Chapter 16—Claudius

“Someone was fucking following me.” That was the first thing I said when the guys came in and sat down.

Pa straightened up and brought his hands together.

Dante and Gio did their habitual exchange of curious glances, and Alex and Jude stared at me deadpanned.

“Did you get a look?” Pa asked.

“If I did, they wouldn’t have lived to get away.” Fuck. It bothered me the whole way here, and damn it to hell, it bothered me that whoever it was, was creeping on me from Ava’s restaurant.

“You sure you were being followed, boss?” Jude asked.

I eyed him dangerously. “Fuck, I know when I’m being followed. I didn’t get to where I am today by collecting fucking brownie points.”

I sighed heavily and gritted my teeth.

“We don’t know who it could be and why,” Gio stated. “We also got nothing on Barabbas or the Manellos. It’s all gone quiet again.”

I looked at Pa. Sometimes I thought he should be in charge. He was more experienced than me in this part of the game. I was more of a foot soldier, but I guess that had its merits too. I didn’t just issue orders and sit in my chair waiting and watching. I was still the foot soldier I’d always been.

“What do you think?” I asked him. Everyone looked to him.

He pulled out a wad of paperwork from the inside of his blazer and smirked. He looked like Luc when he did that. It made me miss him. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d relied on Luc until I didn’t have him. But I respected his life now, and honestly, I was happy that he was happy.

“I think there’s something brewing, stewing beneath us, and the sooner we find out what it is, the better. What is this?” Pa came over to me and handed me some paperwork. “The secretary handed it to me on my way in here. Came by fax.”

I looked it over. It was David Shipel’s purchase proposal. I’d expected this to come in. It was one of the topics I wanted to discuss.

“David Shipel wants to buy the Willows Shipping Company.”

“And you don’t think that’s strange?” Pa raised a brow. “Tell me you do.”

“I do. I’m just not sure how it’s strange yet.” I flashed a look at Gio, then Dante.

Gio leaned forward. “Is it still five million?”

I looked on the document and frowned. “Seven and a half. Seven and a half million.”

Alex wolf whistled. “That’s a lot of zeros, boss. Why do we think this is weird? The guy’s a billionaire.”

I looked at Pa as I geared up for the answer. “It’s strange because anyone willing to pay that much for that company could afford to set up their own.”

Pa smiled at my answer.

“And why wouldn’t he just set his own up?” Dante asked, shaking his head. He looked at each of the guys, then back to me.

“Time,” I answered.

“Takes too long to set something like that up,” Gio added.

“You sure you guys aren’t getting paranoid?” Alex frowned.

“I’m with Alex,” Jude offered. “Boss, you could just be paranoid because you were followed.”

“But the instigation came from me, son.” Pa cocked his head to the side and stared Jude down.

There was an air of something distrustful in Pa’s stare that caught my attention, but then he diverted his gaze to Alex, who looked back and pursed his lips together, knowing his place.

Pa wasn’t the boss, but to me he was. He was the fucking Godfather in my world. Felt like I was too young to call myself that, although I was thirty-eight.

“Boss,” Pa said to me and twisted back to face me. “This looks like a pot of shit. This guy is working for someone who needs the shipping company for something. We used to use it for many things. He could have picked anybody else. But he came to us because we’re special. Anything leaving those docks on our ships passes through. No one touches us. We need to find out why he would need something like that. What could be worth seven and a half million?”

“Even more money?” Dante said.

I agreed.

Fuck.

“How long till we have to give him an answer?” Gio asked I glanced down at the proposal. “He’ll get his answer when I give it to him.” There was some fine print shit about seven days, but I glossed over that.

“So, we have a Manello grunt, Barabbas Antonella, and now this.” Dante ran a hand over his beard and smiled a wicked smile. The scent of trouble got my guys going like fire on gasoline. “What does it all mean?”

“Means there’s a fucking fox in my henhouse. But what do I have that they want?”

Not me specifically. Chicago. It was Chicago. The shipping company was the part that I had, but what did they need it for?

It was just as we said; something was here in Chicago. Something I didn’t know about, and they were trying to get to it without me knowing. And use me. Sneaky bastards.

“We need to focus on this, see what’s happening and decide what we’ll do with it.” That was important. Deciding what we’d do with the information we’d get. “I need you guys ready for trouble if there’s any.”

“Oh, we’re ready.” Dante pulled out his trademark Berettas. Twin guns with Japanese characters engraved on the handles. He swiveled them around cowboy style and laughed. “Those fuckers don’t know who they’re messing with.”

I needed to speak to Luc. I looked at my team as they looked more excited than they had been in a while, but I was reminded that there was someone here I couldn’t trust. Pa glanced at me and probably guessed what I was thinking. It was because of what I’d said back at Luc’s shop.

I was serious though. I wouldn’t allow anyone to get to Ava. Never again.

***

The next few days that followed saw me working hard with the guys to gather intel. We came up with nothing. By the following week, I was wiped out, but hell, I couldn’t completely blame it on working.

When I wasn’t searching the streets, I was with her.

Ava.

We were together all the time, lost in this bubble of erotic passion that trapped my damn mind, and I couldn’t see for shit.

No way was I complaining, not one damn bit. The angel was all mine day and night, and I indulged in her perfect body every day like it was my last.

Something sounded on one of the windows, and I opened my eyes. The force of the sun beaming through the long case windows forced my eyes shut again.

What day is it?

This part I didn’t like because it felt like I lost time somehow.

I was on the hardwood floor. That meant I was downstairs.

No, not I… we. I opened my eyes again and smiled at my Angel Doll cocooned in my arms.

Her hair was a sexy mess. A complete sexy mess of waves. It went wavy when it got wet. Last night—or it could have been in the early hours of the morning—I had her pressed up against the granite walls of the shower with her legs wrapped around me as I pounded into her.

I could have happily died claiming to have lived at that moment.

And still I wanted more.

I wanted more, and I knew there would come a point when reality would rear its ugly head and slap us both.

This train of passion would burn out and bring me back full circle to my fears. My fears hadn’t gone away just because we were like this. Not by a damn long shot. This was just me being selfish. Wanting her, having her, indulging in her, and getting lost in making her mine.

Ava shuffled next to me. The soft end of her fingertips fluttered over the planes of my stomach, and fuck, my dick started hardening. Again.

She moaned a slight hum that reached into me. She was between asleep and awake. I loved watching her like this.

“Claudius,” she purred with a little smile on her beautiful face. “I can feel you looking at me.” Those fingers ran over my skin again, heating my whole body up as she touched me.

“I can’t stop.” I kissed the top of her head, and her gorgeous eyes fluttered open. Her thick, dark lashes cast a shadow over the peaks of her high cheekbones.

Goddam, I swore I could get lost in this woman forever. Just looking at her.

“I want you,” she cooed. Seduction rippled in her tone, and I smoothed my hand up to her breasts to cup them. I moved the blanket back and lowered my mouth to suck the hard nipple of her right breast.

She moaned again and knit her fingers in my hair, pushing my head closer to the ample flesh.

Footsteps sounded across the floor. It made me jump, and Ava immediately grabbed the blanket to cover herself.

Someone was running around inside the house. Small feet.

“Uncle Claudius!” Came a sound I normally relished, but I couldn’t when my woman and I were naked on the sitting room floor.

Raphael was running somewhere in the corridor, and then came voices. Luc and Amelia.

Oh Jesus. I couldn’t even hide. Raphael ran straight into the room and dashed over to me when he saw me but froze and stopped short when he saw Ava.

His little face looked confused, and his mouth dropped.

Luc and Amelia came in next with Pa, who instantly cast me a look of disdain.

“What in the ever-living—” I started.

“Language,” Amelia interrupted and glowered at me. Raphael ran back to her, and she picked him up.

Damn Lucian had a smirk on his fucking face. I was certain there were many times I’d embarrassed him in some form of way, but this… it damn well made up for it.

“Hello, Ava,” Luc said, turning up his smile a notch.

“Hi,” poor Ava answered. I could actually feel her embarrassment.

“What are you guys doing here?” I snapped. And, why were they still in here just looking?

“You said come for dinner on Sunday?” Pa replied.

“Yeah, on Sunday.” I was sure it was Friday or something. “Come back then.”

I didn’t normally invite them for dinner, and I kind of didn’t think they’d take me seriously because last time I’d made dinner, I didn’t make dinner. I ordered in.

“It’s Sunday, dinner time.” Amelia smirked then started laughing.

“Fuck,” I hissed.

“Language.”

“Fine. Give me five minutes.” I wasn’t one for embarrassment. I didn’t tend to feel anything because I did what I wanted, but damn it hell, I’d landed myself in this one.

They left us, and Pa gave me the courtesy of closing the door.

“I’m so sorry. I should leave.” Ava moved to go. “I don’t remember where my clothes are.” She looked at me, horrified, her skin crimson.

I caught her arm. “Stay. Don’t go.”

A light chuckle escaped her lips. “I am so embarrassed. Oh my God. Your family just walked in on us naked.”

“Yes, they kind of did. But… I don’t want you to go.”

“They’re here though.”

“I know. What if you stayed and had dinner with us? You can meet my sister-in-law and my nephew, again.”

She thought for a moment then nodded.

“Okay. At least let me cook. This is my fault.”

“It’s not. It’s mine. I was the one who wanted to make love to you in here, in the moonlight.” I was crazy for her.

She cupped my face and smoothed her hand across my beard, which I knew needed a trim. Her smile was infectious.

“Make love in the moonlight,” she breathed with an air of reminiscence in her voice.

“Make love in the moonlight,” I repeated. “And we’ll both cook.”

“Uh uh. I’m the boss of the kitchen.” She smiled.

I leaned forward and kissed her.

“Whatever you say, boss.”

***

Ava made a meal fit for God himself and all his heavenly host.

I didn’t even know how she found some of the ingredients she’d found. My maid, Donna, had done the weekly shopping on Wednesday, but I was certain it was just basics because I was a grab-and-go kind of guy.

Ava made pan fried chicken and beef stir-fry with spring vegetables. For dessert she made a peach cobbler with this sweet creamy sauce.

Everyone enjoyed it, even Raphael, who was normally fussy with everything.

I’d sat next to Luc around the table. Raphael sat in my lap the whole time, playing with my hair and trying to guess what the tattoos on my arm were. I wore a tank top, and the little guy had taken to his usual fascination with me. I had more tattoos than Luc.

Our dolls sat at the opposite end of the table talking it up. Pa was in the kitchen getting more drinks.

I watched Ava with Amelia, and it was interesting to see the two hit it off, right off the bat. The women Luc and I were normally into had never done that. Talked to each other. Perhaps that was mostly my fault. After Marissa, I was never with anyone I would class as a girlfriend, and definitely not anyone I would bring to my house.

At least Luc and Pa would know the significance of me having Ava here, let alone asking her to stay for dinner.

Ava and Amelia had gone from talking about some recipe for lasagna to coconut oil.

“I use it in everything.” Ava smiled, nodding, and the ends of her blonde ponytail bobbled. “Trust me, it’s the secret to giving any recipe a kick. Something about the type of oils coconuts produce.”

“Really? I have the water after a long class.” Amelia straightened in her chair. Of course, she was talking about ballet.

I definitely didn’t care much for ballet or any form of dance. I hated anything like that, but she made it sound interesting. I’d never tell her that though. Then she’d think that was an invite to bore me to death with talk on choreography. The way she did with Luc and Maurice. Amelia had basically become my annoying little sister, the kind who could instill annoyance, but you loved them like family.

It was nice watching them. Her talking to Ava and making her feel welcome, despite the intro they’d had. And the two really did look like dolls.

I caught Luc looking at me. Cutting me a sideways stare.

I looked to him just as Raphael started wrapping the ends of my hair into some bun.

“What?” I asked.

The corners of his mouth turned down into a frown. “You know what.” He spoke in a low, even tone, keeping the conversation between us. Although I doubted the dolls would have been able to hear us above their chatter.

“I don’t.” That was a lie. I knew what he was talking about. He’d been watching me watching them, and I was pretty certain he was thinking the same thing as me.

“Liar. Just admit it. It’s nice to have them.” He returned his gaze to Amelia.

I think that I was always a little jealous of the love Luc had with Amelia because it was the kind most people fantasized about, while others like myself thought it was exceptional and believing love like theirs was for everyone was bullshit.

Most of all, it reminded me of the way I’d been with Ava when we met ten years ago. It reminded me of what I’d had and lost.

Today was the first time that I didn’t feel that envy as I watched my brother looking at his wife with that love. Because sitting next to his wife was my love.

I knew…

I knew I shouldn’t entertain such thoughts, but it was nice to dream a little.

“It’s nice to have them,” I said more to myself than in answer to Luc.

“Papa, can I have a tattoo for my birthday, like Uncle Claudius?” Raphael asked, drawing our attention back to him.

I shuffled him around, and he placed his little arms around my neck.

Luc chuckled. “Your Ma would kill me.”

“Hey, you weren’t specific though, little boss,” I intoned.

“What’s pacific?” He giggled in that seriously cute way kids did. “Is that an ocean?” The little man was nearly four, but damn did he have a brain on him.

“Yes, what I meant was you have to say which birthday. How about your Pa and I get you your first tattoo when you’re eighteen?”

Raphael frowned. “Eighteen? That’s older than Grandpa, I’ll need a walking stick.”

Luc and I burst out laughing.

Pa came back in with a tray of drinks. He stopped at Ava first and offered her a glass.

“Pet, your father showed me how to make this,” Pa said proudly. He looked like he was happy to have them here too.

“Really, oh wow. Is this his sangria?” Ava asked. Pa bowed his head in reverence. She took a sip and smiled wider. “That is amazing.”

“It’s as close as I could get.” Pa chuckled. “You know him, always blending cultures and flavors to create a masterpiece.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell him you said that.”

“I need some.” Amelia went to take some, but Pa pulled the tray back and gave her a different glass. She pouted and folded her arms.

“Your turn to drive.” Pa wagged his pointer at her, and he kind of reminded me of her father, Raphael. He’d had a habit of doing that too. “Pet, you and Luc aren’t going to do this to me again. Have me chauffeuring you two while you’re wasted, then babysitting.”

“Come on, Pa. She can have a little, right?” Luc argued with a guilty smirk on his face.

“No, she can have fruit juice.”

“Fine.” Amelia took the fruit juice.

Ava laughed and glanced across at me. From the look in her eyes I could tell that she was enjoying this, all of it. Hanging out with my family.

Her green eyes sparkled, and the slight rose color that filled her cheeks added to the vision of her.

Luc leaned closer when she looked away.

“We should do this more often.” Luc spoke in that low voice again. “Something to consider, right? You can’t tell me this doesn’t feel like it should always be like this.”

I looked to him and wished that I could lie and say that he was wrong. I couldn’t though.

I just couldn’t.

I wouldn’t be a fool and agree either.

This setting felt like we could be like this forever, but there were too many demons waiting to burst out of my closet.

This setting was a dream a man like me could only dream of. Especially when he was still wading through the nightmares of the past.

Someone had followed me the other week, and ghosts from the past were resurfacing.

I wouldn’t rest until I knew what was happening. Until then, all I could do was dream.