Page 96 of A Heart So Savage

“Oh, I never joke about Kingston. And I assure you, heiscoming. While I do admit my part in the initial plot to abduct Ava, this derailment is all yours to claim. I knew the four of you would go off the rails at some point, and my involvement would place me in a unique position to either help my brother or help myself. You see, he and I don’t have a very good relationship. In other words, he doesn’t trust me at all—not that I blame him—and I usually don’t trust him.” Oliver’s gaze narrowed on Carson. “But you contracted a hit on Kingston, and that is unacceptable. Because if anyone is going to kill my brother, it’s going to be me. Not some half-assed, cut-rate assassin with piss-poor aim.” Reaching his free hand into his pocket, Oliver withdrew a handful of zip-ties. Ava flinched when he waved the gun in her direction. “Ava, take these and secure their hands. Make sure they’re good and tight.”

Ava faltered, the pain from her ribs making her head swim. Oliver didn’t miss it.

“Ava? Just a few more minutes and this will be over.” His voice was strangely soothing, the glint of understanding sympathy in his blue eyes completely out of character. “Now, do as I say, darling.”

She nodded, taking the restraints and stepping behind Judd. His body shifted as though preparing to grab her.

“Make one move and I’ll rob my brother of the pleasure and kill you on the spot.” Oliver stared at Judd, his voice detached as he instructed the man. “Put your hands behind your back. You too, Carson. Stand up so she can restrain you.”

Once the two men were secure, Oliver directed them to sit on the floor.

“I still don’t understand what the fuck is going on,” Judd grumbled, glaring at Ava as though she’d captured the pair of them on her own. “What about the buyer you lined up? What about the fortune we’re supposed to get for her?”

“Yeah. The money,” Carson muttered weakly. Pushing the bandage on his stomach with the tips of his fingers, he let out a pained groan as more blood seeped through. “That’s what I wanna know about.”

“How is it that both of you are so damned stupid? There is no buyer. Never was. And there was no way in hell I was going to actually sell her. I mean, let’s face facts here. Kingston will definitely gut the two of you like little pigs for what you’ve done. But can you imagine what he would do to me if I betrayed him like that?” Oliver smiled, his bright blue eyes twinkling with psychotic merriment. “Bad enough that I’ll pay a hefty price for my role in all of this at the beginning. I’m hoping Kingston understands and shows me some brotherly mercy. After all, I just saved the woman he loves more than anything else in the world.” He waved the gun at Ava, motioning her closer. “Come here, darling. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Ava didn’t even consider disobeying. She shuffled to him, her breath coming in soft pants now, her skin clammy and cold. Maybe she was in shock? She wasn’t sure. She couldn’t even make sense of what Oliver was saying. Did he just say Kingston loved her? Her brow furrowed as she digested that. Trying to determine if it was real or just another one of Oliver’s tricks. Because trusting Oliver was a mistake. He was a snake. A bad man.

Sinking down onto the couch, Oliver pulled Ava with him, tucking her under his arm in an unexpected gesture of protectiveness. Ava did not trust him, but she had no choice but to slump against him. The leather of the sofa was cold on the backs of her thighs, and she shivered.

“He’ll be here soon, darling. Then he’ll take care of you.”

“Why are you doing this? You hate Kingston. You want him dead,” Ava whispered, her eyes drooping heavily. “You wanted to hurt him by hurting me. I don’t understand any of this.”

Oliver chuckled. “Hate is a strong word, Ava. Let’s just say the relationship I have with Kingston is complicated. I’ve disliked him for so long… it’s hard putting that aside all at once. But he’s changed since you came in his life. And maybe I want to try changing, too.”

“He loves you, you know.” Ava sighed, fighting to keep from slipping under the dark waves crashing around her. “No matter what, Kingston loves you. And he loved your mother. Tried to protect her in his own way from your father. I hope you understand that one day.”

Oliver’s voice sounded like it was coming from far away. “I do understand, Ava. It’s why I’m doing this for him.”

Ava felt the air shift. Something tangible that maybe only she could discern. A sense of electricity-charged atmosphere and the faint scent of Earl Grey tea and snow-dusted pines. Maybe she was hallucinating.

Or maybe the Devil had come for her like he did in her nightmares.

Kingston is here. I know he is. I smell his cologne. I feel him… He’s here. He came for me after all.

Ava struggled to sit up but fell back weakly against Oliver’s side. She was quickly slipping into a shadowy abyss, but she couldn’t go without seeing Kingston’s face. Without explaining what happened and that Oliver saved her rather than delivering her to certain death. Her eyes fluttered shut.

She heard banging noises. Shouts. The thick sound of someone being punched and cries of pain. In the midst of that was a storm of deadly calm. It was the eye of a hurricane. And Kingston was its center.

“What do youthinkyou’ve done for me, brother? Because I’m having a hard time seeing thesacrificeof your actions right now.” Kingston’s soft and deadly voice filled the room. It roared in direct from the depths of Hell, carried along on lightning bolts. “And get your fucking hands off her before I rip your goddamn arms off your body.”

“About time you got here,” Oliver grumbled. “Oh, and you’re welcome. I already took down a couple of the fuckers but left these two alive just for you. I know you’ll enjoy making them pay for their role in all of this. Hopefully, you’ll remember that when you start thinking about how you’ll punish me.”

Ava forced her eyes open. A swarm of dark-clothed men were jerking Carson and Judd to their feet. After quickly tying gags over their mouths, the men snatched black hoods over their heads and shoved them hard up against the wall. One of them—Carson, maybe—screamed in pain.

Ava closed her eyes and opened them again to see Kingston bearing down on her.

He wore all black. Black suit. Black overcoat. Black gloves. Even his eyes were black, no longer that gorgeous shade of velvet blue she loved so much. He appeared so sinister that for a moment, Ava wondered if he really was the Devil who had come to take their souls and torment them forever.

She’d never been so glad to see someone in all her life.

“Kingston. You found me.” Tears filled her eyes, flowing down to burn the cuts on her lips, bathing the bruises on her cheeks where she’d been struck. She couldn’t catch her breath, but somehow, that had nothing to do with a cracked rib and everything to do with her heart.

With him. The man she loved.

Kingston’s crooked smile made her soul sing with joy as he scooped her up and away from Oliver.

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