Prologue: 1930
Funny thing was, she'd never felt this well rested before. Her eyes were still a bit fuzzy, the darkness only lifted a few moments ago. Light strings of a dream were pulled taught. She grasped at them only to have the strings break and slip through her fingers. What was left was a soft whisper of a name. Her name.
Ava sat up under a weeping willow tree. Strange. She didn't remember falling asleep here. There was a soft breeze flipping the branches towards her, beckoning her to come out of her cove and back into the world. Ava drew herself to standing, wobbling at first on her own two feet, and then pushing aside the willow's curtain. It was breath taking. Rolling hills of greens and autumn leaves seemed to go on forever. Her ears picked up the sounds of chirping birds and another sound quite foreign to her. A loud whistling siren. Curious.
She darted through the trees, following that strange noise which had tarnished the beauty of her landscape. Her bare feet stumbling on twigs and pebbles, she didn't notice the scrapes on her feet disappearing as soon as they were made. Ava caught her breath, inhaling twice before she mustered enough courage to continue. The whistling she had heard was a train.
Chapter 1: Present Day
Oh yeah. He was the one.
Ava adjusted in her seat. She'd been sitting there for a full hour now watching the room, praying for one, just one interesting John to enter, and guess what, tonight was her lucky night. She'd been ready, oh so fucking ready, to take this shark down, her legs began tingling with excitement. That might have been because they'd fallen asleep, but there was nothing like the cusp of a new best friend to get her all riled up.
Maggie, the waitress who had been so patient with Ava, stalked past her again. Filling her cup wasn't Maggie's only job. She tucked a fresh coaster under the Gin and tonic and winked. Maggie loved winking almost as much as she loved sashaying in tiny tight leather skirts. Leather was fine if you wanted to hump a biker, or a cowboy, but its flexibility didn't give Ava too many options. Ava lifted the glass and flipped over the coaster.
Mark Hannover. Retired. Hails from Brooklyn. Likes it ROUGH.
Really, Maggie? Come on. Ava sat in her section every time and ordered a minimum of five drinks, the least the girl could do was to get better stats. Maggie winked and then jerked her head in the direction of Mark Hannover. She practically stuck out a giant red arrow pointing at his big bald head. Ava had to give it to her though. Maggie was definitely enthusiastic about her role.
Hannover's eyes scanned the room lazily. He sipped, swirled, and sipped again at his own leisurely pace. If his vibe gave anything away, this was a man who didn't mind waiting in line. He could pull out a newspaper, shoot the breeze with the stranger next to him, and enjoy fine wine fermented for over a century. Hannover stroked at the companion he'd brought along. He twisted her curls in his finger and drew a long line from the tip of her ear down to the swell of her cleavage. She shivered in response. Ava didn't blame her. If the girl had any sense it would be to go back to her job at Dairy Queen and marry her high school sweet heart. Somehow, Hannover had intrigued her enough to follow him to this seedy night club. Maggie hadn't mentioned anything about the girl, which meant she was either an Out of Towner or some Russian mail-order bride. Ava chose the former. Hannover didn't scream illegal immigration.
Ava slipped Maggie a fifty and stood up to make her first move. Simply, she would swish her hips, flutter her big brown doe eyes his way, and make sure that it was plain and obvious that she was up for whatever he could throw at her. Little Miss Dairy Queen would retract her former agreement to stick with him and bolt as fast as her payless kitten heels could go without snapping in half.
It really was a matter of distance. As the proximity increased, the easier it was to get into their heads. From her nest across the room, Ava could only pick up a buzz from Hannover. Just a slight rumbling of misdeeds he'd done in the past. If she could see auras his would definitely be black. Telepath wasn't really the best way to describe her. She rarely heard thoughts. Thoughts went in and out quickly. She saw the imprints of a life. If a girl daydreamed constantly about meeting a singer or if a man held onto the last moments with a dying wife. She could also see the bad things in people. Their sins they savored and seldom regretted. To put it plainly, she knew if one had been bad or good. Santa Clause had more in common with her. But it would be impractical to have all those adorable elves. Ava worked alone unless she counted Maggie as an elf. A leather clad overzealous elf.
Like fucking clockwork. The finger dipping deep into the trembling V-neck of the girl paused as Ava wandered past. Hannover's lips tightened and pursed, burning up the previous schedule he'd planned out for his curly headed partner. She didn't seem to mind the change in focus. In fact, her heart started beating again. Ava dropped her fingers to the couple's table and bent down low so that he could see the swell of her breasts were no longer a tease but tangible and within reach. His date was silent. She bit her glossy covered lips, saying "Thank You" with her soft blue eyes.
"Are you a dreamer?" Ava asked plunging her eyes low. Her fat red lips plumped out to linger on the word dreamer.
"Yes," Hannover replied and slid a deliberate palm across her cheek to her hand. He didn't bring her hand to meet his lips; he brought his lips to her hand. "This is the proper way to kiss a lady."
