Loose Ends (Magnolia Series Book 1) (19 page)

“What the fuck?” Brandi came rushing out with a look of shock on her face. “Ava, what happened?”

“I was looking out the window while you were in the bathroom and Luke punched Cole.”

Luke’s feet were planted firmly but when Brandi walked up and shoved at his chest, he almost fell back with the force of her movements. “You want to fight? Huh? How about you fight me?” She kept shoving until his back hit the grill behind him.

Ava stood from the ground and yelled, “Everyone stop it, please!” Luke’s heart sank as tears began to flood her eyes.

“Ava, sweetheart, please don’t cry.” Luke stepped around her pissed-off friend and tried to console her.

“Don’t you fucking touch me.” She shook her head and backed away, ripping his heart to shreds even more.

A previously unconscious Cole groaned and lulled his head from side to side on the grass below them.

“Fuck,” he bit out.

“Brandi, go grab a bag of ice and a towel,” Ava instructed her friend.

“Ava, look at me.” Luke spoke softly trying to get her to listen to him. The contempt for him that’d been so clear in her eyes was replaced with concern for the other guy as she bent down to help Cole to his feet.

“Let’s get you inside and put some ice on your jaw.”

“Ava?” Luke tried to get her attention again but she ignored him. Just fucking perfect.

He watched her lead Cole inside the house, leaving him in what felt like solitary confinement outside. Rubbing a hand over his face he mentally kicked himself for losing his cool like he had. What the fuck was he thinking? Why couldn’t he just turn his cheek to what Cole was saying? The guy was always cracking jokes and being an asshole. It wasn’t any different than any other day. But today it wasn’t funny because he was talking about Ava. Luke plunked his big frame in a lawn chair, leaned forward, and braced his arms on his elbows letting his hands dangle in front of him.

“Guess you’re in the doghouse now.” Brandi came out sat beside him. She extended her arm and handed him a beer with the cap already popped off.

“I fucked up.” He sat back and took a long pull from the dark brown bottle, letting the yeasty liquid quench his thirst and quell the anger inside him.

“Can I ask what happened?”

“He was talking shit about you and Ava. There’s a lot of things I can handle, but that wasn’t one of them today.”

“What kind of shit-talking was he doing?”

“The bastard suggested we swap.” Luke groaned at the thought of another man’s hands on Ava.

Brandi let out a hooting laugh and took a sip from her own bottle of beer. “You’re a nice guy and all, but I don’t think Ava’s the swinger type.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“Why did it bother you so much, though?” The crazy woman just wouldn’t let up.

“I don’t want another man
looking
at her, let alone putting his hands on her.” He wasn’t ashamed to admit that fact. If Cole had even attempted to touch Ava he would’ve made it so the other man wouldn’t have use of his hands for the rest of his life.

“Yet you don’t want anything serious with her? That doesn’t make a lick of sense.” Brandi shook her head.

“Nothing makes sense anymore.”

“Look, if you want this to just be a fling, by all means, keep doing what you’re doing. But I can tell you, that beautiful woman in there deserves a whole lot more than some guy fucking her and tossing her away when he’s done.” She sighed. “I don’t know much about Ava before she moved here. But from what I gather, it was some bad shit. She’s guarded her heart and body since she’s been here. I’ve watched dozens of men try to catch her eye but she didn’t spare any a second glance until you.”

“She deserves better than me.” There, he’d finally admitted it. He should’ve felt better but he didn’t.

“That’s a bullshit excuse and you know it.”

Damn he wanted to just lay everything out on the table and pay the penance for his sins. He wished there wasn’t so much riding on this job so he could stop feeling guilty about what was going to go down. “Look, I don’t need someone analyzing me. Least of all you.” He didn’t mean to sound like such an asshole, but in his current frame of mind, nothing was going to come out of his mouth like it was covered in sprinkles. “What do you suggest I do? Huh?” He pinned Brandi with a stare that would have most people cowering, but the woman beside him shocked the shit out of him. She simply cocked an eyebrow.

“You either fess up to how you feel, or you walk away.”

“What if I don’t feel anything?” He knew that was a lie as soon as it spilled out of his mouth.

“Then you must have yourself fooled because even an idiot can see the way you look at her.” That’s all the spitfire said before getting up and heading back into the house.

Truthfully, Luke didn’t know what the hell he was feeling. His best guess was he was in lust with Ava. They had explosive sex and got along good. It couldn’t be anything other than that.

***

After making sure Cole held the ice pack to his face to reduce the swelling on his jaw, Ava ran upstairs to Luke’s bedroom and began to throw her clothes back into her bags. She’d shut the door so no one could hear her cry; she knew as soon as she entered his room the tears would fall. And they did. Her vision was blurred as she stuffed her night shirt and shorts into the side of the small tote. As she zipped it up, her head whipped around to see Luke coming through the door and shutting it behind him.

“We need to talk,” Luke said softly.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She wiped her eyes.

“Yes, there is. I’m not letting you leave like this, Ava.” Luke stepped closer and she caught his unique scent once more. Damn him for smelling so enticing.

“Are you going to punch me in the face, too?” she said with venom behind her words.

“I lost my temper. But I can assure you one thing, I would never in my life put my hands on you like that.”

“It wasn’t the actual hitting that scared me, Luke. It was the look of rage on your face. What did he do that was bad enough to put that look there?” She really needed to know what’d taken Luke to that point. Maybe it was morbid curiosity.

He stepped dangerously close and she backed away until her spine was pressed against the wall. Luke didn’t retreat; he only came closer and leaned down to look her in the eyes. “He mentioned something about fucking you,” he growled. “So of course, I didn’t take that so well. Want to know why?” His head tilted to the side while he waited for her to answer.

“Why?” Ava whispered.

Her breath left her in a
whoosh
as Luke’s hand reached down, lifted the hem of her sundress and cupped her between the legs. “Because this,” he began to rub her over the top of her panties, “Is mine.” Her eyes fluttered shut as he applied more pressure. “It’s mine to touch, taste and fuck.” Ava groaned as he pushed the scrap of satin to the side and slid his fingers through her moisture. “I’m the only man who does this to you, sweetheart. I’m the only man who gets to come deep inside you while you’re writhing underneath me.”

Her damn body wasn’t supposed to react to him like this while she was pissed at him. But she couldn’t help it. Luke turned her inside out with just a look. But he wasn’t looking right now, he was touching. And holy hell that was the one thing that unraveled her quicker than anything. “Make me come,” she breathed.

“How close are you?” He rested his forehead against hers.

“So close already.” 

“Good.” His fingers delved deep as he thrust them inside her and ground the heel of his hand against her clit. She was swollen and needy, ready to explode at any second. “I want you to tell me this is mine, that it belongs to me,” he gruffly said.

“It’s yours,” she whimpered.

“Come for me. Can you do that?” he cajoled.

Ava nodded furiously as her orgasm ripped through her like a rogue wave shoving a small vessel under its murky depths. She couldn’t stop the screams that scratched against her vocal cords and echoed against the antiquated walls of the room.  Luke held some sort of power over her; she was convinced of that. No, it wasn’t some crazy power trip he’d placed on her, it was deeper. An earth-shattering connection that felt as if it could stop time and douse the earth in shadows. But ignited again, it would burn so brightly that everyone would need to shield their eyes from its beaming rays. She couldn’t name it. Maybe in the back of her mind she wanted to, but saying those words could bring this entire thing to a halt and cause him to throw up unbreakable barriers. She’d take what he was giving for now. But eventually, she wanted him to reveal his true feelings. If he didn’t feel even an inkling for her what she felt for him, she’d walk away and never look back.

Chapte
r
Sixtee
n

“They really
want to meet us in Gulfport.” Cole drank from his mug at five a.m. trying to convince Luke that this meeting was imperative.

“Why can’t you go on your own?”

“Because they want to see both of us. This isn’t negotiable, Daughtry.” Cole’s tone thickened.

“Fuck. I can’t just leave her here.”

“Then have her friend stay with her. The meeting’s at noon.” Cole rose from his seat, not bothering to push his chair in. “I’ll drive.”

“Fine,” Luke bit out. He wasn’t happy about having to leave Ava for any length of time. He’d bought her some time by telling his boss she was in Savannah, but it was
only a matter of time before they learned the truth. At least she’d be safe here at his house while he was gone for a few hours.

“Good morning,” Ava’s sweet voice called from the doorway.

Luke looked up to see her stunning frame leaned against the doorframe. “Morning.”

“You don’t look happy.” She came over and leaned down to kiss him. It was a quick peck on the lips but it still had the same effect that a deep sensual kiss would have. He felt that shit all the way down to his bone marrow.

“I have to go to a meeting with Cole today.”

“Oh. Okay.” She shrugged as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“I want you to stay here, though.”

“Luke, I’m perfectly fine going back to my house,” she argued.

“Can you please not make this a debate?”

“I’m not debating; I’m telling you that I’ll be at my house. See? No debating necessary.” She gave a forced smile.

“Damn it, Ava. Why can’t you just listen for once?” He stood from his chair so swiftly that it scraped against the tiled floor, making a horrible racket.

“What’s gotten into you? Is it that time of the month for you? Do you need a man-pon?” She snickered, lightening his mood just a little.

He had to think of a reason why she should stay here. “What if that ginger fucker is still pissed and comes after you?”

“Who, Chase? Come on, I could poke him in the chest with my pinkie and he’d fall over.”

“Please stay here. I’m not asking for much.” Luke didn’t beg, but he was pretty damn close to falling to his knees and pleading with the sexy blonde only a few feet away.

“If it’s that important to you, I’ll stay,” she finally conceded.

“Thank you,” he said as he enveloped her in a warm embrace.

At least
that
was settled. Now he had to worry about what awaited him in Gulfport. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

***

“Hey, Luke and Cole had to run to Gulfport for some kind of meeting today. Do you want to come over and keep me company?” Ava asked Brandi on the phone. She’d wandered around the house for about thirty minutes until she was bored out of her mind. What the hell did people do in these giant houses? Play bridge, smoke cigars and sip fine liquor all day long?

“Yeah, but I can’t get off work for another hour,” her friend huffed.

“Boss man being a dick again?” Ava felt sorry for her friend. The poor woman hated her job at the local newspaper. Seemed her supervisor liked to toe the line of sexual harassment. But he never went far enough that he could be reported.

“Of course. When is he not being the mayor of Dickville?” Ava knew it was a rhetorical question so she didn’t answer. “But I’ll be there as soon as I’m released from today’s sentence here.”

“Okay, see you then.”

Well, crap. It looked like she had another hour to kill before her boredom would subside. “What to do, what to do?” She spoke aloud, then chuckled. “And now I’ve resorted to talking to myself.” She cachinnated again at her own absurdity.

A thought came to her and at first she pushed it to the back of her mind. Luke didn’t want her in the basement. He made that perfectly clear. But she didn’t get a chance to take a good look around, maybe there were still unfound treasures lurking in that damp expanse. She mentally fought with herself over the decision to go down there. The angel on one shoulder shook its finger and told her to mind her own business, while the little horned devil told her that Luke wouldn’t find out that she’d been down there. And the red beast was right. He wouldn’t know. She’d go down, take a look around and come right back up. Luke wouldn’t ever find out because who would tell him? Her? Not happening.

Her thoughts reconciled, Ava found herself in front of the basement door, her hand on the knob. She turned it and headed down the steps. It wasn’t as dim as it was the last time she’d been down there. Sunlight managed to beam through the dust-covered windows enough that she didn’t need to click on the light. Her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting and soon she was wandering around taking in the items down there. At first she didn’t see much of interest, but something shiny caught her eye as she rounded the corner into a small side room off the main area. Squatting down she looked closer.

“Look at you.” Her eyes lit up at what she’d found.

She knew there’d be some sort of treasure down here. “With a little cleaning you would be brilliant.” She pulled the item out and took stock of it. She wasn’t positive but she had a hunch that this was a hand-carved, gilded wall mirror. She was astounded that it was in such good condition; even the glass was still intact. Running her hands over the frame she brushed away some of the dust that’d built up over the years. What it revealed was an intricately carved scene of flower petals and leaves. As she looked closer she could see vines twined in and around the other details. This had to be an antique. Her heart fluttered at finding such a cool thing in a drab basement. Now to get it upstairs and cleaned a bit. She stood upright and bent forward to carefully grasp the treasure in her hands. When she stood up again a sharp pain hit the base of her skull and the mirror slipped back to the floor. The sounds of shattering glass invaded the tiny room as she was also pulled to the floor. The last thing she heard as her body went limp was the side of her head making a sickening thud as it smacked the filthy concrete.

***

Luke sat in Cole’s truck as they headed toward Gulfport. All he could think about was the fact that he’d left Ava behind and it was eating his guts like some rabid disease. They’d only made it about twenty miles out of town but with each mile marker, the feeling of longing took root even more. Damn it, this wasn’t how this whole thing was supposed to go down. He was there to do a job and get the hell out. Now he doubted himself and his actions from the very beginning.

“What’s with the broody act?” Cole asked.

Luke looked over at him and winced at the bluish-purple bruise that’d developed from the force of his fist. “Got a lot on my mind.” Luke shrugged.

“Wouldn’t be a certain blonde would it?” This time Cole wasn’t really joking. He’d taken a serious tone and Luke wondered why all of a sudden he was being like that.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw where a two-day beard was starting to cover his face. “I have to tell her.”

“You know you can’t do that,” Cole warned.

“I don’t give a shit about my job anymore. They can shove it up their ass.”

“Man, I get it. But you have to think of the repercussions of this entire thing. She’s the key player in all of this. If you run back and tell her, this entire thing will go to shit. We’ve worked too long, lost sleep for too many nights and put up with more shit than any two men are supposed to handle. Don’t let what you feel for her get in the way of all that.”

“Fuck. I don’t know what the hell I feel.”

“You have to remember, she’s lying to you also,” Cole reminded him of the harsh reality that he’d been living over the past few weeks.

“I guess that’s what bothers me the most. We’ve gotten so close I wonder why she hasn’t said anything.”

“She’s running scared. I would be too if
Frank the Tank
was after me. He’s one bad motherfucker.”

“If she told me the whole story, I could protect her.”

“Can you really? Can you honestly sit there and tell me that you could stop everything from going down like you know it will?”

“No,” Luke bit out.

“Then I think you have your answer. Stay tight-lipped about this and maybe we’ll all make it out alive on the other side.”

“I fucking hope so.”

A few more miles of scenery passed by but it didn’t make him feel any better about the situation. Cole was right, they were all lying and covering something up, Ava included. But that didn’t change the way he felt about her. He’d bet everything he had that she wasn’t pretending to be someone else when she was with him. There was just no way. Other than her name change and the slight appearance shift, Ava was being one hundred percent herself. He didn’t doubt that for a second.

“You gonna check that?” Cole pulled him out of his reverie.

His phone was chirping from the dashboard where he’d tossed it upon getting in the truck. Hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention as he heard the distinct notification tone. “Pull over,” he demanded.

“Why?” Cole asked.

“Just pull the fucking truck over!”

Cole did as he said and Luke flipped the phone over to see what was going on. One of the first things he’d done when he moved into his grandmother’s house for this particular job was to install motion detectors and security cameras in the basement where he kept his supplies. If someone went down there, he’d get an alert on his phone and then be able to see exactly what was going on down there on the screen. That’s how he knew Ava was down there the first time. But this time, he was mortified at what he saw. Even though the image in front of him was in grainy black and white, he knew what he was seeing was about the closest thing to his worst nightmare.

“Turn around,” he barked.

“We have to get to this meeting,” Cole argued.

He shoved the phone in front of Cole’s face. “Holy fuck.” Cole immediately pulled back onto the road and did a U-turn. He didn’t pay any mind to speed limits as he blazed down the road on the way back to Luke’s house. “Calm down. She’s going to be okay.” The other man tried to give him some solace but it wasn’t helping the least bit.

Luke kept his eyes plastered to the screen, hoping he’d see her move again. But even after several minutes, Ava’s motionless body still lay on the dank concrete of his basement—shards of what looked like mirrored glass scattered all around her. Panic like he’d never experienced before swamped him as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. They hadn’t even been gone long. How could someone have broken in and attacked her in such a short amount of time? It didn’t make sense.

“Fuck,” Luke cursed and slammed his hand on the dash of the vehicle.

“What?” Cole was genuinely concerned.

“Brandi was supposed to be there with her. Do you have her number?”

“Yeah, here.” Cole grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He hit the call button and handed the device over to Luke.

After a couple rings Brandi answered with, “Couldn’t get enough of me could you?” she giggled.

“Brandi, its Luke.”

“Oh, hey.” She sounded embarrassed.

“Where are you?”

“Just leaving work. I’m heading out to your place to spend the day with Ava.”

“Don’t go to my house,” he ordered.

“Oooookay.”

“I don’t have time to explain, I just need you to stay away from there.”

“Wait. Is Ava okay?” Brandi’s voice came out worried but Luke didn’t answer. “I’m calling the police.”

“No! Whatever you do, keep the cops out of this. Please.”

“If you want me to keep law enforcement out of this, you’d better give me a good reason.” He had to hand it to her she wasn’t one to back down. Something he normally admired but right now, it downright pissed him off.

He did something he was getting to be a pro at. He lied. “Actually, our meeting was cancelled and I wanted to surprise her.” Damn, even that sounded lame to his ears.

“For someone who wants to surprise his girlfriend you sure did sound like something was wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I panicked when you said you were heading over there. I apologize.” Keeping the worry out of his voice was a chore. On the outside he sounded calm and collected but inside was a rising shit storm that was ready to take down anyone who’d laid their fucking hands on Ava.