Criminal Affinity

Chapter 4

The early morning sun tears through the windows in her room and she doesn’t know if she wants to smile or cuss. There were no windows in her bedroom in the apartment with Lilah. She doesn’t remember if she had windows in her family home.

She’s always wanted them until now.

People relentlessly knocked and called out and knocked again on her door during the night but Ava didn’t move a muscle. To hell with their f****d up sleeping cycle. She needed to get rest and now she has.

She finally unlocks the door after showering and dressing in a tight-fitted grey crew-neck and some tight dark pants. Lily’s pleasant face greets her with an uneasy smile.

“I’ve brought you breakfast.” She says, her gold-blue eyes glimmering. “William wants you to eat with the family but I bought you some time.”

Ava frowns at the fresh waffles, cut-up strawberries and what smells like really expensive coffee. “All this is for me?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned or spiked. You didn’t eat anything all day, so I got you my favorite.”

“Why are you being so nice? I tried to kill you.” Ava says, while pulling away from the door to let her in all the same.

“Tried, yes.” She walks in and places the silver tray on the bed. Ava’s mouth waters against her will. “No offense taken.”

Lily must be out of her mind. “You know who I am, don’t you? You know what I do for a living?” Did.

Lily turns back and raises a brow. “Are you trying to scare me?”

Ava watches her. “You aren’t scared. And that’s a problem. You walk into my room like you know I won’t hurt you.”

Lily just laughs and heads to exit the room. “You can take today off as well, but you need to come down tomorrow and William will let you know what you need to do.”

When Ava doesn’t reply, she turns back with questioning eyes. Shock shutters through Ava but she tries her best to hide it. Those eyes. She knows those eyes.

“Is that okay?”

She idly nods and stares at the spot Lily was in. Ava must really be losing her s**t already. Her mind races to answer the questions those eyes raised, but it all comes to a dead end. Blue eyes rimmed with gold.

Worse than that is what Lily said. Take today off as well. Is this her job now? She can’t stay in her room and pretend things are normal. She needs to mingle with them, meet new people, and make friends with her enemies.

It has been long since Ava felt this unhinged.

.

The dreaded day arrives with Lily walking in with a knowing smile. Ava sighs and turns to the dresser. Expensive clothes, well-cut fabric. Despite herself, she had spent several hours picking around every corner of the room. Her bathroom is fully stocked with everything she could need, her wardrobe is filled with silk pajamas as well as modest dresses and pretty skirts.

“Does it matter what I wear?” She doesn’t mind being a bit fancy. For the first time in a long time, Ava wants to look pretty. She’s too stubborn to ask why.

“Looking cute won’t do any harm,” Lily says. Ava can’t disagree with that logic.

Ava strokes the full-sleeved black jumpsuit. It is the closest thing to her suit. Though thinking of him birthed a twinge of pain in her chest, Jon had created the suit for her. He was one of her closest friends in Pandora. Him and three others. But they had all abandoned her without a thought when Dale asked.

Except for Julien. But he is a different story. The suit is the only cord she had to Pandora now. They had thrown her out for her mistake a long time ago.

Her attention latches back to the jumpsuit. Head to toe in midnight black. She feels invincible in that thing. But today is not the day to reminisce about her suit. She hasn’t worn it for the longest time and she’s not ready for any of the emotions that might come in her way.

She needs to keep her head clear and high. Light colors will help with that. Each situation requires different faces. Ava will wear white today.

She quickly changes in the bathroom and stares at her reflection. Deep neck, flared sleeves, and short. Ava looks pretty. Her mother would approve of her dress.

Except for the part where her cleavage is on full display.

She puts on gold earrings and a thin chain to finish the look. And just like that, she looks nothing like herself.

It’s right when it feels wrong.

“Any warnings?” Ava mocks.

Lily smiles and motions her out. Flats are perfect for moving around quietly on any surface. Ava peers down the staircase again. Nothing seems out of the ordinary except for all the workers running around and giving each other orders. “We’re on the same team, Ava.”

She could lie better than that.

-

Ava is the last to reach the table. Which is just awesome because she hopes there is a lot of alcohol at the table. She keeps her eyes averted from everyone, while also being pelted with their sharp, immovable gazes.

Everyone knows her name. Everyone knows her face. Thankfully, her skin patches did a great job of holding strong. She would rather die than let them see her scars.

“This is Ava Steele.” William’s voice cuts through the silence. Collective scoffs sound across the table but Ava keeps her chin steady. This is nothing new.

She runs her eyes across the whole table. All men except for one woman. She looks close to Ava’s age while the men are of all different ages. The man she met the first day is sitting right across her with beady eyes and a small smile.

Next to him is the woman, a scowl marring her otherwise pretty face. Instead of Ava, her eyes are on her white dress, eating it up hungrily. Beside him is probably her boyfriend because it’s clear they are holding hands under the table. How adorable.

Dear God, this is what Ava has to sit through.

“You can all introduce yourself to our...guest. Then we can eat.” William can read the look on their faces. He’s enjoying everyone’s discomfort.

There is a moment of silence and it irks Ava far too much. “There’s no need for that. I don’t care what anyone is called.”

“No one asked you anything.” The man sitting next to the girl replied. His bright blue eyes burn in anger and disdain, skintone a bit too chalky. Ava simply looks away from him and to the Underlord - purely because she can’t resist.

His curls have been brushed back into civility but some locks still resist the gel from the back, adding to his rakish smile. No trace of stubble or any blemish on his face, except for a clean scar over his mouth. She needs to keep track of where her eyes go, because his dark eyes seem to see right through her mask of boredom.

“You can tell me what you want.” Ava declares. “There is no need to prolong this fuckfest or make it something it’s not.”

“Do they not teach you any table manners where you come from?” The woman speaks for the first time, and in nothing but a hissy voice. Genuinely confused but with predatory calm, Ava eyes the woman. “Or is this ugly way of speaking all you know?”

“Where I come from, women know more than putting on a cute dress, putting pins in their hair and calling it a f*****g day.” She sets her cutlery down and speaks to no one in particular. “I’m not gonna sit through your f*****g bullshit.”

Ava starts to rise but six guns go off safety at once. Her breath hisses through her teeth.

“Sit down.” William says, deathly calm. Ava’s eyes flit across all the smug faces now rejoicing in her defeat. Gut-burning spite rises in her but she swallows it all down. Her mind races but every exit feels too far away. Her breath fails her. She realises what’s happening.

The last time Ava saw a mission was seven months ago, and because she f****d it up she had been suspended. Her exile wasn’t a part of the trauma, the mission was. Endless nightmares, fear of blades, fear of being bound.

Fear of helplessness.

She is helpless now, and it is etched across every line on her face. Including the hidden scar which begins to heat and throb under the thin patches

“I said. Sit down.” Violence is gently woven into the Underlord’s voice, eyes darker than before. Ava stands frozen, unable to move a muscle. Cold curiosity pours from each and every guest on the table. Her heart thunders in her chest.

William motions for something while the darkness in his eyes swirls. As soon as she hears the sound of a knife being unsheathed, her mind shuts down completely. Slowly, a rhythm builds in her chest.

If this commotion isn’t stopped, she will explode.

She plops down, and the man holding the knife halts his approach. Finally, the air in her lungs stops burning. The woman gives a quiet giggle and her man seems to enjoy it.

“As long as you are a part of this household, you will treat everyone in it with respect.” Even if they treat you like a dog. Without meeting William’s eyes, Ava’s breath evens out, and she wipes her clammy hands on her dress as a design starts to form in her head. She knows this spike of fear won’t happen again.

The Underlord isn’t protecting her, he is enslaving her. In the world of crime, having a person like Ava under a leash is a capital of power. He wants to make a pet of her.

“Respect.” Ava numbly repeats.

She will escape tonight.