Criminal Affinity [18+]

Chapter 75

Within the next ten hours, Ava finds herself pressed into the uncomfortable chair of a motel room in Paris. She is zoned out as she watches Ivan and Lily converse, her attention on the clean wallpaper, the cool colors and the less than impressive state of the room.

Her gaze snags at the view out of the window. They had thought the third floor would keep them safe from the streets of Paris. It is important to lie low, make no noise and blend in.

Ava doesn't care. They were intentionally keeping her in the dark about things. But this was important, so she decided to keep her mouth shut.

For now.

Ivan and Ava looked every part of the young, stupid American married couple. But neither of them had spoken to each other in the past hours. In fact, Ava only had thirty minutes to pack after Ren broke the news with no time to even look into his eyes.

They were able to track down a possible IP address to Paris, but a more accurate tracing can only be done while in the city. Who? They won't say. What are they looking for? We'll see.

Ava feels like ripping her hair out, but she trusts them.

Lorenzo had continued breaking into Gian after Ivan came to Ava. Ava didn't even want to think about what he did to get more information out, especially now that there were parts of his humanity he could no longer access. Gian had given up names of a few he successfully killed, some that had worked for this...man.

Her hunter.

"Ava," Lily's face floats in her vision, startling her.

Ava nods, coming back to reality. "Hm?"

A flash of emotion crowds Lily's face, clear that some words are processing in her mind. Ava waits for her sister to speak, glancing behind her to find Ivan staring at the floor with a hand in his hair.

Lily's hand grips the side of Ava's face, snapping her attention back. She gives Ava a strained smile, saying, "I will be close."

With that, she leaves. Ava stares after her as Ivan shuts and bolts the door. Sharp, unrelenting yearning overtakes her.

She wants Lily close. What if something happens to her?

Ivan had told her Lily would have a vantage point to always have eyes on Ava, a couple of Lily's dangerous friends were involved, too.

Everyone seems to involved except Ava—the person that's actually being hunted.

Ivan sits by the edge of the creaking bed, it's metal frames loaded with rust. She watches his fingers wilding typing away at the phone. He hasn't looked in her direction in hours. Ava slips deeper into the armchair, seeking a comfort that cannot reach her.

"I hate how this room smells." Ava remarks, closing her eyes. Initiating conversation. Breaking the fucking ice.

The typing stills for a moment and Ava holds her breath, willing him to speak to her, come to her, touch her.

Ava's heart sinks as the typing starts again. She snaps open her eyes, but the anger inside her fizzles into nothing, replaced by a torn open void. Just moments ago, things were perfect. He was in her arms and they were going to be okay.

Now Ava can't help but feel like none of that was real.

Tears line Ava's eyes as she stares at the gun on the coffee table in front of her. The sounds streaing in from the window behind her alienate her further, shouts in a foreign language—even though she speaks it.

She didn't get to say goodbye to Lorenzo, who had to stay back to control the image of normalcy and ensure efficient running of the mansion in Ivan's absence. Or Svet, who she hasn't seen out of her room ever since that say in the basement.

Fuck, she even misses Alec. That bastard.

Ava doesn't know how long she will be here, she misses her room, but she knows there is no way she would have stayed behind.

"I need to head out." Ivan says to no one in particular. Ava's chest jarrs at the motion—of him speaking like she isn't even there.

"I'm sure you can look me in the eye when you're talking to me." Ava can't help it. The words string out before she can stop them. She knows there are bigger, deadlier things out there that they need to deal with. But...

Ivan's jaw clenches before those gunmetal eyes rise to Ava and she makes her displeasure known. He sighs, crossing his arms and facing her. Still, she sees no intention of him coming anywhere near her.

"I'm going to head out. Stay here. Don't open the door. Do not fall asleep and do not leave." Ivan orders before turning in the direction of the door.

"Are you just going to leave me here?" Ava asks. At that moment, she becomes acutely aware of how she might be doing too much. Ivak—Ivan's bloodthirsty, demonic brother might be among them right now. That has got to fuck with his mind more than Ava can imagine.

"You're safe here unless you do something I told you not to." Ivan says firmly. "You don't need additional guarding, it would only cause more drag and risks."

Ava almost asks him to stop being so cold, but the words shrivel in her mouth. The severe lines of his face are back, face glacial and mouth cruel. She knows it's not for her, but her heart aches for him.

Is he scared? Is he angry? Does he feel like everything is slipping from his hands?

"Where are you going?" Ava asks.

Impatience leaks from him, but he doesn't say anything. "Lily and I are going to monitor suspicious activity. I have friends here willing to help out. There is also an underground friendly unit that knows of our arrival, they might offer up some important information." Ivan says.

He is dressed in a thin white linen shirt and loose matching shorts—looking every bit an American tourist. But his words?

Methodical, sunless and unbending. A chill passes through Ava's spine. This is who Ivan is to the rest of the world, the dark side of the moon. The opposite of what she saw, felt and tasted last night.

This man, she doesn't know. But she is going to get familiarized with him if Ivan continues to act distant with her.

Ava nods. "And why can't I come?"

Ivan clenches his jaw. "It's obvious."

Ava scoffs, because things are only obvious if it's common knowledge not just common to the people he decides to talk to. She stands to shut the door, now completely avoiding his eyes. He watches her move to the door, unmoving. She waits.

He walks towards the door with a disgruntled sigh.

"You're injured. Be careful." She speaks to the ground, tears crowding her vision again. She feels lonely, she realizes. The bitterness of being shut in because a sharp throb in her chest. She blinks away the tears away best she can.

A deep, volatile sounds bursts out of Ivan's throat and Ava finds herself pinned against the door. Her eyes fire up to his, which were icy moments ago. They are now swirling and spitting with heat. His eyes hungrily pass every inch of her face.

Yet, despite the violence in his body, he brings his face down gently before slanting his lips over hers. Ava's stomach explodes with butterflies, every part of her tensing and squeezing to one singular action. She kisses him back, hands fisted on the front of his shirt.

Relief stirs inside her, along with longing and a kiss of heartbreak.

Ivan breaks the kiss, touching her forehead with his. His sigh makes his entire body quiver, like a body under weighted pressure. "I'm sorry, angel. I will come back to you."

Ava nods holding on tight once before letting him go. "I'll wait."

"Be a good girl." Ivan kisses her cheek once before leaving Ava alone in the room with her thundering heart.