Criminal Affinity [18+]

Chapter 84

Him

He woke up today knowing something is wrong. The ugly one didn't come to beat him today, neither did the taunts from the young blonde one. They are busy, too busy to torture the information out of him.

And if Pandora is ever busy, it's never good. They had something that needed their attention.

Ivan had tended to his wounds the best he could, along with the help of the only man who is neutral to him. Viral, he said he was. Ivan had not uttered a word since Pandora took him under, barring the venomous laugh upon hearing the fate of the one Ivan managed to get his hands on.

A new trainee. Dead at his hands.

Ivan pretended to not know Viral, Jon and Valdez, pretended to not care when the tall one (Julien) eyed him with a look that made Ivan want to reach out and rip his tongue out.

He knew what that look meant.

Ava. Julien knows he had Ava.

Disgust curls somewhere in his gut at that thought, at a man viewing her as something sullied by him.

So, he waits and waits and waits until a grunt has his attention springing like a cat at dawn.

"Jesus, how much did you give her?" Noah, the blonde one. "She's been out for hours."

"Good." Julien mutters, his self-righteous boots clicking on the polished floor. "It will help eliminate intense emotions."

"That's not the point," Noah mutters under his breath. "You know she's hurt."

Nothing comes out of that fucking Julien then. Ivan lies down, head turned the other way to avoid suspicion. Just as they are about to pass his cell, he turns.

Ivan has to bite down on a fist to not shout, to force his body to stay still when all he wants to do is tear down those cells and get to her.

Her. Ava.

She's here. Alive. He doesn't see any blood on her.

Dread, stronger than anything he has felt in the duration of his capture, punctures his gut.  How is he going to get her out of here? Did she come here for him? Did she get caught on purpose?

Stupid, stupid girl.

All he wants to do is hold her, to hear her voice and to hear her breathing close to his ear.

Even after they leave, he waits an hour before moving to the side of his cell. He sits close to the direction of her cell, kneeling on the floor and clutching the bars.

"Ava?"

If they heard him, they would probably knock a teeth out this time.

"Angel? Are you there?" Ivan tries again.

Nothing.

He screws his eyes shut, pressing his aching temple to the cold metal. "Please."

What are they going to do to her? Did they bring her here to reconcile or to punish? If they wanted her dead, she would be. What could they possibly want with—

"Ivan?" Her voice is weak, before it whips out stronger. "Ivan?"

He opens his mouth to respond when the sound of approaching footsteps turns his blood to ice.

"Getting chatty here, aren't we?" Julien. Fucking Julien.