Her mother, Cynthia, was passed out drunk in her parent’s bedroom. When one of the men stood up and pulled out a gun, Ava broke free from Rocco and threw herself across her father’s battered body.
“Please don’t kill him. Please.”
“He owes me a lot of money. A lot of money. That kind of disrespect can’t go unpunished.”
From her place on the floor, Ava looked up into the obsidian eyes of Joseph Martelli. If she weren’t so afraid she might’ve found him handsome. Slicked-back midnight-black hair. Olive skin. Dark suit. The man screamed money, power and menace.
“You’ve already punished him,” Ava’s voice squeaked.
“But I still don’t have my money.”
“Please, there must be something I can do. Please. He’s my father.”
The room was silent as the two men who had accompanied Joseph watched him to see what he would say. Ava tried to swallow down the nervousness in her throat. She was talking back to Joseph Martelli. She’d lived in Miami long enough to have heard whispers of his name. He was not a man to mess with. Why? Why of all the people in Miami to get mixed up with, did Daddy choose him? Joseph’s black eyes bored into her. She knew she had to look a mess. Her eyes were red from crying, her micro-braided hair standing wildly on her head.
“Hmm. She’s got more balls than her old man,” Joseph said to Fred, the short Italian who stood over her.
“That she does, boss.”
Ava stared up at the men, waiting. Beneath her, she could feel her father’s shallow breaths. A mewling whimper escaped from his throat.
“So girlie, what did you have in mind?” Joseph asked, finally addressing her again.
“I don’t know. I just want to help my father.”
“Girl, your piece of shit father owes me a hundred grand.”
“A hundred grand?”
“Yes. Now what do you possibly have to offer that could be worth one hundred grand?”
Ava could feel tears forming in her eyes. Her parents owned nothing that could even begin to put a dent in that debt. No family heirlooms. Nothing. Even the knife collection her father had once been so proud of was gone. It was pawned for money to support his gambling habit. They had nothing. She had nothing. No. Wait. Could she? No. She was out of her mind. The man would laugh in her face.
“Me.”
That one whispered word caused a glint in Joseph’s eye.
“You a virgin?”
“Yes.”
Joseph looked at the smirking men around him, before his black eyes fastened on her.
“Then perhaps we can make some kind of arrangement.”
Ava swallowed and turned away from the window, desperate to put the memory behind her. Joseph was gone just a little over six months. So were both her parents for much longer. She was supposed to be free, but some days, nothing could keep her free from the memories. Life had a way of reminding you that no matter how far you thought you’d come, recollections never truly died. Sitting back down at her large glass desk she leaned against the back of her chair. She was tired. So tired.
It didn’t seem to matter that she was a beautiful, independently wealthy, successful media consultant. It didn’t matter that she’d busted her butt to graduate with a bachelor’s in public relations and a master’s in marketing. It seemed to matter even less that every client she’d ever taken on had gone on to increase their profits by at least fifteen percent.
No, none of that mattered because at the end of the day there were still some who thought that she wasn’t as competent as her male counterparts and could be manipulated. That was not the case. She’d put up with Bernard McKlowsky and his bumbling manner for the last time. Ava pushed the intercom button.
“Karen.”
“Yes, Ms. Hill?”
“Call Bernard. Tell him he’s fired and that my accountant will be mailing him his last check.”
“Yes, Miss Hill.”
Ava sat back in her chair with a smile on her face. Bye bye, Bernard. Go scam money from someone else. You’re not wasting mine. Bernard had been recommended to her by Gina Marron, a fellow businesswoman and the closest thing she had to a friend. According to Gina, Bernard McKlowsky was the person to go to about investment advice, despite his somewhat nervous manner. Ava would be having a talk with Gina. Since attaining Bernard’s services a month ago, the man had come to her with suggestions for investments that were in doomed markets. He must’ve thought she was some kind of fool.
When it came to her money, Ava researched everything. She hadn’t gotten where she was without being cautious. And despite Bernard’s recommendations she was sticking with her gut and not investing in Jefferson Department Stores. She wasn’t sorry that she’d just tossed Bernard out on his ass. No one tried to play her and got away with it. On days like this, sometimes she wished she had Joseph’s connections to fall back on.
No you don’t. You’re just upset. There will always be someone trying to tear you down.
As much as Ava hated it, her inner voice was right. Some hurdles you could never fully get over, but she was determined to do her damnedest. Nothing and no one, especially a bungling investment consultant, was going to get in the way of her plans. She glanced down at the silver -and diamond-studded Cartier watch on her wrist. It was almost five. Time for her last meeting of the day. She pressed the intercom again.
“Karen. It’s almost time for my meeting. Has Mr. Toriyama called in yet?”
“Yes. He’s waiting for you now, ma’am,” Karen replied.
“Good. Put him through.”
Ava swiped the screen of the iPad lying on her desk. It was time to do business.
Chapter Two
Ava’s red Christian Louboutin heels clicked against the pavement as she walked across the parking garage. Everything about being in a garage made her nervous. It was one of the few things in life that did. With eyes peeled and ears open, she walked towards her parking space. Her right hand was inside her purse, clutching the Taser she always carried with her. Better safe than stupid. As Ava saw her 2015 white Mercedes Benz S-Class coupe coming into view, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She held the Taser tighter with her right hand and fished out her keys with her left hand.
Ava felt her heart start to gallop. The footsteps behind her got closer. Stop this shit Ava. You’ve got a Taser. You’re in one of the nicer garages. You’re fine. She nodded to herself. Yes. Her inner voice was right. Besides she was almost to her car. And strangely the footsteps had stopped. As she pressed the remote to unlock her Benz, Ava looked around. She was alone. One would almost think she might’ve imagined the footsteps. No. I know what I heard. Quickly she slid behind the wheel of her car and locked the door.
“I hate garages.”
It was amazing. She could hold her own in a business deal. She could verbally cut a man down to size. Put her in a garage and she was like a small child afraid of the dark. But she had every right to be. There weren’t many who could’ve gone through what she had and set foot inside any of the hulking structures again. Ava put her key in the ignition and started the car. The Mercedes came to life with a smooth purr.