Page 22 of A King So Savage

Casualties of greed

Ava’s outburstapparently disturbed Kingston. He frowned while she brushed her teeth in short, jerky movements, a flicker of reluctant concern lighting his dark blue eyes.

Wetting a cloth, he washed her face. While he was gentle, Ava did not trust that for a second. Even in her dazed state, she sensed the violence in the hands tending to her.

“I’ll send Doctor Abbott to see to your wrist and give you something else for the pain. There’s medication which will also settle your stomach,” Kingston said, his arms full of the towels from her bath as well as her dirty clothing. “I’ll leave the food in case you’d like to try eating again. And I’ll have Chef prepare your favorite soup for your supper.”

Ava curled up on the cot. “Of course, you know what my favorite soup is, don’t you? You know everything there is to know about me. Even things I have no awareness of.” Her voice came out wooden and flat.

Kingston’s lips tightened but he did not respond. He simply gathered up the silver tray and dome, aware of their usefulness as weapons. Then he exited the cell, locking the door with a decisive click and leaving Ava alone once more.

“Asshole,” she whispered beneath her breath.

As she lay there, gathering her strength and wits for what seemed like the hundredth time since she woke up in that man’s hard lap, she realized something. Something Kingston had not considered.

Perhaps he’d thought her too incapacitated, or too innocent to consider something so devious and calculating, but he’d left behind the glass bottle of Cheerwine.

The soda bottle was perfect. Heavy enough to bludgeon someone over the head, small enough to be easily handled. And if it broke, the jagged glass would prove much deadlier than a lightbulb stuck in a lamp socket. Or a desktop paperweight.

Ava’s spirits lifted as she stared at the bottle, her mind racing with plans. There was probably no hope of using such a weapon on Kingston, but perhaps it would work against the doctor. The element of surprise would be in her favor, provided the man came alone during his next visit.

I can do it when he comes in. Take the key and lock him in here. I can find a way to the outside and I’ll run.

Never mind she would escape wearing nothing but a thin nightgown. Never mind she had no money. No identification. She didn’t know where she’d been taken or what state she was in. It was possible she was no longer within the United States.

Without the means to see outside, all those things were unknown elements. But it would not stop her from trying. And once she was free, she would take the remaining money from her inheritance and use that to disappear. She would go somewhere far away from the clutches of both her brother and the handsome psycho determined to sell her for his own gain.

But if she intended on succeeding, she must eat something. Going so long without food was affecting her. At the moment, her head was so fuzzy. There was no telling when she might be given another meal. And if she were caught in this escape, Ava had no doubt Kingston would withhold all comforts until she fell in line and did as he commanded.

Picking up the sandwich, Ava forced herself to nibble on the corner and chased that bite with a swig of soda. Heaving a deep breath, she willed her heart to stop racing and her stomach to settle. She must calmly consider what might be encountered once she was past that cell door.

There could be others in the corridor. There could be more locked doors preventing escape. But no matter what obstacles she faced, she would not stop until she was free.

She could do this. Shemustdo this.

There was no other alternative.

* * *

After drinkingthe entire bottle of Cheerwine and eating the sandwich, Ava dozed fitfully. Several hours passed before the key scraped in the lock.

She was as ready as she ever would be.

Gripping the bottle tight, she leaped from the bed and ran on bare feet to stand beside the door. Raising the makeshift weapon high overhead, she waited until the man’s head appeared.

It was the same doctor who tended her previously with a kind smile and gentle hands. Remorse tickled her insides but that sentiment was quickly shoved aside. She must be ruthless.

He came through the portal, set his bag on the floor, and turned with the intent of locking the door behind him.

Ava struck without mercy, swinging the bottle down as hard as she could muster. It did not shatter like she’d hoped, but Doctor Abbot groaned and staggered back, holding the crown of his head. The keys fell from his hand, landing with a clatter on the stone floor.

There was a momentary pang of remorse, but Ava brushed it away and quickly grabbed the keys. The next instant, she darted around the doctor and swung the door shut behind her.

Her hands shook as she quickly tried the keys in the lock until she found the right one.

“Wait, Miss Blue. Please, don’t run from him…” Doctor Abbott implored from inside the cell. “You don’t know what he will do…”

Ava ignored him, locking the door and reveling in the sense of accomplishment flooding her.

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