Chapter Forty-Six Ava
W hen we got inside the opulent mansion, I couldn’t help peering around. “I didn’t know you lived in the states,” I remarked.
Christos shook his head. “This belongs to an acquaintance of mine.”
He then led me to a room off the foyer. It was a masculinely decorated office with leather chairs and mahogany furniture. Sitting in the middle of the room on an ornate table was what I assumed was my parents’ safe.
Christos handed me a phone. “Call your parents for the code.”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “I know it.”
His eyes danced excitedly. “Then put it in.”
On trembling legs, I stepped forward. My fingers quickly punched in 1-0-1-7 for my October birthday, which also happened to be my parents’ death date. The door on the safe popped open.
Christos practically knocked me out of the way to reach inside. After snatching out the velvet box, he cracked it open.
Dare had put the key in the center of the box. Christos grabbed it before tossing the necklace and box to the floor. “All my life I thought this was a myth. A silly story my father told whenever my mother wore this necklace. ‘Sons,’ he’d say, ‘That necklace protects the key to a vault of riches. Should we ever fall on hard times, use it to replenish our wealth.”
My curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn’t help asking, “What kind of riches?”
Christos jerked his gaze to mine. “The deed to a sapphire mine. One worth tens of millions of dollars. The deed resides in the oldest bank in Athens. This little key is the only way to get into it.”
“You didn’t need it before, but you do now,” I said. As Christos eyed me curiously, I said, “That’s why you started to search for the necklace. You desperately need the money.”
With a chuckle, Ares said, “She possesses anaginoskein anthrōpous. ”
“I see.”
Regardless of my ability to read people, I had too many questions swirling in my mind. “When did you realize I was still alive?”
“After looking through old photographs, I realized Dimitrios had given it to your mother. I knew her family must have it, so I started hunting them.”
“But they’d changed their name. And disappeared to America.”
He nodded. “Then one of my men stumbled upon a post on the dark web. He’d known your mother. When he saw your photo, he knew you had to be Thea’s daughter. When I went back to read the crime scene report, I realized they hadn’t listed fetal remains.”
“And you came for me,” I whispered.
“I did,” Christos replied, his eyes darkening to black.
Swallowing my rising panic, I said, “You have what you wanted. What happens to me?”
He tsked at me. “You’re far too smart to ask that question.”
As he pulled a gun from his jacket, my heart shuddered to a stop. “I’m very sorry, Ava, but despite not being a true threat to my leadership of the Trakos family, you would be entitled the money from the mine.” He shook his head. “I just can’t have that.”
Christos stepped forward and cocked the gun. I closed my eyes, my mind focusing on an image of Dare and Piper.
An explosion went off, sending a warm spray across my face. At the sound of a body hitting the floor, my eyes popped open. With a gun in his hand, Aeres stared down at his father’s body.
Blood sputtered from Christos’s mouth. He stared wildly up at Ares as he came to stand over him. “How…dare…you!”
“That was for my mother.” Cocking his gun, he said, “This is for me.”
I ducked my head not to watch as the bullet exploded from the gun. A few seconds ticked by. I focused on the beat of my heart in my ears.
At the feel of a hand on my shoulder, I jumped. “Let’s get you out of here,” Ares said.
As he started to lead me out of the office, I froze. Glancing back at me, he furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re not going to kill me?”
“Should I?” he asked.
“N-no,” I stammered.
He laughed. “I think I’m going to enjoy getting to know you better, cousin.”
The adrenaline coursing through me evaporated, and my knees buckled. I would’ve fallen over if Ares hadn’t caught me. “You’re really not going to kill me?”
He shook his head. “You were an excellent distraction that allowed me to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
“You planned this all along?”
With a nod, he replied, “It’s why this house isn’t crawling with my father’s men. He was banking on having your daughter here, not you. He knew that your husband would never charge in here with guns blazing and risk Piper’s life. That gave me the in I needed.”
“Will you be in trouble for killing your father?”
Amusement danced in his eyes. “No, Ava. The men of the Trakos family have been looking for a new direction for a long time. With the money from the mine, I’ll be able to support them in new endeavors.”
“I can’t believe you’re not going to kill me,” I muttered.
Ares laughed. “I had planned on it before I met you.”
“You had?”
“I didn’t want any loose ends as I moved forward. With my father gone, no one else knows about the mine but you. No one has a claim to the mine but the two of us.” He stared intently at me. “But after meeting you, I realize you’re no threat.”
Jerking my chin up, I replied, “Thanks a lot.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he countered, “Would you actually want to run this family?”
In that moment, I allowed myself to think about it. Although there was a small part of me that wanted to honor my father, I knew I could never be like Dare and his brothers. I hadn’t been raised in the world like Aeres had. He was the right choice.
“No. I wouldn’t.”
“I figured that’s what you said.”
“So because I’m not a threat, you won’t kill me.”
“More than anything, I saw the mother you were. I knew then I didn’t want to take that away from your daughter.”
Tears pooled in my eyes. “I can never thank you enough for that.”
“How about 60/40 of the sapphire mine, and we’ll call it a day?”
I stopped mid sob. “You aren’t serious?”
“55/45?”
“I don’t care about the mine.”
Ares shook his head. “It belonged to your father as much as it did mine. You should have a part of it.”
As he started walking ahead, I skidded to a stop. Sweeping my hands to my hips, I countered, “Wait a minute. Why aren’t we going 50/50?”
Ares turned with a grin. “I was wondering when it would hit you.”
“Excuse me for being shell-shocked.”
“Don’t you think your life is worth an extra 10%?”
“I am giving up my birthright.”
“True.” He winked. “Then 50/50 it is.”
“Okay.”
A heavily armed bodyguard ran up to us. “Sir, the Kavanaughs just arrived.”
My heart leaped into my throat. Dare had come for me. “I’ll give you the extra 10% if you don’t hurt my husband.”
Ares chuckled. “I don’t plan on hurting him. In fact,” he turned to the bodyguard and said, “inform the outside guards to bring them in.”
“You knew he would come,” I stated.
“Of course.” With a wink, he added, “It’s why I had my first in command contact him to stand down, and that when he arrived, you would be safe.”
“Really?”
“My father’s will be the only blood spilled today.”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor. “Ava!” Dare shouted.
When I saw him, I looked to Ares for validation. At his nod and smile, I then sprinted past him to throw myself in Dare’s arms. “You’re here. You’re really here!” I cried as I kissed his cheeks and then his lips.
“I told you I would come for you,” he murmured against my mouth.
As my arms came around his back, I melted my body against him. I couldn’t keep the tears from streaming down my cheeks. When I thought about how close I’d come to losing him, I couldn’t keep from sobbing.
“Hey now. Don’t cry. I’m here now.”
“I know. I’m just so grateful that I’m safe and you’re safe and Piper’s safe.”
Ares cleared his throat behind us. “I hate to cut our time short, but I need to get back to Athens.”
Pulling away from Dare, I smiled at my cousin. “As odd as it sounds, it was nice meeting you.”
“Seriously, Ava?” Dare demanded while staring daggers at Ares.
“He spared our lives. Let’s be grateful.”
“He traumatized our daughter.”
Ares held up his hands. “I do apologize for that. I hated that it had to be part of my plan.”
“You sure as hell better,” Dare growled.
“To make it up to Piper, you can tell her she can pick out any puppy in the world as a gift from me.”
Dare narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to bribe my kid?”
With a laugh, Ares replied, “Just trying to soothe her pain.”
“You’re too late for that bribe. My well-meaning brother already caught the puppy you used to lure her, and it’s currently with her at my mother’s house.”
“Are you joking?” I asked Dare.
“Sadly no.”
“Two kittens and a puppy,” I lamented.
With a grunt, Dare extended his hand to Ares. “I don’t like it, but I will work with you.”
“As do I.” Jerking his chin at me, he said, “Take care of my cousin. She’s a real firecracker.”
Dare and I laughed. “She’s a corker as we say in Ireland.”
Once Ares and his men left us and the Kavanaughs hung back outside, we were alone in the massive foyer. As he drew me against him, Dare’s breath warmed against my ear. “I need to be inside you.”
I blinked at him in shock. “We’re in a strange place with my uncle’s corpse in the next room.”
He shook his head. “I almost lost you today.”
Bringing my hand up, I cupped his cheek. At the thoughts of everything that had transpired since the funeral, I shuddered. “I can’t believe how close we came. I really thought I would never see you again.”
“That’s why I need to feel alive, and the only way I really do that is when I’m buried deep inside you.”
“I want you, too.”
As he crashed his lips against mine, I hopped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. Immediately, I rubbed my core against his growing erection. Dare’s fingers tangled through my hair as my hands gripped the back of his shirt.
Dare’s hand closed over my breast when a throat cleared behind us. “Get the fuck out!” Dare boomed.
When I peeked over his shoulder, Callum grinned at me. “So sorry to interrupt the lovefest, but your daughter is on the phone.”
“Epic cockblocker,” Dare murmured.
Smacking his shoulder, I replied, “Don’t call her that. She’s worried about me.”
“I already let her know you were fine,” Dare complained.
As Callum handed Dare the phone, Piper’s smiling face stared back at us. “Mommy! Daddy says you was fine.”
“I am, sweetheart. In fact, I’m on the way back to see you.”
“Yeah! I can’t waits to show you my new puppy.” She tilted the phone, giving us a view of the puppy peeing on one of Orla’s rugs.
“Fuck me,” Dare muttered to which I elbowed him in the ribs.
“We’ll see you and the puppy soon, baby. I love you so, so much, and Mommy is so very, very proud of you.”
“I love you, too.”
Once she ended the call, I swept the phone to my chest and said a silent prayer of thanks that everything had worked out.
Jerking his thumb, Callum said, “Come on. Let’s get back to Boston.”
As we started out of the mansion, I leaned over to whisper in Dare’s ear. “The minute we get on the plane we’re taking the bedroom.”
He shot me a wicked grin. “I can’t wait to make you scream.”
“Not in front of your brothers.”
“Especially in front of them.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Impossibly in love with you.”
Dare kissed me as we stepped into the sunshine and into our bright future.