14

The grip at the base of Ava’s neck wasn’t painful. In a way, it was comforting, and to her own horror, Ava found herself liking it. She knew Zane was claiming her as his. She would rather be his than being left exposed to the two men across the table who were both drooling over her. She still wasn’t entirely comfortable in her dress; it drew far too much attention to her. But at least Zane seemed satisfied with it. And it had the desired effect on the two men. They were definitely distracted as they started talking business. Ava listened to the conversation while sipping her cocktail. It tasted okay, better than most of the ones she had tried before. She had a hard time keeping up with the discussion around the table. They seemed to use codewords. She guessed that would be wise since they were in public discussing what Ava presumed to be illegal things.

After listening for a while, Ava understood the jest of what they were saying. The two men were trying to sell something, drugs, Ava