Italian Mafia Romance

chapter13

I felt giddy leaving Matteo's. I never thought I'd own my own business let alone take my father down. But underneath the giddiness I felt as though I had butterflies in my stomach. I felt as if something would happen. will happen to mi amore.
"Ava.... I can't shake the feeling something is going to happen to you. So to be safe I want you to come stay with me. Until you leave for home. I just don't want you alone." I told her. She walked towards me. I looked into her eyes and realized I am completely in love with Ava. She stopped in front of me and placed her hand on my cheek.
""Listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to me. If you want me to stay with you I will but there is no reason to be worried." she told me. I smiled at her, absolutely in love with her. 
"I'll pay for your cancelation fee at the hotel. you will love my house. It's simple but by the water." We crawled into the car. I gave the driver the address for the hotel and we were off again. The drive was longer on the way back, longer than the drive up. 
"So I think I might have figured a name for my club." I said breaking the silence. 
"Really? What name?" She asked me 
"Club Ava mi amore." She stared at me with her mouth open. 
"You want to name your club after me?" She asked in complete disbelief. I nodded my head and slided forward.  
"Ava you mean everything to me. And  I want everyone to know that." I told her. She leaned forward and kissed me. 
"I want that as well." She said. As we sat in the car, laughing, talking, drinking champagne, I lost my train of thought just by looking into her eyes. 
"Antonio? you ok?" she asked breaking me out of my thoughts. I smiled nodding my head keeping my eyes on her.
"You are absolutely perfect mi amore. Without you I wouldn't have done this, I wouldn't have broken free of my father, I wouldn't have started a club or have my own mob. This is because of you. I just wanted to say I love you." I told her. Her face lit up with the biggest smile a person could muster. 
"When I came to Italy, the last thing on my mind was finding someone. I just wanted to come, sight see and enjoy. but then I met you at the club and since that night, something in me changed, I changed and that is because of you. Antonio Rosso I am absolutely unconditionally in love with you." I couldn't talk, couldn't do anything but stare deep into her eyes. I didn't realize the car stopped until the driver came around and opened our doors. 
"Sir, we are at the hotel." 
"Thank you. Would you wait here for us and take us to my place?"
"Yes sir."
As we walked into the hotel, one of the concierges stopped us. 
"Ava ma'am, your father is here in your hotel room. I tried to tell him he can wait here but he insisted he went up there. but he's not alone." 
"What do you mean he wasn't alone?" 
"He's with an older man. He is an intimidating, in a suit kind of fellow."
"Thank you." Ava walked away and towards the elevators. I easily caught up with her. 
"hey what's wrong?" I asked her. *I looked into her eyes and I could tell she was close to bawling. 
"I just can't believe this. my father with yours. I just don't get it." 
"Ava mi amore I will be there every step. just like you are with me."  
We stood there waiting, watching the numbers go down until finally the elevator arrived. We stepped in and noticed my brother Matteo and my father's personal body guard waiting for us. 
"Brother! what's going on?" 
"Father needs to talk to us. and beware he's in a mood." 
"Do you think he knows?" Ava asked silently.Matteo's facial expression said it all. Father knows everything. Ava and I stared at each other, silently talking with only our eyes. She's scared with every right to be. Dante took her sister's, her, and possibly her father unless he went willingly.The elevator stopped on Ava's floor, she walked out and started towards her room when she stopped all of a sudden.
"Ava?" I called her.
"What if my father had anything to do with Dante kidnapping my sister's?" she asked, her voice breaking. 
"We will get them back. I promise." she swiped her card and opened her door. her father stood next to Dante wearing a nice grey suit. 
"Hello Antonio, glad you could make it. Too bad I'm not happy with the circumstances.what's this I hear about you wanting out of this life? and onto the next big thing? Your own mob? A business?" 
"I wanted out of your shadow. I don't want to be the next in line. I want to be rid of you." I told my father with as much hate as I could muster up. 
"Father, what are you doing here?" Ava asked. 
"There is something we need to discuss  about my past." he said. 
"Father, I know about your past with dante. but what I want to know is… Did you have anything to do with Dante kidnapping Alisa and Addy?"
"No darling I would never. Dante… he welcomed me back into the  life as a trade. I come back for your sisters.they are home safe now." He said. Ava moved towards the chair by the sliding door. she sat down, placing her head in her hands. 
"Father, I want to know why you would go back to the life you ran from?" she asked him.
"To protect you from Antonio." 
"He's not going to hurt me. I wish you could see that." 
"Darling, Dante told me about Antonio. The things he's done. I really wish you would reconsider." 
"Don't listen to anything Dante tells you." For a moment there was silence. Everyone looking at each other, talking with their eyes. 
"Papa I have to warn you Dante is not who you think he is. So please get back out. Join Antonio's mob. Be part of his business." She told him. You could tell he was thinking about it. 
"Sir being in my mob and part of my business, it'll be completely different. * He thought about the offer before responding.
"I appreciate your offer Antonio and I'll think more on this but right now  this is where I belong." he told me. 
"Sir, please at least reconsider. Anytime you change your mind, the offer will still be on the table." 
"You say that now, my son. but just wait. I think we need to clean the air a bit. get that huge elephant out of the room. What do you think Giuseppe? should we tell your daughter about why you left this family?" Ava looked up then. 
"Dante what are you…. Don't do this." I warned him. 
"what is he talking about papa?" Ava asked. 
"Ava darling there is something I need to tell you." When Ava didn't move or talk him he continued. 
"Before I had Alisa and Addison, I did some very bad things. I did some unthinkable things, unforgivable acts against everyone. The worst is what I did against Dante's wife." Ava's eyes opened wide as she listened to Guiseppe's confession. 
"That was you? You raped his wife and murdered her? How could you?" Her voice breaking as she asked him. He looked down ashamed of himself. 
"Darling, I am so sorry. I was young I…"
"No, I don't want to hear excuses Because of you this guy abducted me, abducted Alisa and Addison. Just to get back at you for assaulting his wife!" 
"Darling I am sorry.  I made mistakes." 
"A mistake? A mistake is getting lost, getting on the wrong plane. What you did is a crime."
I moved towards Ava and put a reassuring arm  over her. 
"I just can't believe my father would do something like that. It's like I don't even know  you." 
"Darling… " 
"I wish you would leave. Leave Italy. Go to Alisa and Addison and apologize to them. Because I don't want to hear anymore." We watched as Giuseppe left the hotel room leaving my father Dante. 
"And you, I want you to let my father out. Whatever you have to do just kick him out. Just leave my family out of this." 
"No. He is in for life. That's his punishment for what he did to my wife ANTONIO'S MOTHER! You cannot possibly begin to understand what that feels like." 
"Oh you don't think I know what it's like to lose someone? When I was five I lost my mother to a tragic accident. Jump six years I lost my best friend from a car fire. I know loss better than anyone" 
"That maybe true Ava."
"Father, if that is all we have things to do." I told him. He scoffed and moved towards the exit. Before opening the door he turned around to face Ava and I. 
"You do not belong in this life Ava. Best to get out while you can." He walked out of the hotel room then. I watched Ava moved towards the bed to sit and buried her head in her hands.