Page 61 of Seduction in Spades

“Who would do this?”

I spin Avery around so her back is to the scene. I don’t detect anything else out of place. There’s no obvious note, no sign of anything broken. The fact that someone broke in without me being aware fills me with rage.

Shit just got real. Avery’s life is at stake.

“We need to leave. Now.” I yank her toward her door, but she pulls away from me.

“I can’t go anywhere like this. Let me change.”

“You’re not staying here, Avery.”

“I need my things.”

I glance at the knife and the bed where we made love a week ago and grit my teeth. “Sixty seconds and we’re out of here. Stay away from the bed.”

I watch her as she rushes to her closet for a duffle bag and shoves clothing in it. I follow her to the bathroom, where she dumps toiletries in her bag.

“Minute’s up. Let’s go.”

“I need shoes.” She hurries to the closest again and slides into a pair of sneakers. “I’m not even wearing a bra.”

I take a sweatshirt off the top shelf and hold it out to her. “Put this on for now.”

“Where are we going?” she asks when we’re back in my car.

“The casino. You’re staying in the penthouse until we find who did this.”

“You have video.”

I don’t take out my phone and search the video coverage because I don’t want Avery to see whatever went down. Her home was broken into and her privacy was violated. She’ll never feel safe here again if she sees the intruder and his actions.

“Aren’t you supposed to get an alert on your phone?”

I grit my teeth. I was so distracted by Avery’s naked body cocooned around me last night and then riding me into the sunset, or rather, sunrise, this morning that I hadn’t even thought about checking my phone.

“I’ll go through the videos when I get you to safety.”

“Shouldn’t we call the police?” There’s a slight panic in her voice, but she’s doing one hell of a job staying calm.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Take care of it likeoff the bad guysor take care of it by calling the police?”

“Avery.” I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white as I steady my breath and work on keeping my cool. “I need you to promise me you won’t leave the penthouse until I say it’s safe.”

“I won’t leave this weekend. I need to work on Monday. My lab and the entire building are completely secure.”

My patience is running thin. “We’ll see.”

“No. We will notsee. Iwillgo to work on Monday. Whoever the asshole is who stuck a knife through my pillow will not make me live in fear.”

“I get that. I respect that. Give me some time though.”

“Time? You and Trey have had me in lockdown for almost a month. I can’t even buy a cup of coffee without asking for permission or someone following me.”

“And now you can see why.” I pull into the underground parking garage and turn the car off when I park. “I need you to sit tight while I meet with Trey, Drake, and Ryder.”

She’s out of the car before I can grab her bag from the back seat.

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