Page 209 of Never Die for a Sinner
He lunges again, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me backward until my spine hits the unyielding steel of his chest. I cry out, breath stolen from my lungs. The gag is ripped from my mouth, and I sputter, choking on the bitter taste of cloth and fear.
“Ava Lynn,” he hisses, breath hot against my cheek. “You’re going to pay for that.”
A cold kiss of metal slides across my throat—his knife—angled just enough to remind me how close I am to the edge.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The voice is low and controlled.
—But it hits like a fucking lightning bolt.
“Levi!” Alex clamps a hand over my mouth, pulling me back into his front.
He came . . .
No, no, no, no . . . why is he here?
“I’m here, baby girl,” Levi says, stepping out of the shadows like a god of vengeance, eyes stormy and jaw clenched so tight I swear his teeth might crack.
I want to sob in relief, to collapse into him and let this nightmare fade. But I can’t. Because I know something he doesn’t seem to. There’s no way in hell webothmake it out of here alive.
“Isn’t this sweet?” Alex chuckles, voice curling with venom. “Come to join the fun?”
“Let her go, Alex.” Levi’s voice is calm and collected, but I can see the tightness in his shoulders. The way his knuckles are nearly white from how hard he’s clenching his fists.
He looks awful. Like he hasn’t slept in weeks. Dark circles ring his eyes, and he hasn’t shaved.
My heart sinks, knowing that he’s been struggling by himself. Knowing that even if everything between us started out as a job, he’s just as lost without me as I am him.
Paulina was right. He destroys everything he loves before it can destroy him. He was just too late this time.
“She’s not a part of this.”
No, no, no, NO . . .
“Let her go.”
“Don’t come any closer,” Alex orders from over my shoulder, the tip of his blade digging in deeper. I feel the warm tickle of blood slide down my throat. “You know I love the sight of blood spilling from pretty little women.”
Levi’s face is unreadable. He doesn’t look at me, but I can’t take my eyes off him. My hands shake where they’re tied behind my back, my eyes swimming with tears that threaten to spill down my cheeks.
“This is between you and me,” Levi continues, his voice eerily calm. “Ava has nothing to do with this.”
“Is that so?” Alex laughs through his teeth. “I think we both know she has everything to do with it, doesn’t she?”
My eyes fall closed, all the blood rushing to my head with my ragged heartbeat.
“Tell me,” Alex starts, his hand brushing down the other side of my neck. Levi keeps his gaze on Alex, never once looking my way. “What was your plan? Send her away and hope I didn’t see the depths of your loyalty to your little whore?”
As he speaks, he digs the blade into the side of my throat, and a whimper manages to slip free from the pain.
Finally, Levi’s eyes cut to mine, and there, hidden in their frosty depths, I can see something I’ve never seen in his eyes before.
Pure, unadulterated fear.
“You had to know I’d take her simply because she was his. He had to know when he ruined my life, I’d ruin the only thing worth a damn in his.”
“What happened to your father happened because he was a criminal. Ava has nothing to do with this.”
