Page 111 of Frayed Bonds

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” I turn to face Ambrose who is still standing in the same spot taking in every detail of my outfit.

“Wow.”

I chuckle. “I’ll take wow as a compliment. Are you ready to go or are you two still busy with your tea party?”

“We can reschedule,” my papá winks at Ambrose. “You two go, Ambrose was telling me it’s a big night for the business.”

“Alright then let’s go.” I smile and head out as Ambrose mumbles another apology to my papá before I hear his hurried footsteps following me.

He grabs my wrist stopping me before I can open the front door. “You look breathtaking, sweetheart.” He gives me a once-over. “Absolutely. Fucking. Breathtaking.”

Heat creeps up my neck onto my face at his words. “Thank you,” I squeak and he opens the door for me.

“Can you stay over tonight? We won’t have to sneak around anymore.” He smirks as he opens the car door for me. I stop and reach up to fix the collar of his slightly unbuttoned white shirt.

“Hmmm tempting offer, I’d love to.” His hand rests on my waist and he leans in for a quick kiss then gestures for me to get into the car.

He looks pretty fucking breathtaking himself. His crisp white shirt and full black suit (that is lined in the same colour pink as my dress) makes him look practically edible.

Half an hour later we arrive on the other side of Tevici, in the more industrial area. Horatio’s boss is in town and has rented the largest penthouse in Tevici during his time here.

“Are the boys meeting us here?” I ask as we pull into the large underground parking lot.

“Here they are now.” He looks in the rearview and when I turn in my seat I see Adriano's Ferrari pulling in behind us as well as a black Range Rover.

“Who’s behind them?”

“Extra security.”

My head snaps to Ambrose. “What?”

“It’s protocol whenever we go to a new place with people we haven't met before.” he brushes it off driving further into the lot.

A knot tightens in my stomach as we park and get out of the car. The tension between Ambrose, Antonio and me not speaking, combined with the nerves about how this dinner will go, makes me feel like I want to run to the nearest bathroom. The large strawberry milkshake I had earlier probably isn't helping either.

Antonio walks ahead of all of us while I stop to greet Adriano and Gus. “You two look handsome,” I smile.

“You don't look too bad yourself, little Val,” Adriano says. “Very attention-grabbing.”

“Thank you.” I feel Ambrose's hand rest on the small of my back.

“Let’s get going,” he gestures for us to all follow in the direction Antonio left. We’re all forced into the elevator together and the tension that felt thick in the parking lot now feels insufferable as I stand in front of Ambrose, my back pressed firmly to his front.

“Everyone ready?” He asks and the heads in the elevator all nod, mine included, even though I’m not entirely sure what we’re getting ready for but somehow it feels like war.

The elevator opens into a short hallway with a single door at the end. Ambrose walks ahead and knocks on the door, it opens revealing Horatio. “Hello and welcome, please come in.” He smiles brightly and steps out of the way allowing us into the penthouse.

Ambrose gestures for me to walk first and a chill runs down my spine and I stop to look up at him, he gives me a gentle nod and I enter first.

The vast expanse of the penthouse is evident as soon as I step inside. The entryway has floor-to-ceiling windows and a giant chandelier hanging in the centre with a glass spiral staircase off to the left.

Another two men slip out of a door in the entryway and I nearly jump at their sudden presence. “Just a routine search, our boss is quite strict on safety, I'm sure you can understand,” Horatio says with a sickly sweet smile.

“Of course,” Ambrose says through gritted teeth.

One of the men approaches me and I stare up at him. “Where do you suppose I’d keep anything hidden in this dress.” A scoff leaves his lips but he proceeds to pat me down in what I assume is the most professional way he knows how.

After I’m done he moves on to do the same to Gus and then Adriano.

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