75

Ava was reading patterns. She had finished her latest project, a huge stuffed vampire penguin, the night before. She was going to visit Tom and his family later that afternoon, and it was a gift for his daughter. Tom had finally been cleared to come back, and Ava just wanted to make sure everything was okay.

“Angel, could you get my charger over there?” Zane asked her, pointing towards the bookshelf. She shook her head as she got up. Ava knew exactly why he wanted her to get it. It was so he could get a view of her back. She had on a black pencil skirt and, what from the front, looked like a modest white shirt. But the back was open, the shirt only held together by a band of fabric over her shoulder blades.

“Sure,” she said and got up and took his charger, making sure he got what he wanted from it. She then got back to her crocheting patterns. She was wondering if she was brave enough to try a sweater next, or maybe a bikini. Ava wondered if Zane would allow her to wear it to the indoor pool. That could be interesting, she thought and smiled as she looked up what yarn she needed. There was a knock on the door and Zane told them to enter.

“Boss, miss A,” Ryder greeted them. Something in his voice made Ava look up.

“Yes?” Zane asked. Ava saw he too noticed the tone in Ryder’s voice.

“We have guests at the gate who want to talk to you, boss.”

“Is it Johnson?” Zane asked.

“No. It’s miss A’s aunt and uncle,” Ryder told them. Ava felt herself go rigid in her chair. Her aunt and uncle? She hadn’t heard from them since they had signed the lease. Why were they here? And why did they want to speak to Zane?

“What do they want?” Zane asked.

“They won’t say, they just keep repeating they want to talk to you, boss,” Ryder said. Zane looked over at Ava. She shrugged.

“Fine, let them in. I want someone escorting them to the house, and you will escort them from the front door to this office. No stops, no detours, and if they do anything suspicious, you take them down and escort them outside the wall,” Zane told Ryder.

“Will do, Boss,” Ryder said.

“Are you okay with this?” Zane asked as Ryder had left them alone again.

“I guess so. I don’t know why they are here or what their plan is,” she told him.

“You can go and wait somewhere else if you prefer. I’ll let you know what happened once they are gone,” he offered.

“No, I won’t leave you to deal with my family on your own,” she insisted and put away the pattern magazine she had been reading. Zane looked at her again, nodded, and then he reached out and pulled her chair closer to him. Ava gave him a little smile.

“You are safe here,” he told her.

“I know,” she said. It didn’t take long for another knock on the door to come.

“Yes,” Zane said. Ava saw he had gone fully into his role as mafia leader. Into the office stepped her uncle, then her aunt, and finally Ryder.

“Hello, Mr Velky. Ava, it’s so nice to see you,” her uncle said.

“You are Ava’s uncle?” Zane asked, looking at the man.

“Yes, Mr Velky, I’m Jonas Cobler, Ava is my niece. This is my wife, Laura,” her uncle said. He didn’t try to shake hands with Zane. Instead, he fidgeted. Aunt Laura was watching Ava like she had never seen her before. The whole situation made Ava feel uncomfortable.

“You told my men you had business with me?”

“Ah, yes, sir. I wanted to talk about the… arrangement for Ava,” her uncle said. Making Ava curious.

“You mean how you sold her to my men in order to pay off your dept?” Zane asked coldly.

“Now, Mr Zane, I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” her uncle objected.

“How would you put it?”

“Oh, eh. Well, we did a temporary solution in order to solve the immediate situation,” her uncle said.

“Interesting,” Zane told him.

“Yes, okay. So, I have come into some money. An out-of-state casino visit paid off remarkably well, if I may say so,” her uncle told them. Ava’s warning bells were ringing, and she felt her stomach turn into ice.

“Is that so?” Zane asked, not letting on anything, not even Ava could read him.

“Yes, and the first thing we thought of was our beloved niece. I have the money to pay off my debt, so I would like to do that and take Ava home with us,” her uncle said. Ava felt her world crashing down around her. She held her breath and looked at Zane. He would object to this, right? Surely, he would.

“Interesting, well assuming you can transfer the money to our account, Ava can leave with you,” Zane agreed. Ava felt her heart shatter. It took all her will power not to let on how devastated she was by his words. She reminded herself this had always been a business deal for him. She had no right to expect anything more than he had already given to her. But it hurt, it hurt in ways she never could have imagined. “Ava, you can go and pack while your uncle and me finishes up. Just take what you need for now and I’ll make sure your other belongings get sent to your house,” he then said. He was dismissing her.

“Yes, I think I will do that. Thank you,” Ava said, getting up from her chair. It was a testament to how much she had changed during her time with Zane that she walked out of that room without letting anyone see how hurt she was. She walked into what once was her room to get her bag. Then she walked to Zane’s room and just stood there, looking at it. There were little things of hers all over the room. What did she need to bring back with her? She walked into his closet and looked at the clothes. Would she need those? She remembered Gabriel’s offer and nodded. Ava would need them. She began packing her basic clothes, some underwear, but it would be impossible to fit everything. Most she left, knowing Zane would be true to his word and send it to her. She got her surf pad and then went to get some sleep wear. Amongst her things were Zane’s t-shirt with the game character on it. It was one of her favourite things to wear to bed on nights she didn’t sleep naked. A sob escaped her, and she closed her eyes to focus. She would not break down, not in front of Zane and not in front of the men in this house. She was strong and she would go with her head held high and her dignity in place.

After packing everything she needed into her bag, she looked at the bed. Ava had folded Zane’s t-shirt and left it there. She couldn’t bring it with her, however much she wanted to. It was a loan for a short period, just like her stay in the mansion. She took out the white card Zane had let her use and placed it on top of the t-shirt. Ava took a deep breath and turned to leave the room. She caught sight of herself in the mirror over the dresser and froze. She still had on her collar. Her fingers went up to her neck, and she caressed the A with the angel wings. She needed to take it off. Ava no longer belonged to Zane. She wasn’t his angel anymore. The thought wrung another sob from her as she franticly looked for the mechanism that took it off her. She had never taken it off, and it took her a while to find it. When it clicked open and the necklace fell into her hand, she had a moment of panic. She didn’t want to do this. It didn’t feel right. Ava took a moment to breathe and gently put the necklace on top of the t-shirt. She looked in the mirror, trying to make sure her pain and anxiety didn’t show. Then she stepped out of the room. She ran into Jax who was heading for Zane’s office.

“Hi there, Ava, going on vacation?” he chuckled.

“Hi, Jax. No, I’m going home. My uncle is in with Zane, finalising everything,” she told him and made an effort to smile. She would miss him. He had become like an annoying older brother. At least what she thought an annoying older brother would be like.

“You’re going home?” he asked. “As in your house?” He looked shocked. “And Zane knows about this?”

“Of course he does,” she said and tried another smile, hoping they didn’t look as stiff as they felt.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure Jax, Zane sent me to pack my things so he and my uncle could sort things out. I’m going to miss you, Jax. Thanks for everything,” Ava told him.

“Hey, no need for that. This must be some sort of misunderstanding,” Jax insisted. Ava gave him a genuine smile. He was a good man, like most of the men she had got to know during her time here. She wished he would let people see that side of him a little more. The door to Zane’s office opened and Zane exited together with her relatives and Ryder.

“Thank you for settling your debts. I’m hoping we won’t have this issue again,” Zane told her uncle.

“No, this has been an eye opener,” her uncle nodded.

“Zane, what the fuck is going on?” Jax asked.

“Ava is leaving to go home with her family,” Zane said as if he was talking about the weather forecast.

“And you are fine with that?” Jax asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be? All is paid up, and the debt is settled.”

“Fuck man,” Jax said, turning around and stormed down the stairs.

“Ava, are you ready?” her uncle asked.

“I am,” Ava said.

“It was nice having you here, Ava. I hope you have a good life,” Zane said. Ava had a sudden urge to slap his calm, neutral face. She bit her tongue to stop a sob from escaping.

“Thank you. It has been nice to be here. Take care of yourself, Zane,” she said after collecting herself. She knew she couldn’t keep up the facade much longer if she had to look at Zane. Ava turned around and walked down the stairs.

“Let me take that, miss A,” Ryder said, taking her bag from her.

“Thank you, Ryder. Can you tell Gabriel I will call him tomorrow? He knows what about,” Ava said. She needed a day to come to terms with all of this. Then she could face the rest of the world tomorrow.

“Sure, miss A. I can tell him to call you tonight, if you want.”

“That’s sweet of you, but I’ll call him tomorrow,” she insisted. Ryder nodded. At the bottom of the stairs, Anna stood. She looked at Ava with tears in her eyes.

“Miss Ava, I’m sorry to see you leave so soon,” Anna said, giving Ava a hug.

“Thank you, Anna. I will miss you and your cooking,” Ava said.

“I will make sure your things are sent to you,” Anna told her.

“Thank you. Please take care of yourself, and… everyone else,” Ava added.

“I will,” Anna said and nodded. It was time. There was nothing more that could postpone the unavoidable any longer. Ava glanced behind her, as she put on her jacket. Zane hadn’t even joined them in the hall. He still stood at the top of the stairs, looking like he was watching a stranger leave his house. Ava turned around. She had known this was what she had set herself up for when she let him into her heart. Maybe it was better to do this now than in a couple of years, when her heart would have been even more attached to him. She walked out of the mansion, head held high.