Ava's Revenge: (Salvation Series Book 2)

by Jaime Whitley

  “Ah, there’s nothing better than family bonding time.” Silas comes over, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I can see why he and Dante were friends. They’re both persistent pains in the asses. Feeling a little guilty for punching him, I let him leave his arm there, trying to remember that this is Dante’s friend. It’s clear he’s close with Joe and so chances are, this isn’t the last time I’ll be seeing him. “So how do you guys want to play this one out? The media has been camped out all day and since neither one of you know what’s going on, how should we proceed? We have to give them something.” Silas asks.

  I look to Killian. “You’ve known him the longest. What are you thinking?”

  “There’s no way this could have been Sal. If he found Angelo, he wouldn’t have been so reckless with the body. He would’ve had one of his guys make sure it didn’t show up. My suggestion, let the story leak. He’s been searching for Angelo and he won’t stop until he’s found. He’s sick and twisted when it comes to family and he’s not going to let this one go.” I nod my head, knowing that everything he is saying makes sense.

  “Okay, so that leaves the note.” Silas adds removing his arm.

  “That note cannot be leaked. There can be no knowledge of its existence. If he learns about it, who knows who he will start to go after? You yourself thought it was a cop, that it was retaliation for Dante’s death. We can’t have him thinking that and going after our own.” I advise.

  “He’s going to have a lot of questions.” Silas looks concerned.

  “I’ll handle that. I’ve learned over the years how to deflect Sal from certain topics.” Killian assures him.

  “Okay then. It looks like we're done here.” I look to Killian. “Let’s head back so that when Sal hears about this we are ready for whatever he plans.” Killian nods, and both of us turn to head back to our cars.

  “One minute.” Silas reaches out and grabs a hold of Killian’s arm. I stand in place staring at him. “I just need one minute of his time. Go ahead and he’ll catch up.” I’m not sure if I should stay or leave but Killian nods at me, and I start to walk back to my car. I glance over my shoulder at them both, and I see Silas whisper something into Killian’s ear as he pokes his finger into his chest. His eyes widen and he holds his hands up in defense, shaking his head back and forth. Silas glances over and sees me staring he says something before quickly walking off. I wait for Killian to catch up.

  “What was that about?”

  “Nothing.” He keeps walking, trying to avoid looking at me.

  “It didn’t look like nothing.” I grab his arm stopping him.

  “He just warned me that if I change my mind about helping out and screw anyone over, he will personally see to it that I spend the rest of my life behind bars or below ground. Now come on, we need to hurry back to town before the story hits the news.”

  Good evening. This is Channel Ten news and I’m Maureen Borer with some breaking news. The body of alleged mob member, Angelo Seriale, was found early this morning in an alley in the small town of Hillsborough. We are told by a reliable source that the circumstances surrounding the death are being treated as suspicious, and that a murder inquiry has now been opened. It isn’t believed that Mr. Seriale had any connections to the town, adding to the mystery surrounding the discovery. We have asked the local police department for a statement; they have declined to comment but have been told that the police chief will make a statement in due course. We will bring you any updates as they break. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

  Hitting the power button on the remote, I turn the TV off and lean back on the couch, letting out a sigh. I’ve been watching the news all day since I’d gotten home and this story has been hitting every news station on air. There is no way of telling which way this whole thing is going to go with Sal. As if he could hear my thoughts, my phone rings and his name flashes across the screen.

  “Hello.”

  “Ava dear, how are you?” His voice is stern and I roll my eyes at his words of endearment.

  “I take it you’ve seen the news?” I try to keep my voice neutral, not showing the nerves that have suddenly hit me.

  “Yes. I need you and Killian to come to my house right now. We can’t wait on this one.” His tone leaves no option but to do as he asks. Even if I had wanted to go against him, I wouldn’t have in this moment.

  “I understand.” Grabbing my car keys, I slide my feet into my flats. “I’ll give him a call and let him know.”

  “Isn’t he with you?”

  “No, why? Was there something we were supposed to be doing?” He sighs heavily.

  “Well, I figured since you two are having a baby together, you would be living with each other by now.” I’m stumbling over my words being caught completely off guard. Of course he would think we were together, Killian and his brilliant idea to make his parental claim on my child.

  “Uh, well you know with everything going on, I guess the subject just hasn’t really been touched on too much.” There’s a brief silence and in that moment I want to find Killian and wring his neck.

  “I guess you’re right. We do have bigger things to worry about.” I let out a sigh of relief, thankful to dodge that bullet.

  “I’m on my way.” I hang up, not waiting for a response and quickly head out the door. I get in my car and make my way to Sal’s house, needing to see where this situation is going to go. You can tell summer is coming to an end as the weather is starting to cool down. I now realize I should have grabbed a sweater but I just wanted to get there and didn’t even think about it. I probably don’t even have one that fits me anyway. I’ll have to do some fall clothes shopping when I get this all wrapped up, and I'm hoping that its sooner rather than later or I'm going to freeze. My heart’s pounding so hard against my chest that it feels like it’s trying to jump its way out of my body. I couldn’t really pick up on anything from Sal other than the fact that he knows this is a problem. I’ve seen how he handles problems before and it’s not too pretty.

  Feeling like I should have some kind of gameplan, I call Killian over my Bluetooth, listening as the call connects. The speakers fill with the sound of ringing but he doesn’t answer, and his voicemails plays. I leave him a message telling him to call me back, hoping I get his call before I arrive at Sal’s house but I’m out of luck. I pull into the driveway and park right next to Killian’s car. I walk up pathway to the front door; after knocking, I’m taken by surprise when the door opens and Michael is standing there. He greets me with a hug quickly whispering in my ear.

  “Just a warning, he’s been grilling Killian on why he isn’t taking responsibility for the mother of his child, letting her live alone and deal with everything herself. Killian has told him he wanted to surprise you with a house he’s building for you and is in a bidding war over some land. Sal seems to have bought it but I just figured you should know in case it comes up.” I smile at him in a silent thank you, but I’m still not sure why he is here. He moves aside letting me enter and I follow him into the kitchen.

  “There you are dear.” Killian gets up from the bar stool and walks over to me. He places a kiss on my lips before pulling me in for a hug. He’s really laying it on thick and Sal is eating it up. He’s got a big ass grin on his face like he’s won the lottery. I’m sure he feels like it. He thinks that I am all in when it comes to this business and I’m a sure he thinks that being with me will make Killian stick around. This is all he’s ever wanted, and then some.

  “I’m sorry to keep you guys waiting. What did I miss? You weren’t giving him shit on not living with me were you?” I walk around the island to where Sal is standing and give him a hug. He smells like cigars and whiskey; it makes me pull away quickly, the smell turning my stomach. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you stink. And unless you quit smoking cigars, no more hugs from this pregnant lady. I think I’m going to throw up now.” Sal laughs like the uncaring asshole he is and waves me off with his hand.

  “Don�
�t worry about the living situation. I over-stepped and it won’t happen again. That’s something for you two to work out. I’m your dad, I'm allowed to worry about you.” He winks at Killian, clearly referring to the fake surprise house he’s supposedly buying me. “Now, I know you must’ve seen it because it’s been everywhere. Angelo is dead and I want to know how this happened.”

  “You mean it wasn’t you?” Before he can answer, Michael pulls something out of the oven that smells delicious. He puts it on the dining room table and tells us to come sit and eat.

  “I had Michael come over and make us something. It’s going to be a late night and it’s always better to discuss business with a full stomach. I also have to keep that grandchild of mine growing.” I cringe at his caring words; anyone listening from the outside would think he was the ultimate caring grandparent. We all sit at the table, but Michael doesn’t join us. “Aren’t you eating?” Sal questions him as he fills his plate with food.

  “Not tonight. I need to get back and make sure Nicole is taken care of.” I'm a little jealous of him having a reason to escape.

  “Give her my love and take her a plate home with you.” Michael says his goodbyes and is out the door as quickly as he can. Michael really outdid himself with this meal. He has a roast, seasoned potatoes, some fruit and salad which all look like it should be in a food magazine and not eaten. His talent with cooking amazes me. We all fill our plates and Killian gets up to grab us drinks. When he returns, he sits across from me so each of us are on Sal’s side. “So where were we?”

  “I just asked if it was you that killed Angelo.” Putting his fork down, he looks between us both as his mouth hangs open. His eyebrows are drawn together as he sits back in his chair, clearly insulted by my words.

  “You and I both know that I wouldn’t be so careless. I’ve been doing this for a long time, sweetheart, and I’m not going to start getting sloppy now. If I was to get rid of a problem like Angelo, no one would have found him, he would have just vanished. But since I didn’t do it, that leaves us with the question of who did?” He looks between Killian and I for some kind of explanation. I’m thankful Killian takes the lead on this one. He said he had ways of deflecting Sal from certain topics and now’s his time to shine.

  “Honestly? If you didn’t do it anyone could have, he wasn’t the most popular guy.” Oh just great. Way to crash and burn on that one. As I’m about to speak up he continues. “And from what I’ve seen and heard, there have been a lot of people really unhappy with him after the whole Dante mess.”

  “I’ve already taken care of that. That is why Ava is now in charge.”

  “That’s true. However, there has been a lot of talk. Apparently there are certain street gangs who are satisfied with the way you handled Dante, but not so much with Angelo. They feel like he just got a slap on the wrist, like the punishment doesn’t suit the crime kind of deal.”

  Sal looks to me. “Did you know about this?” I shake my head no. “Why didn’t you bring this up sooner?”

  “What good would it do? We were focusing on getting everything straightened out and rebuilding trust with our buyers. I didn’t need the distraction and neither did Ava. If you ask me, he got what he deserved and saved you the headache of having to do it yourself.” He shrugs and continues to eat like it’s no big deal. I wish I could act as cool as Killian, no one would ever guess that he knows more than he's letting on.

  “Huh, I guess you make an excellent point there.” Sal picks his fork back up and continues to eat his food. “I want it known though, from now on if it has to do with my guys, it comes directly to me. I don’t take kindly to people trying to decide how to handle my business for me. If this happens again, with any of my guys, there will be a war waged and all distribution will stop. I want this put out there and made crystal clear as soon as possible. Got it?”

  “I’ll get on it tonight as soon as I leave here.” I sit back in amazement as Killian did just what he said he was great at doing. He clearly knows how to work Sal, and I did the right thing bringing him on to help us. He just keeps proving himself more and more useful as we move along.

  As the rest of the evening goes on, it’s getting late and I really don’t want to be sitting here. Sal figured since we’re here, we can discuss some business and get it out of the way. We have some big deals coming ahead and he’s on high alert, especially now with Angelo’s body popping up. No locations will be disclosed to either party until an hour before and everyone will be searched upon their arrival. Killian and I agree with him because we know that’s what he needs to hear. After faking heartburn as an excuse to get out of there, we say our goodbyes and I get in my car to drive home. I’m not even out of the street before my phone starts ringing.

  “Hello?”

  “Do you think he bought it?” Killian asks.

  “If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have let it go so easily. I have to say, you were right about knowing how to handle him. You did good back there.”

  “It’s really no big deal. After years of being around him I just grow tired of hearing his shit and learned to tune out and deflect when I have to.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short. Your mind works fast and you’re quick on your feet when you need to be. Not everyone can come up with shit that fast. I’m a cop, remember, I have people trying to lie to me all damn day and sometimes I wonder why they even bother trying because they’re so bad at it.”

  “So what you’re really saying is I’m a great liar. Thanks for the compliment, I think?” His voice holds a note of humor and I can’t help but smile at him.

  “I know we already talked about it but I really am sorry for sneaking out on you. And thank you for not making it awkward now.” The words come rushing out before I have a chance to stop them. I'm not sure why I bring it up again but I just feel the need to thank him again.

  “Ava, please don’t take what I’m about to tell you the wrong way. But the truth is, and I think you feel the same way, the other night shouldn’t have happened.” Hearing those words come out of his mouth is like a breath of fresh air. “You’re a beautiful woman and any man would be lucky to have you, but it was a lapse of judgment on my end. I was hurting and let’s face it, you’re just a pregnant bundle of horniness.” We both burst out laughing.

  “I’m so glad you said that.” I feel myself smile, a sense of relief flowing through my entire body.

  “Well, it’s true. I mean first, you all but ravage me in your sleep, then I show one sign of weakness and you pounce on me, totally taking advantage of the emotional state I was in.”

  “Puhlease.” I over exaggerate. “If anyone took advantage of the situation it was you. You could have jumped out of that bed, but chose to stay.”

  “I’m just a man, Ava.” He laughs.

  “But joking aside, you’re right and I agree with you one hundred percent. It was a mistake on both of our ends and let’s just agree to never cross that line again.” I need to make it clear to him that it won’t be happening again, I'm just hoping I can get my hormonal body to listen.

  “Agreed.”

  “I’m about to pull up to my house so I’ll talk to you later.” I pull up into my driveway but keep the car running, not wanting to cut Killian off.

  “Sounds good. Goodnight, Ava. Sleep well.” I smile at his sweet words. I’m really glad I have him as a friend.

  “Goodnight, Killian.”

  Three weeks later

  I knew I was going to be in trouble with Lance after Joe found out that I had been drugged. He felt like I was being reckless and told Lance about what happened. The phone call I received from her was really bad and once again, I felt like a young child being scolded. It also didn’t help that she called Killian in, catching him completely off guard. She had grilled him about all the exchanges we had done in the past. I’m fuming that she lied to him by telling him she just wanted to make sure that he and I were on the same page and everyone was in the loop. She had chewed me out when she found ou
t about some big exchanges that had happened without her knowledge, she even threatened my badge.

  They just want a big bust to wrap this up, but no one is seeing the big picture. There needs to be a little bit of time between their last one and now. Security is high and I have bigger exchanges planned in the near future that will involve a lot more people. They need to see that this has the potential to get more people off the street. She didn’t like that I had lied to her, saying I had been sneaking around behind her back, but in the end, she ultimately agreed with me. After I left her office I needed something to brighten my day so I figured I would call the doctor’s office and make an appointment for the ultrasound they suggested.

  Even though I’m excited to find out what I’m having, I knew I couldn’t come here on my own. I thought about calling Ferris and asking her if she would come, but then I’d have to explain why I needed to do this all alone, possibly having to explain about Dante, and that’s a conversation I don’t want to have with her. So Instead, I called Killian and asked him if he would come with me. At first he was hesitant and asked me if I wanted to take Joe instead, but after I explained that I wanted to plan a surprise gender reveal for them, he ultimately agreed to go.

  So here we sit in the waiting room, waiting for a nurse to call us back. It feels kind of weird sitting here with Killian, knowing that this is a moment that Dante should have experienced. If I can’t have the father of my child here with me, I will take a close friend as the next best thing.

  “Ava Inturrisi.” The nurse calls.

  We both stand from our chairs, “Ready for this?” Killian asks with a smile and guides me toward the nurse with his hand on the small of my back.

  The exam room is warmer than the other rooms I’ve been in, probably because of the machinery. The nurse instructs me to take a seat on the bed and to place the paper sheet on my lap. Opening a door to what looks to be a closet, she walks in coming back out with a folder and disc.