51

An hour later, the SUV stopped in front of the small house in the suburban part of the city. Zanes men had arrived half an hour before to make sure the aunt and uncle wouldn’t be home. They had been encouraged to go out and eat their dinner outside their home. Zane helped Ava out of the car, and she smiled as she looked at the house.

“They have repaired the front step and the porch,” she said in a cheerful voice.

“I told you it would be done,” Zane reminded her and followed her up onto the small porch. Ava was about to reach for the door handle and stopped.

“It’s okay, Angel. The house is empty.” She looked up at him.

“No one’s at home?”

“No, not a soul. It’s just you and me.” She nodded and opened the door and invited Zane inside. Zane had never been in a place like this. He had grown up in a mansion, the few friends he had growing up were also living in mansions or were children of his father’s men and would come to the mansion. As he got older, his lifestyle wasn’t one which had him invited to places like this. He looked around with curiosity as they walked into the living room. It was a tiny living room by his standards. But it felt different, warm and cosy. Zane noticed Ava glancing at a spot on the floor.

“What’s wrong?” he asked and placed his hand on her lower back.

“Nothing, it’s silly.” Zane understood as soon as she uttered the words. That had been the spot where she had found her aunt and uncle tied up. He stopped the curse words that were about to erupt and pulled her closer to him.

“It’s okay. You haven’t been back since that night. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable,” he told her.

“Thank you.” Ava stood for a while and Zane felt her relax a little. “Come on, let me show you the rest of the place,” she then told him. Zane let Ava lead the way, and she showed him the rest of the house.

“Angel, why do you have the smallest room if you own the house?” Zane asked as they finally had made their way to the back of the house. He stood in a small room with a single bed, a desk and bookcases. It was tidy, but cramped.

“My aunt and uncle took the master bedroom. It seemed logical since they are two and I’m just one,” Ava told him.

“But there is a guest room which is almost twice the size of this.”

“It used to be my room, when mom and dad were alive, but after it was decided it was better for me to have this room. I guess I stopped thinking about it shouldn’t be like that,” she explained. Zane felt the familiar surge of rage. He considered for a moment why the fuck he didn’t just kill her uncle. She had been a child, she had lost her parents, and what did her uncle do? They placed her in a tiny room at the back of the house and then spend her inheritance money. Maybe one day Zane would kill him, he just needed to make sure his angel wouldn’t be too upset by it. They walked out into the backyard and Ava looked close to tears when they saw the state of it. Garbage had been left on the ground and it looked like someone had been lighting fires in spots.

“I’ll make sure this is taken care of,” Zane told her with clutched teeth.

“No, Zane. It’s no use. They will just do it over again. It’s a waste of effort,” Ava told him. She sounded tired.

“Why do you let them stay? This is an obvious violation of the lease. You can evict them for this.”

“I know. Maybe I should. I need to think about it.” Zane sighed at the look on her face.

“Take your time, angel. Let me know what you decide and I will help you,” he told her and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his coat. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

“All better, thank you,” she said.

“Stop being so fucking calm and collected, Ava! You are allowed to be upset and angry and sad. At least around me you don’t have to hold back,” Zane said, feeling upset on her behalf. She gave him a sad smile and shook her head.

“If I let go, I don’t know if I can pull myself back together. I need to take care of this place, I have to make sure my uncle doesn’t do anything else stupid, and Gabriel needs me. I can’t afford to fall apart,” she told him. Zane looked at her. He hadn’t understood how many things she had put on her shoulders to carry. She didn’t say it, but he suspected her contract with him was another one of those things. He kissed her forehead.

“That’s okay. You stay strong for now. Ready to get back home?” he asked.

“Yes. Thank you for taking me here.”

“Anytime, just let me know.”

“It’s okay. I think I just needed this. I don’t think I will be back for a while.”

“Is there something we should bring with us?” he asked. Ava seemed to think for a while.

“My mother’s jewellery,” she then said.

“Do you think they have let it be?” Zane asked. Ava nodded as she walked him back into her bedroom. Under the bed was a small safe. Clever little angel, Zane thought.

“I got it after uncle Jonas admitted to being a gambler the first time,” Ava explained as she opened the safe and took out a small jewellery box. She opened it and Zane couldn’t help but to look inside. There were some necklaces, some earrings and bracelets. Nothing that looked really expensive, but he guessed the emotional value was high. “This was my mother’s charm bracelet,” Ava told him, holding up a gold bracelet with charms on it. “The first one she got when she was baptised,” she continued and pointed to a little gold heart with a red stone in it. “Then she got one when she took her first communion, one when she turned eighteen and one when she got engaged to my dad.” Ava pointed out a cross, a gold rose and four-leaf clover. “My dad got her this on their wedding day, and then this after she had me.” The last two charms were two intertwined hearts and a baby rattle with a pink stone set into it.

“It’s lovely. It tells the story of her life,” Zane said.

“She always wore it on special occasions, and she always said it would be mine when I got older and I should continue adding to it. I have had it since she died, but I never had the heart to add anything to it.” Zane didn’t know what to say. He raised his hand and brushed away the single tear that ran down Ava’s cheek.

“You will, you still have most of your life ahead of you.” She smiled at him and put the bracelet back and closed the box.

“Let’s go home. I think I’m getting hungry,” she said. Zane smiled at her and nodded.

“Luckily for us, Anna will have dinner done when we get back.”

“I think you have spoilt me by having me around Anna. I haven’t needed to cook a meal for almost a month,” Ava said as they got into the car. Zane laughed.

“Well, she spoils all of us,” he admitted.