Page 19 of Fighting Conviction
A flash of panic shocked through her. She had no idea why he’d be demanding her to be at BlackStone, but it couldn’t be good. Normally she’d be there for self-defense training, but Jason canceled their lesson a couple of weeks ago due to Jules’s doctor appointment. A thought sent an icy burn down the sweat on her spine.
Is everything ok with Jules and the baby?
Virginia must’ve sensed the situation and waited in silence with Ellie. After a minute of no response, Ellie shoved her phone in her pocket and called over her shoulder as she ran toward the parking lot and Virginia’s pink Jeep Wrangler.
“Can you take me to BlackStone Securities? Something’s wrong.”
Chapter Seven
Offbeat thumping echoed outside the gym, calling to Ellie like a beacon as she rushed through the BlackStone Securities complex to find Dev. The facility was completely soundproof, so she’d already explored the garage, shooting range, and medical room before finally hearing the faint beat. The fact the whole first floor had been empty didn’t help her anxiety.
Dev wasn’t answering his phone, and the wild-goose chase was making Ellie light-headed with worry. She’d let Virginia leave as soon as she’d been dropped off, believing she’d find Dev right away. Worst-case scenarios were flitting through Ellie’s mind, and the fear something was wrong with Jules and the baby was enough to make Ellie feel on the verge of passing out.
As she made her way through the halls, heavy metal blared through the speakers ahead of her and still the thumps grew louder and faster over the beat. When she rounded the last corner before the gym and entered the propped open door, she realized the source of the arrhythmic thudding noises.
In the corner of the gym, Dev was hitting a punching bag with enough force that Ellie was surprised it was still hanging from the walls. His bare back was to her, and the muscles in his rounded shoulders flexed with each hit. For the first time, Ellie finally saw the beautiful, tattooed, skeletal wings spanning his entire back and arms.
She’d seen the feathers lining the backs of his arms, but she’d never seen him shirtless. A closer look at the artwork showed the wings she’d always imagined on the rest of his body were broken and torn. Feathers hung from inked bone and sinew, and there were rips in the design’s exposed membrane. The ink work was so vivid, it was easy to imagine the rest of the wings spread out and wide around him in tattered shreds. Like a fallen angel.
Or a demon.
A lump formed in Ellie’s throat, making it hard to swallow. Whatever tragedy had inspired that tattoo was embedded much deeper than the skin it covered.
The divots outlining Dev’s back muscles contracted and bulged as he boxed, and Ellie couldn’t help but stare at his strong arms as he punched the bag. She’d seen those hands heal and she’d ached for their soft touch over her skin. For his fingertips to graze over her, move her body where he needed her right before they fell apart in each other’s arms.
Great. First flashbacks, then nightmares. Why not add delusions in the mix?
But as she observed his strength in such a violent display of power, Ellie found herself gravitating to him while an entirely different fantasy flashed in her head. Instead of gentle caresses making her tingle, she imagined his fingers gripping into her hips as he held her from behind, shoving her up against the mirrored wall right behind him.
Ellie rubbed the goose bumps on her skin, already growing sensitive just from her imagination. If she didn’t stop daydreaming, she was going to do something stupid and desperate, like fall and crawl at his feet. She locked her knees to keep from embarrassing herself.
After a cleansing exhale, frustration filtered in. She was being ridiculous, salivating over some boy even though she had no clue why she was there or if there was an emergency. And here Dev was, working out.
Sasha’s laughter barked in Ellie’s thoughts.“‘Some boy’. Shyeah, right. That right there’s a man. One you should let bend you over and—”
The slaps against the punching bag stilled, and Ellie shifted her gaze to find Dev’s steady on her in the mirror.
For the love of God, please don’t be a mind reader.
The corner of his lips twitched, sending her hopes spiraling. Of course he knew what she was thinking. He always did.
She braced herself against being teased, but Dev only shook his head, like he was trying to get her thoughts out of his own mind. Adopting a sour expression, he crossed his arms before yelling over the music. “You’re late.”
“Late? What the—” She scoffed and mirrored his posture. “What’s going on, Dev? Is it Jules? Are she and the baby okay?”
Dev frowned before walking over to his phone and pausing the music. The silence pulsed through her in several staccato beats before she realized it was her heartbeat.
“They’re fine as far as I know. But I’ve been here an hour.” He narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down. “You training in that?”
At the hint of disappointment lacing his question, Ellie looked down even though she knew she wore leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt with tennis shoes. “Um… yeah? What’s wrong with—Wait, what do you mean ‘training?’ Was that what your text was about? My self-defense training?” She flopped onto a weight-lifting bench and slapped her hand against her chest in relief. “I thought it was about something serious, dang.”
“Self-defenseisserious,” Dev grumbled under his breath before drinking from his water bottle.
Ellie tilted her head. “But, wait… Jason’s been teaching me—”
“And with the baby he’s asked me to help. He also said he’d tell you. But he didn’t, I take it?” Ellie shook her head. Dev’s frown deepened before he muttered, “His distractions are getting dangerous.”
Ellie’s mouth fell open. “Are youseriouslycalling Jules and their baby a distraction? What the heck is wrong with you?”
