Chapter Forty-One Ava
I bobbed along like a buoy on the ocean. The voices surrounding me were muted like I was deep beneath the water’s surface. Faces floated around me.
Some were familiar.
Some were those I loved.
Some seemed to be demons from the depths of my worst nightmares.
The demons’ long fingers reached out for me, grasping my neck. “Where is it? Where’s the necklace?” they screeched.
With a gasp, I shot up in bed. As my chest rose and fell in harsh pants, I swiped the sheen of sweat from my forehead. As I gazed around the room, I frowned.
Nothing was familiar. I wasn’t in my childhood bedroom at Mom and Dad’s, nor was I back in my house or Dare’s.
At the sound of a voice across the room, I jumped. “Good morning, Mrs. Kavanaugh,” a middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair said. At the sight of her medical scrubs, I frowned. The room appeared too posh to be a hospital room.
“Good morning,” I tentatively replied.
She gave me a beaming smile. “I’m so glad to see you awake.”
Furrowing my brows, I asked, “How long was I out?”
“Two days.”
I gasped. “I’ve been asleep for two days.”
“You’ve been unconscious.”
“Why?” I demanded.
But then I remembered Nick’s lifeless body, bloodied and broken. And then my parents' faces as they told me my entire life had been built on a lie.
With a groan, I flopped back against the pillows. “Nevermind.”
“The doctor felt it was best to keep you sedated.” She gave me a sad smile. “Your brain and body needed some time to process the trauma you endured, so it could heal.”
“Like two days unconscious can even begin to heal me” I grunted.
Ignoring my comment, the nurse asked, “Are you hungry?”
To my surprise, my stomach growled. “Starved.”
“Good. I’ll go grab you a tray, Mrs. Kavanaugh.”
As she started to open the door, I called, “Wait. I’m not Dare’s wife. We’re just dating.”
Slowly, she turned back to me. “Perhaps I need to get your husband.”
Rubbing my aching head, I argued, “He’s not my husband.”
“I’ll go get him.”
Knowing Dare like I did, he wouldn’t be too keen on being called my husband. We’d just rekindled our romance. While we might’ve been considering cohabitation, that was only because of Piper.
As I brought my hand away from my head, something shiny flickered. Staring down at my hand, I let out a shriek. An enormous diamond ring glittered back at me. Underneath it was a platinum wedding band.
“Holy shit!”
The door opened then, and Dare appeared. At the sight of me, his expression of concern turned to happiness. “Damn, it’s good to see you awake.”
I threw the back of my hand up at him. “What the fuck is this?” I demanded.
His smile faded. “It’s a wedding ring.”
“I’m aware of that. My question would be what is it doing on my finger.”
“I can explain.”
“Are we married?”
“Yes.”
I recoiled back in horror. “Excuse me?”
“It was to protect you and Piper.”
“How the hell could I have married you when I’ve been unconscious for two days?”
“The marriage license was forged, but no one knows that but my brothers and you.”
“You didn’t think you should wait until I was conscious to bind us legally?”
“We didn’t have time, Ava. The clock was already ticking when Christos’s men arrived on your doorstep.”
“How could you do this to me?”
He jerked back like I’d slapped him. “I did it because I love you.”
“Love isn’t forcing a marriage on me when I was sedated, Dare!” I spat.
“Don’t you see that this is about more than just you and me? We have a daughter to consider.” When I opened my mouth to argue, he shook his head. “She’s an heir to the Trakos family just the same as you are. Anyone who wants to hurt you wants to hurt her as well. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to ensure my girls are safe, and that includes marrying you.”
“They want the necklace, not me.”
“Don’t be stupid, Ava.”
“How dare you!” I blared.
As Dare’s jaw clenched, it appeared he was trying to control his temper. “Look, I know the mafia life is new, and you don’t understand all the ins and outs. Let me assure you of this. As long as you and Piper draw breath, you’re a threat to your uncle Christos. By becoming my wife, you have protection that you wouldn’t have if we were just dating.”
“You married me without my consent!”
“What else did you expect me to do? Wait for you to be in the right state of mind for decision making and risk Christos’s men taking you and Piper from me?”
Deep down, I knew he was justified. Piper and I needed the protection. It wasn’t like I was Caterina who had been stolen out of a convent to marry a stranger. I knew Dare…I loved Dare. One day I’d wanted to marry him, but not like this. Not when I was fucking unconscious.
It just seemed everyone I loved made choices for me without my consent.
At the same time, I was too stubborn to admit I was wrong. “Where’s Piper?” I asked.
“In the playroom with Julianna.”
It was then I realized where I was. It was the guest bedroom at Callum and Caterina's. Dare and I had slept here a couple of times when we’d been over for parties and imbibed too much. I assumed he brought me here because it was the safest of their residences.
“I’d like to see her.”
With a nod, Dare said, “I’ll get her.”
When Dare started to the door, I asked, “Does she know about…” I pinched my eyes shut in pain.
“No. I wanted to wait for you to tell her.”
“Has she asked about him?”
“On the way here from Gloucester, Niall said she asked if he was still hiding.”
Pain ricocheted through my chest. “But she’s okay?”
“Yeah. Thankfully, she’s been distracted with Julianna and the twins.” The corners of Dare’s lips quirked up. “Isla almost had a heart attack this morning when she went to get Rian up from his nap, and he was missing. Come to find out, Julianna and Piper were pretending he was their baby.”
My eyes widened. “Was he okay?”
Dare chuckled. “Little wain was grand. Callum and I gave them a tough talk about not stealing other people’s kids.”
A laugh tumbled from my lips. The first one in two days. It felt so foreign but so good. “Isla and Quinn are here too?”
“Callum wanted everyone hunkering down together.”
“And my parents?”
“Under protection as well as your brothers.” At what must’ve been my questioning look, he shook his head. “The funeral is tomorrow.”
Nick’s funeral.
A funeral meant he was really gone. “Oh God,” I murmured.
A knock at the door interrupted us. “Yes?” Dare called.
To my surprise, a grim-faced Callum stepped inside the room with a cell phone in his hand. “It’s Christos.”
My stomach clenched at the mention of his name. “What does he want?” Dare demanded.
“He wants to speak to Ava.”
Dare shook his head. “No fucking way. Whatever he needs to say, he can say to me.”
Callum winced. “I told him that. He insists on speaking to his niece, or he will give the order for the men outside Taverna by the Sea to start shooting.”
“Fucking hell!” Dare shouted.
“You said my parents were protected!”
“They are. They’re here in Boston, but Christos doesn't know that.”
Motioning to Callum, I said, “I’ll speak to him.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Dare protested.
“Did you not hear what Callum said?”
Dare jerked his hand through his hair. “You’re not well.”
“I’m fine.”
“You experienced a mental breakdown two nights ago, Ava. Just like I won’t let him physically hurt you, I won’t let him do it mentally either.”
“I can do this.” At his continued look of disbelief, I replied, “I need to do this.”
He huffed out a defeated breath. “Fine.”
When I nodded, Callum handed me the phone. For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Words eluded me. After all, what do you say to the man who killed your parents and the man who was like a brother to you. “Hello?” I finally croaked out.
“Ava?”
“Yes.”
“After all these years, how nice it is to find you’re alive and well.”
Dare growled beside me. “Cut the bullshite, Christos. What do you want?”
A pause came on the line. “I believe I asked to speak to my niece, not you, Mr. Kavanaugh.
“She’s my wife , cocksucker.”
“Dare,” I warned.
“From this moment on, I’m speaking to only Ava,” Christos said.
Callum grabbed Dare’s shoulder before he could say anything. “Fine,” Dare grumbled.
“I imagine you’re calling about the necklace.”
“Yes. It’s a family heirloom that I would like returned to me.”
“From what I learned the other night about my true identity, it should remain with me.”
A chuckle echoed on the line. “I see you have your mother’s fire.” Christos tsked. “But you wouldn’t know about that fire, would you?”
I sucked in a breath. “You bastard.”
Christos once again chuckled. “She called me that many times. The last time she said it was when I stood over my useless brother’s body as he bled out on the side of the road. But it was the last thing she said before I shot her in the head.”
White hot rage shimmered through me at his words. In that moment, I could’ve killed him.
I would have killed him.
“Tell me what you want?” I gritted out.
“I want the key.”
My gaze locked with Dare’s. “He knows,” I mouthed to which he nodded.
“Play dumb,” he mouthed back.
“What key?”
“Come now, Ava. You and I both know you’re aware of the key that was inside the necklace.”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“All right then. I suppose I’ll just tap the detonator in my hand to blow up Taverna by the Sea.”
“NO!” I screamed.
“Then don’t fuck with me, niece.”
“What do you want it for?”
“That’s personal.”
“Killing my nephew was personal, don’t you think?”
“I’m sure your new husband can acquaint you with what we call collateral damage. I’m sure he has the blood of many on his hands from it.”
“Leave me the fuck out of this,” Dare snarled.
Ignoring him, I said, “I would be an idiot to hand over the key without any guarantees about my safety or my daughter’s.”
“What would you like from me?”
“The key for our lives. I give it to you, and you walk away from us.”
“Ava, no!” Dare protested.
“And what reason would I have
“I’m my father’s heir.”
He chuckled. “Do you honestly think our men would follow you? A woman who has never stepped foot in Greece would never lead the Trakos family.”
“You might be surprised. While I might never have been to Greece, I do speak the language. Through my husband’s family we have many allies in your neighbor, Sicily. Besides that, maybe your men still believe in the natural progression of mafia heirs. Maybe they loved my father and have allegiance for him.”
“You assume a lot, Ava. Dimitrios has been dead for thirty-three years. A whole generation never knew him. They show allegiance to me and my son.”
“Then you admit I’m not a threat and should leave me and my family alone.”
A pause came over the line. “While you aren’t, your husband is. Perhaps in his notion of protecting you through marriage he was actually finding a way to expand his family’s power.”
“Bullshite!” Dare growled.
“Is it though? Take a moment and think about what your husband has gained through your marriage.”
Don’t listen to him, Ava. He’s just trying to cause problems between you and Dare. The Kavanaughs have enough power without trying to use you for what you might gain as the Trakos heir.
“This isn’t about my husband. This is about me and my birthright,” I countered.
“I’ll be happy to sit down with you and sign a peace treaty. You give me the key, and I give you and your daughter your lives.”
I stared at Dare to gauge his reaction. His expression was unreadable. “I’m sure you want to meet as soon as possible?”
“I do. How about tomorrow?”
My breath hitched. “My nephew’s funeral is in the morning.”
“Once again, my deepest sympathies.”
“Fuck. you,” I gritted out.
Christos only chuckled. “Since I will need to fly in from Greece, I’ll call you with the coordinates of our meeting at two.”
“Fine.”
Without a goodbye, he hung up. “I don’t like this idea,” Dare said.
“What choice do we have?” I countered.
Callum nodded. “Ava’s right. We have to at least get her in front of him to figure a way to take him out.”
Dare’s brows disappeared into his hairline. “Are you suggesting Ava take him out?”
“He won’t be expecting it.”
Ignoring his brother, Dare said, “You had a nervous breakdown at the sight of me and Quinn torturing. Do you really think you can be violent and ruthless when it comes down to it?”
At the thought of Nick’s body in my arms, I nodded. “I’ll do whatever I have to make that fucker pay.”