Page 32 of A Heart So Savage

“You look cold,” Kingston continued. “Shall I have Jack turn the heat up? That wrap doesn’t offer much protection from the chill.”

Ava’s eyes darted to the smoky black opaque glass separating the limo’s interior from the front cab. “It’s fine.” She pulled the material closer around her chest and finally met his gaze.

“Stubborn little lamb,” Kingston sighed in recognition of her strange mood. “Are you sore? In pain?”

The pointed questions had Ava squirming on the seat, her lips a tight line of censure. “No more than should be expected.”

Kingston patted the seat beside him. “Come here, Ava.”

She shot him an exasperated look. “Why?”

“Because I command it.”

A flash of disappointment lit the forest-green depths of her eyes. “That’s not a good enough reason, Kingston.”

“Forgetting your place already, lamb?” The slow drawl of his voice was a warning, but Ava was too agitated to pay it any heed.

“How can I?” she scoffed. “You remind me of my imprisonment every chance you get.”

Kingston smiled. “Have you found no pleasure in it, Ava? Even when I made you bleed, you still came on my cock and cried out my name.”

“Stop!” She clapped her hands over her ears before gaining control of herself. Her hands lowered to her lap, fingers twisting together. “No matter how safe I might be with you, it’s not right that you are deliberately cruel.”

“Cruelty is the way of the world, sweetheart.” Kingston shrugged. “With Carson for a brother, you should know that.”

Her gaze was accusing. “My parents shielded me as best they could. You know that. But they loved Carson. They could never see him for what he was, the awful things he did. And I never wanted them to know. Especially the worst of it.”

“Carson wouldn’t have been able to hide his true nature forever. It would have come to a head, eventually.”

Ava’s features transformed into an expression of cunning watchfulness. “I’ve given you everything. Everything you demanded. Everything you are owed by my brother is being paid withmybody. My tears. My blood. When will you tell me what you know about my parents’ deaths? When will you honoryourpromise?”

Kingston regarded her silently, weighing her words. The information he’d gathered was still in the process of being verified although deep down inside, he already knew the truth. But could he shatter this girl even further without ironclad proof?

“I will. When the time is right,” he conceded after an extended pause. “Now’s not the right time.”

“When?” Ava snapped in frustration. “When I’ve reached the end of my usefulness? When you no longer want me, and I’m left broken and battered? I guess it never occurred to you that I might want my own form of retribution if your accusations are truthful.”

Her temper amused him, but Ava was right. She deserved the chance to seek her own revenge. Even if placing her in that kind of danger would never be allowed.

“Tell me, Ava. What becomes of your inheritance if something happens to you?” Kingston asked quietly.

Ava’s brow furrowed at the conversation’s unexpected shift. “I suppose Carson would naturally receive my half of the funds provided in my parents’ will.”

Kingston smiled. “Selling his little sister into slavery, having her declared dead at some point, with or without a body, gives him not only a small fortune from that misdeed, but her inheritance as well. An inheritance that was most likely murderously obtained to begin with.”

Ava bit her bottom lip, glaring at Kingston even as she leaned toward him. “You truly believe Carson murdered my mom and dad?”

Kingston’s gaze remained steady and fixed on Ava. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall apart in hysterics. “I believe it’s a strong possibility, and it’s likely he paid someone to handle the messy details. You are in more danger than you can comprehend, Ava, if that is true. Because he needs your death to get what he wants. Money. All of it. And you out of his way.”

“Why hasn’t he acted before now? Why not kill me when he had the chance in Bitter Springs?” Ava asked. “Why wait years to put this nefarious plan into action?”

“Because I suspect he needs distance between the two of you for that plan to work. It would be too suspicious if he lost both parents and a sister close together and so close to home. Once he sold you to the highest bidder, I think he would have you declared dead as soon as it was legally possible. I fucked up those plans by taking you first. Now that you’ve lost value as a virgin, he’ll look for a man willing to pay for your beauty and the privilege of destroying that beauty.”

The limo slowed as they approached the small airport where Kingston’s private jet was kept.

Ava turned her head, focusing on the runway lamps glowing in the darkness. The jet’s lights outlined its sleek shape as they drove directly onto a section of the tarmac and up alongside the aircraft.

“Where are you taking me?” She could not hide the shaky timbre of her voice.

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