Page 128 of Never Die for a Sinner
“And nowyou’vegot Ava to think about.”
I swear to fucking God.
“Nothing is going on between Ava and me.”
Christian lifts a brow. “Is that why you bolted out of the house like your ass was on fire last night when you heard she was missing?”
I don’t answer. I don’t need to.
“I’m not saying things have to go the way they did back then,” he says, his tone gentler now. “I’m saying we’re family. We don’tleave each other bleeding in the street. There are only a few of us left.”
I swallow hard. His words hit deeper than I want to admit.
Three months feels like a lifetime ago. Like someone else’s life.
My phone buzzes on the bar, and I glance at the screen, and the number is familiar—too familiar. My gut clenches, and instantly, I reach for it.
Only to freeze. It’s a picture, and I can physically feel the rush of violence that slips through my veins.
It’s my girl at that fucking party I told her to stay away from. Only those aren’t my hands on her.
I zoom in, and sure enough, Alex has his arm wrapped around her shoulder, as if she belongs to him. A smug grin on his face that I suddenly can’twaitto wipe clean.
Ava, on the other hand, looks like she’s ready to bolt.
I can’t help it—I chuckle under my breath.
Oh, baby girl. You’ve fucked up.
Maybe punishing her is exactly what I need.
Christian smirks from beside me.
“Told you he was after your girl.”
I down the last of my whiskey and rise from the stool, my chair scraping loudly against the concrete floor. Christian stands too, watching me with a guarded expression.
“Go home to Mila,” I tell him, tossing a few twenties down for Cherry. “I’ve got something I need to handle.”
AVA
The moment I arrived at this party, I was reminded why I, in fact, do not like parties.
I feel like I’m being watched from all sides, and the more people that bump into me, the more my skin crawls.
It could be because I know I’m breaking the rules, coming to this party when Levi specifically said not to, but it could also be because I’m still wounded from my last interaction with him. That was this morning. He left after he took me home, and he’s been gone since.
Not that I noticed or anything. I don’t give a flying crap where Levi Cross is. Screw him and his overinflated ego. I’m not a child. I shouldn’t have to hide. I’ve spent most of my life hiding, and look where it’s gotten me.
It’s just a crush. A harmless little, inconvenient crush that makes it feel like my chest is going to explode when he looks at me.
If he doesn’t care, then neither do I. This is just a contract. Nothing permanent.
God, even I know I’m lying.
I was doing so well—surviving.
Then he came along and got me addicted to the way he looks at me. How he growls my name, or how, when he touches me. It’s like he’s afraid of breaking me, but I’m his to ruin if he pleases.
