Criminal Affinity [18+]

Chapter 80

Sorry for the late update, boys! God was being a hater and fucked with my laptop. We back, though!

The word burns the back of her throat. Ava stumbles back, the gun shaking in her hand. He could be lying. He has to be lying. How would he—

Pandora.

"You thought I was here for my brother?" He has made himself comfortable on the floor, scoffing. "What good will he do me now?"

"He's powerful. Stronger than ever. He has some of the most dangerous people in his armada." Ava scorns. "To name a few."

"Only the foolish will follow that logic. True power is only taken by force, little bird, not handed for free. True power is not filling in to hold balance, it's anarchy." He says. "He will kill me at sight if he ever saw me, when in total we are the same."

"Yeah, sure. Save that grand speech for someone who gives a fuck. Surprise, it's not me." Ava says, cocking her head. "You look like you want to start some religious spewing just about now."

"You are a foolish girl." Ivak says.

"Average chauvistic pig speech. Get back on track. Why did you come here today?" Ava punches nonchalance in every word out of her mouth.

"Ask and you shall receive." Ivak says. "All you have to do is wait. But make sure to forget everything you know. Ivan is as good as dead, and everyone that was under him will burn, too. That's personal, though."

He's lying. He's fearmongering. He's getting in her head...and she's letting him.

Ava stays quiet. Think, Ava, think.

"My men watched as he was captured. He fought well, but it was one against six. They knew what they were up against. You have worked with all of them. My brother even tore open one of them." Ivak stares up at the ceiling and Ava's world breaks further and further. "Hope you're not too sad about that."

The air in her lungs feels toxic.

"Even that long haired tall one showed up. The one you always wanted to ride? He seemed pretty aggressive." Ivak laughs but she doesn't register it. "It seemed personal too."

She stumbles back with a searing pain in her chest. Julien. How does he know about Julien?

"What did you tell them?" Ava asks, her stance automatically defensive.

"Nothing special. Just a text pretending to be him, and a picture of when he had his fingers all inside your cunt yesterday." Ivak says. Tears gather in Ava's eyes, her body overwhelmed and at the point of breaking. "You did that to yourself, left your window open like two little—"

Ava fires a bullet in his direction, narrowly missing him. She enjoys the rage flashing in his face, but it only lasts a second.

Dots connect in her mind as misery makes a home in her chest. Neil. He sold the information to Ivak, every single thing he found out about here there. Her parents, her crush on Julien, her past, her scars. But it was also Gian. He must have kept a close eye on her, selling everything she did to the first bidder.

But Pandora—it lives. They are alive. Dale is alive. And now they have Ivan.

Ivan could be dead, or worse. He could be getting tortured. She knows Pandora takes no prisoners.

Ava doesn't have time. Ava can't sit here listen to a lunatic talk shit. It doesn't matter what he knows, it doesn't matter what he does with it.

Ava breathes out, stepping closer to him. Ivak has the good sense to frown—probably disheartened to not see her drowning in a puddle of her own tears. "But you failed. If you had put in so much effort, might as well have killed me."

Ivak's eyes narrow, and Ava recognises the first signs of the other man losing control of the room. "Now where would be the fun in that? I could have drowned you in that tub as soon as I walked in. I could have put a bullet in your pretty pussy when you opened your legs for me. No, that would be no fun with you, Ava."

A shudder of disgust and fear passes over Ava, especially at the mention of her name.

"I want to keep you." Ivak says, and Ava's blood runs cold. "I want you to meet someone very important. But if he decides he wants you dead, then I will have to do just that. It will be a shame to crush a pretty bird like you."

Him.

Fear has no time to take hold as multiple gunshots pop outside. Ava flinches back to the window, barrel drawn at the door. Screaming ensues, but Ava keeps her elbows tight, ready to shift her target immediately if she needs to.

Lily. Relief flows through her thicker than blood. Her sister is here.

"Oh, you poor thing." Ivak coos gently.

Her confusion turns into disasterous panic as the door is cast open with violence and burly, heavy armoured men march into the room. Ava's eyes dart from one masked face to another.

Cold fear slams into her. She stops counting after seven. They are too many for her to take at once.

Death, that she felt stroking at her moments ago, now stands right before her.