, Grayson.”
“Yes, sir,” I answered.
“And for God’s sake! Don’t shoot any more agents!” The line dropped.
The car suddenly felt deathly quiet, the air oppressing.
I weaved through the streets, not ready to go home yet. Not ready to face the reality of what I had done. What I’d been forced to do.
“Remember when I pinkie promised to not tell mom and dad that you broke the sculpture in the hallway, Abby? And then I told on you anyway? You said I was going to be cursed for the rest of my life. You were right, Ab. I didn’t believe in curses, but you were right. Iamcursed. Everyone I love ends up…” I laughed hoarsely. But it died down just as quickly as it started, the air sucked from my body. “I’ve lost my everything tonight, Mom. I’ve lost her,” I whispered into the quiet. To save her I had to lose her. How fucked up was that? It burned in my chest. This had been the final blow. There were no more delusions thatwecould be fixed. I saw the death of us in her eyes. “I’ve lost my princess now too.”
Ava
“You’resuchapatheticlittle thing, aren’t you?” Grayson’s mouth trailed down my neck and over my naked shoulder, leaving goosebumps in his wake. “Look at you, begging for me when I don’t even want you,” he murmured as his arms circled around me, pulling me tightly against him. The heat from his skin leeched into mine, pooling in my belly. “I never loved you,” Grayson continued, before capturing my lips in a slow, burning kiss, his tongue worshipping mine. “You will never be enough for me,” he whispered against my mouth while his fingers slowly raked through my hair, then trailed gently down my spine. “You only ever held me back, darling. You’re too pathetically boring to belong in my world.” He chuckled coldly while he pressed his forehead to mine, nuzzling his nose against mine. Grayson caressed my cheek, his smile and eyeswere soft as he stared at me, reaching down to my soul. “Now let me go. You’re fucking embarrassing, baby.”
I shot up with a gasp. My body tingling where he’d touched me.
What the hell kind of dream was that?
My body convulsed for air, but there was none to find.
Breathe, Ava.
“Breathe, baby.”A shiver rippled through me at the intimate memory. At how gently he swiped the hair from my face while harshly pinning…
My throat constricted as the panic attack hit full force. I bundled the sheets into my fists and tried to keep my gasps as quiet as possible. Owen was just down the hall. I concentrated on the burn in my eyes from the sweat that had dripped into them, letting it guide me back into my body, back to reality.
Gods, I was a mess. Because of him. Because of all of them.
Fuck you, Gemma! Fuck you for choosing him over me.Again.And fuck you, Hunter. You said you had my back. But you only ever had his. And fuck you to hell, Grayson. Fuck you for turning me into this… this…
“Pathetic little thing,”his words from my nightmare echoed in answer.
I screamed into a pillow.Gods!I wished I could get him out of my head!
I sprang out of bed. Keeping busy was my only solace from the devil trying to possess me.
I hated the dreams where he touched me. I hated how real it felt. I hated how my mind could remember the exact feel of his skin and his hands. But most of all, I hated the memories it would trigger.
I rummaged through the bag I hadn’t unpacked yet for clean clothes. I needed a shower. A cold one. Was Owen up yet? I didn’t want to…
“Morning,” he grumbled as I opened the bedroom door. He was wiping at his eye as he made his way down the hallway, his hair sticking up in every direction.
Great.Exactly what I wanted to avoid.
His brow furrowed as he took in my ragged appearance. “Another nightmare?”
