Page 104 of Seduction in Spades

Fucking Ryder.

“Sweetheart.” I get to my feet and fail to hold back the strain in my face.Fuck.

“Don’tsweetheartme. Shit, you’re bleeding, Nolan. What the fuck happened?”

I survived eight hours of torture by terrorists, and thirty seconds of Avery questioning me has me showing my cards. I won’t give her all the details.

Hugh and I had it under control. Micky and his thugs were meeting up a mile out on the Atlantic for a drug deal. I had the coordinates. Hugh and I dropped anchor a half mile from Donahue’s yacht, and I put on my gear and swam out to the meeting spot.

As soon the deal was made, Rex Wilson, a lowlife piece of shit from Rhode Island who’s been getting his powder from Donahue, took off in the opposite direction, and Hugh sent me the signal. He kept watch from afar while I climbed aboard the Irish King. The fucker on watch was too preoccupied with watching porn on his phone to notice me. I easily slit his throat, tossing him overboard.

The second in command was just as easy to take out. Micky hiding like a pussy was a surprise. I found him down below, cowering like the piece of shit he is. If we weren’t in such close quarters, he wouldn’t have gotten a piece of me with his blade.

Not wanting a blood bath, especially my blood, I managed to wrangle his fat ass to the rear of the boat before gutting him like a fucking piranha and tossing him into the ocean for the sharks to feed off.

Sinking the yacht in the middle of the night was easy, it was making sure the Coast Guard, or some passerby, didn’t witness it that was risky. A forty-four-degree night in October isn’t prime boating time, and Hugh and I managed to sink the Irish King without being spotted.

It was all too easy. I wanted to return to Avery that night but didn’t want her to see me bleeding out. Waiting was fucking brutal.

“The threat is gone. You can go back to your apartment.”

Although I’ll still be keeping a close watch. Who’s to say someone else in Micky’s command doesn’t pick up where he left off? Most likely they’ll blame Rex Wilson. Good. I’d love to see what’s left of Micky’s scum and Wilson’s fuckers kill each other off.

Avery brushes her hand above my bandage. “Are you... are you going to get in trouble for whatever happened?”

It’s impossible to hide my grin. “Get in trouble?”

She lifts her gaze to my face and scowls. “Don’t mock me.”

“No, baby.” I cup her face in my palms.

“So whatever you did was legal? You went to the authorities?”

I won’t lie to her, but I won’t involve her with the details either. “When evil people do bad things, karma has a way of biting them in the ass.”

She steps out of my reach and curls her bottom lip between her teeth. She’s scared. This isn’t the life she signed up for. Fuck. She grew up with druggy parents. Saw enough crime to last her a lifetime, and now I’m dropping more at her feet.

“I’m sorry, Avery, but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it’s what needed to be done to keep you safe.” I bend to pick up my duffle I dropped by the door last night, doing a better job at hiding the pain in my side. “I’m going to shower, and then we can talk. If you still want to.”

I don’t know what I’ll do if she thinks of me as a monster. I was trained by our country to take down the fiercest enemy. While I may have gone off the grid and done things illegally, I’m not using those skills for bad. Getting rid of drug dealers and crime lords is my way of giving back. Who can fault me for that?

I’m careful in the shower not to get my stitches wet. It’s not an efficient cleaning, but better than I was before. I manage to pull on a pair of joggers and a clean T-shirt before going out to the living room. I find Avery standing by the glass doors in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of coffee.

“There’s more in the pot. I wasn’t sure how long you’d be,” she says without looking at me.

I pour myself a cup and join her by the windows. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she says casually, too casually.

“For not being able to tell you everything. It’s for your safety, not because I want to keep anything from you. The same goes for Trey, Drake, and Ryder. They don’t need to know the details.”

“I understand.” She moves away and sits at the table.

I wasn’t expecting this. Calm. Acceptance. No pushing for more. It’s like she’s shut down, and I don’t like it.

“Avery.” I sit across from her and reach for her free hand, linking our fingers. I consider it a win when she doesn’t pull away. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

“Afraid?” She lifts her head and curls her lip. “Why would I be afraid of you?”

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