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LINCOLN
Ava is sleeping when I finally let myself back into her house.
I’m not surprised. It’s well after midnight now, and her adrenaline from earlier must have finally worn off. The chamomile tea wouldn’t have helped, either, especially since I brewed two tea bags for her instead of one.
I used to do that all the time. One would help with her nerves, two would help her sleep, and I hadn’t been planning on forcing Ava to marry me when I was getting her tea shit ready for her. Oh, no. That spark of fucking brilliance came when I thought of walking out of her house, passing the problem onto a couple of my men, and returning to my empty bed, familiar hand, and a life where Ava Monroe was a ghost and not a living, breathing, gorgeous woman in front of me.
I told her. I told her what she was getting into. Who she would be marrying if she agreed to be mine. They don’t call me Devil for nothing, and if I have to coerce her into being my bride, I will.
Anything to have her. To hold her. To keep her close.
To protect her.
To fuck her.
Toloveher.
She’s mine. She always was, and she’s always been, and now that I finally have the excuse to tie her to me for life, damn right I’m going to do it.
As Devil’s wife, she’ll beuntouchable. Even if Damien and his crew decide to go after her for what went down, he’ll have to go through me and the entire syndicate for a chance and that will never fucking happen.
After I told Burns what I needed him to do, I called up Royce. As my second, he’s the closest thing in this world to someone I trust, and now that Ava’s involved, that’s essential. I gave him his instructions, too, and proving once again that there’s no better ‘fixer’ in the game right now, Royce got me what I needed even before the rest of the clean-up crew he assigned started out from the West Side.
I was very clear. While Burns was keeping an eye on the legal side of things with the other cops, the clean-up crew wasn’t going to set foot inside of Ava’s house until we were already gone. They would take care of the body and the mess, though I don’t think she realizes that she won’t be coming back here.
Once she’s mine, I’ll lock her in my penthouse if that’s what it takes to keep her safe. Good thing that school’s out for the summer, because there’s no way in fucking hell she’ll be going anywhere that I don’t have eyes on her twenty-four/seven.
She’ll get over it. She’ll have to. Ava will figure out that I’m doing this all for her—for me, too, yeah, but mainly for her—whether she agrees with it or not.
I’m in charge of the syndicate. I’ll be in charge of this marriage, too, and the sooner she realizes that, the better.
Taking the dry cleaner’s bag from Royce, I tell him to park around the corner and wait in his car until I’m gone. The others are going to station themselves a couple of streets over, heading toward Ava’s house on foot, but Royce pulls up right behind Burns’s cruiser so that he doesn’t have to lug the bag through backyards and side streets with him.
Inside, I lay the bag down on the far end of the couch once I see that Ava is curled up on her side, snuffling softly, pillowing her cheek on her hands. She looks so innocent, and I almost think twice about what I’m doing.
Almost.
Leaning down at her side, I trace the edge of her cheek. “Time to get up, pet.”
Her eyelids flutter, a soft moan falling from her lips, as she continues to sleep.
I should let her. If I call him back and tell him to, Judge Callihan will clear his schedule and marry us in the morning. There’s no reason why I have to do thisnow. Ava gave her word. The girl I used to know would rather cut out her tongue than break a promise. She said she’d marry me, and I should let her get through the trauma of tonight before pushing her into this.
I should—but I’m not going to.
A little firmer, I pat her cheek. “Ava? Ava.”
She finally opens her eyes, staring up at me with that same dazed look in her eyes. For a moment, I get the feeling that she doesn’t recognize me, before she says in a voice rough with sleep, “Link? You’re back?”
Yes, pet. And now that I have you with me, you’ll never be away from me again…
“It’s time to go.”
She starts to sit up, even as she asks, “Where are we going?”
“Out of the house. I’ve got a crew coming and we shouldn’t be here for it.”
