Besides, if Isaac is involved with my mother and Ventretti and his business, this goes further than I ever expected it would.
The only person I’m fearful for in this entire situation is Vic, and what could possibly happen to her if I don’t get to the bottom of what Ventretti wants with her.
“Really, I’m not,” I say to Lucius.
“If I were afraid, I would’ve called my father by now,” I add.
“Might I suggest you do so, again?” Lucius asks.
I shake my head at him.
“No, let him be happy, let him enjoy being engaged,” I refuse.
“But he would want to know, what you’re doing?” Lucius points out.
He inspects his Glock one last time before he holsters it.
“Do you want a piece? I’ve got a spare,” he says.
“They’ll just frisk me and take it anyway, Lucius,” I say.
“Yeah. It’s probably better you go unarmed, anyway. Less chance of being misunderstood,” he replies.
I slide my jacket on, take one last look in the mirror and note the empty look in my eyes.
It’s there, I can see it, and I know the only person that can fill the void I’ve felt since Vic and I parted ways, is Vic herself.
“You’re better than this,” I tell my reflection.
A slow smirk forms on my lips, and I do my best to remain stoic.
Lucius and I opt to take a car down to the club, but traffic is a nightmare, and we’re late.
Nothing wrong with being late, but when Dominic Ventretti agrees to meet you, that’s a meeting you aren’t late for.
The club is overly packed on New Year's Eve, lights flash overhead, and the smell of spilled drinks is thick in the air.
We arrive right at the height of the party and immediately make our way to the bar, where Lucius leans over to scream something at the waitress over the boom of the music.
She disappears and returns.
“One moment,” she yells over the din.
“Can I get a whiskey in the meantime?” I ask.
She produces a glass of their finest, declares it on the house and moves on to other patrons.
The whiskey goes down smoothly in a few gulps.
I’m on the last sip of my drink when Aidan appears.
“Jesus Christ, this reminds me why I never leave the house on New Year’s!” he roars.
“Me either,” Lucius grunts.
“I should be in Hawaii,” he adds.
“We should all be in Hawaii,” I sigh heavily.
Aidan laughs.
“After all of this is over, it’s time for a long vacation,” the former cop tells us.
The way he says ‘all of this’ only alerts me to the point that there’s more than just my mother involved; that somehow Dominic Ventretti is going to complicate things;.
I’m not sure how deep this goes.
“So, Ventretti was involved with your mother’s business,” Aidan shouts in my ear.
“That’s the reason he agreed to see you,” he says.
“Why?” I shout back.
“Because when your father shut down your mother’s operation, he lost a lot of business. Also, his trafficking racket. Apparently, Elizabeth was pretty good at turning the prettier girls into high-end escorts. She instilled fear into them, made them loyal to Ventretti. As far as I’m concerned, he probably thinks you’re here to strike the operation back up,” Aidan explains.
“Or?” I point out.
“Or, he wants to kill you,” Aidan says with a little shrug.
“Let’s hope it’s not the latter then,” I respond.
“There’s more,” Aidan’s voice is low in my ear.
“What?” I question.
“Michael Bishop lost something significant in a poker game a while back,” Aidan says.
“Well, that explains why his daughters are involved,” I reply.
I avoid all mention of Vic.
“That’s not it,” Aidan explains.
“He lost an island, specifically in Fiji, to your father,” Aidan adds.
I raise an eyebrow to this.
Surely, Vic knew about the island?
Why didn’t she tell me anything?
“They were probably using that as part of their trafficking business,” Lucius finally adds something to the conversation.
“So, basically, we’re going in blind. It could be any of the above, or all of the above,” I tell them.
Aidan and Lucius nod in agreement.
Great.
“That’s Ventretti’ s second-in-command,” Aidan says as he points out two men.
They approach us together.
The smaller guy is beefed up in a tight t-shirt and a jacket.
The taller man looks like he could be anywhere else in the world and wouldn’t care.
“Could you come with us please?” barks Ventretti’s second-in-command.
Lucius and Aidan move to join me, but the larger man stops them.
“Just Mr. Stone,” he informs us.
“It’s fine,” I tell them.
“I’m Joseph,” says the smaller man.
He shakes my hand.
I follow them to the back of the club, through the crush of people, down a small set of stairs, and then down again.
Down into the basement, into a back room.
This is where I die, I think to myself.
Instead, Dominic Ventretti sits in a worn leather chair with a snakelike smile on his face.
I assumed all Italian mob bosses were gigantic, with cigars in their mouth and pudgy features that make them look like everyone’s least favorite person.
Dominic Ventretti is thin and waves a hand to release his second-in-command.
Both of the men disappear and leave us.
“Have a seat Mr. Stone, or can I call you Evan?” he has a slight accent.
“Evan is fine,” I say.
“Where in Italy are you from?” I try to make small talk.
“Sicily,” Dominic laughs.
“All the best men are Sicilian. Your father is English, as is your mother, but you grew up here?” Dominic asks.
“My whole life,” I nod.
“What was your mother like?” his question catches me off guard.
“I never really knew her, not when I was younger anyway,” my voice remains steady.
“So, you have no memories of her before she worked for me?” Dominic asks.
“None,” I say.
I decide it’s in my best interests to simply comply with his request for information.
“That’s too bad,” Dominic says.
This is far beyond small talk.
Dominic’s attempt to make me squirm works wonders for him.
“Elizabeth was always good with my children. Whenever I used to bring them to her office, she always had candy bars. Once my youngest son broke a priceless vase, and she barely made a fuss. She swept up the vase, told me accidents happen, and then we went about our business,” his story is short.
But, it makes me urge to sit my mother down, and ask her what the hell she was thinking.
“No offense, Mr. Ventretti, but that’s not the mother I know,” I tell him.
“Of course, it isn’t. Elizabeth was always all business,” Dominic says.
He waves a hand dismissively.
There’s a knock at the door.
“Enter,” Dominic’s voice is authoritative.
A young woman with blonde hair enters, wearing a pair of enormous heels.
They click very loudly as she walks to the table and sets down a fine serving tray.
There are bone china cups, and a pot of espresso.
Some lemon slices and pure cane sugar are in little bowls, with sterling silver spoons.
“Can I bring you anything else?” she asks quietly.
“Evan, would you like anything else? A drink perhaps?” Dominic asks.
“Coffee is fine,” I say.
I am
craving more of that fine whisky, but I feel I need to be more clear-headed.
He nods to the woman, and she clicks out of the room quickly.
“Sugar?” he asks me.
“No, black is fine,” I respond.
“Good man, you’re a good man Evan. So, I’d like to know why the son of Noah Stone has requested a meeting with me. Surely, there’s a reason?” Dominic says.
“Isaac Miller married the sister of a close friend of mine. I want to know what he wants with the two of them,” I say.
“Ahh, you’re here in regards to Ms. Bishop,” he says.
Then, he nods curtly.
“Isaac is only a mere pawn. I can make him go away, should you accept my offer,” Dominic sneers at me.
“How much?” I respond.
“This isn’t about money. If this were about money, we would’ve hung Michael Bishop to dry long ago. He’s betrayed us one too many times, and he needs to go,” Dominic announces.
“You want Michael Bishop dead?” I can’t hold back my shock.
“Yes, either way, it’s about to happen. If you can give me, some sort of insurance, that you will take care of our little problem, it’s insignificant really, I’ll release both the Bishop girls on all accounts. However, if I must take care of the problem myself, we’ll have quite the disagreeable situation,” Dominic tells me.
I have nothing to say to that.
“Fine,” I say.
“Good man,” Dominic says.
He sips his espresso.
“Now there’s someone here, who wants to see you,” Dominic announces.
I know who it is before the door even opens.
When I turn around, there she is.
Elizabeth.
My mother, in all her glory.
“Evan,” she says as she places a hand on the back of my chair.
“Dominic, give us a moment,” she tells him.
Her accent is crisp.
Dominic nods, and rises, sipping the last of his espresso.
He turns and looks at me, before he shrugs and gathers himself.
His laugh follows him as he exits the room.
“How is your father dear?” she asks.
My mother takes the chair formerly occupied by Dominic.
“You’re supposed to be in London,” I say to her.
“Wouldn’t that have been fantastic?” her voice drips with sarcasm.
I don’t recognize the woman in front of me.
Her features are too sharp; her blonde bun too perfect.
She’s a product of her own making, a walking disaster.
I squirm in my chair, and she smirks.
“Tell your father, I’m sorry for what’s about to happen. But, it was a necessary evil,” she tells me.
“What’s about to happen?” I can’t stop the question.
“Ask Leigha Bergmann,” she tells me.
“Now, you can go,” is all she adds.
I leave the untouched espresso in front of me and exit to find Dominic’s second-in-command, Joseph, waiting for me with a phone.
“You’ll receive instructions on this, make sure you keep it on you,” he says.
He leads me back up to the club.
“Everything is on the house tonight. Sherry, here, will bring you to the booth I’ve set your men up in,” Joseph says.
Sherry escorts me to a booth.
On the way there, I run into a leggy blonde, with a high ponytail and wide eyes.
“Evan!” Vic screams over the music.
“What are you doing here?” she yells at me.
19
Victoire
December 31, 2017
“I came to see Ventretti,” Evan yells back at me.
I can’t help what comes over me, the fire in his eyes and the way he looks in a suit is so goddamn sexy that I want to plead with him to give me another chance.
To make this work.
Maybe it’s the hormones?
But I can’t pin everything on that.
Instead of a reply, I throw myself against Evan and his firm, muscular arms, close around my waist.
He holds me for far longer than necessary.
“We’ve got a booth, come on,” he tells me.
I let him take me by the hand.
I’ve already lost Isaac and Grace in the crush of people, I don’t care to lose Evan any further than I already have.
Aidan and Lucius are already seated at the booth.
Lucius has two women curled around him, and Aidan looks hugely out of place.
“Victoire,” Lucius addresses me.
“Lucius, Aidan,” I say to them both.
Aidan only nods and pours himself another drink, more vodka than soda.
I don’t judge him, he can drink for me anyway since I haven’t touched a drop all night.
“Give us a second, Lucius,” Evan says.
He motions towards the girls.
“Ladies, why don’t you go dance for me? I’ll watch,” Lucius says.
The two women immediately nod and move towards the dance floor, then begin a sultry dance together, their eyes on each other.
“What did he want?” Lucius asks.
I turn to Evan, wide-eyed and hopeful.
“He wants Michael Bishop dead,” Evan says without a glance at me.
I gasp.
“He wants my father dead?” I try to confirm.
Evan nods.
“Well, you’re not dead, so that’s a start,” Aidan offers to Evan.
“There’s more,” Evan says.
Lucius and Aidan exchange a glance.
Then, Evan says the words I want to hear least in the world.
“My mother is here,” he announces.
Lucius automatically puts his hand on his Glock, and Evan puts a hand up.
“What are you about to do? Shoot her in the middle of Ventretti’s club?” Evan asks.
I watch the determined expression on Lucius’ face soften, then he nods behind us.
My back goes rigid despite the comfort of Evan’s arm around me.
When I turn my head, the familiar form that used to terrorize me from behind that big desk in her office looms over the four of us.
Aidan grips his glass and swallows all the vodka in it as Elizabeth takes the seat beside him. She drapes her arm around Aidan like they’re old friends and Aidan exchanges a glance with Evan.
His rage is so apparent I’m suddenly afraid.
“Give me one reason I shouldn’t strangle you with my bare hands,” Aidan tells Elizabeth.
“In Dominic Ventretti’s club, he’s the only one that does the killing,” Elizabeth announces.
“I’m just wanting to say hello, Aidan,” she says.
Then, she shrugs at all of us like this whole ordeal is nothing but a game, and Evan pulls me closer against him, as though he wants to protect me from her.
“Though, I find it quite peculiar that my son had to go and fall for one of my girls. She always was one of my favorites,” Elizabeth’s words drip with malice.
She turns Aidan’s head towards her, and, of all things, kisses him roughly.
“Thanks, by the way,” she says to Aidan.
Then, Elizabeth is gone just as quickly as she came.
We all stare at Aidan with wide eyes.
“Am I that drunk?” he quips.
“Shots,” is all Lucius says.
Evan pours us all a shot.
“I’ve had too much already,” I make an excuse.
They all take a shot and then Aidan pours himself another drink.
This whole experience has been a total shock to my system.
I barely register anything else for the rest of the night.
Somewhere along the lines, I kiss Evan at midnight.
We pour Aidan into the car to get him home safely, and Evan settles beside me.
Aidan lays down against the seats and begins to snore softly.
“Well, I can’t imagine that whole e
xperience was any fun,” I tell Evan.
“What are we going to do?” Evan is direct with me.
“They want my father dead, I don’t know,” I tell him.
I can barely function.
Between the pregnancy and this sudden revelation from Evan, I know there’s some deep shit about to come my way.
“We’ll have to fake it,” Evan says.
“We can’t possibly kill your father, and who knows what else Ventretti will ask for if I don’t comply with his request,” his voice is firm.
“You want to trick Dominic Ventretti?” I gasp.
“Is that smart?” I add.
“Do you want your father dead? At my hands?” Evan asks.
I don’t know if I could ever forgive him for that.
“Is that what Isaac wants? My father dead?” I ignore his previous statement.
“Dominic said Isaac would go away if your father were dead,” Evan says soberly.
But what does Isaac want from me?
Does he just want my father dead?
Or is there more to the story?
We stop in front of Aidan’s building and get him safely into his apartment.
I leave a glass of water and some aspirin on the coffee table beside him, littered with newspaper.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the trouble with my dad?” Evan asks quietly.
“That,” I sigh.
“You should’ve told me,” he says.
“I didn’t know how,” I try to explain.
“But you should’ve told me anyway!” Evan argues.
“It put their entire operation at stake, and that’s why Ventretti wants your father dead, you should’ve known better than to keep that from me,” he adds.
Then Evan crosses his arms with one eyebrow raised.
“I know,” is all I can come up with.
“You lied to me,” Evan’s voice sounds strangled.
It’s as though he wants to hold back what’s really on his mind.
“Evan, I’m sorry,” I apologize.
His face twists in anguish.
I know the internal debate raging in his head.
Is he going to forgive me or not?
“I don’t know whether to trust you or not,” he says finally.
“Evan it’s still me,” I cry.
I don’t even know what to say.
I should push him away, is what I should do.
But for all our sakes, Evan and I need to maintain some semblance of a relationship.
Heat_A Stone Billionaire Series Novel Page 14