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My blood turns to ice as realization washes over me.
Fuck!
“It’s a setup,” I say, loud enough that my team can hear me. I’m sure they ask questions, but I can’t focus on anything but the dread curdling my stomach. I yank my phone out of my pocket and call Nick. He picks up on the second ring.
“Nick—”
“GET HERE NOW!” Nick’s voice is so loud in my ear it makes me jolt, but it’s not his words that choke me with fear. It’s the unmistakable sound of gunshots in the background.
Before I can answer, he hangs up, and red clouds my vision. Utter rage fills me, melting the ice in my blood and lighting me on fire.
“Move out!” I shout, turning on my heel and sprinting back to my bike. The team follows me immediately, and I take the road back so fast my bike flies over any small bump.
I don’t wait for my men to catch up. No, the second my bike hits the driveway, I leap off, weapons drawn. The lights are on inside my home, and through the front window, I see a blur of movement. A bang vibrates the whole structure as I run inside, following the noise of the gunshot.
There’s only one thing on my mind as I race down the hallway. Ava. I need to find Ava.
I turn the corner to the living space, and a man dressed in all black, so similar to my own outfit, turns to look at me over his shoulder. He shoots, but I dart to the right, and the bullet grazes my arm. It burns, but I barely feel it. Before he can get off another shot, I slam into him, knocking him to the ground and sending his weapon skittering away from us. I smash the butt of my gun into his temple, rendering him unconscious, before abandoning him on the floor like the trash he is.
“Ava!” I bellow, uncaring about stealth. I’ll kill anyone who threatens her. Let them come to the sound of my voice. I’ll make them regret their choices.
A soft whimper cuts through the noise of fighting from upstairs, which I can only assume is Nick wrestling with the other intruders. Trusting him to hold his own, I rush towards the soft sound, my heart pounding so loud I can feel it slam against my ribs.
I find her in the kitchen. The scene before my eyes makes me fucking feral. Ava is backed into a corner by a large man in the same all-black outfit as the other, a knife in his hand and a gun strapped to his waistband. From here, I can’t see his face, but I can see the fear in Ava's.
“Your father owes us for what he’s done,” the man spits out, and Ava flinches, trying to put distance between them, but it’s impossible with her back to the cupboards. “You’ll be coming with us, girl. We’ll have some fun with you, at least. It’ll take the sting off your father’s betrayal.”
“You’ll never take me,” Ava cries, and pride fills me as she raises her hand and rakes her nails down the guy’s face. She catches his eye, and he curses, stumbling back and clutching his face.
I pounce, using the distraction to our advantage. I grab the back of his neck, spin him around, and knee him hard between the legs. He goes down, and I press my gun to his forehead just as he drops his hands from his face. He’s bleeding, his eye bloodshot and cheek marked from Ava’s nails.
I glance up at my girl.
“Good fucking girl, angel,” I praise, hoping she can tell just how proud of her I am. She offers me a shaky smile, relief making her shoulders slump. In the background, I can hear the rest of my men taking out the last of the intruders, and knowing they’re taken care of, I turn my attention back to the asshole in front of me who dared to lay a hand on what’s mine.
I shove my gun under his chin to force him to look at me, getting a good look at his face. I recognize him. This is the fucker we’ve been looking for, the one we just searched that damn cabin for.
“I don’t give a single fuck what her pathetic excuse for a father owes you,” I growl, sneering down at the man. He tries to reach for his gun, and I slam the sole of my boot into his chest, sending him sprawling. I step on his wrist, pinning him to the floor, training my gun on his head again. “Ava is mine. And I’m sure you know exactly what happens to people who try to take my things.”
The man’s eyes widen as I pull the trigger, then turn glassy as he slumps. I drop my weapon, rushing straight to Ava. She’s pale and shaking a little, but she doesn’t seem hurt.
“Angel,” I breathe, gathering her up into my arms. “Fuck, are you okay?”
She clings to me, breathing heavily. “I’m okay now that you’re here,” she says, burying her face in my chest. She doesn’t seem to care that I just killed a man right in front of her, doesn’t seem afraid even now. God, she’s perfect for me.
We pull away from each other as Nick enters the kitchen, eye swelling shut and blood covering his clothes.
“You look like shit,” I tell him, but I can’t deny how relieved I am to see him alive.
“You should see the other guy,” he jokes back, grinning despite his split lip.
With my arm around Ava’s waist, I head into the living room. Some of my guys are clearing up the mess the intruders have made, and after quickly confirming none of my guys are gravely injured, I sit beside my girl and pull her onto my lap.
Nick gives me the rundown, with Ava chiming in occasionally.
Ava was woken by the men breaking in, and Nick fought them off as best he could. He’s a beast of a fighter, but he’s still only one man, and there were at least ten intruders. Their goal was clear—to take Ava, to spite her father for the fact he’s pissed off every criminal leader in the city.
When I called, Nick had just enough time to answer and tell me to come back before he was tackled. He told Ava to run, and she tried, but the leader was waiting by the front door, anticipating it. She tried to grab a knife in the kitchen to fight, but he cornered her.
