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How much do you want to bet that Bobby would’ve sold me out to my husband’s enemy long before now if I gave him the chance?
I thought he was being friendly. That I was being sneaky.Idiot, Ava. He didn’t just tell me about Link’s frequent trips to the Playground out of the kindness of his heart. Especially since, when I arrived there that first night, Link wasn’teven there.Heidi was, though, and I have no idea what would have happened to me if Link didn’t show up when he did.
He was smart. He insisted on bodyguards when I left the penthouse, and what did I do? Sneak out again—while Bobby was on duty—only to be relieved when I saw that the soldier had chased me down because it meant I didn’t have to rely on a rideshare.
Oh, no. I just served myself up on a silver platter for him. Now I’m on the East End, at the mercy of Damien Libellula, and no way to contact Link.
Something tells me, even if I somehow find a way to get these cuffs off, it won’t matter. My phone’s probably long gone, and so is any chance of getting out of here.
No. I refuse to believe that. There has to be a way—and I get to believe that for about two seconds before the door behind Heidi pulls outward, replaced by a slender man in a black suit.
His skin is a deep tan, his thick hair as black as coal with a single grey streak along the curve from his left-side part. His eyes, however, are a pale blue that seem even lighter compared to his dark coloring.
He’s a handsome man, and he carries himself like he absolutely knows it. I’d put him at about forty or so, with a countenance of a man who demands results. Like a CEO or a… a…
“Mr. Libellula,” Heidi breathes out when she sees him standing there.
Crime boss.
“Ms. Fox,” he says, tilting his head in her direction. “How’s our guest?”
“I did what you told me to. I sent the text when she woke up and kept her calm until she got here. Can me and Bobby go now?”
The man flicks his fingers at her. “I’ll have Vin contact him if I need you again.”
“Yessir.” Heidi bows her head, backing away and out of the room. “Of course. Thank you.”
“Close the door, would you?”
As soon as she does and it’s just the two of us, it’s like she was never here. He doesn’t just demand results. He commands attention, and I can’t help but give it.
Looking down at me, hetskshis tongue. “Cuffs, really? For an unconscious woman who couldn’t hurt a fly.” He pauses for a moment. “Unless, of course, she has a gun.”
Holy shit. Holyshit.
Heknows.
Giving me a smile that makes his heartbreakingly stunning, he crouches down so that he’s at my side. “But since we both know you don’t, I see no reason why she should be trussed up like this.”
Dipping his hand in his pocket, careful to keep his jacket closed though I can’t help but notice the bulge at his hip telling me thathedoes have a gun, he pulls out a tiny key. Within seconds, he pops off one cuff, then the other. Taking them away from me, he shifts and tosses them on the empty table with aclang, then slips the key back into his pocket before rising up to his full height again.
“That’s better,” he says. “Isn’t it?”
I rub my wrists, but stay quiet.
“Very well. Maybe we should get introductions out of the way. You, of course, are Ava Crewes, née Monroe. But do you know who I am?”
I do, but I can’t bring myself to say his name out loud.
Taking that to mean that I’m clueless, he shoves up the sleeve of his suit jacket. Unbuttoning the white shirt underneath, he rolls it to his elbow, revealing a tattoo.
It’s a massive dragonfly. At least six times bigger than Heidi’s, the wings wrap around his deceptively muscular forearm, in shades of blue, purples, and green.
“You see this?” he purrs. “It isn’t just my calling card. It represents my family.”
Notthefamily.Myfamily.
And that’s why I know exactly who this is: Damien Libellula, in the flesh.
