When I reach it, I’m surprised to see Angelo has now joined us. Pausing, I groan. It’s times like these I wish I could drink. It would make this situation a lot more bearable.
“What’s he doing here?” I glare at Angelo. His face is priceless as he looks to Sal as if he was asking him, are you really going to let her talk to me like that?
“Well time is of the essence, my dear, and I have a proposal for you.” Angelo turns to Sal, who shakes his head at him in return.
“Angelo, I called you here because there’s going to be some big changes made.”
“Don’t you think we should do them in private?” His eyes dart to me before looking back at Sal.
“Well, this is more of a family matter.” I clear my throat, masking the laugh that’s trying to break through.
“So why is she here?”
“Michael,” Sal yells. “Come out here for a moment please.” The doors immediately open and Michael looks nervous, but quickly covers it up with a smile as he greets Angelo. “I don’t have time to wait for Nicole to get here, so I’ll fill her in later.” Angelo and Michael look confused and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t myself. I have no idea what is running through Sal’s head or what is about to happen. “Everyone sit and I’ll make this quick. Michael, I’m just going to throw this right out because I think you already know that I haven’t always been faithful to your mother.” Michael nods. “Well it turns out, that in result of my wilder days, I managed to acquire you a sister as a result of my indiscretions.”
“I’m sorry, what?” My head turns to the person speaking those words. Angelo reacting before Michael can and the confusion on his face mixed with anger lets me know this is about to get good.
“When we had the blood work done, I never in a million years thought it would show that Ava here is my daughter.”
“Can I see that?” Michael asks calmly and Sal hands him the paper. “I don’t even know what to say.” Angelo snatches the paper out of Michael’s hands and studies it, his eyes squinting like he can’t read the fine print. Michael smirks, appearing to be happy at Angelo’s current annoyance.
“How can you be sure this is even legit? Especially after the whole cop situation. Have you had this redone?” Angelo questions Sal.
“Three times. It’s legit. And the whole cop situation will be dealt with at another time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Angelo slaps the paper on the table.
“It means you dropped the ball, Angelo. It means you fucked up bad and let a mole into my group. So, when I say it will be dealt with at another time, that’s what I mean.” Angelo doesn’t speak and Sal continues. “I’m glad you brought that up though. Michael, you’ve made it clear you want nothing to do with this side of the family business. I don’t like it, but I can respect it since you’ve proven yourself to be loyal to it.” Hah, little does he know! “Angelo, up until this slip up, you’ve done great at handling things being my right-hand man, but with that said, I think it’s time to let Ava step in and see what she can do and have family by my side for a change.” Sal’s words shock me. I never in a million years would have expected it to be this easy to get right where I wanted to be. “Ava, I know all this is a lot to take in, but this is something I thought long and hard about. I think you will do great and help us reach new levels.” He’s speaking to me like I work for Apple and we’re about to release some new groundbreaking piece of technology. God, this man is a bit crazy. Before I can even give my answer, Angelo’s hand slaps the table, standing quickly and making the chair fall over.
“So let me get this straight? You're just going to push me aside after years of sticking by you, being by your side? And for her?” He laughs. “How do you even know you can trust her!?” He’s pacing back and forth as his anger pours out. I sit calmly and observe.
“Because she’s blood. I've made the mistake of not trusting my family before and it almost cost Nicole her life. And let’s remember, that mistake would have never happened if you had done your job right in the first place. There will be no more discussion on this topic. Do you understand?” His words are more of a threat than a question.
Angelo looks to me with his protruding eyes and flaring nostrils. “Understood.”
“So, you’re my sister?” Michael acts dumbfounded.
“She is.” Sal answers for me. “I know I haven’t been the best husband to your mother, Michael, and I can own up to my mistakes. But they are just that, my mistakes. Don’t let this affect any relationship that can build between you two. I, for one, am excited to get to know more about you, Ava. I know this is a lot to take in, but I hope you can find room for all of us in your life.”
Sitting in silence, I know this is a no brainer. I have to make myself seem on the fence though. If I don’t, it will be too suspicious. Angelo is shooting daggers at me and I smirk at him before looking to Sal. “Of course I’ll do it. Family first.”
Angelo throws his hands up in the air then grabbing his hair. “Un-fucking believable. All my hard work just thrown aside for an illegitimate child.”
Sal stands and eliminates any distance that was between them, grabbing Angelo by the collar of his shirt. “You better watch how you talk about my family, Angelo. I’ve been very good to you and that can all change if you don’t fall in line. Oh, and one more thing. Not a word of this to anyone. I have a great opportunity to place my own mole and reevaluate the people you clearly misjudged and I won’t have it jeopardized by gossip.” He nods in understanding, even though it’s clear he’s not happy about it. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some family matters to attend to.” I get one last glare from Angelo before he storms out of the restaurant.
It’s been three weeks since Sal decided to have me replace Angelo. It’s not been easy to hear and see everything that actually goes on behind closed doors. I can't even count how many times I just wanted to pull my badge out and arrest everyone right there. I couldn’t, though. I have bigger plans and a simple arrest would be too good for most of those scumbags.
To say Angelo has not been happy with having to teach me the ropes is an understatement. I’ve caught him intentionally telling me wrong information, trying to make me look bad in front of everyone. I’d finally had enough and I told Angelo to go to hell, deciding Killian would be the one showing me the ropes. He actually knows just as much as Angelo, if not more, if I’m being honest. Since the switch, it’s been a lot less stressful and a hell of a lot easier. I’ve doubted Killian and his intelligence in the past but he’s actually quite sharp. I think he plays the idiot card sometimes to cover up how observant he really is. The more time I spend with him the more I realize how alike we are, minus the whole gangster part. But aside from that, if I just met him on the streets, we would actually be great friends.
Learning the ins and outs of Sal’s operations has been hard, I won’t lie. During the day, I work long hours, trying to keep tabs on everyone and take care of myself. At night, I stay up longer than I should going over every little detail because when everything goes down, that’s what the trials will boil down to, the details.
Killian has been great with me. He’s not like Angelo, he’s not looking to sabotage me or anyone for his own benefit. He’s actually excited to have me on board, and that I can work with. There have been lots of late-night business dinners with him and I am honestly thankful for the company.
During the drive home from one of our dinners his mom called. “Answer it. I need a break.” I laugh,
As soon as her voice came through the speakers of the car, I sneezed. “God bless you.”
“Hello, honey, who are you blessing?” The sweet voice comes over the Bluetooth.
I cover my mouth, chuckling, “Thank you.” He nods and winks.
“Killian, who is that?” I try to stay quiet as his mom speaks, but the urge to laugh is killing me.
“Ma, I’m driving, what do you need?”
“Don’t ‘Ma’ me, mister. Don’t dodge my quest
ion. Who is that?”
“Can I call you when I get home?” I can see color rising in his cheeks, making this conversation even funnier.
“Are you with a girl?”
He sighs and hangs his head, “Yes, mom. But please Ma, not now.”
“Oh, it is a girl. Hi sweetie, don’t let Killian chase you away.” I see his head shake and he takes a deep breath. I really can’t control my laughter now and think it’s hilarious how he is trying dodging her questions.
“It’s not funny.”
“Yes it is.” I laugh back, enjoying his discomfort.
“I’m so glad you are letting yourself move on from Aria.”
My head swings to look at him and my laughing stops. All color and emotion has drained from Killian’s face and the tension in the car is thick.
“I’ll call you later.” He snips and hangs up on her.
It’s silent for a little while and I’m just getting pissed at every passing second. “Who’s Aria?”
He shakes his head, dismissing my question again until we pull up to my house. Before I can say anything else, he dismisses me, “Good night, Ava.”
I am so pissed by his dismissal, I get out of the car and slam the door behind me, not looking back as I walk up to my door.
The weekend is finally here and to say I’m physically and emotionally drained from this undertaking is an understatement. I decided to take the day and just relax. I haven’t been able to do much of anything except the usual routine. Set up gun shipments, pee, plot Sal’s death over and over again in my head, eat, pee, sleep and did I mention, pee?
When I first found out I was pregnant I was scared and didn’t really know what to expect. After Dante died, I was too busy grieving to enjoy the experience everyone raves about when being pregnant. I embraced the awkwardness of people trying to touch my stomach and came up with clever ways to dodge their grimy hands from touching me. I actually fake sneezed on a lady once and the horror on her face brought such a huge smile to my face I couldn’t even hold in my laughter. The old lady walked away mumbling how rude I was under her breath and I laughed even harder at the irony of her words. No lady, it’s rude to touch people you don’t know!
When Dante and I visited with Mema a while back, I remembered that she told me about a lake front property she owned but never got around to using much. The idea of being isolated by nature seems so peaceful, I called her up to see if it would be okay to use it to relax for a little while.
“Ava dear, it is so nice to hear from you. How are you?”
I really wish she would text because I hate doing the small talk that always seems to turn back to how I’m dealing with Dante’s death. “I’m good Mema. Growing every day.”
“That’s wonderful dear. I can’t wait to hold that little stinker.”
Sighing, “Me too. Hey, Mema, you mentioned a lake house before, is it available for me to use this afternoon and tonight?”
“Um, oh dear, well…” She seemed a little hesitant.
“Oh, it’s not big deal if it’s not. I just needed a place to get away and this came to mind. I can find somewhere else.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll call my housekeeper to make sure she’s been there recently.”
“I don’t want to be any trouble.” I bite at my thumb for a second.
“Oh Ava, you aren’t any trouble, I just worry that it’s so alone and to be by yourself might not be good.”
“Mema, I’m fine. Honestly.”
“Okay dear, let me call her and I’ll call you right back.”
She called back almost immediately telling me all was good to go, so here I am, sitting on her deck looking out at the still lake water with a coffee in hand. I know I shouldn’t be drinking it, but I’ve been craving it so bad and no one is around to yell at me and tell me no. The sound of crickets is all I hear as I sit back and watch the birds fly into the feeder to eat.
Looking around, I take in the beautiful landscape. The deck I’m sitting on hovers over a lower deck that is made of stone. The patio table below sits next to the fishpond that holds two stone benches to sit on while watching the fish swim. Scattered throughout the whole backyard, there are different arrangements of flowers and plants surrounding the lawn that leads down to the dock. A boat sits rocking side to side and I’m grateful that my dad made me get my boating license all those years ago whenever we would go fishing together. I will definitely be taking that thing out later tonight when the sun is about to set. I love watching the sunset over the water.
I always loved fishing with my dad and wonder if this little life inside of me will like it as well. Touching my belly, I hope we end up having a lot of things in common because I’m going to be all she has. I’ve been referring to the baby as a girl lately. I don’t know why, but I just feel like that is what I’m going to have.
There are a lot of things I wonder about and I’m unsure of, but the one thing I do know, is when this is all over, I’m going to have to disappear for a while. I have big plans and can’t afford to leave any loose ends. I know I’ll be protected by my job but I don’t believe there will be one time that I feel completely one hundred percent safe. It’s the downside that comes along with my job, and I can honestly say that what Dante asked of me is now finally sinking in. He’s right, once this is all over I do need to take a step back. I can’t continue to do what I do and promise to come home to my child every night. It’s just not realistic. I owe it to Dante and my child to make sure I can do every little thing possible to be around. And I will do just that, after all this is done. This is something I need to do before I give everything to raising our child.
I haven’t spoken with Ali on the phone since our blow up besides a few texts here and there, I’m not even sure she will want to speak with me outside of those. I know my words cut her and as stubborn as I can be, I do owe her an apology. She needs to know that I respect her and love her like a sister and never meant to hurt her, just as I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt me. Being here alone at the lake has cleared my mind and removed all the grief and hatred that’s been built up inside of me and for once, I’ve actually been able to think clearly. I now see why Sylva loves his damn cabin so much. I sit back and close my eyes, listening to the birds that start to chirp. After a couple of minutes pass by I hear a humming noise. Opening my eyes I look to the right and there is a hummingbird drinking the sugar water from the feeder. I lean up in my seat and take in the beauty of the bird. It’s quite majestic looking. Once its had its fill of water, it flies over right in front of my face, hangs around for a quick second before flying away into the nearby tree. I’ve never seen a hummingbird in person before and I can see why Mema holds on to this place.
A snapping sound catches my attention, sending my heart into my throat, and I look to the right of me where the noise came from. It takes all of my power to not get up with my gun drawn to check it out, but I know no one but Mema knows where I am, so I figure it was an animal stepping on a twig or something of that nature. I urge myself to relax and rest back against the chair, I close my eyes and drift off to the soothing sound of the nature surrounding me.
The sound of my text message alert awakens me from my nap. I pick up my phone, blinking my eyes to adjust them to the bright sun outside, and I can’t believe the time. I slept for three hours, but it felt more refreshing than a full night's sleep. It may have been a nap but that was the best sleep I’ve gotten in a long time. When my phone goes off again, I see that I have eight text messages and five missed calls. Sighing, I knew I should have turned my phone off as I swipe the screen to see what’s so urgent.
Killian: Hey!
Killian: Not sure if you got my text but just wanted to see what you were up to?
Killian: Hello??
Killian: Why do I have a feeling I’m being ignored?
Killian: Okay….You are definitely ignoring me. Stop ignoring me, I’m bored and have no friends.
I laugh at that one, moving on to the next message.
Ali: Just checking up on you. I hope you’re doing okay. Mema told me you were at the lake house. I hope you are finding it as relaxing as I do. It’s so beautiful there.
Ali: I know it’s a little late and needs to be said in person but I’m really sorry I blew up on you that day….
Mema: Honey, you need to answer your phone. I’m old and don’t like to text. Call your sister, would you? She thinks you hate her. Hope you’re enjoying your time at the lake. I love you.
I look at the missed calls and see that they all have called me in the past three hours. I must have been exhausted because I didn’t even have my phone on silent and didn’t hear any of the calls come through. Dreading having to tell Ali she’s right, I decide to shoot Killian a quick text.
Me: I know you don’t have any friends. That’s why I take pity on you and give you the time of day. Now what do you want?
Killian replies instantly.
Killian: Ouch! That hurt.
Me: Don’t you have someone else you can bug? What about Aria?
This time he doesn’t respond right away. I’ve been trying to figure out who this Aria girl is but she still remains a mystery. He never speaks of her and I’m always trying to find clever ways to bring her up. I could always look into his background but I don’t want to risk any red flags being thrown up. I’ll just have to do it the hard way. Since he still hasn’t responded, I scroll through my contacts and call Mema. It rings a couple times before she answers.
“Ava, dear. Is everything okay? I was wondering if I should send a search party out for you then I figured, better not, you might attack them with one of my flower pots.” I chuckle at the fact that she remembers that story I told her about Dante.
“I can assure you, Mema, your flower pots are safe and I even watered them for you. I’m sorry I worried you. It’s just so quiet and relaxing here I fell asleep and didn’t even hear my phone ringing.” I pick at the hem of my shirt as I watch a boat drive by the lake.
Ava's Revenge: (Salvation Series Book 2) Page 6