Criminal Affinity [18+]

Chapter 47

You gave me comfort.
Falling for you was my mistake.

| Call Out My Name - The Weeknd |

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As if in a last attempt to save Ava, Lily grabs Ivan's arm. "We should go. You're hurt."

Ivan seems to have not heard her at all. He rounds up on her and Ava has the sense to stand her ground. He stares at her for what seems like an eternity before he decides to speak.

"You ask for space, then call me when it all falls down. You act like a prude, then let your hands wander where they don't belong. You beg me to tell you things and kick me out immediately. You use the things I tell you against me. You don't flinch when you're shot at, but you flinch at the mention of me fucking someone else. And now this." Ivan's voice is hoarse with effort but colder than Ava has ever heard it before. "Now this."

Mortification burns Ava's cheeks, spreading the heat to her chest. There was no need for him to voice those words for the ears of others, but Ava realizes she did this to herself.

She keeps her chin high as she says. "There is no 'this'. That is not why I came here. I came here because—"

"Don't you ever get tired of lying, Steele?" Ivan asks.

Hurt slashes through her and Ava can't hide it. Steele. Again.

Ava spreads her arms, trying to keep the frustration off her voice. "For once, just listen to me."

"Now is not the time to plead your case. William, we have to get you to the doc." Ren walks towards him.

Both Ivan and Ava ignore him. Ava's knees feel like sticks, on the brink of snapping. "Do you really believe...that after all this...I would just let you die?"

Their silence hits Ava like a bullet in the gut.

Ava's lips part in a pained exhale. Despite how pathetic her words sound, they come out as a growl. "What did I ever fucking do to you?"

Her eyes flash between the three of them, stunned at their unsurprising silence. Without another word and jarring hurt being the only thing keeping her upright, Ava slowly heads for the curtains. She feels numb all over, moments away from eating the ground.

"Ava, wait." Lily again. A furious wave of anger goes through Ava at the sound of her voice. She calls out again, louder, "Ava."

As soon as she is out of earshot, Ava leans over one of the poles for support.

She doesn't anticipate the blood and her grip slips. Ava falls knee-first, blacking out for a clean second before refocusing her attention on the door. She needs to get the fuck out of here and sleep.

Her body is completely shutting down.

"Let me help." It's Sarge's voice behind her. He helps her brace and lift off the ground.

"Thank you." Ava mumbles, on the verge of passing out.

"You're hit." Sarge says. On a closer look, Ava realizes she has seen him before. He was present for that meeting about Malika and Sirena. His light brown hair is close-cropped, his emerald eyes deep-set, and a stubble that makes him look dangerous.

"I'm fine." She slips out of his hold, hyperfocused on the door. She prays to God that the driver is still waiting for her. Ava stops then, turning back to Sarge. "I do need a favor, though."

Sarge's perfect eyebrow jumps. Ava asks him for a hundred dollars.

"What do you need that money for?" He says, but he's already digging into his back pocket. Only men like him would keep money on them when headed to kill. You never know when you might need what.