Vitality (Vitality Series #1)

Chapter 37 Fight

Ava pulled on a pair of pants and shirt which she'd be able to move easily in if needed and pulled on her black steel-toe boots, tying the laces tight. She latched the sheaths for the butterfly knives on her sides and her neck sheath over her shirt this time for easier access.

Shane walked in as she was pulling on her jacket and eyed her gear. "What are you doing?" He always did that when she left the door open, as if only to prod her with his presence.

"Not right now, Shane. I'm busy." Ava wrapped her just-in-case chain around her forearm.

"Whooo you going to kill?" he asked, pretending to be calm.

She let out a sharp breath and looked at him. "I need to go find answers about that girl and that dude."

"And... something tells me you're not going to the library for those answers."

She couldn't explain that if there was even a small opportunity to do something, she had an obligation. Plus, she had to know who she was dealing with — and if Layton had anything to do with it! If she had to lose him, she was not going down without a big fucking fight!

Ava walked past him to go to the living room, and he was quickly on her heels. Danny and Dahlila were still sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"Can I borrow your car, Dahlila?" Ava wanted to get there as fast as she could without exhausting herself.

Dahlila looked taken back by Ava's attire and eagerness. Ava had lost count of how many times she'd come out of her room and made them feel uncomfortable. Why did this need to be any different? "Sure... But where are you going? Maybe I could drive you."

"No. I gotta take care of something personal."

"All right," she huffed, confused. "I suppose that's okay." She got up to get the keys, leaving Danny staring.

"I'm going with you." Shane said.

"No, you're not," Ava said flatly.

"I'm not letting you go alone."

Danny shrugged a shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"Not to the library. I can tell you that." Shane looked to Danny with a way overextended frown.

She shot a warning look. "That missing girl?"

"Liz," Danny corrected.

"Liz. I'm going to see if I can find out anything about Liz and Charles. Lithium's the last place you last saw her, right? She may even still be there," she told him.

"There's no way that Liz would stay down there," he said. "The only reason she was there to begin with was for Jordan; Trish told me."

"Well, that place has a way of making people not want to leave. There's something going on inside Lithium. I know it's a good place to start. And Layton told me the other night the club was dangerous."

"He told you it was dangerous and you thought you'd just hop right over there?" Danny clarified.

Dahlila came back, holding the keys tightly. "You're not serious."

Ava's lips pressed together. She drew out her freshly sharpened and polished blades with a flick before flipping them back and forth with finesse. She swirled them around on her fingers, crossing her arms, switching them back and forth effortlessly and held them up again with a deadly gleam. "Yeah." She put them back away. "Very fuckin' serious." She held her hands out for the keys, trying not to just snatch them.

Their mouths hung open.

"Cool." Shane nodded. "No. No. NO — I'm lying. That's fucking terrifying," he squeaked and shifted around on his feet. He looked up at Dahlila, who was appalled, and holding the keys frozen in her hand, as if pleading to her not to hand them over.