24

Zane was seething with anger, he wanted to kill someone. That someone preferably being the little shit squirming on the floor in the break room. He would make Dave follow his friend as well for good measure. But for once he had controlled his bloodlust. The reason was trembling in his arms as he made his way to the back door of the club. He had to remind himself she wasn’t used to the violence which was a natural part of his world. The sight of her trying to defend herself with a fucking fork while that vile creature put his hand on her had Zane close to losing his sanity. She was his, and no other man were to place his hands on her.

“Zane, I think I can walk on my own,” Ava’s frail voice said.

“You are precisely where you should be,” he told her as he forced himself to keep his voice soft.

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

“I know you are, I’m not,” he told her.

“Okay,” she said, relaxing in his arms again. Zane wasn’t lying, having her in his arms was the only thing keeping him from going on a rampage. He couldn’t afford losing his temper at the moment, not with Mr Johnson sniffing around his territory. Ryder opened the door into the alleyway and then opened the door to the SUV that Tom and brought around. Zane reluctantly let Ava down so she could slide in. As he did, Ryder leaned into him.

“I have informed Mr Jax about the situation,” Ryder whispered. Zane nodded. He was grateful to have Ryder. He and Tom where the two of his men, except for Jax, he had most trust in. Zane had noticed that both Ryder and Tom had become attached to Ava during the week. Her innocence inspired them to protect her, and he had seen the fury in Ryder’s eyes when he had walked into the break room. Zane got into the SUV and pulled Ava into his lap.

“Seatbelt,” she objected, making him chuckle.

“I think we can be bad and skip it this time,” he told her.

“If we crash and I break my neck, I’m going to be really mad,” she sighed but relaxed into him and put her hands around his neck.

“Never going to happen. You are mine and I will protect you,” he said.

“I know.” The words where quiet and Zane almost missed them. But he knew what he heard, and he felt a pain in his chest. They stayed silent the rest of the ride home. It wasn’t until they stopped to let the gate open that Ava looked up at him. “We are at the mansion,” she said with surprise.

“Of course. Where did you think we were going?” he asked.

“But it can’t be much later than midnight.”

“That’s sounds about right.” Zane nodded, he had no clue where she was going.

“I’m sorry I made you go home early. You could just have sent me home on my own, or let me sit in another room,” she said. Zane just looked at her, did she really think he would do that?

“It wasn’t your fault; you didn’t make me. I didn’t have any more business to attend to,” he assured her.

“Oh okey. I think I can walk on my own,” Ava told him as they stopped at the front door. Zane nodded and put her down on the seat before getting out and giving her his hand. As they walked up the steps, he placed his hand on the small of her back, he wanted to let her know he was there. When they got inside, Anna was waiting in the hall as always.

“Good evening master Zane, miss Ava,” she smiled.

“Good evening, Anna. I think that Ava would like some warm chocolate in her room,” Zane said.

“Oh no, just some tea, please,” Ava told Anna. Zane frowned, she always turned down his offers of treats.

“A cup of tea it is. I’ll be right up with it,” Anna said. She had long since stopped checking with Zane if she should listen to his angel. She, and the rest of the household, hand figured out he would give her what she wanted.

“Thank you.” Ava smiled at Anna and then took of Ryder’s jacket and handed it to him. “Thank you, Ryder,” she said.

“Any time miss A. If you need me, just let me know,” Ryder said, eyeing her worried.

“I will, thank you,” she said. Zane nodded at Ryder as he followed Ava up the stairs. He saw she had relaxed a little and he was happy she was comfortable enough around him and his closest people to be able to relax. He walked her to her door, and she turned to him with a smile. It didn’t reach all the way to her eyes, but it was an improvement. “Thank you for saving me. Again,” she told him. He shook his head.

“Don’t say that. It was my fault that you were placed in danger. I’m sorry. I should be taking care of you,” he sighed and tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear.

“You didn’t know what would happen, I don’t blame you. And you had to cut your night short,” she said. She then hesitated, looking up at him and then at her door. “Do you want to come in?” sha asked. Her question threw Zane off, she was asking him to come into her bedroom? He saw himself accepting, them going into her room and him spending the night worshiping her body. But it wasn’t the right night for that.

“I want nothing more,” he said honestly and placed a kiss on her forehead. “But you need to rest tonight. Take a bath and go to bed, angel. I’ll join you when you haven’t had such an exhausting evening,” he added. For a moment he could have sworn he could see something resembling rejection in Ava’s eyes. But it was replaced by a tired smile so quickly he put it off as wishful thinking.

“Okay, good night,” she said, turning toward her door.

“Good night,” he replied, walking towards his own door when a thought struck him. Had she asked him to join her because she was afraid to be alone? He cursed at himself for being so fucking single-minded to only think she wanted sex. He turned to her. “Ava, I will be right next door. If you feel… Ava?” She had opened her door, but she made no effort to go inside. She just stood there looking into her room. Zane wondered if it was a delayed shock from tonight’s trauma. He walked up to her as she didn’t seem to hear him. “Ava,” he said, a little more forcefully. He saw a shiver run through her and she turned towards him. The empty look in her eyes scared him more than her tears would have. Zane was about to ask what was wrong when something made him sift his focus from her to the room behind her. It had been trashed. “What the actual fuck!” he roared, making Ava jump. “Sorry, angel. It’s okay,” he hurried to say and pulled her into him. He was relieved when she didn’t flinch away, instead she leaned into him and let him put his arms around her. Zane could hear his men coming up the stairs after hearing him.

As the hallway filled with his men, Zane walked Ava over to his room. He opened the door and was relieved to see it untouched. He gently pushed Ava inside.
“I’ll be right with you, angel. I just need to talk to the men for two minutes, I will be right outside this door. You are safe,” he told her.

“Okay.” There was something fragile in the way she answered him that tore at Zane. But he forced himself to shut the door between them and turn to his men which all were standing outside Ava’s room, looking into it.

“What the fuck have you all been doing? Someone has come up to my floor and destroyed one of the rooms and where were you fuckers?” he shouted. The looks on his men’s’ faces told him they knew the seriousness of what had happened. No one entered his private floor without an invitation, everyone knew that. And to have a room on this floor destroyed like this was unthinkable. Zane was furious, his personal space had been invaded and not only that. Zane had brought Ava here because he was sure she would be safe here. “Bring me the one who is responsible for this, I want them brought to me alive with all their limbs attached. I want to have the satisfaction of removing them one by one,” he growled. “Now leave. If I hear so much as a whisper of someone on this floor, I will make sure they live for a long time in absolute agony,” he added. His men all nodded and started to file down the stairs. Ryder gently closed the door to Ava’s room and then walked up to Zane.

“Boss,” he said, and then he hesitated.

“I’m not in the mood Ryder, spit it out,” Zane said.

“Did miss A talk to you about what happened this afternoon?” Ryder asked.

“You are not talking about what that little shit did, are you?” Zane asked.

“No, Boss. While you and Mr Jax was out, miss A ran in to some of the women, words were exchanged,” Ryder said.

“Words were exchanged?”

“Yess, boss. Olivia tried to insult miss A. Miss A didn’t take the bait. I stepped in as soon as I heard what was happening,” Ryder said.

“What. Did. That. Fucking. Whore. Of. A. Woman. Say. To. My. Angel?” The words came out hard, almost as physical punches and Ryder took a step back.

“She was saying things like miss A was too inexperienced to be with you, you would take other women to your bed and, even though Olivia didn’t say it, she inferred she would suit you better.”

“Fucking bitch. And Ava?”

“Miss A stayed calm and just said she knew,” Ryder said. The statement worsened the pain in Zane’s chest.

“You think Olivia had something to do with this?” Zane asked.

“I don’t know anyone else who doesn’t like miss A. Everyone she meets seems to be drawn in by her innocence.”

“I want to talk to Olivia first thing in the morning, find which bed she crawled into tonight and make fucking sure she doesn’t leave until she has a word with me.”

“Yes, boss.” Zane started walking to his room. He hated that Ava had agreed with what Olivia had told her. He knew it had been part of the deal, but he had no interest in other women. He opened the door and found Ava where he had left her. She hadn’t moved an inch.

“Angel,” he softly said.