Chapter 21—Ava

Well, at least today turned out to be manageable, and my head didn’t explode like I’d feared this morning.

Having Claudius with me helped, and I was able to do a lot. The place was actually ready. I just needed to do a few things here and there. Tweaks that could really be done by anyone.

I went out back to close the shutter. I hated keeping it open and often had visions of people getting into the restaurant through here in the night.

It was where my deliveries came in.

Tonight, it had a creepier vibe, probably because I was so on edge.

“I’m amazed he let you out of his sight,” said a voice from the darkness, making me jump right out of my skin.

I spun around, facing the direction the voice had come from. A man stepped out of the shadows, moving into the soft glow of the amber lights I had set up around the retractable door.

Hideous was the best word I could find to describe his large, bulky build with a tattoo of a panther killing a snake crawling up his cheek.

“What do you want?” I cried.

Oh God… why’d I come out here by myself? I should have asked Claudius to come with me.

“You, sweet thing. Looks like the boss needed a louder message. Or something more evocative. Like me taking you.”

I sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back when he came forward.

“Or me,” came another voice. A man equally as tough looking jumped over the fence, and I knew I was screwed. Claudius was in the cellar. He might come looking for me when he didn’t see me come back, but it would be too late.

Just like before.

“Leave me alone.” I backed away as they came closer.

“Now that I see you, I doubt I can. Orders were to take you away for a little while. No mention though of what I could and couldn’t do with you while I had you,” tattooed face guy mused, whipping out a gun and aiming it right at me. “I could kill you, and no one would know. But you got a nice pair of tits I could—”

He didn’t get to finish. A gunshot sounded and ripped straight through his neck.

I screamed as the blood splashed out and he dropped to the ground squirming, grabbing at his neck.

Claudius was on the other guy before either of us could register what was happening.

He’d fired a shot, but the man dodged it and lunged for him.

I cowered in the corner, pressing against the brick wall, horrified and scared. Then terrified, when two more guys jumped over the fence. They fired shots at Claudius. I thought for sure that they would take him down, but he held his own. Dodging bullets and fighting like I’d never seen before.

This didn’t feel real. I watched him and saw the darkness in him unfold right before my eyes. All there as he shot the two guys in their heads, killing them instantly, and whipped out a knife from his back pocket to ram into the other guy. He aimed for his heart, and he, too, dropped to the ground. Blood gushing out. There was so much blood.

So much blood everywhere and all over Claudius.

He’d killed them. Four men had just died before me, just like that, and one guy took them down.

My guy…

I didn’t even realize I was crying, or that I’d sunk to my knees in the corner.

Claudius rushed up to me and put out his hand to take mine but retracted it when he saw how much blood was on his hands. It dripped from his hands.

I was instantly reminded of that conversation we’d had years ago. The one where I’d first asked him if he killed people. He’d said in his world, it was kill or be killed to protect the people you love, and yourself.

What I’d just witnessed was that.

Those men were here to take me. Claudius just stopped them. They’d fired shots, and he’d shot back.

He was protecting me.

I knew that, but why couldn’t I stop shaking and trembling?

Why did I suddenly feel afraid? Scared of what he was?

Why couldn’t I stop shaking?

Claudius She was scared of me…

I never wanted her to be scared of me or see me kill.

I’d never wanted any of this. But it followed me, just like I’d feared.

Being with me was dangerous for her.

I’d barely done anything, but I had Antonellas on my ass, them coming to kidnap my girl clearly because I was now looking for David Shipel.

I’d heard that first guy say I hadn’t gotten the message clear enough.

It wasn’t rocket science. They were retaliating because I hadn’t backed down, and who had I given orders to, to bring me David Shipel?

The Four.

I’d told Dante and Gio in person, and Jude and Alex on the phone last night.

It was just those four guys I’d spoken to, not even the secret squad.

So, here I was in this state of shit, and I really didn’t think my damn mind was screwing with me. The situation was just as it was. Someone was playing me, and Ava almost got taken again.

She almost got taken from me to be held as some ransom, or worse. I’d heard what that meathead said. How he spoke to her. She was terrified.

I took her home. My house. If circumstances were different, I would have taken her to her place, but she needed to stay with me until I spoke to Luc.

He’d be here soon.

When he did get here, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was I planned to do.

Ava allowed me to clean her off. She had blood on her from the guy I’d shot first. I stripped her down, myself too, out of the bloody clothes I wore, and got in the shower with her. Then I cleaned her like I was trying to wash away all that had happened. From her hair down. It was the first time this woman was naked before me that I didn’t think of sex.

I guess the silence that drifted between us helped. We’d been silent the whole time. She’d cried, and I felt like an absolute son of a bitch.

When I got her dried off, I left her in the fluffy white bath robe and placed her in the bed. Again, she allowed me to do all that.

The door downstairs sounded, and I knew that had to be Luc. Ava heard it too.

“You got dressed like you’re going out,” Ava stated, scanning over the clothes I’d changed into. “Are you?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Her eyes clouded over, and a tear ran down her cheek. “The cleanup crew… do they really just come and take the men away? Clean up like they never existed? What about the police? Shouldn’t we call them? It was self-defense,” she stuttered.

I sat on the edge of the bed when she started shaking.

“Doll,” I breathed, running a hand over my beard. “This isn’t a police matter. It’s just not. Under normal circumstances, we would call the police, but this isn’t normal. Calling people like that would make things a whole lot worse.”

I wouldn’t venture down the path of explaining how much worse it could be and frighten her even more.

“They’re dead. What will the cleanup crew do to them?”

This was so hard. This part was so hard, and I didn’t know what more I could say that would calm her down.

This was the reason why we kept women out of business. It was the reason why I’d kept her out, but what was I to do if she was constantly being taken?

Fuck.

“Ava, do you think I should have found another way?” I had to ask because she kept focusing on the fact that the men were dead. Not the part where they came to take her.

She shook her head, but I wasn’t sure if she really meant it.

I stood up to go.

“Thanks for saving me,” she spoke in a small voice.

“You wouldn’t need saving if not for me.” It was the obvious, and I was done pussyfooting around everything. No more of it.

With that, I left her and made my way downstairs.

Luc was in the living room waiting for me. Him and Pa. I had to admit it was good seeing the both of them.

Pa straightened when he saw me.

“She okay?” he asked.

“No, she’s not. Not by a long shot,” I answered.

Luc regarded me with concern. “Did she get hurt?” he asked.

“Not physically. She’s scared. Scared of me.”

“I’m sure she’s not scared of you.” Luc shook his head.

“She is, Luc. She saw me kill. I shot three men and stabbed another. I haven’t killed since Victor.”

Luc and Pa exchanged surprised glances. Victor had happened over three years ago now, and that psychotic son of a bitch deserved it. It was the only way to end him.

Tonight felt like that. A fight for my life, and my girl’s.

“She knows you did it to protect her,” Luc offered. “It’s shock, Claudius. It can be a lot to take in when you’ve never seen that before.”

He knew what he was saying was true. I knew what he was saying was true. It just didn’t make me feel any better.

“Can we get on to the more pressing matter here? Like how this happened,” Pa snapped in.

“It’s one of The Four. I don’t know who. Jesus, what if it’s all of them?”

Pa frowned, and Luc tensed.

“Keep your enemies close, boy,” Pa advised. “Keep them fucking close. Don’t have them running around being the boss of you. I told Raphael the same thing. He didn’t listen to me.”

I stilled as he said that. Raphael had been betrayed by one of his best friends. The same thing was happening to me.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I reached for it and answered quickly when I saw it was Dante.

“We got him, boss. We’re heading to the roof of the office.”

“Good. Who’s with you?” This would be the interesting part.

“Gio. It’s just Gio and me. I sent a message to Alex and Jude. They know where to meet us.”

“I’m on my way.” I hung up and looked to Pa and Luc. “You guys okay to stay here?”

“Of course,” Pa replied.

Luc stood as if he was coming with me.

“Where are you going?”

“With you.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Luc, I don’t have to remind you that you aren’t in the business anymore.”

“This isn’t about business. It’s family. We always have each other’s back.”

I was happy to see that I still had my brother, no matter what.

“I need you to stay here. If she knows you’re here, she’ll feel safe. You too Pa. Thanks for coming.”

I needed to go, and Ava needed people here who could make her feel safe. Right now, I wasn’t one of them.

Luc gave me a reluctant sigh. “You call me if you need me.”

I rested my hand on his shoulder. “You know I will, brother.”

I backed away. Time for business. Time to get to the fucking bottom of this.

There was no way that this was going to be some rerun of seven years ago.

No way in hell.