Page 14 of A King So Savage

It might work, even though the lamp was heavy and unwieldy. If she removed the shade and broke the lightbulb, leaving it screwed into the socket, it could even serve as a sharp object.

Good to know if her plan to bludgeon a person failed.

Ava removed the lampshade, setting it aside. She then snatched the cord away from the wall, wrapping it around the lamp’s base so it wouldn’t pose a tripping hazard. The room plunged into darkness with only the bathroom light illuminating the space.

Just where she intended to go once she escaped, Ava had no clue. But she wasn’t about to sit meekly on that damned cot and wait to be sold into slavery.

Crossing the cell, she stood on tiptoe trying to see out of the small, grated window of the door. The door itself was solid wood and braced with thick bands of iron. There was some kind of wooden slide in place on the window which prevented a person from peeking in or out. It refused to budge when she pushed it with her fingers.

A low moan rumbled in Ava’s chest. Even if the slide were open, she would not be able to see the exterior corridor unless she stood on top of something. Stretching herself to her full height resulted in her line of sight being level with the bottom of the window.

She could drag the chair over, but if someone pulled the slide and checked the room before entering, they would immediately notice its absence and be on guard.

With a huff, she sank back against the wall. For this plan to work, she must be in place and ready to crack the lamp over the head of the person as they entered. They must be unaware she waited to ambush. Which meant lurking behind the door, waiting an indeterminate period of time for the unlucky person to walk through.

Did she have the strength to do it? To lay in wait and attack? Was this even a good plan or was it fueled by desperation?

“Stop and think, Ava,” her mother always said. Jocelyn Blue was steady, rational, and thoughtful, and her only daughter inherited many of those same attributes.

Ava rarely made foolish decisions. Although, grabbing a paperweight and attempting to bash a man’s head in wasn’t something she’d carefully thought out.

She was careful and almost rigid in her methodology when overcoming obstacles in her path. It was how she survived the excruciating trauma of her parents’ deaths and her brother’s cruelty and neglect and still maintained a spot on the Dean’s List with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

She’d gone into auto-pilot mode back then—surviving until she graduated. Living life one step at a time without the guidance and love of her parents.

It was now a life of loss and a sense of not belonging anywhere anymore.

“Wait, Ava,” she said to herself with a deep breath. What if Kingston strolled through that cell door? Her plan would likely fail. He was so much more powerful and cunning. And he expected her to attempt an escape. She would be at his mercy.

What if he turned the lamp on her and beat her with it?

With a little exhale of defeat, Ava returned to the cot. It was better that she wait. Give Kingston a reason to believe she was resigned to her fate. She would outwit him.

At the first sign of complacency, she would act.

She replaced the lampshade, plugging the lamp in and pulling it back to the middle of the table.

Then Ava sat on the cot, the fingers of her uninjured hand tracing the lines of the metal brace on her wrist.

Her lips tightened as she recalled begging to be set free. The doctor tending her wrist ignored her, simply telling her everything would be all right. He’d given her two shots and everything turned hazy soon after.

Ava scoffed.Yeah, right.Everything would turn out just peachy-keen. She was held captive by a savage king who did not care who he destroyed as long as he recouped his money.

Ava’s bottom lip trembled. She bit it hard… ignoring the pain from where she’d chewed it earlier. Damn it, she hated being so weak, but she was truly terrified. And with her life in Kingston’s hands, it probably would not last long.

Moving back against the surprisingly fluffy pillows, Ava drew her knees to her chest and gingerly laid her arms on top of them. Then she rested her head against them, breathing deep in an effort to calm herself.

But a million thoughts were running through her head and none of them were good. The hopelessness of her situation was overwhelming. She would not be rescued. No one knew where she was. Carson would not pay a ransom. Why would he? He hated her for reasons she’d never understood.

She might never escape this cell. Because she was smaller and weaker than the animals surrounding her and the one back home who placed her in this situation, to begin with.

Worst of all, she feared the gleam in Kingston’s eyes when he stared at her. He wanted her. And Ava knew she could not fight him off if he decided to take what he wanted.

She was crying soft, quiet sobs when the lock on the door jangled. The sound of a key scraped. Metal against metal. The deadbolt turned with a quick, rolling tumble of iron.

Jerking her head up, Ava wiped away her tears as the door swung open and Kingston entered the room. Another man Ava did not recognize followed him in. He carried a silver tray.

Kingston stared at her as the man set the tray on the bedside table.

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