Page 72 of Ties That Bind Us

“Just about you, baby.”

Chapter 28

Nick

After our romp in the ocean, Ava and I spent the day kayaking and snorkeling, and just enjoying the resort. Both of us were so relaxed we were almost delirious. Seeing Ava in this environment was quickly becoming my favorite thing in the world. She was so carefree and happy, and the look in her eyes was just incredible. It was so refreshing to see. It even had me wishing we could run away to an island somewhere and live forever. We both knew that wasn’t realistic, but we were basking in the experience while we could.

Several hours later, we finally dragged ourselves back to the room to get ready for dinner. Ava hopped in a hot shower, and as badly as I wanted to join her, I needed to scrounge up some type of phone since mine was now sitting at the bottom of the Caribbean. I was still in shock that she had done that, but I had to admit it was pretty effective. Not thinking about work all day had been incredible, but it was a serious test of the control freak in me. I had no idea how things were going back home, and after my conversation with Joey, I needed to get in touch with Vince.

Alessandro was a manipulative bastard, I knew that already, but Joey’s phone call had solidified it beyond my wildest dreams. Last night was the first in our stakeout to catch Alessandro tracking me, and he had fallen right into our trap. Apparently, I had severely underestimated his hatred for me, though. I had expected him to send some soldiers to prove a point by roughing me up a little bit. What I hadn’t expected was for him to send two prostitutes to the door in a blatant attempt to set me up, with my own credit card no less. The motherfucker was brazen, I had to give him that.

From the very beginning he had been planning to use Ava to control and manipulate our family, and now, apparently, to be the one to break the deal off. He thought he could control her but he hadn’t counted on us actually falling in love. This was just another attempt of his to gain the upper hand with no regard for what might happen to Ava. She was stronger than him, and she was beginning to see through his lies. Without me even telling her all the shit he was doing, she was starting to see Alessandro for what he really was, and her loyalty was to me. He could see it, too, so his only hope was getting her back on his side by discrediting me. His plan had probably been to photograph me at the door with those women and use the photos to convince Ava that I was cheating on her. Then she’d walk away and it would be her fault that the treaty fell apart. The man was spineless. He continued to use Ava as a scapegoat for his tricks, and I wasn’t going to stand by and let it happen again. If I had had any doubts about coming home with her as my wife, I was now fucking positive about it being a good idea.

She didn’t know her dad was double crossing us, and I had conflicted thoughts about telling her. Knowing what Alessandro was up to would only hurt her even more. I had promised not to keep things from her, but Ava was fragile. Especially right now. But keeping things from her wasn’t a path I wanted to go down again.

If I could just get her to marry me here in Saint Lucia, everything would be easier. I could fight for her and protect her the way I wanted to. Until she was my wife, she was under Alessandro’s reign, was his little pawn. And I knew my dad wouldn’t let me get involved in another family’s issues, no matter who it was. He loved Ava and wanted to keep her safe, too, but there were certain unwritten rules we had to uphold, and staying out of other families’ affairs was one of them. It would send us into an all-out war with the Morettis, and we couldn’t afford that right now. That’s why I had to get her out of there through some sort of loophole, and marrying her was the only way I could make it happen.

We loved each other, so what was the big deal about moving the wedding up a few months? I hoped she would see it that way, but I wasn’t sure. Whatever was going to happen, I needed to be honest with Ava. I had to trust our relationship was strong enough to get through the storm that was inevitably coming. I had faith in us, and I hoped she did too.

I knocked softly on the door, unsure if she was still in the shower. When she didn’t answer, I went in.

“Av?” I called, glancing around the room. I had had a few dresses brought up from the boutique for her, and one of them was lying on the bed. It was the one I had hoped she’d pick—maroon lace and low cut.

Soft singing floated out of the bathroom and I smiled to myself. I loved listening to her sing when she got ready; it was beautiful.

I saw her leaning against the counter in just a towel, applying lipstick. God, I would never tire of seeing that sight. The way each muscle was defined in her legs, the curve of her back, the way her ass stuck out, taunting me. She was absolute perfection.

I leaned against the door frame, not able to tear my eyes away from her. After every time we’d been apart for a few hours, I found myself just staring at her, memorizing every detail and reacquainting myself with her. It was like each hour was an eternity.

“What are you doing?” I hadn’t noticed Ava looking at me in the mirror, watching as I stared creepily at her.

“I, uh . . .” I stuttered, running my fingers through my hair. “I was going to apologize for earlier.”

She was confused by my statement. “Apologize? For what? We had a great day.”

“We had an incredible day.” I grinned and sat on the bathroom counter, pulling her between my legs. “But this is supposed to be about us getting away from everything back home, and I wasn’t abiding by that earlier. I promise you that from now on, you are the only thing on my mind.”

She didn’t look convinced, still upset I wouldn’t tell her what my conversation had been about earlier. Ava wasn’t stupid, and I knew a simple apology wasn’t going to cut it. She had been taking shit like this from men her entire life, and I had to prove to her I was different.

“Somehow I find that hard to believe,” she said.

There were so many details about her father that I had tried to spare her from because I knew they would hurt her, but now I didn’t have a choice. “Ava, you are the most important thing in my life. Do you understand that?”

She bit her lip, eyes filling with tears. This was going to be hard on her but she needed to know. I couldn’t keep her in the dark anymore or I would drive the wedge between us myself.

“I made you a promise that I would be honest with you, even if what I had to say was going to hurt.” I paused. “Your dad—he’s into a lot of shit, Ava, and we don’t even know the half of it yet. He’s trying to break us up and use you to control my family. Our organization.”

She frowned and pulled away slightly, but I wouldn’t let her. It was now or never. This was the last thing I wanted to be doing on our vacation, but I knew I couldn’t feed her any more bullshit. She deserved the truth, and for once in her life, she was going to get it.

“Ava, the truth is, this vacation isn’t just about you and me getting away from everything. That’s part of it, but it’s also because of what’s going on back at home. Your dad was responsible for the shooting at the dress shop. He didn’t pull the trigger, but it was in retaliation for a bad deal he made with the Russians. I needed to get you out of town for a while so we could evaluate what kind of threat we’re under.”

She shook her head. “No, there has to be some mistake. My dad wouldn’t . . .” Then the realization hit her, and I could see as little pieces came together in her mind.

“He did, baby.” I held her hand tightly. “He planned to use you to control our organization once we were married, that’s what he promised the Russians.” She closed her eyes and a few tears dripped down her cheek. “Ava, he knows you’re pulling away from him and so he is doing anything he can to protect himself. He knows he isn’t able to control you anymore, so he’s desperate for another plan.”

“How do you know all of this?” She was battling her heart and mind, wanting to come to his defense but knowing I wouldn’t lie to her.

“Before we left, one of my men booked a hotel in Chicago under my name because we thought your dad was tracking me. Vince was keeping an eye on—”

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