Page 51 of Revenge

That victim; a girl who was now very much a woman and one that meant more to me than I had realised.

Eight

Ava

When I came down to breakfast earlier that morning, I had been met by Nico Rossi.

Nico was a friend of Kai’s from his school days and now worked for the organisation. He was good-looking, with dark Italian looks and was, unfortunately for the females of this world, one hundred percent, gay.

I had found him so much easier to talk to than my other male friends as the attraction thing never got in the way. But he’d still treated me like a woman and with respect, a vast improvement from Kai’s indifference and contempt.

It was good to see a friendly face, a man less grumpy, with an easy charm and a quick wit. He was the only man I had met who worked for Kai and wasn’t afraid of him; until Cillian Connors of course, who also didn’t seem the type to scare easily.

Nico explained that Kai was away for the day. I was annoyed as things still needed to be discussed and his disappearing act only prolonged my torture; like a cruel postponement of the inevitable.

I needed to know what Kai’s intentions were.

My mother came to find me in my room whilst I was fighting the temptation to try Anton again on the burner phone. There were still no further messages or missed calls. I knew Anton would be worried and that he wouldn’t be able to contact the police. He knew I was laying low and doing something like that could have leaked my location to those I was hiding from. Those being anyone connected to the Kinlan family. How ironic, considering my current predicament.

After being badgered by Suki, who explained that Kai had arranged for us to have some mother-daughter time, I gave in. At least it would distract me from worrying about Anton and what Kai had planned for me.

Therefore, I had spent the day with my mother, doing pointless things and being pampered. We had facials, and we sweet-talked Nico into having one too. We also watched TV together in the cinema room. Kai had set up Sex and the City on Netflix, and while part of me was pleased he had remembered what I liked to watch, my cynical side suspected he had a hidden agenda.

Yes, I had enjoyed that semblance of normality, but it didn’t stop me from trying to find a way to get out of the house. I kept my wits about me, watching the security men and the rotation of their duties. Nico seemed to be idling around every corner, always with his phone in his hand; our guard dog for the day. I didn’t see the man from Milan, Hamish whatever and when asked, Nico said he was working in Kai’s casino that day. I was relieved as the guy gave me the creeps.

Over the day I had familiarised myself with the house. There were three floors and a cellar (which contained only wine and no torture devices as Kai had said). On the ground floor, there was the hallway where the main front doors were and the stairs. Leading off to the left was the dining room where I had eaten dinner the previous night and the kitchens. Down one corridor on that side of the house were several doors, all being locked (one which I assumed would be Kai’s office). On the opposite side of the hallway was an archway into a living room which ran from front to back. Looking out of the front windows, I saw a driveway which resembled a prison yard and two parked SUVs. At the end of the drive were electric gates and high walls which I revealed after further scrutiny, surrounded theentireestate. There would be no easy way of scaling any of those barriers. I would have to grow wings and fucking fly out. I found it odd that there didn’t appear to be any men outside but I did notice several security cameras.

The next floor contained the bedrooms and main bathroom. I counted six bedrooms, including the room I was using, all with ensuites. I peeked into a few rooms that didn’t appear to be in use and walked past the one my mother pointed out earlier as her room. Across the landing on the opposite side of the house was the master bedroom, where Kai slept.

I was surprised it wasn’t locked and glanced inside, curiosity getting the better of me. My heart was thumping in my chest the entire time. Especially when my eyes fell on his huge king-size bed and those dark grey silk sheets. As I’d closed the door and walked away, I wondered how many women had shared that space with him.

After a day of not achieving much, I needed to do something active. My mother had gone for a shower to prepare herself for when the men returned, and I went up to the third-floor loft area where the gym was.

Stretching my limbs, I felt energised. I enjoyed working out and pushing my body to the limits.

Back in Italy, after months of feeling agitated by having to watch my back, I enrolled on a self-defence course. It was during those lessons I realised that I enjoyed challenging myself physically.

Having never had to count calories and watch my weight, I’d been lazy during my earlier teens. At school, I was useless at sports and was always picked last for team matches. It had affected my confidence in partaking in anything overly physical.

After a gang of youths had attempted to snatch my handbag on a backstreet in Milan, I had decided enough was enough. I needed to learn how to protect myself, I was now alone, with no boyfriend or bodyguards. I no longer lived in that secure bubble that came with being part of a mafia family.

If I intended to fight for my independence, I needed to be ready to live safely when the time came. Having bodyguards made you sloppy as you relied on them to protect you. Once I was free, I would be responsible for myself.

If you ever get your freedom!

Kai’s gym was impressive and filled with various fitness machines such as a treadmill, a rowing machine, and an exercise bike. A multi-gym with an entire set of weights sat at one end of the room and in the centre was a matted area. On the other side of the space were a couple of punching bags suspended from the ceiling and mirrors ran down one length of the wall from floor to ceiling.

I eyed the weights, imagining Kai using them, the strong muscles on his body flexing as he worked out. Considering I was supposed to hate him, the man was on my mind most of the day. I wondered where he had gone and what he was doing.

The gym had everything you needed, even a kick-arse sound system. After eventually figuring out how it worked, I found a selection of heavy metal songs. Angry music was great to get the blood pumping.

After a stint on the treadmill, I put boxing tape on my hands and started on the punching bag. It was a great way to let off steam. A fine sheen of sweat coated my skin and I welcomed that. Luckily, whoever had stocked my wardrobe had been smart enough to provide workout gear. The shorts were black and tight, and I wore a pink Lycra bra top and my hair was secured high in a ponytail.

As I hit the bag a couple more times I felt a disturbance in the air around me, like I wasn’t alone and the music went off.

“I hope you’re not imagining that’s me,” came a voice behind me, causing me to jump and spin around.

And there he was, in all his manly glory.

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