Ties That Bind Us

by Nicole Knight

  “What do you want to do this afternoon?” Nick asked, stroking my leg as we lay by the water, giving me his full attention.

  “I don’t know. Do we have anything we have to do tonight?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair. It was a little longer than I was used to and I loved it.

  “Actually, we do. We have reservations at a special restaurant, but not until eight. The afternoon is yours, babe.” He winked.

  His phone rang, and the noise startled both of us.

  “Hold that thought.” He grimaced. So much for what he had said about not working. “Hello?”

  I could faintly hear the voice on the other end but didn’t recognize it. “Nick, we’ve got a problem.”

  Nick stood up abruptly and walked away so I couldn’t hear. I hated that he wasn’t telling me what was going on. He had always said he wouldn’t hide things from me, but the last few days that felt like all he was doing. I tried my best to ignore it, realizing he was only trying to protect me, whereas with my dad it was always about keeping me out of things.

  Nick was on the phone for a while, and his call didn’t show any sign of ending soon, so I took it upon myself to enjoy our vacation. The water was beautiful, and I loved absolutely everything about the beach. I swam while looking at the beautiful reef and fish around me. It was shallow enough for me to stand and tiny little fish of every color came and nibbled at my toes. It tickled, but I loved it. We’d have to come snorkel out here; I bet it would be absolutely breathtaking. There was something so intriguing about the ocean. It could be so calming and beautiful that it was easy to forget how immensely powerful it actually was.

  When I felt like I had been in the water long enough for my skin to get pruny, I made my way back to the shore, noticing Nick still on the phone, pacing. We were supposed to be enjoying our time together, and if he was going to be on the phone the entire time, that didn’t seem possible.

  He was determined to make me relax, but maybe he needed a little encouragement in that area himself. I got an idea, and came out of the water right as he was hanging up the phone.

  “You seem like you’re having a good time.” He smiled, his eyes locked on my chest. Nick was constantly checking me out, and while sometimes the attention made me uncomfortable, he always made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

  “I am. It’s beautiful out there.” I grinned, reaching out and snatching his phone out of his hand.

  “What are you—” He frowned.

  Without another thought, I threw the phone as far as I could into the ocean.

  Nicks eyes got as big as grapefruits and he let out a sharp laugh. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

  I turned back to him, grasping his hand in mine and pulling him into the water. “Do I have your attention now?”

  Nick narrowed his eyes at me, shooting me an evil smirk. “Oh yeah, you’ve got every bit of my undivided attention now, baby. I think you just bit off way more than you can chew, though.”

  Nick sprinted through the water after me, wrapping his arms around my waist and tackling me. I was no match for his strength, but I also didn’t put up all that much of a fight.

  “Nick!” I shrieked, between bouts laughter.

  “You know what happens to naughty girls?” he purred, picking me up effortlessly and throwing me over his shoulder.

  “Baby, seriously.” I pounded my fists against his ass, but it was no use. I was completely at his mercy.

  “They get punished, Ava.” He chuckled to himself, sticking his fingers in the waistband of my bikini bottoms and yanking them down.

  “Nick!” I shrieked, much louder than before. “Oh my God.”

  Nick worked my bottoms off and tossed me into the water. I came up just in time to see him catapulting them into the ocean, never to be seen again.

  “What’s that saying about karma?” He grinned, putting a finger to my chin and tilting my head up to give me a salty kiss.

  “You’re crazy.” I shook my head, laughing. At least we were deep enough that the water was covering me up to my stomach and no one could see me naked.

  “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 s
trong 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—”

  “Vince?” she interrupted.

  “Yes. Vince knows about this. He has been working with Leo and me since we found out.” She was quiet. “Your father put a track on my credit card, that’s how he knew about the room in Chicago. Then he booked two prostitutes under my card to try to convince you I was cheating on you so you’d call off the wedding. That way, he wouldn’t have to come clean about what he had really been planning and could use you as a scapegoat.”

  “Nick, this doesn’t seem right. I know he’s a bad person, but he couldn’t. . . . Why would he do something he knew would hurt me?” She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around what I was telling her. I knew it was killing her. All of the terrible things he had subjected her to over her life were faint in her mind right now. All she could see were the good things, because she didn’t want to believe this. He was her father, after all. Her blood, the one who was supposed to protect her at all costs. Instead, he was basically serving her up on a silver platter to anyone he thought could get him ahead.

  “I need you to trust me, Ava.” I stroked her cheek.

  Her body shook with sobs. “He’s my dad, Nick.”

  “I know, baby. I know this is hard to take, I know he’s not intentionally trying to hurt you, but he’s too deep in with the Russians. If he doesn’t deliver, they’ll be out for blood. They’ve already shown that with the shooting, and believe me, if they come back, they won’t miss this time.”

  She covered her face with her hands, continuing to sob as I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her in tightly. The parallels of his situation, and Andrew’s years ago, was uncanny.

  “Ava, I am never going to let anything happen to you, okay? Do you understand that? I am going to do everything in my power to make sure no one ever hurts you again. Not your father, not the Russians, no one. Okay?” I pleaded with her, her tears breaking my heart. It infuriated me that she had to go through this, and I needed to put a stop to it as quickly as possible.

  “We’re going to figure this out, but I need you to trust me, okay? Can you do that?” I continued.

  She nodded, still sobbing.

  “I love you, Ava. I have since the second I met you, even before I knew who you were. And I’m going to make this right, okay? All of it,” I promised.

  She nodded but I could tell she wasn’t sure. Honestly, I wasn’t, either, but I sure as hell was going to do everything in my power to try.

  Chapter 29

  Ava

  After hearing what Nick had to say, my mind was all over the place. We didn’t even make it to dinner, just stayed in our villa and ordered from room service. I felt numb, trying to process everything he had told me. I didn’t want to believe my own father was capable of doing the things Nick described, but what if he was right? What if I trusted Nick, and he was wrong?

  It was hard to dispute the proof Nick had, but I just couldn’t imagine my dad doing something like that. I lay awake all night trying to remember little bits and pieces of my childhood. Up until I met Nick, I hadn’t realized just how oppressive it really was. My dad never let my sisters or me anywhere near the business; he didn’t even talk about it in our presence. We weren’t allowed to ask about it or be involved at all. I always thought he was trying to keep us out of it, to keep us safe, but was it something else? I did have happy memories with my dad—birthday parties and movie nights and him teaching me how to ride a bicycle. When I was young, he used to let me get all dressed up once a month and would take me to do whatever I wanted, just the two of us. I idolized him when I was younger, but I was starting to see that I idolized the idea of him more. The father I wanted him to be, the one he was on occasion, but not the one he was most of the time. That was the person I remembered most—my father, the iron fist.

  When I wa
s eight, I remember hearing something in our backyard and wandering out to see what it was. I don’t know what I was doing, but I remember dropping whatever it was on the floor and walking toward the noise. I opened the sliding glass door and went onto the patio. My dad was standing beneath the pool shower, fully clothed, dark-red liquid disappearing from his skin and clothes.

  I must have been entranced because I don’t know how long I stood there staring at him, trying to figure out what was happening.

  “Are you okay, Daddy?” I asked softly. He craned his neck in my direction, anger flooding his face. He shut the water off and stomped toward me. If I had been thinking straight, I probably would have run, but instead, I stood with my feet cemented to the ground. The sharp sting of his hand hit my cheek and then he gripped my shoulders roughly.

  “You’re not supposed to be out here,” he hissed, shaking me violently. “Get in the house,” he said, shoving me toward the still-open door. “And don’t tell your mother about this.”

  When I finally got my bearings, I raced inside and shut the door behind me, squeezing my eyes shut to stop my tears, and hurried to my room. I didn’t dare look outside again for fear of getting caught.

  That was my first real clue that something was off about my dad, that what he did wasn’t normal, not like what my friends’ fathers did. They were doctors and lawyers and stockbrokers—they didn’t come home with blood all over them and take a shower outside so their families didn’t see.

  I had wanted more for my own kids, if I ever had a family myself, and look how well that had turned out for me. I was in bed with the Mafia for life—literally.