Page 166 of Ink Deep Devotion

I looked, and what I found was a girl who had a lot to answer for. From the outside, she has no friends. She attends a weekly yoga class followed by vigorous workouts with a private trainer who was a Navy Seal. They fuck in the showers after her class. The guy would commit treason if Avery would only commit to him, but she doesn’t give two shits about him, which only makes him fuck her harder.

She likes to get fresh juice after her workout, but the cafe is a cover for dark web hackers, whom I am sure have helped her hide the girls she has smuggled away.

She doesn’t party unless she feels the need to smash a beer bottle over some asshole’s head. Avery likes violence. That or she acts as a vigilante, waiting for guys to slip drugs into their date’s drinks, but then she steps in, and…shit gets messy.

Very, very messy.

Her inheritance has gone to paying off people and keeping her public image clean.

I imagine her and Nova getting along as they compare the cut-off dicks they have mounted on their walls.

“She is very fuckable.” Anders comments as he sips his wine, looking all civilized, but his small hand ax is tucked into a specially made pocket in his tux.

“She will cut off your balls with your own ax, Anders. Stay far away.”

“She can’t find an ax big enough to try.” He grunts, lips tugging up.Anders is attracted to crazy. Too bad our plan doesn’t bind Avery to him.

Peeling my eyes off Avery, I look at Anders.“What happened between you and Leo’s sister?”

His smile drops. He grabs the lapels of his tux, no doubt feeling the weight of his ax, wishing it were in his hand and the blade at my throat.“Nothing.”

“Sometimes, nothing means everything.”

“Sometimes everythingisnothing.” He spits.“We’re here for you, not me.”

I tip my head back and release a soft laugh.“One day, it will be your turn.”

“I had my turn and decided to end it.” He mutters sharply, but his eyes look like a wishing well filled with lost hopes and dreams long forgotten by those who tossed a coin inside. Dark. Hollow. Bitter.

“Shall we?” I suggest as I push off the bar.

“Remember, you can’t kill her,” Anders purrs as the tips of his shoes bite at my heels.

“Not yet.” Not ever. Mila would never look at me again.

Avery sees us coming but remains looking out at the dance floor. If she’s looking for her father’s help, Leo has him cornered in his car outside.“Hello, Avery,”

“Wow,” she exhales as she rolls her bitchy green eyes. Her sigh is longer than a queen’s wedding veil, slowly trudging up the stairs of an echoing cathedral.“You must have found them after all.”

My eyes narrow into an arched line resembling a blade, but her eyes slowly slide to meet mine like an eight ball, leisurely sinking into its determined hole. She’s not shocked to see me, that’s for sure.

“Found what?”

“Your balls. You’ve been stalking me for two weeks. And this guy,” she grimaces at Anders as if his presence is lacking,“If you want to blend in, then don’t carry an ax in your hand. Freak.”

“This is New York. Axes in hands are normal here.”

“It’s the Upper East Side, you idiot. You need to learn how to read the room.”

“I’m wearing a tux.” Anders smugly looks at his attire.

I step closer and smile like this is a friendly conversation.“If you know why I’m here, why didn’t you run? You know I will kill you for this.”

“You want the truth?” She gives me a bored look.

“They say it gets you far in life.”

“Not in our world, but I’ll bite and tell you.” She flips her long blonde hair back, hiding her nervousness. However, her hair is so thick and curly that most of it remains dripping down her chest, drawing Anders's attention.“I have a mission going downtomorrow, and if you were too scared to grab me, then I was hoping to pull it off.”

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