That was the first time she had mentioned her past. I didn’t want to push her for information. I knew how hard it was to share the darker parts of our memories.

“They died when I was in middle school.” I felt her draw in a deep breath, but she didn’t stop. “They were killed by a drunk driver. A hit and run.”

“I’m sorry.” It was such a useless phrase, but what else could I say? I hated hearing the grief in her voice.

“The worst part was that if the driver had stopped and called for help, they would have had a fighting chance. They might still be alive, working, sending me emails about their crazy clients. They’d owned a catering business that was pretty popular.” She shrugged, but I could tell it still hurt her. “But he didn’t and they died there, in the middle of a dark intersection. It was hard, but I had my grandmother. I moved out of Atlanta and onto her farm. It took some adjusting, but I was so angry at the world, it was probably the best place for me. She put me to work and eventually I found a sense of calm, a different type of happy.”

“You don’t have any siblings?” I’d had Marcus, even if he hadn’t been the best role model. At least I’d had someone to turn to.

That is, before he’d decided I was better off dead.

“Only child. But I had Grandma. She was more than enough family.” She chuckled, but it sounded a little wet. “So much personality in such a tiny woman. Mavis kind of reminds me of her. Nothing phased Gram. She was barely over five feet tall, but was larger than life.”

“You said she passed, too?” I remembered her mentioning inheritance money.

“I was in college then. I’d moved farther south to go to an art school, but we were still close.” She looked up at me. “At some point after my parents died I realized I could begrudge the world for taking the people I loved from me or I could be thankful I’d had any time with them at all. Not everyone gets that.”

I tightened my arm around her. My heart swelled. She was too perfect for someone like me. She was too perfect, period.

“Not everyone would be able to move on the way you did.” I turned my head so I could kiss her temple. “For example, you could have turned into a vigilante and hunted down the drunken driver. I know a few people like that.”

A sleepy chuckle floated up to my ears. “I don’t think our stories are exactly the same thing. But if I could have found that drunk driver before the police I probably would have tried to kill him. As it is, he’s still in jail, hopefully sharing a cell with someone stinky that likes to cuddle.”

“I can’t imagine you killing someone on purpose, love.” I closed my eyes, happy to have her next to me.

She didn’t respond for a while and I thought she had drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t until she moved her hand up to the stitches on my shoulder that I realized she was still awake.

“I would kill to protect the people I love.” Her voice was so soft I almost didn’t hear it. She slid her hand lower, over my chest, and paused, her fingers brushing my bandage.

I closed my eyes, my heart pounding under her palm. I’d give anything to be someone worth that kind of love. Gritting my teeth, I berated myself for even thinking about it. I didn’t deserve Ava, and the closer we became, the more I realized it was true.

I just wasn’t strong enough to push her away. I knew eventually she would see the monster I was and wouldn’t think twice as she ran away. These moments with her would be memories I’d treasure for as long as I lived.

“Point me in the right direction and I’ll kill them for you.” Gathering her in my arms, I pulled her up so that she was resting on my chest, and tucked her head under my chin.

Something warm dripped onto my chest, but I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure why she was crying, but I wrapped my arms around her a little tighter. Words weren’t my best skill, but holding her was rapidly becoming my strong suit.

MY FINGERS TIGHTENED, digging into my hips. The urge to poke Owen in the chest was so strong I didn’t trust my hands away from my body. He made stubborn an art form.

“If you’re going to teach him, you might as well teach me. He’s not even going in the casino! I am! I should know how to defend myself.” My foot tapped against the concrete of Mavis small back patio.

“I’m teaching him the basics, the very bare basics, so we can build from there. This isn’t the kind of stuff you’ll need to escape those pros. It’s completely different.” He held his hands in the air, his eyes trained on me like I was predator.

Two days. Today and tomorrow was all the time I had to prepare for the casino. Nightmares had haunted my restless night as images of Owen and Mavis dead circled around me. I couldn’t stop it from happening, couldn’t keep the bad guys away. I wasn’t enough…of anything.

“You can work with me.” Mavis took the last few steps and gave me a welcoming nod. “Go grab some workout clothes from my room and meet me back down here. I have a routine. Stretch, run, stretch, katas, and then sparring. Work for you?”

“Hell yes!” I took the stairs two at a time, ignoring the angry tone Owen was using to address Mavis. The master suite was on the top floor. Ceiling to floor mirrors covered one wall and I realized that her closet lay just behind those doors.

Once I’d found clothing that actually fit, I headed back outside. The pants were capris on me, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t trying to look good.