Page 65 of Revenge

As Kai twisted his body, our eyes locked. “I am sorry about what you’ve been through but I can promise that nothing like that willeverhappen again. Not under my watch. You are safe with me, Ava. And as far as Gerard goes, you won. You did something that no other man was able to do. You brought him to his knees; take your justice from that.”

But I couldn’t. The fact that Kai’s father was no longer walking the earth was one of those things that continued to hound me. As a girl I feared him, as a woman, I would have made him pay.

A chill ran down my spine, “Fine. What do you want then? And if you ask me again whether Ibrought Gerard to his kneesalone, my answer will be the same,” I informed him, managing to retain my poker face. I wouldnevertell him about Anton. If I did, he was a dead man, I knew that now. The only reason I was still standing was because I was a woman. Kai’s cold, businesslike reasoning had blown any idea that he may have feelings for me out of the water.

Kai lifted his hand and ran the back of his knuckles over my cheek, it was such a tender gesture and my heart squeezed. He was such a walking, talking contradiction. How could he have kissed me back with so much feeling in the gym and then threatened me with fucking punishments?

“You can trust me, Ava.”

I closed my eyes as his fingers dropped, “Can I?” The loss of his touch was almost painful. I needed to remind myself to breathe.

“Yes,” Kai said as he rolled his shoulders. I couldn't help but notice how the muscles in his arms tensed and flexed.

I turned away and glanced back out at the night sky. Its bleakness suggested it would be cold but I felt hot and bothered, uncomfortable in my skin.

“Why don’t you take a moment to freshen up? I imagine you have the square footage of this place mapped out perfectly in your head so I don’t need to say there’s a bathroom through there.” Kai said this with a nod towards the downstairs toilet which I already knew about.

“My staff have told me about your ambitious attempts to leave,” Kai said with a trace of humour.

I moved away and placed my back against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest, “Can you blame me?”

Kai pursed his lips, “I would have been disappointed if didn’t try and leave. You’re a fighter, Ava. You always have been.”

“It doesn’t feel that way,” I confessed, feeling a twinge of sadness.

“Meet me in my office. That’s the door which is always locked. The one I believe you have tried several times. And please, relax. What I have to say isn’t so bad, and in the end, youwillget what you want, Ava.”

“And what is that, Kai?” I questioned with a head tilt.

“Your freedom.”

“Really?” I said with a smidge of hope.

“Yes.”

A moment fell between us, it was silent but the atmosphere wasn’t unpleasant, like a semi-truce.

I watched as Kai turned away and walked to the table, picking up the dishes, and placing them on the counter.

“Shall I bring the wine?” I said as he deposited our half-full glasses near the sink.

Kai gave me a not-so-subtle sweep of his eyes, “No. We’ll have something stronger. Whisky, I think,” he replied with his broad back to me as he walked away.

“Stronger? Why?” I called out. My words stopped him and he turned in the doorway with a dark expression.

“Because you’re going to need it.”

Fuck.

Ten

Kai

Ava looked so fucking beautiful as she sat on the opposite side of my desk, her hands resting demurely in her lap, that curtain of hair around her shoulders.

Demure was not a word I wouldeverhave used to associate with the tearaway she had been as a girl.

As my eyes ran over her, Ava was now all woman.

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