Page 87 of Little Fury

The sun is starting to go down as I make my way back to the house. Ben is on a date, and Matt and Caden went into town for a beer with some locals they met surfing a couple of months ago. No one should be in the house. So, I find it a little odd, seeing a guy in there.

What is with men breaking into my beach houses and trying to kill me?

It seems ridiculous that this has happened twice in my life.

I make my way towards the house and in through the glass doors. This situation is too close to what happened in the Caymans a few years ago. I reach into my bag and grab my gun. When Caden gets home, he owes me $100. I told him it was necessary to carry a gun to the beach with me. Pretty sure I said,“Fuck that; you never know,”but the point is, I was right.

I slowly make my way towards my intruder. Once I’m close enough, I move at him fast, sweeping his legs out from under him. He goes down hard. He recovers quickly, but I expect it. No one is going to send a half-ass hitman after me again. My gun is against his head before he can get back to his feet. The guy raises his hands, and I run mine along his sides, checking for a weapon.

“Ava.”I’m not done checking him for weapons yet when he says my name. Ignoring him, I finish checking when he repeats my name. This time, I’m 90% sure I heard what I thought I had heard.

“Ava, could you put the gun down? “

I stop moving. I stop breathing. I press the gun harder into his head.

“Jake?”

Ipress my gun into his temple. Knowing it hurts.“Who the fuck do you work for?”I demand.

He raises his hands, showing me that he has no weapon.“Ava, please, love, can you put the gun down so we can talk?”

“Who, Jake? Who the fuck do you work for?”I pause for a second, realizing what I heard. I move in front of him and take a step back so I can see him better.

“Is that a fucking Irish accent?”

“Ava. Ava, please let me explain.”

“No. You need to shush for a moment.”I cock my head and really look at him, searching for what I had missed for months. I study him for a moment, running scenarios through my head and only one makes any sense. Pain shoots through my heart as I realize who he is.

“Fuck, I’m stupid. You played me for months. You and your fucking brother. Was fucking me a part of the plan for both of you? Liam couldn’t complete the task,so it was your turn?”Confusion crosses his face, but I ignore it because I am ignoring his face.

“You’re a fucking Campbell! Liam has a brother. What the hell is his name?”

“It’s…”he starts to say, but my gun is back against his skull, pressing harder as I contemplate.

“No, Jake. You. Do. Not. Speak. What the fuck was his name… Declan. You're Declan Campbell. Liam is your older brother.”He nods.

I take a few steps back and sit in the chair in front of him, my gun on my thigh as I stare at him. The man I never thought I would see again. The man I would have given anything to see again. And here he is. And my heart is breaking all over again.

“You have two minutes, Jake–I mean, Declan. Explain yourself with as few words as possible.” I see him flinch at the hurt in my voice, but I can’t seem to care at the moment. I want him to hurt.

“Ava, I’m so sorry.”

I cut him off.“No, Jake, keep your fucking apologies. You will either explain the how and the what and all that, or I will put a bullet in your head and bury you in the jungle. Those are the only two options for you, so explain well and explain quickly.”

He’s looking right at me, but he’s unsure, he has never seen this side of me. He's never been face to face with this Ava. So he is trying to gauge how serious my threat is.“I will shoot you, Jake. I won’t risk what I have here, and I won’t risk the guys' lives. Not for anyone, not for any reason.”I say with a resigned sigh. I see him nod slightly and then take a calming breath. A twitch in his eye tells me he is close to losing his temper. He isn’t enjoying the gun pointed at him or the fact that I am not doing what he wants.

“The night we met; I didn’t know who you were. Youwere just a beautiful woman on the side of the road who had a flat tire. When I got close to you, I recognized you pretty quickly.”He pauses to take a breath.“You smiled at me, and I made a choice in that moment. I gave you my cover name and story.”

“Jake–ah Declan–I met you in the hospital. For lunch.”

“My backstory is true. I was a smart kid; I went to university on a wrestling scholarship and became a doctor. The family needed a doctor, and I had always wanted to be one. My father was shot when I was 15. I was with him, and he bled out while I sat there, unable to do anything.”He closes his eyes and breathes out.“I was working in LA. I had a one-year contract to cover for a friend while they did research when I met you. You were not part of a plan. You were a fluke meeting, Ava. I didn’t even know you had met with Liam when I met you. I told Liam nothing about you. I knew he would have an issue with us dating because of who you are. I didn’t know you and Liam had a history. Apparently, neither Liam nor I wanted to share you with the other,”he says with a clenched jaw. I see his hand flex at the mention of my history with his brother.

“Our meeting was purely by chance. Starting a relationship with you was risky. I knew that, but I also didn’t care. I wanted you. I have never wanted someone as much as I wanted you from the moment I met you.”

The front door opens, and Matt walks in.“Honey, I’m home.”he bellows.

“In the living room, sweet cheeks,”I yell back. Matt looks over at me.“We have company.”

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