Ava groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically.“Don’t go making more of this than it is.”She fluttered her fingers dismissively, pretending she wasn’t about to combust.“There’s a new suit for each of you out there.I made them last week.They just got pressed last night.”
Franco barked a laugh, nudging Leone.“Ah, the classic Ava maneuver—distract the interrogators with bespoke clothing.”
Leone grinned, wagging his brows.“And we love her for it.But it doesn’t change the fact that somebody’s lips got thoroughly kissed.”
Ava grabbed the nearest pen and threw it at him, missing his head by an inch.
Leone caught it midair, twirling it between his fingers.“Violence, huh?Definitely more than a kiss.”
Franco’s chuckle joined in, warm and playful.“If she’s bribing us with suits and throwing office supplies, I’d say it’s safe to call this kiss a category five event.”
Ava slumped back in her chair with a groan, covering her face with her hands.“Why are you both the absolute worst?”
“Because we love you,” Franco said cheerfully, clapping Leone on the shoulder.“And because this is way too much fun.”
Leone’s grin widened as he glanced at Franco.“She’s glowing, though.Admit it.”
“Absolutely glowing,” Franco agreed, his grin matching.
Ava dropped her hands and glared.“Get.Out.”
They both laughed, backing toward the door like two schoolboys caught tormenting their favorite classmate, still smug, still grinning
“You’re right, we really should get going.”
Leone nodded thoughtfully as he paused with one hand on the door.The playful energy shifted, replaced with the weight of the reality they were facing.“Ava,” he said seriously, “whatever happened back there, if he’s willing to protect you, take it.Whatever’s happening with this vandalism stuff, it’s dangerous.And I suspect this yakuza guy is holding back.”
Ava’s eyes widened, and her stomach twisted with unease at the reminder of the danger lurking around her.She opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by Franco.
“But don’t put yourself in more danger,” Franco urged, his face hardening with concern.“I don’t know who is bothering you, but I do know Luca.After working for him for the past ten years, I can guarantee that he’s dangerous too.In fact, I doubt there’s anyone around who’s more merciless than your man.”
“He’s not...!”Ava started to protest, but before she could continue, Leone lifted a hand, stopping her mid-sentence.
“Ava,” he said, his voice softer now, almost a whisper, but full of conviction.“We all know that you and Luca have a connection of some sort.Denying it doesn’t make it vanish, honey.”He leaned forward, bracing his hands on her desk, locking eyes with her.“Protect yourself.Luca is a fair man.If there’s something you want, then demand it.”
Ava’s chest tightened.His words echoed in her head, mixing with her own fears and frustrations.She could feel the weight of everything pressing down on her.
Leone’s expression softened as he pulled the door open.“Like a baby,” he suggested.
“A family,” Franco agreed from behind her, as he ruffled her hair just to be extra annoying.Then he walked out of her office, his words lingering in the air.“I’m just putting this out there, you’d make an amazing mom.”
Ava stared at the empty doorway for a long moment, watching as they collected the suits she’d made for them and left the warehouse.However, her thoughts were elsewhere, spiraling into an unexpected direction.
A baby.The thought caught her by surprise, hitting her like a tidal wave.She imagined holding a tiny, cuddly infant in her arms, a child she could lavish with all the love she’d been holding back from the world for so long.The world could never handle the amount of snuggling she had in her, the affection she kept tightly locked away.
Her mother had never wanted that kind of closeness.Hugs, snuggles, simple affection—they hadn’t fit into her mother’s restless world.She’d always been too busy chasing the next “big thing” that would finally make her life perfect, too frantic to notice the little girl who just wanted to curl into her arms and be held.
The ache in Ava’s chest, the one she could usually keep buried, tore wide open at the thought.A baby would change that.A baby would give her the chance to pour out every ounce of tenderness she’d been forced to keep bottled up.
But then another thought struck her.What if Luca could be a part of that family?
She let out an inelegant snort.Luca?The mafia king?The man who ruled the Las Vegas strip with an iron fist, who used his power and charm like weapons to control every situation?The man who was brutal when he needed to be, generous when it served him, and as unpredictable as dice on a craps table?
Luca was a chameleon, always shifting, always moving, his intentions changing depending on what he wanted at the moment.Charm or destruction—he wielded each with equal ease, depending on his mood and the desired outcome.He was a master of manipulation, and Ava wasn’t sure she could trust someone so ruthless with her heart.
But the more she thought about it, the more the absurdity seemed to fade.The idea of building something together with Luca felt...impossible, and yet it lingered, refusing to be brushed aside.
Ava pushed away from her desk and gathered her notes for the next meeting.No, Luca definitely couldn’t help ease that ache inside of her—the one that had been building ever since she was a child.Her mother, Odessa Santos, had never been the hugging, snuggling type.She’d been too frantic, too consumed with chasing the next boyfriend, the next diet, the next beauty fad that promised perfection.Closeness had been an inconvenience, a distraction from the shiny new “fix” she was chasing.
