Criminal Affinity [18+]

Chapter 5

Ava doesn't expect the mansion to be so loosely guarded. Being as prestigious as the Underlord supposedly is, she expected tight security and surveillance cameras in every nook. It hardly took her an hour to undo the electrically controlled doors and to get them open.

But she waits. They are unlocked, thanks to the code pattern Valdez had taught her, Jon's boyfriend. All she has to do is push them open. She could have escaped from any of the thousands of windows, but that isn't her style.

If she leaves, it is through the front door.

But the security is always forcible outside than it is inside. Guards might be ready with weapons to shoot her down. Dale had told her many times that training is never really complete. Their job required maintenance and more than improvement, it required consistency.

They would be nothing without it.

A throb of discomfort passes in her chest. She hasn't trained in seven months. All she has done is work out until pain explodes in every muscle. Muscle damage was no joke, she knew that. But the pain gave her a sort of balance nothing else could.

Maybe it will give her failure today. All that muscle damage must have left some mark.

Regardless, working out and training are two different things entirely. Being fit gives you agility and strength, but training gives you direction. What good is a soldier in a garden?

Mulling over her thoughts, Ava gently pushes open the door and...

Dead silence surrounds her, the sun shining harshly over her head. Must have been a streak of panic, because slowly the rustling of trees drone in. Then come chirps. Ava inhales the crisp air deeply before closing the magnificent doors behind her.

But what now?

Nothing she hears is human - footsteps or voices. They must be hoarding good positions. Ava's eyes scan for cameras and she finds plenty. That instills some reassurance in her.

This isn't a trap.

Ava peers into the inside of the mansion one last time, drenched in the soft reflections of the stained glass and clenches her teeth. The house is too beautiful, it is really a shame. When she turns back, she is shocked to find a car pulling into the entry way through the gate. Ava ducks while keeping an alert eye on the pale, veiny designs on the main gate.

To her left she finds bushes lining the fence so she lunges for cover. Once fully out of direct view, Ava calms her heartbeat and watches the front gate open and close automatically. Cameras will be watching who enters and leaves.

Front door is great, but the front gate is a pipe dream. She will have to find another exit.

The black Bentley parks crooked near the doors Ava slipped out of. Her breath catches as William Chevalier strolls out of the driver seat, cloaked in black. Ava hates that she likes to look at him, hates that he looks nothing like any of the men she's been even a little interested in.

She used to think she was actually in love with Julien. She remembers not knowing how to act while he was watching - the painful, breathless moments of having a teenage crush. But it went downhill when Ava conjured up enough courage to confront him, and how badly it ended.

Thankfully, they were able to establish a strong and deep friendship above all. That's all that matters to Ava, even if she never sees him again.

Two guards in identical clothing approach him, one daring close to speak in his ear. William's calm face curls with silent fury, eyes so severe Ava feels her cheeks warming. The way his eyes cast out to the expanse of the mansion gives her the idea those people have him she's missing.