Good Girl: Valetti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) (10 page)

Kane

I
brush
her hair away from her face. Ava’s still asleep. She looks so sweet. So innocent. Guilt and regret make my chest hurt and my heart sink. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of her. I’m holding her against her will. She’s forced to stay with me.

And yet, she begged me for it.

It took everything in me to turn her down, every ounce of control I had. But I couldn’t resist when she asked like that. I clench my jaw remembering her plea. “Take their touch away.” The desire to kill every one of those fuckers rides me hard. I’m up against all odds, but there’s no fucking way I’ll ever let them touch her again.

She stirs in my arms and it brings me back to the moment. I held her all night, her back to my chest. I fucking love the feel of her soft skin against me. My fingers itch to trail along the dip of her waist. As my eyes travel her body I see her ribs and my desire falters.

She’s still hurt, still suffering. I need to make this right for her.

The sound of my phone ringing on the dresser makes my eyes dart across the room. Ava stiffens in my arms, and it fucking kills me. She’s scared. She’s so used to waking up in fear that even after the night we shared, she still wakes up tense and full of apprehension. I quickly pull her body to mine and kiss her shoulder. My lips linger on her skin.

“Good morning, my good girl.” I know that little pet name makes her relax, and it does the trick once again. Her body molds to mine as the phone rings again. I look from the phone down to her and see her baby blues looking at me, and a soft, small smile is on her lips. I give her a quick kiss and leave her warmth to walk across the room to my phone.

It stops ringing just as I get there, and I grind my teeth when I see the name. Abram.

Fuck.

It’s not a good sign that he’s calling. It doesn’t have to be about Felipe, though. I fucking hope it’s not, anyway. I breathe in deep and hit “call back”. I put the phone to my ear and watch as Ava sits up in bed, covering herself with the blanket.

She’s so fucking beautiful.

“Kane,” Abram says flatly as he answers.

I don’t want to respond as he expects, but I should. He needs to think everything is just fine while I figure out what my next move is. I can’t let him onto anything. I don’t have a plan, and I don’t know who I can trust. I can’t fuck this up and let him in on anything, so I answer like he wants me to, “Boss. Sorry I missed the call. What do you need?”

Ava stills on the bed as she realizes who I’m talking to. I make eye contact with her and put a finger over my lips. I look to the door thinking maybe I should get out of here so she can’t hear what’s going on. She’s not going to like this conversation. But I want her to know everything. I want her to know what I’m telling Abram, and then I’ll let her know what’s going on once the call is over. I need to tell her she’s never going back to him. I’ll die before I let him take her from me.

“I’m not going to lie, Kane. I was worried for a minute. You’re always quick with your phone.” There’s a moment of silence. He’s waiting for me to answer and I don’t fucking like it. I feel like I’m being tested. Something’s up. Maybe he’s heard about Felipe.

“Sorry boss, it was across the room and I was a bit busy.”

“Is that so?” he answers, with a bit of humor in his voice, but that could be to throw me off. “Busy with my gift, I presume?” I fucking hate how he says that. She’s not an object to be given.

Pain radiates in my chest as I answer, “Yeah, I won’t lie. I’ve been enjoying this role.” I enjoyed watching Felipe meet his death, so it’s not a complete lie. He laughs on the other end. It’s a short, robust laugh that comes deep from his chest. Ava’s eyes fall. I fucking hate it. I walk closer to the bed and stand at the side next to her. She’s motionless and looking unsure of herself. I grip her chin gently and tilt her to look at me. “It’s okay,” I mouth to her. I lean down and plant a kiss on her plush lips.

“Good. I was worried I’d made a mistake bringing you on,” he says.

I smirk as I talk into the phone. “No mistake there, boss.”

“You know you don’t get to keep that one. But I’m willing to let you have whichever you want from each shipment. As long as you leave no permanent damage, of course.” His words make me sick to my stomach, but I push it down.

“Of course. That’s very generous of you.” I decide to suck up to him like the little bitch he wants me to be. “I appreciate that.”

“That’s good news. Very good news, Kane. But we need to get back to business.” He clears his throat and I straighten my back preparing for whatever’s about to come through on the other line. It hasn’t even been 12 hours since Felipe’s been killed, but I have a bad feeling that this is exactly what the call is about.

“Have you spoken with the Valettis?”

“I had a meeting with them yesterday, boss. I think you’ll be happy.” I take a deep breath, ready to rattle off the shipping times that would be best to send the larger crates. I have to pretend it’s for a different reason than sex trafficking. I can’t stomach the thought of what’s really going to be in those crates. “So there are--” I start to speak, but he cuts me off.

“I don’t need to know any of that just yet,” he says.

“Alright. Whenever you’re ready.”

“What I want to know is if Vince is fully on board with this?” I know I need to be smart about that answer. He saw Vince’s face. He knows Vince was less than happy about this shit.

“I’ll give it to you straight, boss. I think it’s hard for him to stomach this shit. But...” I pause so he gets the feeling I’m working on his side of things for this. “...I think there’s a way to make it a bit easier on him.”

“I’m listening,” he answers. I take a deep breath and look back at Ava, who’s wide-eyed on the bed, listening. I don’t want her to hear this. I’ll have to tell her this is all horse shit. I’m sure she’ll believe me, though. She has to know that everything I did yesterday was for her.

“I brought Ava along with me yesterday. I had to tone it down a bit for him, but I think he just doesn’t enjoy seeing it. We’ll just have to keep them out of sight, I think.”

“You brought her out in public?” he asks disbelievingly. His voice is raised, and Ava can hear his words. Her eyes widen with fear, but I’m quick to pet her back and calm her.

“I think you underestimate me, Abram.” It kills me to say the next words, but I have to. “She’s very well-behaved. Vince was impressed, but I could tell he was still uncomfortable, so keeping it on the quiet side would suit him better.”

“Was Felipe there yesterday?” he asks, with a hint of distrust in his voice. I know what Vince told him yesterday at the docks, that Felipe had just left, so I answer honestly.

“He was. He wasn’t happy about her new collar.”

Abram’s voice carries a hint of relief. “Yes, I can imagine. He’s rather fond of those.” He clears his throat. “You do realize that Ava is special? The others won’t be as trained as her. They’ll be newer, and not broken in.”

Fucking sick bastard. I have to bite back my disgust. “I figured that much.”

“We’ll keep them drugged though, so they’ll be easy to handle.” I want to ask him about Ava. About his plans for her, but he cuts me off.

“I haven’t heard from Felipe since he told me that he was going to the Valettis’ shipyard.” He states it simply, without a hint of emotion.

“I haven’t either boss, but if you’d like me to give him a call, I will.”

“No. I’m certain he’s dead, Kane.”

His words chill me to the core. “The Valettis?” I ask.

“I can’t imagine it would be anyone else. We’ll have a meeting tomorrow.”

“A meeting?” I have a real fucking bad feeling about that. “Is this staying between me and you, boss?” What I’m really asking is, is this an ambush?

“No. I need you to set it up. Let’s do it at the docks so I can have a good look around.”

“You really think they took him out, boss? That’s not at all a good sign.”

“I agree, Kane. But I’ve had better men killed for no reason. He’s replaceable.” He pauses and I think he’s finished, but then he adds, “And so are the Valettis.”

“I see.” I answer simply, unsure of what he’s looking from me.

“I’ll decide tomorrow. I’ll bring enough men to make sure that if I decide we’d rather go forward without them, it’ll be easy to handle right then and there.” I nod my head imagining the fucking bloodbath it would be. I can see it happening, and I don’t fucking want it to.

“So you think it will work, then?” he asks, and I’m completely thrown off by the question.

“Taking them out? Of course, boss, there aren’t many of them there at a time. Maybe six total yesterday.” I’m sure as fuck giving the Valettis a heads-up. I’m not letting this shit go down like that.

“No, no. Working with them. I’m not certain I’m ready to take them out just yet.”

“I do,” I answer quickly and confidently. “Also, I think everything will be ready soon. If you decide to do business with them, that is.”

“Even if I don’t, we’ll continue as planned.”

“How many do you have ready?” I ask.

“Nine right now, but we’re gathering the other three tomorrow.” No. I need to stop that shit. I can’t let that happen.

“Oh, boss.” I have to think fast. “The boxes may not be able to carry more than eight.” I’m met with silence.

“The other end can do 12. There’s no reason the Valettis shouldn’t be able to meet the same requirements.”

“We can’t do the large crate, boss. They’d only be able to fit the large crate one day a week. But that’s not going to work ‘cause of the guards that day.” That’s absolutely true. Or at least it’s what Vince told me.

“Ah, shit.” He sounds pissed. He starts cussing in Russian and I have no fucking clue what he’s saying beyond the basic profanity. Part of me is worried Vince did lie to me and that he’s in deep shit now with Abram because Abram knows better. Another part is freaking the fuck out that Abram can tell I’m trying to save those other girls. I just need a little time until I can figure out what I have to do to stop this shit. I can’t let it happen. I won’t.

“There’s no way, Kane?” he asks, after a moment of calming his shit down.

“We could split the shipments,” I offer. I need this to sound unappealing. “We could do eight on Monday, and then try for the other four the following Thursday.”

“Only twice a month.” I grit my teeth wishing I could lie and say yes. But I can’t. He’d know. I’m sure he already knows this answer.

“Technically there are four. But like I said, the one is the verification day. I wouldn’t risk that, boss.”

“What about the fourth?” he asks.

“It’s a longer trip, two stops before hitting Russia. It has more risks in getting caught, but also in losing some of the shipment.” Some of the shipment. By that I mean the women will die. Being trapped in a box, sleeping in your own filth. Jesus, the others are only 10 hours. But even that thought makes me fucking sick.

“Losing?” He wants me to clarify. As if he doesn’t understand how horrific that would be.

“It’ll be days with no water,” I say simply.

“Hmm. And they’ll need another dose.” He seems to be weighing the risk in his head, and it pisses me off. I look down at Ava. Her eyes on the blanket. She looks hopeless. I fucking hate it. I wish he’d let me get off the phone so I can talk to her. I need her to know I’m not going to let this happen.

“Alright, Kane. We’ll go with your plan for now, but we’re going to have to shake things up and get more women sooner. The timetable has changed. I’ll have to dump one of the girls before Monday.”

Chills run down my skin and I speak without thinking. “Bring them.”

“What’s that?” he asks, with irritation in his voice. He doesn’t like that I made it a statement and not a request.

“I can take one with me. To practice.” I clench my fists and restrain the sickness threatening to climb up my throat. “And we should test the Valettis on how they’ll handle them. I think that will be a good gauge on whether or not this will really work with them.”

“Smart thinking, Kane. And to think I wasn’t sure you’d do well with this role.” I press my lips into a thin line. “I’m proud of you, Kane.”

“Thank you, boss. I want to make sure you know how seriously I’m taking this position.”

“I can tell. And Kane?” he asks.

“Yeah, boss?”

“Don’t fuck up this meet tomorrow.” His words come out hard.

“Of course not.” Anxiety shoots through me.

“If they aren’t on board with the shipment, we’ll simply end the relationship there. So make sure you’re ready for that.”

“Got it. I’ll be ready.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then. I’m looking forward to it.” I can practically see the wicked grin on his face.

“Me, too,” I answer, as I hear the click on the other end.

Tomorrow. It’s going down tomorrow.

Kane

M
y fist bangs
on the front door with a hard knock that echoes in my head. Anxiety and adrenaline are coursing through me. It was different on the phone. I was calm. I was calculated. Now I need to figure shit out. This setup is fucked. I have no one. My best bet is to trust the Valettis.

I need someone. I need backing. I can’t go in there guns blazing and take out Petrov’s entire crew by myself. That’s a fucking death wish. I’m not stupid. I’m going to need help, but I have no one.

I kept thinking on the drive over, what if I’m reading Vince wrong? What if he’s set with doing business and Felipe was a one-off? Like maybe he gets his kicks from randomly knocking off pricks. He could have the same feelings as Abram. That same nonchalant attitude that fuckers are gonna die in this business, so it doesn’t matter.

I’m not sure how Vince is going to react. I’m not sure how much I should tell him, either. I guess I’m about to find out.

As I hear someone walking toward the door, I take a glance at Ava. Her shoulders are squared and her eyes are forward. I reach down and take her small hand in mine. She faces me with a small smile, but I can see she’s worried. I lean down and give her a small kiss. I know the conversation this morning was upsetting for her. I told her everything, though. And I promised I’d get her out of this shit.

She’s a smart girl though. There’s no doubt in my mind she’s questioning whether I’ll be able to make it happen or not.

I debated on whether or not I should bring her with me. But I want her to hear. I want her in on this. It’s not good to have women involved. But she’s a part of this, and she deserves to know.

Besides, this is just me and Vince. Maybe another man or two. If they try anything, if I think anything is going to happen to her, they’re fucking dead. I can’t take out 20 men on guard, but I can sure as fuck kill two or three pricks if I have to. I told her to just stay behind me if she’s not feeling safe.

I’ll protect her. As far as I’m concerned, she’s mine.

The door swings open and a man I recognize from the initial meet at my hangar answers. He’s a bit taller than Vince. Looks just like him though. If I had to guess I’d say he’s Vince’s brother, but I don’t have to. He introduces himself right away.

He smirks as he says, “I’m Dom, Vince’s brother and the bookie.”

“Nice to finally be introduced to you, Dom.” I give a tight smile back.

“Come on in.” He opens the door wider and takes a look at Ava. She’s wearing the collar I got her, and I watch the smile on his face falter as he sees it. I wasn’t going to put it on her, but the thought of running into one of Petrov’s men without something that displays what she is to them...well, that shit wouldn’t end well.

“Ava, come on in.” His eyes soften some as she smiles up at him.

“Thank you, Dom,” she says in a soft, sweet voice. I place my hand on the small of her back and lead her in front of me. Dom’s eyes harden and narrow as he watches me. I know he’s wondering what the fuck is going on. Quite frankly I’m wondering, too. There’s something between us. Given the situation, it wouldn’t be right of me to say she’s my girl. But that’s exactly how I feel. She’s mine.

We walk in relative silence through a large foyer and down a hall to an office. The first thing I do is count how many men are in the room as Dom shuts the door behind us.

All eyes are on me when I walk in. Dom’s behind me. Vince is at the desk. I recognize Tommy to the right, leaning against the wall, and I assume the older man in the chair to my left is Mr. Dante Valetti, the former Don, and Dom and Vince’s father. I give them each a nod in greeting.

“Mr. Valetti,” I say, extending my hand to Dante.

His brows raise and he shakes my hand firmly. “Kane. It’s nice to have you here. I’m sorry for your loss.”

My chest tightens with pain. I respond with a small, “Thank you.” I walk Ava over to the chair and settle her in the seat. They’re the only two, but I don’t mind standing.

“You want Ava to stay?” Dante asks. Before I respond, he addresses Ava directly. “No disrespect, Miss Ivanov. We usually try to keep women away from business matters.” It gives me pride that they’re talking to her, but she goes still at the question, and looks to me rather than answering.

“She’s involved to an extent that I feel she deserves to know everything.” I gently place my hand on her shoulder. I look down at her as I add, “But only if you want to, Ava.” I should’ve asked. I feel like an asshole for assuming she’d want to know. Shit. I need to stop doing that.

She turns her eyes to Dante and answers, “I’d like to stay, if that’s alright.” She looks so small and vulnerable sitting beneath me.

“Let me grab another chair,” Dom says, as he opens the door behind us.

“If that’s what you want, that’s fine with me,” Vince says, exchanging a look with his father and then giving Ava a sad smile. “I’m sorry you’re in this situation, Ava.”

He looks at me and starts to speak, but the noise of the door opening and Dom carrying in another chair stops him. I’m quick to take it, but it makes me feel weak. Both hands are on the chair, and I’m in a room with four men who could kill me at any time. I quickly set it down to the right of Ava and take a seat. My heart beats heavy and fast in my chest.

I clear my throat a bit and take a deep breath. “Vince, I need to know where your head’s at.”

His eyes search mine as he places his elbows on the table and forms a steeple with his fingers. His chin rests on his hands and he deliberately looks at Ava’s collar. My fists clench, but I give him a moment to fucking say whatever’s on his fucking mind.

“I think I’d like to know where your head is first, Kane.”

“Fair enough.” I push out the words and lean forward in my seat. “I told you I won’t be the go-between for you and Abram. I told you before I don’t handle this sort of business.”

“What is that you did for the Armenos?” he asks, interrupting my train of thought.

“I was in charge of...” I trail off, and look to my left at Ava before answering. I don’t want her to know. I don’t need her to know this shit. I don’t want her to look down on me either, so I choose my words carefully. “I did the collecting mostly. Occasionally I had to help with assisting people with their memories.” I fucked people up when they didn’t pay, and when they didn’t talk. That’s the truth.

A corner of Vince’s lips kicks up into an asymmetric smirk. His eyes dart to Ava and then back to me. “You sure you want her here for all of this?” he asks.

“No.” I settle back in my seat and run a hand down my face. “But she said she wants to stay, so I kinda fucked myself over there, huh?”

The men in the room laugh but Ava looks at me nervously and sets her small hand down on my forearm. She lowers her voice and leans in to talk to me, “I don’t have to.”

I lean over the chair and give her a quick kiss. I know she likes it when I do that. “Stay right where you are. I want you to know what’s going on.”

“I’d like to know, too,” Vince says, as I turn back to him and take Ava’s hand in mine.

I give her hand a squeeze and get to the point. “Abram wants a meeting tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he says, but it’s more of a question.

Before I can tell him it’s a setup, Tommy speaks up. “Told you he’d fuck us over.”

“Becca’s gonna be pissed. She knows there’s no class tomorrow.” I hear Dom’s voice from behind me, and I have to turn around to look at him.

“So it’s a setup then, Kane? Abram doesn’t want to do business? Or is this about Felipe?” Ava grips onto my hand at the mention of Felipe.

My thumb rubs soothing circles on the back of her hand as I speak. “More than likely. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s leaning toward taking over.”

“How many men do you think will be there?”

“At least a dozen. He’s bringing the new women, too.” I have to push out the last part and readjust in my seat. “I told him to.”

“You like women bringing into this shit, don’t you?”

I force myself to stay calm. “I don’t.” Fuck. That came out sounding pissed off, and I didn’t mean it to. “He was going to collect more...” I pause, fucking hating talking about this shit. “But I told him we could only take eight and to bring the nine he already has there so...” I take a breath and try to keep my shit calm with what I’m about to say next. “So I could pick one to keep for when he takes Ava back.”

It’s quiet and awkward for a moment. All eyes are on me and they’re searching for answers to questions that are obvious. They aren’t going to budge. They aren’t speaking first. Fine. I’ll man the fuck up and lay out the plans for them. “I don’t intend on going through with Abram’s plan for tomorrow.”

“What is it that you’re planning, then?” Tommy asks. Vince’s eyes stay on me. What I say next is going to determine whether or not I live or die tomorrow.

“I’m planning on killing as many of Petrov’s men as I can.”

“That’s suicide,” Vince says calmly, with a brow raised.

“It’s that, or go through with what Petrov has planned. And I’d rather die.” I take a moment to let that sink in. A cold sweat breaks out along my skin. “It’d be easier if I had someone backing me.”

“Someone?” Vince asks, with a cocky smile.

Dom laughs from behind me and smacks my back as he walks forward to stand at his father’s side. “You coming too, Pops?”

“Of course.” The old man has grey hair and tough skin with wrinkles around his eyes. But he’s still toned muscle and there’s no doubt in my mind that he couldn’t take down a man as well as I could. He only stepped down a few months ago.

“So I can count on you, Vince?” I would feel more confident hearing him say the words.

“Petrov thinks he can make deals and then stab backs,” he says, as he stands up from behind the desk. “I know all about that rat and the shit they’ve pulled.” He walks around the desk and stands in front of me, leaning back against the front of the desk. “I knew this was coming. I just wasn’t sure whether or not I’d have to kill you, too.”

A smile grows on my face. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.” Vince’s smile widens and Tommy lets out a laugh.

“You have my word, Kane.” Vince extends his hand and I stand up to take it with my own in a firm shake.

“Can you shoot, Ava?” Dante asks to my left, taking my attention away from Vince.

“I can,” she answers confidently. I remember Felipe though, and how she held the gun with shaky hands. They’d shoot her first. They’d kill her before she got a shot off.

“I don’t want to bring her.” Even as the words leave my lips, I know I have to. I can’t react on my emotions. I have to be smart. I thought about removing her chip and giving her a head start. But according to her, they’d know. And judging by how fast Felipe was on her, having her go off with it in her wouldn’t be wise either. I have no fucking clue who else is tracking her.

“You need to. You’ll fuck it up if you don’t.” I grit my teeth and try to come to terms with this. I can’t risk putting her in danger though. When shit goes down, I’m going to be on Abram’s side of things. I’ll be an easy target. With me gone, I don’t know how Ava will make it through this.

“Promise me that she never goes back to them.” I look him straight in the eyes. I need to know he’ll take her if Abram takes me down before I can get her to safety.

“You have my word.” Vince puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

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