Page 114 of Exile and Embrace

Declan turns and grabs a chair from the hallway, bringing it into the room. He sits backwards in it, his arms dangling as he looks down at me. “If you tell us what Finn is doing, you can be my wife. You don’t have to die.”

“I’d rather light myself on fire.” I give him a sweet smile and shift back into the most comfortable position I can find. “Just shoot me now and get it over with. I have nothing to tell you about your son, and based on what you’ve told me, I’m going to die either way.”

Seamus strides to my side and takes me by the hair. He yanks my head back as hard as he can.

I scream, trying to pull away from him.

He laughs, holding me in place.

“Get your hands off me.” I can only hope that my glare is enough to make him spontaneously combust, even though I know it’s impossible.

Why did I listen to Zoe and turned back to try and talk to Finn?

I should’ve told Zoe no and waited until she got through the traffic and then gone home with her.

But knowing these two, Declan and Seamus would have found a way to get to me even if I did.

I know what they’re like. I watched them kill people. I saw what they did to anyone who dared cross them, and it was worse than death.

Even if I did know what Finn was up to, I wouldn’t tell them.

It may be stupid, but I can’t bring myself to betray Finn, even after what he said to me.

There is a little part of me that wants to hang onto the good moments.

If this is where I die, then I want to remember. I want to see his smile when I close my eyes and hear his laughter in my dreams.

Seamus slaps me, snapping my head to the side. “Enough of your insolence. Tell me what the fuck my son is doing behind my back.”

I spit out the blood in my mouth, grinning when the droplets stain his gray slacks. “Fuck you.”

Declan sighs as Seamus hits me again.

“Ava, you’re never going to learn, are you? We don’t want to hurt you.”

“Bullshit, you sadistic fuck.” Tears pool in my eyes, rolling through the blood trickling down my cheek from the newest cut. “I don’t want you. I’m never going to want you.”

Declan laughs and gets up, walking over to me. He crouches, his face inches from mine. “This has never been about what you wanted, Ava.”

I take a deep breath of air before his hand closes around my neck.

His fingers dig into my pulse, making me feel light-headed.

The world around me spins.

All I can do is hold on and hope that by some miracle Finn saves me, and we both make it out of here alive.

Even though I know that the hope is unrealistic, it’s what I hold onto as my world goes black.

31

FINN

I take a deep breath and look over my shoulder.

Christian stands in the shadows, Jovan and Alessio flanking him.

The three men met me at the airport after my call with Christian, prepared to do whatever it takes to get Ava back.

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