by Sam Crescent
Abriana took a deep breath. “Ava’s meeting a, er, realtor.”
He tensed up. “What?”
“She’s considering selling. The bakery is empty. No equipment or ingredients. It’s completely empty.”
He looked toward Ugly Beast.
“I don’t think she’s going to stick around all that long,” Abriana said. “She’s alone, and I do think she’s lonely.”
Smokey got to his feet and grabbed his keys.
Hunter was on him. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
“I’ve got to go see Ava.”
“Not in your condition.”
“I’m not pregnant, and I’m not about to drop a brat. I’m going to go and see her.”
“No.”
Hunter stepped in front of him, holding up his hands.
“I mean it, Hunter. Step aside. You do not want to get in the way right now.” He waited and tensed his body, ready to strike.
“You’re not in a position to go. After what we did to her, do you really think she needs to see you like this?” Hunter asked.
“Today, you don’t get to be the voice of reason,” he said. He was done listening to anyone else. “Look, I made a judgment call. I fucked up. I’m owning my shit and I’m dealing with it. Ava can’t … I don’t want her to leave. She can’t leave.”
“Let her go,” Hunter said.
“No.” He growled the word loud and clear.
“And why the hell not?” Hunter asked.
“Because he’s in love with her,” Abriana said. “It’s why he can’t stand what he did, nor believe why he did it. He’s hurting because of what he did. He wants to make amends, but he can’t figure out how. You’re not going to win her over by being mean.”
Smokey snorted. “Why can’t you go back to being the scared little girl Ugly Beast took?”
“I grew up and found you guys. You’ve all taught me to stand up for myself. You’re my friend, Smokey. I may not like you very much right now, but I do care about you.”
“You love her?” Hunter asked.
Smokey’s jaw clenched. He didn’t believe in love. That kind of emotion was for pussies, and he wasn’t one.
Staring into his VP’s eyes, he knew he owed him a level of honesty. He’d given the order to hurt Ava, even kill her. They were all following orders, and he’d been wrong. If it wasn’t for Ugly Beast, she’d have been dead already.
“I love her,” Smokey said. “I love her more than anything else in the world. I miss her so fucking much, and it hurts to know I did that to her. I didn’t trust her enough to hear her side. I didn’t second-guess those … pictures. I’ve got to live with that. Now are you going to stand in my way, or are you going to back the fuck off?” He was willing to fight his VP if he had to.
“You sure you’re up for the ride?” Hunter asked.
“I’m good.” His body hurt in so many different ways, but he had to do this.
After Hunter stepped out of his way, Smokey went straight to his bike, straddling the machine. He ignored every single stab of pain in all the different areas. Several of the guys came out, watching him leave.
He ignored them and rode in the direction of town. Rather than go straight to Ava’s house, he took a detour to the town. People were still milling about even though it was dark. A couple of the streetlights were out as he parked across the street from his woman’s bakery.
There was no light in the windows. She normally had something on display that he knew from personal experience she either ate the following day or tossed out. There was nothing. No sign of any life.
Seeing her shop like this hurt.
He’d caused this. His actions had seen to it that his woman would give up.
Revving his engine, he took off, this time heading toward Ava’s house. The journey wasn’t enjoyable, but he wasn’t going to give up.
Arriving at her house, he noticed only a single light was aglow in her bedroom. Smokey took out the key he carried on him at all times and went to the front door. The key didn’t fit.
She’d changed the locks.
Cursing, he stepped back and looked up at her window. He stared at the door. Bringing his knuckles up, he knocked. The blood that had been on his hands was dried, so he didn’t leave any blood spatter.
He waited.
And waited.
Smokey knocked again.
Nothing.
He moved to be able to see her window. The light was still on. He couldn’t hear any music and so he did no more than reach for a couple of small pieces of gravel and throw them at the window.
Seconds passed and the curtain twitched. Ava opened the curtain.
“Come on, Ava.”
She closed the curtains, blocking his view of her, but he saw her shadow, still holding them closed.
“Ava, babe, come on.” He picked up another couple of pieces of gravel and threw them up at the window.
Another pause.
Going to the door, he began to bang. He wasn’t going to give up or give in. He settled on screaming her name.
After several minutes, the light near the door flicked on. Seconds later, Ava opened it. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Don’t sell. Don’t leave.” They were the only words he could form. It was stupid how desperate he was for her to stay.
“This is ridiculous, Smokey. You have no right to come yelling at me and throwing stones.”
“They weren’t too big.”
“I don’t care if they were big or not. This isn’t funny.” Her eye was still covered. She frowned and reached out to the wall. The lights outside suddenly glowed and she gasped. “What happened to you?”
“Nothing important.”
“Let me guess, club stuff.”
Smokey shook his head. “Not club stuff. I decided to go and pick a fight with the bastard who sent me those pictures.”
“And you look like this.”
“He’s not doing much better. He had more people on his side. I went solo. Didn’t take the club with me. Next time, I will.”
“Don’t—” She stopped, closed her eyes, and took a breath. “Don’t do this on my account.”
“I have to. He fucked everything up.”
“No. All he did was provide you with the gun. You chose to load it and fire.” She held her hand out. “I don’t want to talk to you about this. Why are you here?”
“Please don’t leave.”
Ava snorted. “Abriana. So much for friendships, huh?”
“Look, she would cut my dick off if she could. She’s pissed, and I get it. We don’t deserve your forgiveness, Ava. I know I don’t.”
“Smokey, stop doing this. I’ve already made my decision. When I find the right place, I’m going to leave. It’s the right thing to do. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“I’ll keep my distance until you can bear to see me again.”
“You lived here first.”
“And you fell in love with the place. Ava, I don’t want you to go.”
He saw her eyes glisten with tears.
“It’s not your decision, and it will never be yours to make. I’m already looking for potential buyers for the bakery, and then I’m going to put this place on the market.”
“If you loved me at all, you’d consider the next moves you make, please.”
Ava stared at him. “That’s cruel even for you. I consider everything. Don’t you think I’ve thought of everything first? It’s what I do. You’re right. I loved this place. I’d hoped to make a lot of memories. Good ones, and you had started to help me build them. There are places I pass and I can’t help but smile.”
He took a step toward her. “Then don’t go. Please, don’t fucking go.”
“You’re not the boss of me, Smokey. Two weeks ago, I’d have given anything to hear you say those words. Those memories that were once sweet to me, they’re not dead. I can’t have them anymore. You killed them for me. There’s nothing for me here.”
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“There’s me.”
“I don’t have you.”
“You’ve got all of me, babe.” He took her good hand and placed it against his heart. “I know you hate me a lot right now, and I get it. I’m an asshole, but you loved me. You still love me. It’s why it hurts so fucking much.”
She tugged on her hand, and tears fell down her cheeks. He saw the pain in her eyes. How her face scrunched up, the tension in her body. Gone was the women who loved his touch. He wanted her back so fucking much.
“Love you or not, Smokey. If I decide to go, then that is exactly what I’m going to do, and nothing you or anyone else says can stop me. Please tell Abriana I don’t want her at my home again.”
“Don’t shut her out. She was pissed off. She wasn’t bragging or trying to update me. It wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it like?” Ava asked. “You’re telling me I’ve got to be friends with Abriana, yet the first thing she came and did was tell you. You want forgiveness. You and Raven, and the truth is, I’ve got nothing to give. You broke my heart.”
The last ended on a sob, and she took a deep breath as her body shook. “I would have done anything for you, Smokey. I still think part of me would, and that scares me. You had me beaten. I can’t even use my hand properly, and we both know you were going to bury me once you were done. Now you’re asking me to stay.”
“I know I’m being unreasonable.”
“Yes, you are, and unfair. We’re not together anymore, Smokey. You don’t get to dictate where I go. Now please leave.” She slammed the door in his face.
“I love you too,” he said, putting his hand against the glass.
Chapter Thirteen
According to the realtor, there wasn’t a lot of interest in buying a shop so small. Where Ava had found it charming, others found it really small. Her bakery was enough for a one-woman operation, and so one month after the attack, she still hadn’t found anyone to buy her bakery.
Then there was the trouble with her home. She’d loved the place and had gotten it at a bargain price because it had been on the market for so long.
They were living in difficult times and with those times, no one wanted to buy a place out of the town or a city.
She sat in her yard, drinking some fresh lemonade she’d just squeezed. The lemons had been on sale at the grocery store. They’d looked amazing, and she couldn’t resist a bargain.
Now with an abundance of lemons, her creative desires were in full flow. She wanted to bake. Her hand was improving. She’d gone for another X-ray and the doctor was happy with the improvements. He didn’t think for a second she’d need surgery and she’d be able to work with it within another month.
Not being able to do anything but sit and eat was starting to get to her. She didn’t want to stay indoors all the time.
The nice warm weather offered a slight reprieve, but again, it wasn’t enough to stop the itch to do something.
Eating ice cream had lost its appeal. So had eating herself out of house and home. It was why she’d ended up at the grocery store, and now back in her yard, drinking lemonade.
What she hadn’t realized was that there was a fair in town. She’d been so out of the loop with everything.
As she sat drinking, loneliness began to creep in.
Would it hurt for her to go and enjoy the fair for a couple of hours? To be around actual people?
She finished off her glass of lemonade and decided it was time to get off her ass, to go enjoy some other company.
Ava placed the jug in the fridge, changed from her shorts to a blue summer dress with white roses on the front. She called a cab because she didn’t like driving with her hand. She was taking every single precaution when it came to helping the healing process.
At the door, she gave herself one final look in the mirror. Most of the bruises had faded. The worst ones around her eye still had some slight mottling to them. Her lip had healed up as well. Her hair, she hated it. The hairdresser had done what she could to fix the hacked locks, but she missed her long hair. She’d gone out of her way to grow it.
Just another thing they’d taken away from her.
Squaring her shoulders, she heard the cab’s horn, letting her know it was here. She locked her home and made her way to the cab. Climbing in the back, she told him where she wanted him to go. He took her there without making any conversation.
Being in town, she did notice more people were trying to make nice with her.
The truth was, she wasn’t interested. After what Abriana said about his warning to them, she didn’t care to make friends that way. She’d rather people just want to be friends because they happened to like her.
Once the cab driver arrived, she paid him and gave him a generous tip. She climbed out, and at first, panic seized her as she looked at the large crowd. Not only was this a big event for the town, but several tourists had arrived.
When she purchased the bakery, she’d been told about this time of year. How wise it would be for her to participate. She’d been looking forward to it. Even planning for it when she first opened up.
All that time had been wasted.
Rather than dwell on the dull ache in her hand, and where there were once bruises on her body that seemed to want to come to life, she stepped into the throng of people.
Everything is going to be fine.
She had always hated crowds. Another reason for Derek to dislike her. He loved to go out and party. She loved to stay in.
Watching people was a favorite pastime of hers, though. Ava didn’t immediately get stuck in with enjoyment. She took her time. Observing everyone. The laughter was somewhat infectious.
After what felt like a lifetime, she started to relax.
She had clocked the Hell’s Bastards MC, and Smokey, in particular. She ignored them all.
Stepping toward a game that required her to throw a ball in the net, she took three turns, failing each time, laughing as she didn’t come close to the shot. The high school teen manning the booth convinced her to have another three turns. She failed the first two and as he went to hand her the ball for her third and final turn, muscular, inked arms surrounded her, taking the ball.
“Let me,” Smokey said.
She tensed up. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene, and he knew that.
Gritting her teeth, she stayed perfectly still, feeling the heat of him surround her. He took aim and landed the ball directly in the net.
“Pick your prize,” the teen said.
She wasn’t picking anything. Smokey nodded at a monkey teddy. It was cute. Ava refused to take it when the teen tried to hand it to her. Smokey took it and she ducked under his arm and moved on.
Smokey didn’t follow her. He held the teddy in his arms.
She refused to participate in the gun shooting water game. Her hand was still her first priority to fix.
Using one hand, she came to a stop at catching some rubber ducks with little hoops on them. The poll was heavy, but she had a few minutes to be able to grab one.
She failed. Her hand wasn’t her strongest. At the last thirty seconds, Smokey took the pole and grabbed one of the ducks with ease.
He was applauded and handed a teddy. Again, he picked one out.
Smokey turned toward her, and she stepped around him. She refused to play this game with him.
She attempted to play two more games, and she failed both of them. Smokey took over and won. He now carried around four teddies. All of them were so cute. She ignored them and went straight to the crazy house. She paid her money and stepped inside.
Ava couldn’t recall a fair she’d ever been to. She’d tried to get Derek to go, but he hadn’t wanted to. Said fairs were for kids.
She enjoyed them. They were fun.
Rounding a corner, she came to a stop as Smokey was there, minus the teddies.
“Stop following me,” she said.
“I’m only doing it for your own safety.”
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�I don’t need you to protect me. You’re the problem, remember?” She held up her hand for him to see and he winced.
“I am sorry about that.”
“I don’t care.” She moved past him, and the house had lost its appeal. They had gotten to the crazy mirrors. Their reflections were everywhere. She couldn’t deny having Smokey at her back gave her a thrill. It only served to enrage her even more.
She shouldn’t care about him. He was a monster.
Ignoring the pull he had over her, she took a step forward, but Smokey captured her waist, drawing her back.
“I know you hate me, but I can’t stop thinking about you, Ava. I’m going to help you regardless of whether you want it.”
“Are you interfering with my realtor?” she asked, turning around to glare at him.
“No.”
“So you’re not stopping the interest in my bakery?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Ava, you know I don’t want you to leave, but the truth is that shop had been vacant for fucking years before you came along. I didn’t know what you saw in the place, but believe me when I say this. You were the only one.”
“I don’t want to hear this. I’m tired of hearing this.” She tried to step away, but he still held her.
Even with the slight, dull pain in her hand and her short hair, and all the memories of what Raven and those women did to her, she ached for him. Her pussy grew slick and her nipples tightened.
The want in her body wouldn’t fade, and she hated it so much.
Staring at him now, she wanted to hurt him. To punch him, to do anything that would make him feel even an ounce of what she felt.
Nothing.
“I’ve got to go,” she said.
“I know you feel it too.”
“Yeah, and I still remember what you called me. The horrible words you said to me. I’m not going to fall for this, Smokey. Go ahead, win all the games. Take me around on rides. I don’t care, and I don’t want them.”
This time when she pulled away, he let her go. The house lost its appeal, as did the fair. Being around Smokey was too much. She had to be somewhere else.
He followed her all around the house, and finally, when she got out, she didn’t linger. A couple of his men stood there waiting for him. Hunter and Brick were there, as well as Kinky and Raven.
