Chapter 12: Vincent

I’ve never been a coward.

I can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve run away from anything. Not even when I should have did I run away.

The last two days have been a first for me.

The whole weekend has seen me doing my best to avoid Ava because Friday night was too intense.

Too much.

Too damn much.

I indulged in the woman the whole damn night and had to tear myself away from her so she could sleep. That’s when I left and arranged for a car to pick her up early in the morning.

I haven’t seen her since.

I’m at Giordanos Inc. again. I got here early to get a head start on my work for the week so I can spend more time at Renovata.

I’ve decided I’ll go over everything myself with a fine-toothed comb and organize the accounts to my liking. If all goes well here, I should be able to go to Renovata on Wednesday and spend the rest of the week there.

I’ll be busy. That’s what I want. I’m assuming too that we’ll get the checks back on our Bratva friends any day, so I want my schedule flexible for that.

I’ll be sure to see my boy first thing in the morning and last thing at night. That’s all I need. I gotta stay away from Ava for a few more days. Just so I can cool off.

It’s the middle of the day, and I’ve been working harder than usual to keep my mind busy.

Keep busy and not face the fact that I don’t know what to make of this fascination I have with a woman I’ve known for exactly one week.

The worst thing about it is, I don’t know how to deal with what she does to me. I’ve never been a liar, so I won’t start now and do worse by lying to myself. The truth is… I’ve never met anyone who’s had the effect she’s had on me, and I’m ashamed to admit it because Sorcha was the love of my life.

I’ve never been with a woman who wanted me the way Ava does. When she touches me, it’s enough to transform that raw, carnal force of rage inside into undiluted passion that takes over my whole being.

Fuck… I don’t know what the hell I’m thinking. She’s driving me crazy, and I’m driving myself crazy.

Crazy is not what I need now. With my impending takeover of the business, I can’t afford crazy, or sloppy.

I shouldn’t feel like this about a woman who is a debt repayment.

That’s what she’s supposed to be. I’m supposed to see her that way, but that image is fading. I’m losing control, and I can’t allow that to happen.

Christian knocks on my open door and comes in.

“Man, this chick must definitely have done some kind of number on you,” Christian states, shaking his head at me.

He’s dying to know what’s going on with Ava and knows a little more than I want because he’s been helping me sort out the shit Mark left at Renovata. He guessed right away what the situation was if I had Ava at my house and hadn’t killed her father.

Most of that side of my family are used to arrangements like that. Taking women as payment or in exchange for something is nothing new to them. Although I think it’s safe to say that the debt owed in my case is a little higher than I’ve heard.

“I really hope the pussy payment is worth this shit. Maybe it is. Haven’t seen you at The Dark Odyssey the last few nights, and the last time I saw you there, you were with her. Makes me wonder if you’re satisfied with what you have at home.”

“What the fucking hell is it now?” Clearly, he’s found something.

“I’m just saying this woman must have worked some kind of wayaka on you, or her pussy must be really good for you to forgive her old man for so much. I just found another two G’s missing from the business account. Looked like some prearranged order. It went to a hooker called Mindy.” He starts laughing like it’s fucking funny.

“Fuck… fucking Mark.” I ball my fists. “And fuck you too Christian. It’s not damn funny, you prick,” I snap at him when he continues to laugh.

“Come on, Vincent.”

It’s days like these when I see the split in differences across the family. His side is far too jovial in times when I need them to be serious. Both Christian and Georgiou talk to me like we’re always hanging out, never serious. Georgiou is a few months older than me, yet he acts like he’s living in a perpetual fantasy. Christian is thirty-seven and is still the billionaire playboy.

“Christian, you gonna push me right now?”

“Basino, if it’s funny, it’s funny. If it was me, I’d go check out Mindy and get my money’s worth. Why should she get paid for nothing?”

I sneer and look away from him.

He chuckles. “Okay, on a serious note… you do have two G’s gone from your business account, and I’m guessing if Mark set something like that up once, there’ll be more things like that to look out for. So, I’ve set a note on the account to query any transactions like that. I also spent some time at Renovata this morning shaping up things up. I think between the two of us, we’ll be able to get everything back on track by the end of the week. Maybe before.”

Okay, he’s definitely back in my good books now.

“Jesus… Christian, thanks, man.”

That’s the first piece of good news I’ve had since this nightmare with Mark started.

“No worries. You’ll also be glad to hear that everything looks fed-proofed. If anybody wants to check things out, they’re welcome to it. The accounts look the way you need them to.”

I laugh now. “That will help big time.”

“Yeah, well, I’m hoping you give me more contracts and a raise when you become boss.” He grins.

“You need more money, Christian?” He co-owns The Dark Odyssey with Georgiou, Salvatore, Gabe, and Nick. The five of them make millions from people’s sexual fantasies. He’s not broke.

“Hey, if you can make it, do it. I just know what I can do, and I know my worth, so you remember me when you collect your old man’s crown.”

“You fucker.” I smirk, and he gives me a nonchalant smile. “Thanks for all your help though. I don’t want to think about this Mark situation anymore.”

It must be some kind of sign for me not to because the instant I say that, a beep comes through on my computer. It’s an alert from the secret squad, the guys who do our checks.

Christian knows what the beep means too, so he tenses up and looks at me with expectancy.

I open the email quickly. Part of me hopes they’ll find something, and I won’t have to worry about the discomfort I feel about this alliance.

My damn heart sinks when I scan through the email and see every fucking thing came back clean.

They’re clean, good to go, good to do business with.

Shit.

“What, Vincent?”

“The checks on the Bratva guys are clean,” I answer.

“Oh… okay. I guess that’s good, right?” He raises a brow.

“It’s good.”

Our checks are good. They’re high level and the type the feds use, so that means we can dig deep. If we run a check on a person or group of people and they come back clean, it means you can trust them with your babies.

So, why do I still feel the same?

Like shit. Like there’s still something to find to explain this brewing feeling of distrust I have for them.

I look at the paperwork on the screen and see we didn’t just run the checks on Dmitri and Yuri but their Pakhan too: Ilya Lobonov. He’s the actual guy we’ll be doing business with.

Everything’s clean by our standards, and it looks like they don’t get their hands dirty either, just like us. We don’t get our hands dirty unless we have to.

“What now?”

“I don’t know.”

He narrows his eyes at me in confusion. “Is there anything else you want me to do?”

“No, I don’t think there’s anything else.”

“Vincent… you don’t look that… confident. This isn’t like you. It’s normally pass check, next please, we have other things to worry about. What’s with you and these guys?”

“I don’t know. I’m being crazy stupid. It’s just that…” I sigh. Maybe I’m seeing things that aren’t there and am being overprotective.

“What?”

“Christian, if these people were guys who’d worked with someone we knew, I wouldn’t have a damn thing to say about it. It would be cool. But what I can’t stand is instances where there’s little to no info. I know they’re different units and syndicates like us and we aren’t the same across the board, but there’s something about them in general I don’t like.”

He nods, agreeing. “What can we do about it? Your pops looks like he’s already got this in the bag.”

“I know.”

“Vincent, they came back clean, so maybe these guys are straight up legit. It’s hard to be suspicious when everything is good by our standards.” An uneasy expression fills his face . “But if you don’t trust them, maybe you need to think about why.”

He’s right. That question of why I don’t trust these guys is a good one. Now I have no reason not to.

“I’m gonna… take the rest of the time to think. I told them four weeks. They’ll be expecting to hear back from us in that time frame.”

“I think you should do that. Maybe talk things through with your pops too.”

I nod, appreciating his advice. I can’t talk with Pa though. No way. He would have gotten a copy of that email and will be on my ass by nightfall about it.

I think I do need to talk it over with someone though. Not any of my brothers. This feels like I need someone who’s used to making these types of decisions.

I have just the guy in mind.

***

I get off the phone with Claudius, making arrangements to meet in two days, when a knock sounds at the door.

I frown. I was about to go home. It’s already late, bordering eight. I’ve been here for over twelve hours.

Janice, my secretary, would have called me to check if I was seeing anybody, but she’s already left for the day.

Whoever that is better have a good excuse for knocking on my door at this hour.

“Come in,” I call out.

The door opens, and I’m surprised when I see Dmitri.

Fucking hell. This is completely unexpected.

“Hello, Boss,” he begins, raising his hands. He doesn’t look as uptight as he did the other day. His face is also less tense.

“Good evening,” I say, making a point of noting the time of day.

“I apologize for my impromptu visit. I know it’s late. I called your father earlier, and he said you’d be working until late and it would be better to speak to you then.”

Shit. Bad enough I feel like my damn hands are tied behind my back when it comes to these guys, but must Pa rule my time too?

“That is okay. What can I do for you?” I ask.

“I’ll only be a minute. I just wanted to check that we didn't get off on the wrong foot last week,” he says. “I hoped my eagerness to get things going didn’t overstep boundaries. I apologize if it did.”

I’m not exactly sure what it is I’m supposed to say to that.

“No worries. It’s understandable that you’d want to get a thing like this sorted out as quickly as possible,” I answer.

“I appreciate your understanding. I thought I would ask the question of trust too, just to make sure I cover all bases.”

“Trust?” Interesting he would say that.

“I wanted to know what it might be about us that you don't trust? I assure you we don’t hope to repeat mistakes of the past.” He nods.

It’s curious he would mention the past. When bad things like that happen, people tend to steer clear of any talk of it, especially when it had nothing to do with them. The past involved a different brotherhood, although they’re Bratva all the same.

“I want to make sure I do what’s right for my people,” I answer. I won’t make any reference to the past or engage in any discussion about it. Nothing for him to take away and use against me.

Dmitri nods. “Well, that’s a sign of a good leader. You would like our Pakhan. Please, take the time you require. I thought it was important to have this meeting with you just to make sure you see we’re very interested in making this work.”

He’s saying that, but my trepidation is still there. I smile though.

“I appreciate the visit.”

Dmitri smiles. “I hear you guys have a club to our tastes. We could come by and hang out in a more casual setting, not business. Just a drink.”

I nod. “Yeah, sure.”

“Thanks for your time, Vincent.”

“You’re welcome.”

He dips his head for a curt nod and leaves. As he does, I take a moment to think.

He seems like a decent guy. That’s the appearance he portrayed. It was just that it didn’t feel real to me.

Most often when something feels too good to be true, it’s usually not.

***

I get home late and head to my office.

There’s a private room in the back where I have some CCTV set up.

The house is like a fortress with security comparable to a prison. There’s no way I’d make the same mistake as I did at the old house.

That was different though. With my best men protecting the place and guards at the door, nothing would have stopped the infiltration because we had a rat.

I don’t want to think about it now, and I wish I could stop seeing the image of my dead wife’s body in my mind.

Some nights when I can’t sleep, I end up here and just watch the place like I’m triple-checking the house is safe. Checking my baby is safe in his room and Marguerite in hers when she’s here.

I do that looking in on both, and then I look in on Ava. This would be the third day that I haven’t seen her. I told Marguerite to tell her I’d be working late. Ava’s not stupid though.

I’m a fucking prick, but I wasn’t that to her last Friday. All I did in that room with her was real.

She’ll know that’s why I haven’t been around her. She’ll know straight up that I’ve been avoiding her. No matter what excuse I tell Marguerite to give her, she’ll know the truth.

We crossed the line. We crossed the line big time, and I’m trying to make my way back.

She’s awake but lying down on the bed in the dimly lit room.

She’s gazing out the window with an expression that shows a million questions on her mind. I can practically see them swirling around her pretty little head.

She wants to see her father, she wants to speak to him, she wants her life back, she wants to leave here. She wants to leave me.

I watch her sit up and pull her top over her head, showing me her naked breasts.

Those fucking guards better not be watching. She doesn’t know there are cameras in the room. There’s a camera in every room of the house that connects to my phone. If anyone would be idiot enough to break in, they’re dead. Pure and simple. Dead.

I tap on the keyboard and disable the view of her room from everyone else.

It’s only me who can see her now.

She gets up out of the bed. It’s torture watching her parade her body like that in front of me when I can’t touch her. She walks over to the window and cracks it open.

It is hot, so I don’t blame her. She gets back in the bed and covers herself slightly then rolls onto her side, where she resumes her thoughts.

I wonder what crosses her mind when a tear rolls down her cheek.

What is she thinking about?

I look into her eyes and try to see.

I find myself looking at that old pain again.

Old pain never goes away.

Pain and guilt. It’s the same.

I wonder what her story is.