Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
She hoped she was just hearing things, or there might be a cat that had somehow made its way over and was treating the place as if he owned it. Why didn’t dogs ever do that? She was not a cat person, but she loved dogs. Maybe she should ask Knox if they could get a dog. A nice big, lovable dog.
Someone was in the fucking house.
Ava pulled the mirror back inside the dining room. They were coming downstairs. She stepped away from the dining room and went back into the kitchen. There was only one exit, the back door. She went to it, but the only problem with the fucking back door was, it made noise. Marshal had said he’d been meaning to get it fixed. In Marshal language, he didn’t know how to, and Ava hadn’t made it a priority.
If she opened this door, they would know.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” she said.
The only other place to hide was the pantry. Holding the knife, she took a deep breath, and then made the decision, and twisted the doorknob. She opened the door only to come face to face with a man with slicked back hair, evil looking eyes, and a smirk that instantly irritated.
“Well, hello. I have to say, I was expecting you to make this a little harder.”
He grabbed her around the throat, and his grip was tight. Ava didn’t recognize him.
“So, you’re the person Knox is protecting.” He tutted. “He should have known I would find a way of getting to him.”
“What do you want?” Ava asked.
“Oh, it’s simple, I want Knox’s head, and I think I have found the perfect way of getting it.”
She didn’t get a chance to dispute him, as he drew back his fist and connected it with her face, making everything go dark.
****
“Do you think we could stop and grab a couple of burgers?” Marshal asked.
“No.”
“But I’m hungry.”
“That’s why Ava’s making you dinner.”
“She is?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Marshal gave a fist bump. “I wonder if she’s making my favorite meat spaghetti. She likes to keep me guessing how she is going to serve it, and she changes the cheeses to keep it exciting.”
“Meat spaghetti?”
“Yeah, I love it, and I don’t know why, I just do, and I don’t question my taste buds.”
Knox pulled the car into Marshal’s drive and stopped.
“What’s going on? Come on, it doesn’t take long to make meat spaghetti, and I’m hungry.”
“I closed this gate,” Knox said.
“What?”
“I closed this gate when I left to keep Ava safe.” He turned to Marshal. “Did you open it?”
“No. Once it’s set, you can only open it from the inside. Ava must have opened it,” Marshal said.
“To who? You don’t have guests. Your lawyer doesn’t turn up.”
Knox didn’t like this.
“You’re getting that look on your face, and I think you need to stop because there is nothing going on. Ava is fine, okay? Remember, you’re the target here, and Ava and I don’t have enemies.”
Knox pressed his foot to the gas. Ava had no reason to open the gate.
“Dude, be careful,” Marshal said.
“Something’s up.”
“Not everything is bad, okay? Some people open gates and perhaps Ava has opened the gate to be ready for us to come home.”
Knox parked the car, and then rushed inside. The front door was closed.
“Ava!” He yelled her name, and no response came.
He went straight to the kitchen, and when he got there, he saw the stove had been turned off. Onions, garlic, and some seasonings were in the pot. The meat was in a different pan. The tomatoes were open, but not in the sauce.
Knox reached into his boot and pulled out his gun. He always kept a weapon on him at all costs.
Moving around the counter, he saw the back door, and on the floor, a knife.
Marshal entered the kitchen. “She’s not in the study, my office, the sitting room, the library, or the game room.”
“Someone took her,” Knox said.
“You don’t know that.”
“You leave random knives on the floor?” Knox asked.
“Well, no, and besides, I left this morning. I have nothing to do with any of this. Who could have taken her?”
Knox picked up the knife, but it was cold. He didn’t know what he was hoping for, maybe to find the handle warm from Ava’s grip. He was being fucking hopeful.
“Your security cameras,” he said.
“Shit, I don’t even know if I have them on,” Marshal said.
“I activated them when I brought Ava to you. Fuck.” He went straight to Marshal’s computer, used the password, and brought up the security cameras.
Whoever had taken Ava had to have been watching the house. The guards the cops had placed on Marshal had only stayed for a couple of days, then left. There was no threat to Marshal. Knox had thought Ava would be safe.
Bringing up the garden security cameras, he saw it. Before Knox had even left, someone had climbed the backyard fence and had hung out at the fucking pool. The fucker was right there, with the lights shining on him, and even looked up at the camera and gave a wave.