Page 24 of Break Me
She sinks down, arms folded over her chest as she glares up at me.
“Everything is fine.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and sit across from her on the beige couch. I scroll through my contacts and call Felix.
He answers on the first ring.
“Why didn’t you know?” I ask him, testing the waters. I feel Ava’s eyes on me.
“Know what?” He sounds genuinely confused.
“That Rolland got a flight out of the States to North Carolina.”
I hear Felix blow out a breath. “I have no idea. His passport was tracked—”
“Thought so.” I hang up the phone, toss it on the coffee table. I tap the gun against my thigh, thinking. We can’t run. I don’t want to run. I just want to keep Riley safe until I kill this motherfucker.
“What the hell is going on?” Ava asks again. I glance at her. She runs a hand through her tangled blonde hair, and then wraps her arms back around herself.
So much for a movie.
“You should probably go home,” I tell her. So much for getting laid.
She laughs. Bitterly. “Tell me what is going on. Why do you have a gun? Who is Rolland?” She gestures to me, clearly confused. “What is happening?”
I smile at her. “Nothing that concerns you, and you should be grateful for it. Come on.” I stand to my feet. “I’ll take you back to my place, get your bag, and then walk you to your car.” I make to walk past her, but she shoots an arm out and grabs my own, pulling herself to her feet as she does.
I look over at her, inches from me. I see her chest rise and fall. Watch her as she bites her bottom lip, leaving a small, temporary dent.
Fuck.
“Tell me what the fuck is going on. My father is the mayor of this town and if people are in danger—”
I snort. “Don’t worry, Princess. This shit is nothing your daddy needs to know about.” In fact, he definitely doesn’t need to know about it.
Her hand on my arm tightens, her nails digging in. “Benji—”
The way she says my goddamn name.
Fuckkkk.
“My last name is Silva,” I offer her, remembering her comment from earlier. I want this girl in my bed, but I’ve got to keep my head on straight. Romance is never in the cards for me, for this reason. “And that’s about all the info I’m going to give you right now, Ava Culwen, since you haven’t earned anything else. Now, get your fucking hand off of me and let’s go get your shit.”
She doesn’t let go. She just sinks her nails in deeper and pulls me closer. She’s standing on her tiptoes, her eyes narrowed. I can smell her clean scent, which is a miracle considering she spent all night in a fucking club. She’s like a walking, talking doll. With a lot more spite.
“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again.”
I laugh. “You can’t handle that?” I ask her, leaning down until my brow is pressed against hers. She doesn’t shrink back, she just narrows her eyes. “Then you definitely can’t handle me.”
