Good Girl: Valetti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) (3 page)

Perhaps after all this time I no longer hold that value. I hear the snap of the pliers and feel my right arm fall. Snap! The metal clicks again and then my left arm falls as well. The muscles in my arm scream. It’s been so long since they’ve had the freedom to move at this angle.

I steady my breathing and try to make sense of what’s happening. I wish I could ask, but I can’t.

“Hold still,” he says, as he moves the pliers to my neck. I don’t want to, but my eyes close. I try to resist, but I pray he’s only cutting the lock on the collar. My heart hammers in my chest, and when I hear the loud snap and feel the metal give from around my throat, I can’t help the emotions that wash over me. I hear the chains clinking and open my eyes. I watch his back as he leaves the room and walks into the kitchen. I shouldn’t, though. I know better. As he drops the chains into the trash and turns, my eyes snap forward. I stare straight ahead and resist the desire to put my hands to my throat. He walks back to me and stands over my body.

I wish I knew what he wanted. I wish I knew how to react.

His hand slowly lowers to my neck and he squats down in front of me. His finger brushes along a cut on the side of my throat. I try not to, but I wince from the pain. I know better! I shouldn’t have winced. I knew the pain was coming. I school my expression and wait. He lays his hand on my shoulder and lets his eyes travel down my body. I wish I could hide. I used to be beautiful. Now I’m thin and bones poke through where they shouldn’t. I’m scarred, although they did try to keep the whips on skin that’s normally hidden by clothing. Most of the bruises have faded and not many are new.

He stands up slowly and continues to watch me. “I want you to look at me.” At his command, my eyes reach his. My heart stops and for a moment, the world tilts on its side.

Kane De Rocca. I heard his name earlier. I make sure to listen. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. And I know that’s this man’s name. Kane. He’s stunning. His jaw is stubbled and hard against the sharp lines of his high cheekbones. His shoulders are broad and his chiseled chest pulls the crisp, white dress shirt he’s wearing taut against his body. His dark eyes stare into mine with such passion and emotion that I feel a pull to look away.

But he commanded me to look at him. And I’m a good girl. I will obey him. For now.

I wish I knew what the look in his eyes means. But I don’t.

“What’s your last name, Ava?” he asks.

I’m quick to respond, “Ivanov.” I will never forget. That name is why I’m here. Why all of this has happened to me. I didn’t choose this life. I didn’t want it.

“I see. You’re Alec’s daughter?” he asks. Hearing my father’s name causes a stir of emotions in the pit of my stomach. I’ve heard his name before, over and over. Accompanied by hateful slurs, or laughter and cheers of his death. But not like this. Hearing his name spoken calmly. With respect. That’s something I haven’t heard in a long time.

“Yes,” I answer, still holding his gaze.

“Ava Ivanov,” he says, with reverence in his tone. He repeats it in a murmur I almost don’t hear.

“Come, Ava,” he says, and turns his back to me. I stand quickly to obey.

As I watch him move with dominance and power through the hallway, I feel a stir of emotions I haven’t felt in some time. I feel hope.

I know I shouldn’t, though. Hope will destroy me.

I
don’t know
shit about this house. I fucking hate this. Vince sent me here. This is where I can stay on
his
territory. I feel like this is a fucking trap. Like this place is wired and they’re watching me. I know a safe house when I see one. And this is definitely the Valetti safe house. I looked for bugs when I got here, but I couldn’t find shit.

Ava was passed out, but I still didn’t want to leave her alone for too long though. If I lost her… fuck. That’d be bad. Who the hell am I kidding? This is all fucked. I’m not a member of Petrov’s crew. I don’t belong on Valetti soil, and I know I’m not fucking wanted here. Even worse, this job is a fucking nightmare. I don’t want to do this shit. I can’t stand the fact that this is what I’ll be doing.

Anxiety races through my blood. I don’t like this insecurity. I never should’ve gotten myself into this shit.

Fuck it. It’s not going to happen. I’m not doing it. I’ll hold on to her until they come back. But I’m not doing this shit. It’s not what I did for my
famila
. This is fucked up and wrong.

The thoughts fly through my head, but I know better.

If I tell Petrov no, I’m a dead man.

I need to figure something out. The Valettis didn’t look so keen on doing business. Not this kind of business, anyway. Maybe I can get in with them. My gut churns. Would they take in the nephew of a rat? I can hear it now. The disrespect. The dismissal. No one takes in the last member of a tainted name. I’m on my own and that means I’m at the mercy of these fucks.

I climb the stairs and listen for her footsteps. For
Ava Ivanov’s
footsteps. She was practically royalty. Untouchable. And now she’s in chains and being sold as a slave. Passed around. She’s so fucking scared. I know she’s trying not to show it. She’s doing everything she can to obey and disappear into the background. I can sense it though, deep down.

She’s terrified.

There are so many scars on her body. Multiple small scratches over her hip and her shoulders. There are bruises of all different colors on her thighs and arms. A silvery bite mark on her shoulder. The sight of it infuriates me. Worse is the large cut on the nape of her neck. The metal dug in and rubbed her skin raw. It has to have been like that for a while to look so fucking bad.

I need to stay calm and think of this as just another job until I can get through it.

I stop at the top of the stairs. I look to the left and there’s a small hallway with a large door at the end. To the right is a hallway with more doors. The left has the largest room, so we’ll stay there.

I don’t care what they say about the chains being gone. I know they’re going to be pissed about it. I don’t give a fuck though. I’m not doing that shit. She’s in my care, so she’s mine for now. I’ll do what I want with her. A shudder runs through my body and I’m sickened by the thought that ran through my mind. She’s gorgeous, but it’s wrong to imagine her as mine.

I open the door and walk into a fairly barren room with a decently sized bed and a dresser. The closet doors are open and the closets are empty. The room is light and airy, with a soft pale blue paint on the walls and a grey bedspread. There are black and white abstract paintings scattered around the walls of the room. It’s not too bad for a safe house. There’s a door to the right and I’d guess that’s the bathroom. Good. She’ll have everything she needs in here.

I start thinking about how I have to go and get supplies, and then I curse under my breath. I’ve got nothing to make sure she stays put. I just cut off the chains and it’s not like I have anything on me to make sure she stays here. If I was her I’d take off the second I could. And if she does that, I’m fucked.

Fuck! How did I already mess this shit up? I sigh heavily and walk farther into the room. There’s gotta be something in here. Maybe I can use the closet. I can put something in front of the door. My heart sinks in my chest. I don’t want to do that. That’s so fucking shitty. But I have to make sure she doesn’t leave.

I don’t know how to do this shit. I turn around and run a hand down my face as I shut my eyes briefly in exasperation. “Ava?”

“Yes?” she answers quickly. When I open my eyes, her light blues stare back at me. Thank fuck. I couldn’t stand her looking at nothing, avoiding my gaze and looking as though she’s trying to fade from existence. I’m glad she listened.

“How does this normally work for you?” I ask, and cross my arms across my chest. I don’t really give a shit that I’m asking her. I’m sure as hell not calling up one of those sick fucks and asking them. I know a bit about this. I’m not proud to know, but I do. I can be her caretaker for a few days. I can do that. But I’m not fucking training women. Breaking them into submission. That shit’s not for me. I don’t want any part of that. But for now, I have to deal with Ava.

I’m not giving her the upper hand and giving her an option to take off. I can’t let that shit happen. I can’t piss off Petrov by losing her, even if I fucking hate what he’s doing. I’ll figure this shit out. If worse comes to worst, there’s the option of the closet.

Her mouth opens, but then closes quickly. Her eyes dart to the floor and then back to my face. Her fingers wrap around each other nervously. “I’m not sure how to answer,” she says in a calm voice that doesn’t match the anxiety she’s showing at all. Fear and apprehension wash off of her in waves.

I don’t like it. I fucking hate how hurt she is. “How about we take a seat?” I cock a brow at her and walk forward. I keep my movements slow. I half expect her to take a step back, to flinch. But she doesn’t move. She lets me place my hand on the small of her back and guide her to the bed.

I pat the comforter with my right hand. “Hop on up.” I sit my ass down and the bed dips with my weight as she climbs on and settles herself. Her shoulders turn inward, but she looks back at me expectantly, waiting for another order.

Jesus. I hate this shit. I know they trained her to behave like this. But I can’t handle this shit.

I’m staying far away from her. I can’t get attached. Can’t lose her, either. I’ll do what I have to so I can survive this, and then I’m cutting my ties. This shit isn’t for me.

“I need to head out and grab some things. I want you to stay here.”

“I understand,” she answers immediately. Like it’s that fucking easy.

“I’m thinking I should tie you up or put you in a room.” I don’t say it like a question, but that’s exactly what it is.

She nods her head slightly. “I understand,” she repeats. I take a deep breath.

“Which would you prefer?” I ask. I guess that’s the least I can do.

Her hand wraps around her wrist and a sad look crosses her face. “I would rather be locked in a room.”

“It’ll have to be the closet.” Her face falls at my words. I’d put her ass in the bathroom, but I can only imagine the trouble she’d get herself into. I could see her shattering the mirror and trying to stab me with a shard of glass. I’ve seen a lot of shit over the years. I’m keeping her ass away from anything that could be used as a weapon. And that means it’ll be the closet.

“I think I’d rather be tied up, if you’d allow it,” she responds. She swallows thickly and adds, “Please, sir.”

“I don’t like you calling me sir.” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. They come out hard, but she doesn’t flinch. I probably shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know if they trained her to do that or not.

“I understand. I’ll call you whatever you wish,” she’s quick to respond.

I search her face, but I find nothing. “When they get here, call me sir. If anyone comes over, you call me sir. But for now, just call me Kane.” It’s probably a bad idea. All of this is a bad idea though.

She nods her head again and answers, “Yes, Kane.” Hearing her say my name makes me feel more at peace than it should.

I take a moment to absorb everything. She’s so obedient. It’s surreal. My brow furrows, and I have to wonder what all she’s been through. My chest hurts thinking about how much she has to be hurting. I swallow the lump growing in my throat and get off the bed.

I can’t think about it. I can’t go soft. I can’t help her. I’m only one man and she doesn’t belong to me. They’ll be here soon enough and then I won’t have to deal with this.

Guilt weighs heavily on my chest at that thought. I know she doesn’t deserve this. No one does. I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to get out of my head.

This is a job.

My phone goes off in my pocket and I’m quick to answer it. Not because I really give a fuck who’s on the other line; I just need to think about something else.

“This is Kane.” I answer like I always do, and I fucking regret picking up the phone when I hear the voice at the other end.

“And this is Abram.” I’m surprised he called, but I'm also pissed. I fucking hate that I got myself in this mess. Why is he calling me though? I would think he has more important things to do.

“What can I do for you?” I ask. It’s hard to keep the irritation out of my voice. I’m so fucking pissed off that I even thought about working for this prick. I’ve felt regret before. But this is something else. I need to figure out how to get out of this situation and keep my ass alive.

My eyes drift to Ava. If I can...No. I stop that train of thought. It’ll just get both of us killed. She’s not mine. I’m doing a job.

“I wanted to make sure the Valettis are playing nice.”

“They set me up in a safe house. I have my first meet with them tomorrow.”

“Good. And the girl?” he asks.

“What about her?” I feel defensive and protective. I don’t like it. But more than that, I don’t like that he’s asking about her. She’s in my possession right now.

“Are you enjoying her company?” he asks, and I can practically see his sick smile. I don’t know how I want to answer him. He expects me to fuck her. To degrade her. To enjoy
owning
her. He’s going have to learn to manage his expectations. I suppose it’s better to lay the groundwork for that now.

“No. This isn’t my thing, Abram. I didn’t anticipate this either.” I should watch my mouth. I should be smart about this. I’m having a hard time with that as I look at Ava. Her head is bowed. Her eyes are on her hands, which are resting on her thighs. I fucking hate how she tries to hide like that.

She was untouchable. And now she’s been reduced to this. I don’t fucking like it.

“I see.” His answer is short and I can sense that he’s unhappy with me. “Is she not being good for you? She has her shots and she’s clean.” There's a pause, but I don’t respond. I’m sick to my stomach. “She’s been trained extensively.” The sickness in my gut threatens to climb up my throat.

“She’s been very obedient.”

“I’m happy to hear that. You’ll grow to enjoy your new role, Kane. I’m sure you’ll be very good at it.”

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for this, Abram. It’s not what I had in mind.” I’m careful not to tell him no. I know I’m pushing my limits with him. If I piss him off, I could be dead come morning. I don’t have a fucking death wish, so I keep most of my thoughts to myself. This is business, after all.
Supposed
to be business.

“Tomorrow, someone with more experience will come down to help you handle her. Get some information about the export procedures. We’ll need the names of the workers and the space limitations. We’ll need to ship this type of cargo in large containers. Make sure they have them. If they don’t, they’ll need to be ordered.” He’s talking about shipping off women in metal boxes like they’re nothing. I bite down on the inside of my cheek so hard I taste blood.

“I’ll be sure to get the details.” I clench my teeth after pushing the words out. I have to remind myself that I want to live. That I can’t fuck with a man like Abram.

“Wonderful. I’ll see you soon, Kane.” I don’t answer. I just hit end and shove the phone back in my pocket.

I haven’t had a fucking moment to even think about any of this shit. I need to tie her ass up and get out of here. Then I’ll really figure out what I need to do. How I’m going to handle this shit. I turn my back to her and walk to the door.

“Alright Ava, stay right there.” I don’t turn around to look at her. I can’t. The reality of the situation is coming down hard on me.

Abram’s man is coming tomorrow.

I’m going to have to treat Ava like a submissive, like a slave. Whether I like it or not.