(It's a small jump in time since the first book.)
James
I wasn't born to be soft and quiet, I was born to make the world shatter and shake at my fingertips. To have people bow and peck my shoes before me. To be the king.
And I am.
I met evil when I was nothing but a little boy. The first time I pulled a trigger was at age ten. It was in our basement, where my father at the time had a few prisoners that he had captured. This is what happens, he had said. This is what happens to the people who do not pay us respect, who chooses the side of our enemy.
That man was a complete stranger to me, but I still remember his lifeless eyes, his rugged beard, and his croaky voice as he cried for mercy. When I was younger I got nightmares from the memory of what happened that night. I killed him, it wasn't more awful than that. But for a little boy, it was.
My father was a great man. A great leader. Even a great father. After he died I took his place. His death changed our cartel. Alesso and I took it the hardest. We were both very close to him. My mother was devastated as well, but after the many times he had been shot it was a miracle it didn't happen sooner.
The only thing that soothes me is that I avenged his death with my own hands. The role as the don was unfamiliar to me when it occurred, but I will never forget the day I put a bullet through Leonid Sokolov's head. The Russian mafia boss. Finding him wasn't easy. Getting a chance to kill him was even harder. But I did it. And fuck how good it felt.
Leonid and my father had been friends, but all of a sudden the Sokolov family turned against us, because of power and money. He killed my father, and I had no other choice but to end his life.
And here I am again, fidgeting with the strings of another's life. I cock my head to the side as my eyes tiredly wander over the bag of scum a few feet away from me. It is complete silence, apart from his labored breathing. My four men are standing around him, waiting for me to utter an order.
But this, I want to do myself.
"Leopold Smith." I exhale, taking unrushed steps around him. "You were sure as hell not easy to find. And may I say I am quite impressed of the record you possess." I say, stopping in front of him.
I had ordered one of my best hitmen to find him, so I could kill him. Doing this in a deserted alleyway wasn't my plan, but as long as no one hears or sees anything, it will do. We are three hours away from the city and I want to get this over with.
His eyes dart between me and my men. "I- I don't understand why- why you're here." He stutters.
Following everything he's done, I'm taken by surprise that he has such a lack of balls to even utter a complete sentence.
"You wonder why I'm here?" I chuckle humorlessly. I quickly grab his throat and push him up against the brick wall. His hands try to claw my grip away, but he isn't even half as strong. "I'm here because a certain filthy fucking asshole can't seem to keep his disgusting dick to himself." I grit in his face.
Despite his weak frame and unattractive looks, Leopold is a clever man. I don't mean that as a compliment. He has been accused and reported for aggravated rape and rape of a child. Even though he's been in court numerous times there's been a huge lack of evidence. I decided to take matters into my own hands.
My father taught me many important things. One was to never allow disrespect, and another was to always be on the right side of things. As in, don't ignore fucking rapists. Both predators and human trafficking are things I highly dislike. It disgusts me.
"I have no idea what you're-"
My fist connects with his jaw before he can finish. No matter how much he whines, I won't regret what I'm about to do. It only wastes my time.
"Now, Leopold." I force him down on his knees and grab his hair to pull his head back. "Do you have any last words?" I ask, smirking. I point the gun to his forehead and cock it.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I- I was weak. It wasn't intentional."
I jerk his hair. "Shut the fuck up, you disgusting piece of shit. I promise you, there's a much worse place than hell waiting for you. Proprio come meriti."
[ Just as you deserve. ]
The shot echoes through the stone walls of the buildings around us, but I pay it no thought. I drop his lifeless body on the ground and gesture for my men to deal with it.
I put my gun back in my waistband and adjust my suit as I walk back to the car. This was a hell of a night, I have to admit.
After several hours in the backseat of a SUV I finally make it through the gates of the mansion. We still haven't moved into the property I bought for us, but in a few weeks it's finally time. When I brought Ava there for the first time and told her the news she literally jumped me in happiness.
The house is silent when I enter and I can hear my own footsteps echoing through the foyer as I walk towards and up the stairs. I stride through the long hallway and when I reach the bedroom there is a stray of light coming from the barely ajar door.
Ava has her nose in her computer when I walk in and looks up the second she hears me close the door. Her face lights up in a smile and while unbuttoning my shirt I walk to where she sits leaning on the bed frame.
"What are you still doing up? It's almost three in the morning." I question.
"I waited for you. I can't sleep unless you're next to me." She says. When I get to her I sit down on the edge and caress her bare thigh.
"I'm sorry, it took longer than expected." I sigh. She moves her hand to cup my jaw.
"I thought it was just supposed to be a business meeting." She frowns.
"It was until I got the news that my men had located a guy I've been looking for so I had to deal with that."
She cocks a brow. "Let me guess, it involved a gun?"
I chuckle and smack her thigh. "Bambina, it always involves a gun," I say and she shakes her head to herself.
I stand up and throw my shirt on the floor to then slip into the bathroom. When I stand in front of the mirror her figure shows up in the reflection, standing with her arms folded in the doorway.
"My dad wants to speak with you tomorrow, he said he will be over around lunchtime. Is that alright?" She asks.
I take off my pants, feeling the need to take a long, calming shower after the rough day I had. I look up at her and shrug.
"Yeah, I guess. Why does he want to talk to me, though?"
She pushes herself away from the doorway and slowly strolls closer. "I'm not sure, he just said he needed to discuss something important."
It was actually a positive fact that he was coming here, I have to talk to him about the deal he has with the Russian mafia. It involves a large sum of money, that information is confirmed. But what he was paying them for is not.
I can take a guess and say that the Russians have him in a tight spot, blackmailing him for something. For Ava's safety, we have to clear it out. I just hope that when I do lay it out on the table, that he doesn't get defensive about it.
"I have a meeting at one, so tell him to come before that," I explain. She nods and stops in front of me. Her hands move to graze over my stomach, and her fingers follow the outlining of both scars and tattoos.
"Didn't these hurt?" She asks, a hint of worry in her light tone. Her finger is tracing a bullet scar. She looks up at me and I shrug.
"Not when you're used to getting shot. That one is like my tenth bullet wound." I answer. Her brows dart up.
"Tenth? Jesus. What happened? Did you hand a gun to Ben?"
I chuckle at her question. The first time Ava trained with weapons both Ben and Matt had been with to help demonstrate. Ben is usually a good shot, but I don't know if he got nervous that she was watching or something, but he wasn't even close to the target.
It's very obvious he has some sort of crush on her, but a single look from me and he steps away with his tail between his legs.
"Surprisingly, no. It was an attack at one of my clubs a couple of years back. Nothing to worry about." I say and pull off my underwear. Her eyes fall to my crotch and I smirk when I notice.
"Are you gonna join me?" I ask, taking a step closer. She looks up at me with a smile and my hand squeezes her waist.
"Only if you undress me." She says.
I peck her lips and grab the hem of her huge t-shirt to pull it over her head. She only has on a tiny set of panties, leaving her perky breasts bare. My eyes follow my hand as I lightly graze around the outline of her nipple. It's one of the most sensitive parts of her body, and she inhales sharply at the sensation.
I circle it until it hardens beneath my fingertip. Her eyes are locked on mine almost pleadingly and I chuckle. My hand drops from her body.
Turning towards the shower, I walk to it and turn the water on. When I glance at her over my shoulder her hard nipples are still aching for attention.
"You coming?" I ask, smirking.
Ava
I roll my eyes at him but try and hide my frustration when I step inside the enormous shower. It's big enough for six people to fit in, yet he always stands as close as he possibly can.
Before grabbing a shampoo bottle, James grips my waist and turns me around. The warm water is cascading down my back, helping my tense muscles to unclench and I breathe out. When he has wetted my hair he squirts out some shampoo and massages it in.
My head tilts back and my eyes automatically close at the sensation of his fingertips in my scalp. He is already standing close behind me but takes another step so our bodies are pressed together.
"Do you like this?" He whispers in my ear. His deep voice makes a shiver run down my spine. I hum in answer. He chuckles and presses a kiss to the back of my ear.
Remembering a thought I've had in my mind all day, I open my eyes as he flushes the shampoo out.
"James?" I say his name softly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?" I ask.
"Depends. We talk about a lot of things."
Last week, Maxim Sokolov had reached out to James and said that he wanted to meet up to clear out their issues. I wasn't present when he got the call, but James informed me about what happened over the phone right afterward.
It was odd that they would come right out of the blue and ask for a truce. It was an act. It had to be. I mean, they threaten me and my family's lives, and then they want to patch things up?
It was obvious that they planned something. We don't know what it is, but James doesn't want to back down. I don't want to either.
The only problem is that James wants me nowhere near this when it happens. They are supposed to meet up, both James and his men and Maxim with his men, in two weeks.
It's like locking two bulls in a cage. Hell is bound to break loose.
He didn't even tell me where they are going. All I know is that he's preparing for an attack.
I sigh and turn to him. "You know what I'm talking about, James. The meeting with the Russians. It's not safe, what if they plan to attack you the second you get there?" I say and frown.
He lets out a heavy exhale.
"We know that, Ava. I'm taking my toughest men with me and we will be prepared for anything." He assures and turns around and walks out. He grabs a towel to wrap it around his body and I do the same.
"I still want to come with. If there's any chance—"
"You're not coming. I can't risk it." He says in a firm tone, showing me not to argue with him. But as his girlfriend, I have a right to express my concern when there is a possibility of him getting hurt.
He walks out to the bedroom again and I trail after him, feeling my irritation build up. I cross my arms and watch as he looks for a shirt in the dresser.
"This isn't how our relationship works. You can't expect me to be okay with you running out into a literal crossfire." I say. "Baby, I know this isn't your first time doing something like this but I'm worried. And I want to come with, I'm even good with a gun." The words aren't a lie. I have actually become a steady shot and I afraid of using it to my advantage.
He chuckles and plants his hands on the surface in front of him. "Trust me, Ava, I know you are. But that's not the point." He looks at me and starts walking towards me in a slow pace. "It's you that Maxim wants. If he gets the chance to take you from me he will do it without a doubt. Even if I'm there or not." He states in a steady voice.
"That's exactly why I should come. I can't just hide behind you all the time, James. I appreciate you protecting me but sometimes you have to let me do it myself." I grab the shirt from his hands and walk to the bed.
I know it wouldn't be the smartest move to bring me, but I can come with him in these sort of things now, and a part of me wants to.
I'm not afraid of Maxim — and I want to show him that myself.
_______
First chapterrrr
No smut in this chapter but this book will be extremely steamy, pinky promise
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