Atonement (Heart of Stone) (14 page)

She was silent beside me in the car on the way back from
the club, her gaze permanently fixed on the world outside as it sped past us.
She wasn’t ‘shitfaced’ at all, she had decided to forego booze, saying it made
her more depressed, and the slight twitch on her lips every now and then led me
to believe she would be okay, she would survive. Hell, this woman would survive
the second fucking coming and if she could take me on then she could take on
the devil himself.

“I know you miss him, Ava but he’s still here. Still with
us, in you, baby. And I will forever be grateful to that man for bringing you
to me.”

She turned to me and sighed but it held a slight smile,
“I know, I know.” Her hand palmed my cheek and I flicked her a glance but she
stayed quiet and mute yet her eyes told me everything she wanted to voice.

I pulled into the layby that appeared and quickly
unlocked her seatbelt clip and drew her onto my lap.

We remained silent, both of us locked on but not moving,
not wanting to move or even needing to move.

This woman was my bloody world, the beat of my heart and
the pulse in my veins. She was the reason I breathed, the cause of my life and the
motivation to live.

Her supple lips hovered over mine but her eyes remained
fixed but soft, “You are here now Mason and I know George was content knowing
you are here for me but I… I need to say this and I need you to listen.”

I frowned but nodded as her wisps of life fluttered over
my lips and into my mouth, giving me her life and her soul.

“Whatever happens with all this…”

I opened my mouth, shushing her when I knew where she was
going with her words but she silenced me with a finger to my lips. “Listen to
me. Baby, whatever, if anything, I need you to know that as much as George
pulled me out of the darkness, you dragged me through to the other side and
held the shit back. You still hold the shit back. George gave me life but you
give me the reason for living it. You understand me, Mason.”

I ran a finger over the softness of her jaw and nodded
before she rested her lips over mine, simply and innocently. Small tiny kisses
were delivered across my lips, the gentleness to them closing my eyes in
tranquillity, as she nudged her tongue between my lips and flicked the soft
muscle against mine, encouraging me to wrap my arms around her and pull her
closer.

Her kiss became more deep and urgent, her hips rocking
slightly as she ground herself against my erection. Her faint little moans
surged my blood south and had my cock as solid as iron. “Not here, Ava” I told
her when I could feel the heat from her on my dick, the potent arousal of her
burning straight through the material of my trousers, “Let’s go home.”

She moaned loudly and rested her forehead on mine, “Yeah,
what time is your mum having the kids till?”

I gave her a wicked smile, my heart beat increasing with
my own excitement, “Tomorrow.”

Her lips lifted naughtily as mischievousness lit her
eyes, “You fancy giving Connor a call?”

My eyes widened as my brows lifted, along with my blood
pressure, and my dick went from hard to fucking rock-solid but a thought
filtered through my head and I cocked my chin as I held her jaw firmly between
my thumb and finger.

I could feel the sudden increase in her heartbeat through
my shirt as I empowered her, my dominancy always feeding her arousal, and her
eyes darkened with desire as I licked my lips. “You ready for both of us?”

Her eyes skimmed over my face, slight confusion marring
her beauty as she tried to read my words. “You mean…?”

I nodded slowly as I gripped her chin harder and tipped
her head slightly so she was directing her beautiful eyes into me, “You wanna
feel so full that when you come it blows every other orgasm to smithereens
baby, the pleasure so intense you’ll feel us inside you for the next week?”

Her breathing had sped up to tiny little pants as her
heart drummed a hard rhythm against the cotton of her dress. “But I want to
please you, Mason.”

I smiled widely at her, always everyone else before her.
“But watching you writhing in ecstasy between us
will
pleasure me, Ava.
I know… no, I trust both you and Connor and I feel secure enough to do this
now. I wanna blow your mind, baby, you deserve this. You deserve to be blown
from this fucking planet in a pleasure so extreme you’ll see stars, hell, even
take a touch at heaven, baby.”

I thrust my hips up and rammed my cock against her hot
pussy, “You feel that, Ava? You feel what even thinking of this does to me? I
want this deep in your ass whilst Connor fills that sweet, sweet pussy of
yours.”

She swallowed harshly but her throat thundered with a moan,
a deep dark groan that rumbled through my core and sparked a desire so intense
I knew if I kissed her now I wouldn’t let her go without filling her cunt with
me, ramming so deep and hard that I knew I would hurt her, not that Ava didn’t
like a bit of pain, she needed it in fact.

“Home.” She demanded as she slid back into her seat and
buckled up quickly.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her eagerness, “Don’t you
think you ought to phone Connor first, Ava?”

“Oh shit, yeah.” She chuckled as she pulled out her phone
and scrolled through her contacts.

I hoped she didn’t realise there was a number missing
from her phone, one less for me to worry about whilst I concentrated on this
shit. One less arsehole for me to deal with.

I think I needed words with Kade; I needed to tell him
exactly what I thought of his persistent texts to my wife…
MY
fucking
wife!

***

“He’s meeting us here in an hour” Ava informed me as I
tapped the control on the dash to open the front gates to our home.

I nodded as I pulled up to the house and rolled my neck
against the ache of the day. “You okay?” she asked as I climbed from the car
and strolled to the front door, Ava behind me fiddling with something in her
bag.

“Mmmm, just tired. Been a bit of a shit day.”

I planted one foot in the entrance hall then spun round
and grabbed the tops of Ava’s arms and shoved her back outside harshly.
“Mason?” The tone in her voice wary when she saw the horror on my face.

“Get back in the car.”

She just frowned at me as she tried to peer past me and
look into the house, “NOW!”

She jumped but nodded when she sensed my urgency and
climbed back into the passenger seat, “Driver’s seat” I barked at her.

She gasped but clambered across the console and adjusted
the seat to accommodate her tiny legs until she could reach the pedals. She
opened the window as I appeared at the side of her and slipped her the keys,
“Go to Courtneys and tell Greg to get over here.”

“What’s wrong?” her voice was quiet with her fear but I
shook my head firmly.

“Go, now.”

She nodded frantically and rammed the keys into the
ignition, firing the engine loudly but she didn’t pull away. “Go, baby, now.”

“Mason…”

“Now, Ava.”

She exhaled heavily and sucked in her lips, her fright
clenching my fists and secretly vowing to kill the bastard that would put such
a sight on my wife’s beautiful face. “I’ll ring you later, just go.”

She nodded again and pulled off this time but I saw her
gaze in the rear-view mirror the length of the driveway until she disappeared
onto the road.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I hissed as I dragged my phone from
my pocket and dialled Sam.

He answered after two rings, “I need everyone at mine…
like now!”

“Okay, what’s up?”

“Shit, that’s what’s up. Fuck mate, serious shit. Get
onto Heidi, I need a full clean up.”

He mumbled a response before he ended the call and got
down to what Sam did best, rallying the fucking troops.

“Shit!” I ground out as I pulled the neck of my shirt
over my nose to protect my lungs from the stench.

“Fucking shit.”

The bile surged up my throat but I swallowed it back as I
stared at the sight of my house.

Blood covered every single surface, from the floor to the
ceiling, from the stairs to the door, from mine and Ava’s wedding photo
adorning the wall to the huge mirror decorating the opposite wall.

I blinked a couple of times; desperately trying to make
the image of Ginny, one of my girls, disappear. She was strung from the
bannister, her horrified eyes open as her broken and slashed body swayed gently
against the stillness of the room.

I blew out a rancid breath as I pulled the Glock from the
back of my waistband. I had been expecting trouble all day but not this; shit,
not this.

I heard Sam’s jeep pull up, its familiar rattling fan
belt alerting me to his arrival, as I scoped out the rest of the house.

The silence had my hair standing on end as I moved
quietly from room to room. Everything seemed okay but I couldn’t fight the
feeling that I was missing something important. The fact that I had a dead
prostitute hanging in my foyer didn’t help the nerves, but I still hissed when
nothing jumped at me and calmed the intuition.

“Mase!” Sam shouted from the front door, a slight wobble
in his tone letting me know he was as spooked as me.

He lifted a brow at me as I descended the stairs whilst Brad
and Trevor entered behind him.

“Holy fuck!” Brad declared as Trevor baulked and shot
outside to retch into the flower bed. Ava was gonna be thrilled with that
deposit, it had taken her months to get the bloody things to flourish.

“One of yours?” Brad asked as he circled under Ginny,
looking up at her and expertly dissecting any information he could pull from
the scene before we took her down.

“Yep, newish girl. She left to work at the Panther, and
then came back to us last week after Rebecca offered her a better incentive.”

Brad blew out a breath, “Bet she wished she hadn’t
accepted now.”

I nodded sadly, trying to not look at the poor cow but
not being able to look away.

Sam came to stand behind me, “Where’s Ava?”

“I sent her to Courtney’s” I divulged as Heidi’s van
pulled up to the front door and I stalked over swiftly halting her. “Give us
ten, Heidi. Need to deal with the body first.”

She nodded once, the nose to ear chain flicking her face
as she smiled, “Blood?”

I grimaced; I was sure this very masculine woman had a
thing for life’s sustenance. She seemed to relish the idea that my house was
splattered top to bottom with the red stuff. “Yeah, lots of it too.”

“Don’t worry, Mr Fox. By the time me and my guys have
finished there won’t be a single drop left, even for forensics” she added with
a lift of her brow.

I gave her a tight smile and nodded before making my way
back inside, my stomach turning as soon as my foot hit the hallway and the
smell overpowered me.

Brad and Sam were already in the process of lowering
Ginny down and onto a large grey tarp, Trevor immediately wrapping the body
when it hit the ground. His mouth was covered with a towel as his eyes shut
tightly against the fact he had to wrap a dead woman in a blanket.

“I’ll do it, Trev.” I told him. He didn’t need telling
twice, he moved fast and out of the way before she had completely come to rest
on the ground before us.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, alerting me to a text and
I pulled it out.

Ava:

Hope everything’s ok. I messaged Connor and put him
off until 9ish. That ok or you want me to cancel? Xxx

Ahh, shit. I had forgotten about Connor. Good job Ava
hadn’t or the man would be walking in on something that would be a little
difficult to explain.

I took a glance at the clock and was relieved to find it
was only a little after 4 o’clock. That should give Heidi enough time.

I wasn’t cancelling tonight, Ava needed a bit of fun and
attention and hell, if a threesome didn’t give it her I don’t know what would.

Me:

9 is fine, baby. I’ll give you a call in an hour. Love
you xxx

Ava:

And me, you xxx

She hadn’t asked, but then again, I knew she wouldn’t.
She understood my life, her life as well now, but I don’t know what she would
have done if she had seen...

I blew out a breath and continued in my mission to shroud
Ginny. I just hoped it had been quick for her, but looking at the gaping wound
across her neck, I knew, I knew she had suffered.

“Holy fucking Christ!”

I needed this bastard. I need to find him fast, and damn,
what I was gonna do to the prick when I found him; nice and slow came to mind
and I smiled malevolently as an image of my claw knife and his cock came to
view.

“What the hell is going on?” Courtney asked as she
wiggled out of her black skirt. I sat on her bed watching her change out of her
funeral clothes as I sipped the coffee she had made me after I had burst
through her front door.

I blew out a heavy breath and she narrowed her eyes on me
and pointed one of her long talons in my face, “You know more, indulge me.”

“You know Mason owns Allure, well… I’m gonna be running
it from now on.”

Her eyes widened to saucers as she stared at me with
disbelief, “What the hell, babe. With Rebecca?”

It was my turn to widen my eyes as the mouthful of coffee
I had just swallowed found its way back up my throat and erupted from both my
mouth and my nose with a forceful torrent.

“Christ Courtney, do I look like bloody Mother Teresa. No
way in hell am I a good enough person to forgive that bitch, as for working
with her, yeah, that’d work.” I choked out a laugh as I pictured Rebecca’s face
when Mason would tell her she would be answering to me.

My brow lifted and my lips bowed with the idea, “Ooh
but…”

Courtney’s head slipped from side to side as she read my
thoughts and glowered at me, “No, you’ll end up killing her.”

She shimmied out of her shirt but continued with the
death glare as she pulled on some joggers and a plain white Tee.

“Yeah but wouldn’t that be fun. I could place her with
the oldies that have no teeth and smell of fish shit.”

She pursed her lips but her eyes lit with her laughter,
“You are such a bad person.”

I nodded gleefully, “I know.”

She sighed and disappeared through the bedroom doorway
and down the stairs. I followed and sunk into one of her kitchen chairs as she
refilled the kettle and flicked the switch. “Carry on” she gestured with her
hand for me to continue as she spooned coffee granules into fresh cups and I
rolled my head around my neck.

“Someone’s targeting Allure, beating the girls, even
killing one and I can’t, as Mason’s wife, let anything more happen. Rebecca is
out and I’m in.”

She nodded as she placed the steaming mug on the table in
front of me and settled opposite, her eyes still thin but inquisitive, “And
today?”

I shrugged as I blew the hot liquid with eagerness at
tasting the amber nectar, and took a sip, “We got home, Mason stepped through
the door and then shoved me out of the way. Got me in the car and told me to
come here. That’s all I know as yet. Something had happened in the house, I
know that much, but what? I have absolutely no idea.”

She frowned deeply; faint laughter lines creasing the
skin at the side of her eyes as her brow puckered and I suddenly realised how
down and weary my friend looked. “You okay, hun, you seem tired.”

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Greg and me… we’re…
having a few problems.”

Jesus Christ, how did I not see this? She was my best
friend, she needed me and all I had given her was more bullshit from my own
fucked up life.

I slid a hand across the table and cupped her slightly
trembling one. Her eyes rimmed with tears and I climbed round the table and
crouched before her, “Tell me.”

The tears spilled in shallow rivulets down her pretty
face as she sucked in a hiccup and gulped before her guilty face scrunched
tight. My intuition racked up a slight concern and I suddenly found myself
glaring at her, “Courtney?”

“I… I’m sorry, Ava, I…”

I reared back at the guilt in her voice and regarded her,
“What? Tell me.”

“I, uhh…” She palmed the table and pushed herself
upright, her body stiff but resigned as she turned and gazed out of the window.
“I didn’t mean it to happen, Ava but… I… Fuck, I love him Ava, more than god
damn life. I couldn’t help it, I’m so sorry.”

I rolled my lips and stood behind her, my heart beating
frantically, whilst I waited. Silence encompassed us for what seemed like
forever before she turned to me and closed her eyes, “Kade.”

“Oh, wow, I wasn’t expecting that.”

How did I feel? I didn’t know to be honest.

“But, since when?”

I was stunned, not sure what to say or how to feel. I was
angry with her but I tried to filter through the other emotions and came up
blank.

“The cottage - Mason’s birthday weekend. We… invited him
to… and well, I felt something there that I have never felt with Greg. It was
like… like he fit me perfectly.”

“I bet he did” I scoffed bitterly.

“Ava, please, I… I wanted to tell you but…”

I snorted, “But you were what Courtney? Frightened I
would lure him away? Just… fuck!”

Her face paled and she swallowed harshly as she reached
out to me but I shook my head and held a hand up to her, “I… Jesus, I dunno
what to say. Does Greg know?”

“He knows I’m seeing someone else but he doesn’t know
who. It will kill him when he finds out it’s Kade, it was his idea for Kade to
join us and I know he’ll blame himself.”

I needed to get out of there, away from the hurt I felt.
What Kade did or whoever he saw had nothing to do with me but… just, Shit!

I hoisted my bag off the floor and walked out, desperate
for solitude and silence. My brain screamed in frustration as my heart thumped
a slow ache.

I floored the accelerator in anger, the screech of the
tyres on the ground feeding my resentment as I manoeuvred expertly between the
slow moving traffic in my sleek Porsche, well Mason’s Porsche.

Why was I feeling like this? I didn’t love Kade - did I?

No, I knew I didn’t, I loved Mason wholly and entirely, but…
Christ, why did it hurt?

I pulled through the gates to the house as a van with
Heidi, one of the cleaning crew that did the clubs, pulled out. She waved and
smiled and I lifted a hand to her but returned her smile with a frown.

What the hell had happened if we needed a cleaner?

I couldn’t deal with this shit now.

I slammed on the brake and stormed into the house,
avoiding everyone who hovered around and went straight to the freezer and
pulled out the vodka. I downed the first then refilled my glass and took a sip
as I palmed the counter and looked out to the garden.

“Ava?” Mason queried my mood quietly and hesitantly.

I plastered a smile on my face and turned to him, “Hey.”

“Hey” he echoed as his lips landed gently on my forehead.
“You okay?” His face was a mask of suspicion but his eyes held fear.

Why did his eyes hold fear?

“I’m okay, you? Something you need to tell me?”

He frowned deeply but I didn’t miss the glint in his eye,
“You know better than that, Ava.”

“What the fuck, Mason. This is my bloody house; if some
shit has happened here I think I have a right to know.”

He moved forward and into me, each of his firm thighs
flanking my own as his stare pinned me down. “If I thought you needed to know
then I would tell you.” His fingers gripped my chin and he tilted my head back
and scrutinised me intensely, “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“A bit quick and blunt there, baby. Tell me.”

“Nothing’s wrong, I just… I just…”

Greg caught my eye as he walked through the doorway and
into the kitchen. His eyes held me, silently questioning me as to what I knew
and I gulped, my heart hurting profoundly for him as I read the heartache in
his gaze.

I returned my eyes to Mason and softened my stance, “Can
you give me a minute with Greg?”

He frowned and flicked a quick glance at Greg before he
backed off from me and turned, “Greg?”

Greg rolled his lips and shot a look from Mason to me
then back to Mason before he nodded with a faint grimace and a slow blink.

Mason frowned and cocked his head at his friend before he
took a step towards him, “You need to talk?”

Greg sighed heavily but shook his head as he gestured
towards me with his chin.

Mason shot me a confused look but honoured Greg’s wishes
and left us to it after he gave him a pat on the shoulder, silently supporting
him and offering his friendship as an emotional crutch.

“You know then.” Greg voiced sullenly as he sank into a
chair at the table. I nodded as I slipped out another glass from the cupboard and
filled it for him. He picked it up and downed it in one before tipping it
towards me in request for another.

“Yeah.” I sighed and enveloped his hand with my own. “I…
shit Greg, I dunno…”

He shrugged and laughed bitterly, “My own fucking fault
Ava, I should never have invited him into our bed.”

I gasped and he frowned at me, “You did know about
Courtney and Kade?”

“Yes I knew, but I didn’t realise you knew it was Kade,
Courtney doesn’t know you know who it is.”

He scoffed and shook his head, “I’ve known since the
onset.” I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he scratched his eyebrow, his
desperation to hold back the tears gripped my throat and threatened to rip out
my heart.

“I can’t reprove her, Greg, hell I made the same mistake,
but that doesn’t mean I agree with it. I…”

“She says she loves him, Ava, what… how can I compete
with that? Does Harry or I even come into the equation? She… shit Ava…”

His tears and desolation hit like a tornado, his hot
tears spilling forth and threatening to take his last breath as he sobbed
uncontrollably, his face contorting with each rapid draw of breath he tried to
take.

I slid on the floor beside him and he immediately slid
his arms around my neck and held on to me so tightly I thought he would crush
me. I held him, frantically trying to take the hurt for him, steal his ache and
pain as he finally accepted what was happening.

What the hell was my best friend playing at, in fact what
the hell were they both playing at? Was my affair with Kade not enough for him
that he had to get involved in another woman that was unavailable? Did he live
for this sort of relationship, seeing which marriage he could smash to pieces
next?

I held onto Greg for a long time, whilst he poured out
his despair and devastation. Mason came in once then immediately turned back
around to give us more space.

“You gonna be okay?” I asked when he stood and drained
his glass.

He shrugged but nodded, “Yeah, I’ve booked into a hotel
for tonight.”

“No, stay here.”

He shook his head and scrunched his nose, “Thank you but
I… need to be alone for a while.”

I nodded and gave him a final hug before he kissed the top
of my head then left. I stared at the door for long moments until it opened and
Mason walked through, his face full of confusion and worry for his friend.

“Is he okay?”

I pursed my lips and shook my head, “No, not really.
Courtney is having an affair.”

“Holy shit.” His eyes widened in shock before they narrowed,
“Kade.”

I reared back and stared at him, “How the…”

“That fucking bastard, I knew it.”

“What? How?”

“Just little bits, something between them the day after
my birthday at the cottage, I could read it between them, then seeing him leave
Courtney’s the day I went looking for Greg when he disappeared off the radar.”

“Now I know why you’re good at what you do” I smirked.

He smiled and stalked over to me. “I told you I was good
at reading people, baby. How are you with all this?”

I lifted my eyes to him as he burned through me with his
gaze. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I need to be honest Mason, I’m sick of the
lies between us.”

He nodded and I regarded his face but he didn’t hold any
animosity with my words, almost relief at my honesty. “Connor’s here.”

I glanced at the clock in surprise at the time and my
stomach clenched with nerves as my blood pumped with excitement.

“You don’t have to do this, Ava. It’s fine if…”

I silenced him with a finger on his lips, “To be honest,
I need this right now. I need you to take my attention away from all this
bullshit.”

His lips twisted with a full on sultry smile, “Oh baby, I
can promise you that.”

I gulped as my belly pooled with delicious heat and my
pussy twitched. I pulled in a heavy breath as Mason took my hand gently and led
me from the room.

The moment I laid eyes on Connor’s dirty grin my nerves
disappeared and my arousal burst through my bloodstream with a force that
caught my breath.

“Hello, Ava” he greeted as he stood and instantly lifted
his shirt over his head, giving me a damn fine view of his magnificence. “We’re
gonna make you scream, baby.”

Holy fuck, I nearly passed out.