Page 93 of Lost to Thievery
“Honey, why would you keep putting yourself in danger like this? And since when do you care for a job of such a violent nature? This is not who you are, Ava. I don’t understand what is happening to you and I don’t know how to help you. Please, kiddo, we just want our daughter back. We can’t bear seeing you like this.” Dad’s eyes were teary and desperate as he clasped my hands in his.
My own tears welled, and for a split second, I considered going back. Back to my hometown and my old life. To put the Apparitions behind me and try to live like I had, before I met them—before they had changed everything.
And I understood my father’s desperation. To them, I must seem crazed. Their once peaceful and steady daughter was running around with the FBI, stabbing mobsters and raging at ghosts who left cuts on her throat. They knew me to shine bright and warm like the sun, but that part of me was ripped from my chest, and instead of finding it again, I’d chosen to embrace the darkness in me. And unlike the daughter they knew, I had chosen wrath over forgiveness. That rebellious resilience in me, urging me tofight, instead ofaccept.
My chin quivered as I realised—Grayson never broke me. He wasn’t able to. But the hell he unleashed and every agonising step I took after had only forged me. I never lost my glow. It just changed. Now I glowed like a sword, right out the forge.
And I liked the new me better. I was strong and a force to be reckoned with. Instead of waiting on Karma to stand up for me, I stood tall and wielded her wrath myself.
Even after I settled my score with the Apparitions, I couldn’t go back. I had outgrown that life. It was hard to admit, but being with Grayson had ignited that wild spark in me for excitement and freedom and even danger. He might have been the one to light it, but that spark hadn’t died when he left me. It had always been a part of me, lying dormant, waiting on me to recognise it. And now that I have, it was impossible to put out. It was true then, at the side of the road beside Grayson’s car, and it was still true now—I wanted more. More than what my small town had to offer.
I smiled at my father and squeezed his hands. “I know I have changed. And I know it looks scary, Dad, but I like what I’ve become. I’m stronger. I’m smarter. And I’m not afraid anymore.” I chuckled. “Yesterday, I made a grown man scream for his life.”
Dad shook his head, his eyes weary. “But the Ava I knew wouldn’t even let me kill a spider.”
Rachel stepped closer, and sat on the foot of the bed, smiling through her tears. “That Ava was too soft for this world. She was bound to unleash her wicked witch, someday.” She winked at me, and my heart squeezed.
I looked between my mom and dad. “I’m okay, I promise. I like working with the FBI. It’s exciting and thrilling. Me and Owen make a mean team, actually.”
“Yes, we do.” Owen smiled at me from the door, his eyes soft, not caring that my family saw him looking at me like that.My heart skipped a beat. “Just so you know. She still won’t let anyone kill a spider.”
A few hours later, I finally convinced my parents to let me stay. I was glad Owen hadn’t told them about me being on a mob’s hit list, or it would have been impossible. They soon left for their hotel to get some sleep—Rachel barely able to keep her eyes open.
Owen came out the bathroom, steam wafting around him. He squirmed uncomfortably and pulled at his pants. “She brought my most uncomfortable pair of underwear.”
Syntax had been kind enough to bring us some toiletries and a change of clothes. She knew Owen wouldn’t leave me. He was being overly protective again. There were two agents outside the room and who knew how many others around the hospital. It was overkill but appreciated. I wouldn’t be able to fight off another bear of a man in this state. My family also had a protective detail, unbeknownst to them.
“I’m not sleeping on the chair. We’re sharing the hospital bed,” Owen stated and scooted me over.
I snickered. “Won’t be the first time.” I settled into his arms, sighing out a breath of relief, letting go of the anxiety that had been twisting in my guts.
“I still agree with your parents. Maybe you should go back to Bentley Cove. I can protect you there. It’s a small town—”
“Or you could take a year off,” I interrupted quietly, “and we could sail across the seven seas together. See the world. Disappear into the ocean where it’s just you and me and the sharks. No one would be able to find us.”
Owen smiled down at me, brushing his thumb across my lip. “Ava Beaumont. Are you asking me to run away with you?”
“Yes,” I whispered against his finger. “You and me, O.”
He kissed me, his lips crushing against mine. He moaned into my mouth as his tongue touched mine.
Gods, I wanted him so bad. His hands on my body ignited a fire in my core. I didn’t care that there were two agents outside the door. I didn’t care that my head was still throbbing. I managed to get halfway on top of him, but the damn IV-line in my arm stopped me. I cursed against his lips, tugging at the little tube.
Owen chuckled and in a smooth motion—much more graceful than I had managed—he flipped us over. He lowered his weight on to me and I gasped at the feel of him between my legs.
Yes. I wanted him so damn bad.
I twisted my fingers in his hair, pulling him even closer to me, savouring the taste of his mouth. He ground his hips into mine, the pressure against my core feeling like ecstasy. I tugged at his pants, but his hand closed around mine.
“Wait, Ava. Slow down. You’re injured,” he said between kisses that trailed down my neck.
I huffed a frustrated breath. “I’vebeenwaiting. Why are you so hard to get? Don’t you want this?”
“I want you more than anything. You know that. But…”
“No morebuts, Agent Becket,” I protested. “You’re going to fuck me in this hospital bed, then tomorrow we’re going to pack our shit, and head to the harbour.”
Owen’s face turned serious. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, not looking at me. “Our problems won’t magically disappear if we run, Ava.”
