The Brother I Was Never Supposed to Want

Chapter 38

Dawn broke gray and wet over the city.

Ava woke to the sound of rain still tapping against the windows of the safe house and the steady, heavy rhythm of Nathan’s breathing beside her. His arm was locked around her waist, body curved protectively around hers even in sleep. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. A faint bruise marked his jaw where one of Rossi’s men had landed a hit during the extraction.

She lay still for a long time, watching him.

He had come for her. He had torn through a locked house, left men unconscious in his wake, and pointed a gun at Lorenzo Rossi without hesitation. The man who had been so gentle with her body only days ago had shown her exactly what he was capable of when someone touched what he claimed.

The knowledge settled deep in her chest, equal parts comfort and fear.

Nathan stirred. His eyes opened, instantly alert, scanning her face as if checking for new injuries.

“You’re still here,” he said, voice rough.

“Where else would I go?”

He pulled her closer, burying his face against her neck. For a moment the ruthless mafia boss disappeared, replaced by a man who had almost lost the only thing that made the rest of it matter.

“I keep seeing the lights go out,” he muttered. “Seven seconds. I counted them. Over and over.”

Ava threaded her fingers through his hair. “I’m here now.”

He kissed her then, slow, deep, almost reverent. When he finally pulled back, the mask was already sliding back into place.

“We can’t stay here long. Rossi will escalate. He doesn’t leave unfinished business.”

-----

By mid-morning they had moved to a more secure location, one of Nathan’s private properties outside the city, heavily guarded and off every official record. Victoria arrived with Alex shortly after, the boy throwing himself into Ava’s arms the second he saw her.

“You were gone,” Alex whispered against her shoulder. “Dad said you were visiting a friend, but I knew something was wrong.”

Ava held him tightly, eyes stinging. “I’m okay, sweetheart. I promise.”

Victoria’s gaze met Nathan’s over the boy’s head. Quiet understanding passed between them. She knew. She always did.

Once Alex was settled with a movie and a guard just outside the door, the adults gathered in the study.

“Richard is furious,” Victoria said without preamble. “He’s calling the kidnapping a direct result of your ‘recklessness.’ Ethan is using it to push for more control of the legitimate side of the business. They’re framing you as unstable.”

Nathan’s expression didn’t change. “Let them.”

“They’re not wrong about the attention,” Victoria continued carefully. “The gala blackout is already in the papers. People are talking. Rossi wanted leverage, and he got it, not just over you, but over the family’s public image.”

Ava sat quietly, listening. The weight of being the reason for all of this pressed against her ribs.

Nathan noticed. He reached across the table and took her hand, thumb brushing over her knuckles in a rare public display of softness.

“None of this is your fault,” he said firmly. “Rossi made a choice. So did I.”

-----

Lorenzo Rossi did not wait long to make contact.

That afternoon, a courier delivered a single envelope to one of Nathan’s legitimate offices. Inside was a photograph of Ava from the gala, smiling, unaware, and a handwritten note on heavy cream paper.

‘You took her back. Impressive. But the debt remains.’

‘I want the eastern docks and a formal withdrawal from the warehouse district within seventy-two hours. In return, I will consider the matter closed and ensure no further… misunderstandings.’

‘Refuse, and the next conversation will not be so polite.’

‘-L.R.’

Nathan read the note twice, then burned it in the fireplace while Ava watched.

“He’s testing you,” she said quietly.

“He’s underestimating me.” Nathan’s voice was calm, but the look in his eyes was anything but. “He thinks I’ll trade territory for your safety. He doesn’t understand that the second he touched you, the price became higher than any docks.”

Ava stepped closer. “What are you going to do?”

Nathan turned to her fully. “I’m going to make him regret ever learning your name.”

He pulled her against him, one hand cradling the back of her head. “But first, I need you safe. Really safe. No more public events. No more gallery openings until this is finished. I can’t…” His voice caught for half a second. “I can’t watch you disappear again.”

Ava rested her forehead against his. “I won’t hide forever, Nathan. But I’ll be careful. For now.”

-----

That night, after Alex was asleep and Victoria had retired to a guest room, Nathan and Ava stood on the covered balcony overlooking the dark woods surrounding the property.

Rain still fell in a steady curtain.

Nathan’s arms wrapped around her from behind. His mouth brushed her temple.

“I keep thinking about what he said to you,” he murmured. “That I forgot how to be afraid.”

Ava turned in his arms. “Did you?”

“Yes.” His eyes were dark, honest. “For years I felt nothing I couldn’t control. Then you walked into my life with paint on your hands and a stubborn streak that refused to break, and suddenly there was something I couldn’t afford to lose.”

He kissed her slowly, deeply, the kind of kiss that carried apology and ownership in equal measure. When he lifted her and carried her inside, there was no urgency this time, only thorough, deliberate claiming. He took his time undressing her, mapping every inch of skin with his mouth, whispering against her body that she was his, that no one would ever take her again.

When he finally pushed inside her, it was slow and deep, eyes locked on hers the entire time. Ava came undone beneath him, fingers digging into his shoulders, and Nathan followed with a low, broken sound that sounded almost like her name.

Afterward they lay tangled together, listening to the rain.

Somewhere in the city, Lorenzo Rossi was waiting for an answer.

Nathan had already decided what that answer would be.

It would not be written on paper.

It would be written in blood and consequence.

And Ava, curled against the most dangerous man in New York, finally understood the full cost of being loved by him.