Chapter 5

"Sir, we have found Syl Calante's hideout."

"Bring that son of a bitch to me."

I slid on my jacket and left the penthouse, not for the supposed ball.

I was going to go with Ava so that Isabella would know how keen I am on getting Valenti Corporation from her.

Killing Syl is the most exciting thing that has happened to me, other than getting Ava to sign the contract and kissing her lips. My fantasies are running wild with her touch and her body and her scent.

No doubt she reminds me of those nights with Aria.

"Syl, you silly idiot, thought you could run away from me."

The old man sat on the floor of the abandoned building, gagged and tied.

"I won't ask for my money again this time." I raised my gun, cocked it, and placed it on his head.

Bang.

One down, six more to go. Allies of the DeLucas and debtors too.

My men put him in a body bag. "Let this be a warning to everyone who becomes an ally with Enzo DeLuca."

My men sent the information to all allies Enzo was putting together.

Poor Syl went to Enzo for a 12 billion pound deal so that he could pay me with that bloody motherfucker's money.

But I call the shots, not Enzo.

My screen flashed on.

SIR, THERE HAS BEEN AN ATTACK ON YOUR VINEYARD IN ITALY.

Cassanos.

Richardos.

Who must have been behind this traitorous act?

Enzo DeLuca.

"There was a fire outbreak reported to have started at five in the morning, leading to the death--"

I shut the TV off.

My phone rang.

"Oh my God, son, I am so sorry for your loss." Isabella's nasal voice screeched. "Is it true you lost the barrels too?"

"No, Isabella."

"I know some private investigators who ca --"

"Thank you for the call."

I have always had the undeniable feeling that she is pretending, always trying to get inside my head.

I shut my eyes and took a shaky breath, then dropped the call.

Five thousand hectares of vines burnt and gone. Good thing we stored the barrels away.

I just lost fifty billion pounds to a fire not caused by nature but by some fucking man. I punched the couch beneath me.

Suddenly, I heard muffled cries from the hallway. I slid my hand beneath the couch and pulled out a revolver.

I checked the barrel. It had bullets.

I walked down the hall, following the cry for help, and ran into Ava's room.

I thought someone broke in. You can never say. A mafia lives with a knife behind his back, ready to strike. The knife could be anyone.

But she was having a nightmare. She shook like someone who was convulsing.

What in the fucking hell is going on here?

"Ava!" I shook her violently. "Ava!"

Her eyes flew open, and then her body went limp.

I held her in my arms. "Ava, can you hear me?" I whispered in her ear.

She jerked up and looked up at me, her chest going up and down. Her piercing brown eyes kept looking at me.

I supported her with pillows and asked Ellen, who woke up to the sounds too, to get her a cup of water.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," she said quietly, as she sipped the water.

She looked at me, and her lips spread into a smile.

"I'm fine," she nodded to Ellen, whose brows wrinkled in worry, and to me.

Ellen left the room.

"What was it? You were screaming for help, and you look quite shaken."

"I just have these nightmares, but it doesn't..." Her voice trailed off. "Don't worry about me. It's about my mother."

"If you miss her so much, you can pay her a visit tomorrow. My men found where she stays now, and you can go see her if it makes you feel better."

Her lips twitched and trembled. "Thank you."

She threw her arms around my neck.

"Sure, get some rest," I said, patting her back as a signal to let go, but she held on.

I know she might not want to say anything about the nightmare, but it must have terrified her.

"I am glad you are safe. Get back to sleep." I urged her, but her grip tightened.

Apart from our kisses, we haven't had anything as intimate as a hug. Her perfume flooded my nostrils.

She kissed me with her lips, soft, sweet, and lingering.

I pulled her in.

She cupped my face in her hands, running her hands through my hair, ravaging me with her tongue.

She stopped kissing me and ran her fingers on my chest. I held her hands to stop her.

"You don't want this as badly as I do, do you?"

She really wants me to cup her breasts in my hands and penetrate every hole in her body. I felt her reluctance and kissed her again. She led my hands to her breast.

She rocked herself on the rise in my pants, slid her hands in my pants, and pulled out my bulging cock.

And rubbed my shaft.

I love whatever possessed her tonight. I groaned as she slid her hands up and down my shaft. Her lips remained on my lips. My cock throbbed, releasing cum all over her hands.

What a woman.

"Did you like it?" she asked me as she nestled her face in my neck.

"Enjoyed every bit of it," trying to catch my breath. A flame burned within me. Ava Sinclair. She has started something. I do hope she can finish it.

She only looked up at me with a smile and slid off the bed into the bathroom, looking like a woman in a fantasy, not a woman waking up from a nightmare.

"Thank you," her eyes glistened in the sunlight as she looked up at me. I felt bad I didn't do her a favor too, but she was even more happy than I was.

I couldn't get my mind off the destruction of one of my secret properties.

No one else knows I have this investment. Isabella. She is the only one who called me.

I smiled lightly at the beaming Ava to mask my annoyance.

She stood to leave the dining table. "Don't worry about coming home tonight. Stay and enjoy yourself."

Something in me trusted that I wasn't making a stupid decision. It would be fucking stupid of her to forget the implications of her actions.

"I need everyone out of the house for the next three days," I instructed the house guard.

I needed the house to be empty for now, until I am sure of Enzo's plans or whoever is after me.

"Keep your eyes on her. Whoever is after me would come after her too."

"No one knows she is with you."

"Hmm, keep an eye on the Sinclair brothers."

The guard nodded in response and left the dining room.

I lit my cigar and stood at the window of my penthouse.

I would do what my enemy wants.

"Ready a flight to Italy now," I ordered another guard. "Don't alert the Valentis in Italy. I need to pay a quiet visit."