A Dangerous kindness

Bound by Deception – Chapter 5: A Dangerous Kindness

Ava was torn about him.

Dante Moretti was cruel. He was controlling. He was a man who had bought her.

He didn't hurt her.

And yet—

He stood up getting a bowl of water,His fingers brushed against her forehead, chill on hot skin.

He'd been tending to the gashes on her wrist, where the ropes had sliced too deep. His actions

were clinical, careful, almost. gentle.

"Don't move," he breathed, dipping a cloth in a bowl of warm water and then placing it on her

soft sensitive skin.

Ava flinched, from the pain he leaned in and kissed her wound softly making her weak in her

bones. It was the contact itself—the way he handled her like she was fragile, breakable.

It didn't make sense.

This was the same guy who had breathed down her neck, who had locked her in his room with

a threat that still rang in her ears. And yet here he was, on his knees before her, tending to her

wounds as if he gave a damn.

She couldn't wrap her hand around it.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," she whispered.

Dante did not look at her as he took up a fresh bandage. "No, I don't but I want to."

Ava bit down on her lip as she watched him bind her wrist gently. His fingers rested a fraction of

a second too long, and when he finally looked at her, something flickered for a moment in the

gray eyes.

Something she couldn't understand.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

His face continued to tell her nothing. "Because you're mine. And I take care of what belongs to

me."

A shiver crept up her spine, and she couldn't decide if it was fear or an emotion building up in

her

"Ava it seemed I didn't make myself clear, the next time you try to run I will make your legs go

numb"

'yap and that was the moment I knew I was going to die'-Ava

The house was eerily quiet,Ava hardly ever stepped foot in it.

The high ceilings with chandeliers, velvet curtains that cascaded like waterfalls, floors so highly

polished they reflected light like a mirror. It was breathtaking, breathtaking.

And it was nothing more than a golden cage.

Dante had given her everything—silk attire, rich feasts, a room fit for royalty.

But the doors were still locked. The windows were still barred.

No matter how beautiful the jail, she was still a prisoner.

Tonight it was different.

Tonight, Dante dressed her himself.

Ava stood in front of the mirror, her heart pounding as he approached her from behind, his

hands spreading across her waist

The deep red gown he had chosen for her made her look even more exquisite.

It clung to her figure, elegant but revealing, seeming to be fashioned with the intention of

reminding everyone who laid eyes on her that she was his.

She swallowed. "Why are we doing this?where are we going?"

Dante's eyes met hers in the mirror, his mouth twisting into something that was almost, but not

quite, a smile. "Because I want to show you off."

She should have felt weary.

And yet, something in his eyes. It twisted her stomach in ways she did not care to admit.

---

The Party

The ballroom was crowded with suit-wearing influential men, women adorned in diamonds, their

crystal-cut laughter, their diamonds and diamond-only shoes glinting in the harsh lights of the

chandelier above. The air was thick with high-end cigars, whispers interspersed with threats.

Ava stood beside Dante, his hand gripping her waist, a wordless declaration for all to witness.

Eyes trailed behind her.

Some with awe. Some with desire.

And some with something far, far nastier.

She stood tall, forbidding the flush to creep up her neck at their interested gazes.

Dante, however, did see.

His grip on her tightened, his whisper against her ear. "They can stare all they please, but no

one will touch you expect me."

A warning. A vow.

And then—

Another disruption.

A figure stepped out, his slow, wry smile creasing on his face.

Lorenzo Ricci.

A rival Mafia don, just as powerful, just as lethal. His eyes raked over Ava with a different kind of

hunger—one that sent a shiver down her spine.

"You've made a wise decision, Moretti," Lorenzo said, spinning his glass of whiskey. "But I have

to ask. Does she know yet?"

Dante's grip on her tightened. "Know what?" Ava found herself asking.

Lorenzo chuckled, his head shaking. "That he isn't the only beast in the room."

Ava's breath froze.

Dante was not safe.

But maybe—just maybe—he wasn't the only danger she had to fear.

Lorenzo stepped closer and whispered in Ava's head ensuring Dante wouldn't hear.

"Blink twice if you need help"she took no hesitation and blinked not once not twice but severally.

Dante saw her blinking profusely,his anger reaching it's zenith as he brought out a gun and shot

her leg with it.

She stumbled to the ground being able to move, "Help me"Ava whimpered crying,her leg wad

already bleeding she was in so much pain.

Lorenzo looked at her in pity "Dante why are you like…

He didn't complete his statement before another gunshot hit Lorenzo leg.

Quickly Dante men surrounded him for protection as Lorenzo men came in to protect their

leader.

As usual he could get away with anything he took her home,getting a doctor to treat her wound.

After what seemed like hours she woke up to find him sleeping next to her.

Did he stay awake for her?

She questioned, memories of last night came into play,her heart was filled with fright, suddenly

her movements woke him up.

He stood up abruptly "are you okay?"

"You're the one who shot me"

He reached forward to her,holding her neck almost choking her before dipping a finger in and

out of her mouth.

"You see this Ava that's how much I will fuck you if you try that bullshit again thinking I won't

notice,let me make this clear to you,you die when I say so,you live when I say so,try escaping

and your legs won't be the only thing I would be shooting"

'from that day one,my likeness for this man slowly turned to hatred.I then decided to play along

to pretend to love him too hopefully some day we won't meet again'