by C. M. Steele
I silently pray that Aria is okay.
Chapter Nine
Aria
I dash into the back rose garden, blinded with tears until I run into a wall. I look up, knowing it’s probably one of Domani’s guards, but instantly I know I’m wrong because he hasn’t let go. Domani’s men know not to put their hands on me at all or they’ll be cut off.
Hesitantly peering upward, I see it’s my old guard, John. “John, what are you doing here?” I’m pleasantly surprised to see he’s not dead.
“They didn’t tell you I’m back?” He cocks his brow up, his lips firmly closed shut.
“No. I mean, well, he doesn’t tell me a lot,” I mutter, covering my mouth immediately. It’s not proper to share our business with others, no matter how mad I am at Domani. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I won’t say anything. Well, I’m surprised that you actually married. I only learned of it today,” he grumbles as if he’s bothered.
“Why are you surprised? It was scheduled to happen for a long time.” Suddenly, I don’t feel so happy to see my old guard. There’s something different about his tone and stance. It’s not friendly in the least.
“Because I thought he’d been killed,” he snarls. I take a step backward, hoping to create some distance. I don’t hear anyone else nearby, which is expected since Domani’s men don’t usually follow me like hound dogs. Even my guard is pretty lax with my protection inside the house. It’s what I prefer, but I’m regretting that choice at the moment.
“Where have you been, John?” I challenge, saying it loud so someone can hear me.
“Waiting for you.” He grips my arm roughly, spinning my back to his front and pulling me close to him.
“Let me go,” I command, but he doesn’t. I try to kick him as I go to scream, but his hand comes over my mouth. Suddenly, I lose consciousness. “Domani,” I sigh as everything goes dark.
****
“This bitch better not die. I want her to make it until I get my money,” Torres complains. She’s in on it too? Who are they working for, and where are they taking me? I keep my eyes closed even though my ears are open. Fuck, my head’s still spinning. What did he give me? We hit a bump, and I swallow the groan. I need to find a way to get out of this vehicle, but I can feel we’re moving at a high rate of speed.
“Do you think he’s going to pay us even though she’s used goods?” he asks. Fuck that prick.
“He wants her anyway, even if she’s ruined.” I wish I carried a gun because I could save myself. Hell, it would have been wise to have my phone on me, but no—I had to throw it at the wall, smashing it.
“She’s married to him, though,” John sounds so fucking disgusted by that fact. “He doesn’t know that she fucking masturbated with Bianchi’s name on her lips. No one knows. Even Bianchi with his cameras in her room didn’t know it,” John remarks with a chuckle. I didn’t realize he could hear me. I hold back a gasp. God, Domani has no boundaries.
“How could he not know if he has cameras in there?” That’s something I want to know as well.
“Because he didn’t install them until recently, and as if she knew, she didn’t call out his name anymore.”
“Well, that’s only a problem until Domani Bianchi is dead—which is only a matter of time.” God, I want to rip her hair out and beat her to death. If I make it out of this alive, heads will roll. I may lose the love of my life because he hates me, but I’ll never be anyone’s victim.
“Yeah, he’s going to kill anyone who gets in his way,” John adds, sending chills through my body.
“This guy is nuts,” Torres says, sounding nervous about whoever is paying them.
“That he is, but he’s paying us a fortune and we can skip town after.” Who would pay a fortune for me? I’m hot, but not like insanely beautiful to the point that someone would go through all this. Hell, this is the second motherfucker in a week to risk his life to steal me from Domani.
“Let’s get her to him and get our money, babe.” So they’re a couple.
The vehicle comes to a stop, and John cuts the engine. I pretend to be still out cold when the back door opens and John lifts me over his shoulder. I feel the wind on my face as if we’re in a field or something. Then I hear a plane flying extremely close. Shit. Are we at an airport? I don’t know how long I was out, so I can’t even guess which airport they took me to. Damn it.
We’re still on the ground, but now the wind has stopped.
“You’ve got her. Why the fuck is she unconscious?” The voice echoes, making me guess we’re in a hangar. “She better be okay.” I know that deep Irish accent anywhere. Fuck, it’s Peter Delaney, Cormack’s brother.
“She started to scream so we gave her the dose you told us to use,” John explains.
“Damn it, my sweet girl, I’ll take care of you.”
“Where’s our money? We need to skip town before the Bianchis find us.” The two shots startle me. I see and hear their bodies fall. Several other sets of footsteps shuffle into action.
“So you are now awake, my beauty. I took out the trash. You can’t hire good help. Let me get you inside.” He has a freakishly strong grip on me as I try to push out of his arms.
“What are you doing? Why?” I question, looking up at the scary brute.
“You should have been mine. I’ve been trying for two years to claim you, but they kept you well protected. It only took the right people willing to turn on your father and that fucking scum you married. I know you didn’t have a choice, so I forgive you for your infidelity, but don’t think I’ll let you whore around on me again.” I shiver internally as I fight the revulsion building in me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Peter. You and I were never meant to be together,” I say as if that’s going to make him see reason.
“I’ve been trying to get with you since we met in Ireland, but I had a wife to dispose of. Then, that piece of shit made an agreement with your father. I tried to take you once, but that didn’t work out and I was almost caught. It seems you’re a man-eater, Aria, my sweet. Several men have died trying to take you. However, this time I’ve got you, and they can’t get you back.”
He sits me in a seat across from him as he sits closer to the door. I watch it, judging my chances at making a run for it. “Relax—our flight leaves in a bit.”
“Oh goodness.” My mind goes straight to Domani and the look on his face when I left him. I hurt him, told him I hated him…and I may never see him again. He’ll be killed because of me. I was locked away to protect me from men like Peter. “Peter, can we talk about this?”
“About what, my sweet Aria?”
“I’m married already. Why do you want me anyway? We haven’t spoken since Gloria and Cormack’s wedding.”
“Yes, because they kept me from you.”
“Kept you away? You’re related to my brother-in-law.”
“Yes, but no man was allowed to get close.”
“I don’t understand why you didn’t try to visit us as a member of your brother’s family. It wouldn’t have been hard. You must not care that much about me if you were willing to stay away.”
“Hardly. I blame my brother for not fighting for my VISA to America.”
“How did you get here?”
“I have friends that made it happen. Did you miss me?”
“I don’t even know you.”
“You will in good time, and I’ll be a much better husband than that fuck. He doesn’t know how to treat a woman well.” I do my best to hold my tongue. He got rid of his wife so he could pursue me; he’s terrible when it comes to women.
“What’s taking so long?” he shouts over his shoulder.
The pilot answers via the plane intercom, “Sir, we are delayed due to some inclement weather. We need another hour before we can fly.”
“Fine. Let me know if we can depart sooner.” He turns his attention to me and then says, “It’s fine. Those fools don’t even know I have you. T
hey think those rotting corpses stole you. We have time to relax. Would you care for something to drink?”
“No. Thank you,” I bite out. I don’t trust him at all.
“You must be thirsty,” he insists, which worries me even more.
“Yes. I’m parched, but I can’t be sure you won’t drug me.”
“How could you think such a thing? I want to make you my wife. I’d never hurt you.”
“But I was drugged earlier,” I express, leaving out the fact that he killed his last wife.
“Please bring my bride a bottle of water, sealed,” he shouts instead of using the damned intercom. Goodness, was he born in a barn or something? No manners whatsoever.
“I’m sleepy. Is there somewhere I can rest until we take off?”
“The seats recline. Please take advantage of that because at this moment, it’s all I can trust you with. I need you in my sight at all times unless you want to be tied up.” I’m gonna stab him in the eye one day for sure.
“No. I’ll sit here. Okay.” I sit down and press the button, lowering the headrest, and close my eyes. I can’t handle looking at him and pretending not to be disgusted. He repulses me more and more with every second that ticks by. I found him slimy and creepy when we first met as he stared at me with his wife by his side. He’s the epitome of super insane. My sister was afraid to be alone with him, although Cormack never let that happen because he didn’t trust his filthy brother either.
All I can hope for is that Domani can find me even though I’ve given him no reason to want to. I was a total bitch, even striking him. If I could change everything I said, I would. “Madam, here is your drink.” I open my eyes and take the bottle from the flight attendant. Why would they have a glass bottle of water instead of plastic? It seems like an expensive waste, but more power to Evian for selling me a weapon.
My mind goes to ways to break free from this asshole. As I open the bottle, I hear a shot go off and the attendant screams. Did he shoot her too? I close the cap on my water bottle, hoping I don’t incur his wrath.
“Aria.” I turn my eyes to the entrance, and there’s my husband standing there with his gun trained on Peter, who’s bleeding from this leg.
“Domani,” I gasp, feeling lightheaded from happiness, but then a sense of fearlessness hits me. I stand, moving toward my husband. Sensing Peter’s movements, I swing the glass bottle and crack it across his head. Peter looks at me with pure betrayal as he loses consciousness. Nero comes from behind Domani with two more guards. Domani yanks Peter’s gun away before zip-tying him.
“Aria, that’s my queen. Come here.” He pulls me into his arms, not waiting for me to cross the short distance. “I’ll be dealing with him later, but I need to get Aria home.”
He carries me over his shoulder and down the plane stairs. I don’t know what to say since I was so mean to him, saying things in anger and striking him. What if he doesn’t forgive me? He sets me down and helps me into the back seat of his SUV without a word.
And it stays that way—the road back home is full of silence. I’m scared to speak first, so I don’t speak at all, finding the window much more interesting. He only speaks to his driver, and then his phone rings. “We’ll be there in two minutes. Your daughter is with me,” he snarls into the phone before hanging up.
Your daughter? He didn’t refer to me as his wife at all. I sit back and look out the window, seeing nothing but my own devastation peering back at me. It feels like the longest ride in history as the silence screams between us.
As soon as we reach the estate, my parents pull me into their arms, hugging me like crazy. “She needs to get to bed and have a doctor examine her,” Domani informs my parents, tugging me away from them.
“I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor. He didn’t hurt me.”
“Very well. Still, it’s time for bed.” He walks me up to the bedroom we share and says, “Take a shower and get some sleep.” He leaves me standing there with my mouth open and heart crumbling like I deserve.
Chapter Ten
Domani
I walk her to our bedroom and leave. Watching how scared of me she was, I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for making her hate me. She refused to even look my way the entire ride. I wanted to grab her by the chin and make her speak to me, but she’s suffered enough rough treatment for a lifetime. Still, my heart cracked, knowing I’m the one who caused this. Marching back upstairs and demanding that she listen to me plays through my head, but the best thing for me to do is calm down. Right now, I could kill a motherfucker, and although I’d never physically hurt her, I’m not in the mood to be civil.
For now, I’m going to direct my anger where it belongs and deal with the asshole that had the nerve to steal my wife. I only knew of Cormack’s brother from hushed whispers, and I had no idea how fucking nuts he really was.
I meet my men where they have Peter Delaney located.
I know Cormack isn’t involved because he adores his wife like I worship Aria, and he’s made it clear that he doesn’t care for his brother Peter at all because he knows he’s a piece of shit. It was a pure shock to see that Peter stole her from me. I can’t wash that image from my head of her relaxing like she was going on vacation. If I hadn’t seen Aria pop him on the head, I would have sworn she was content with being with him. I have to believe that she was playing it cool so he wouldn’t snap and kill her.
I’m just about to hop into my vehicle when Cormack steps out of the shadows. My gun is ready along with three of my men who take my left and right, and he raises up his hands in a motion of truce. I never had a problem with Cormack before, but I will not hesitate to kill him if he tries to stop me from handling his piece-of-shit brother. “I’m going with you,” he says. There’s no way in hell he came to tell me to grant him mercy.
I wave my men to stand down. “Delaney, I’m not going to spare his life. He stole my wife. You’re wasting your breath and my time.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to say it. I want him dead as much as you do. Blood or not, he’s crossed the line in more than ways than I can count. I should have done it years ago but keeping him from Gloria and our family has been my only goal. I believe he killed his wife and my father.”
“I’ll get you those answers, but after that he won’t be departing this building with a pulse.” Or body parts intact, if I have my way.
“I want to be the one to kill him.” I look at him and see that there’s a vehemence. “I failed Aria too. I had seen his attraction to her years ago, but I thought he’d moved on. The last time he mentioned her name it wasn’t sexual or with interest.”
“He played it cool, but Aria’s my wife and I should have made sure she was protected, and I let those fucks into my home.”
“How about we do this together?”
“That I can agree with.” We shake hands and he joins me in my vehicle. All my thoughts should be on what I’m going to do to the asshole tied up, but in reality, they’re on my wife. I want Aria to love me the way I love her, but I killed any chance of that. We make it to the warehouse that’s been abandoned for twenty years, or at least so authorities and realtors believe.
Nero waits for us at the entrance of my special little meeting place. “Is Aria okay?”
“She’s not physically hurt.” I don’t need to say anymore because the look on my face is enough.
“Understood.” A muffled shout comes from inside. “He’s still kicking and screaming, but I’m guessing his tone is going to change when he sees you two.”
“I’m going to go in first and have him talk. Then you can get your vengeance, Delaney. We’ll see how tough the fucker is now.” I open the door and breathe in the room that once smelled like cleaner to take in the beautiful stench of piss. I love it when I know my enemies understand their fate and wet themselves like little bitches.
“Peter Delaney, is it?” I take in this fool’s appearance. His already pale ass looks like a ghost. My guys bandaged him up enough so he wo
uldn’t bleed out. It’s only temporary, though, because he’s not going to live long.
“Don’t speak my name, you fucking wop.” I brush off the insult with a chuckle because this guy is either crazy or foolish. He’s on the wrong end of this situation.
“You called me a fucking wop. You’ve got some brass balls on you, Delaney. You send your minions into my home, put your filthy hands on my wife, and then attempt to take my place.”
“She was never meant for you.” His eyes darken with serious rage, and I realize he honestly thinks his words are going to scare me.
I laugh, because this fucking fool believes he deserves my Aria.
“I might not be good enough for her, but she was meant for me and not someone who kills off his own family. First your father, and then your own wife—how the fuck do you sleep at night?”
“Just fine. They had to go. Besides, it’s Aria who would give me the family I deserve. Siobhan was never good enough for me, and that baby wasn’t good enough to be a Delaney.” Wow, this fucker killed his pregnant wife.
“You should have stuck with the bride you had. Now you’ve signed your death warrant.”
“You’re going to kill me because you’re afraid that your wife truly does want me. You had to keep her hidden so she couldn’t find a man on her own.” It’s the same words that she tossed at me which strikes a nerve.
“Did your operative lie and tell her that? I protected her from an abduction, and I let my guard down, Delaney. That won’t happen again.” I punch the bastard in the face, causing his head to toss back.
“Pussy,” he spits out, blood dripping down his face.
“You are a fool, Peter,” Cormack says, coming out of the darkness and up to his brother. There’s a pain in his eyes that he quickly masks. “You murdered a great woman. I had no proof, but I knew you had a hand in your wife’s death. Why did you kill our father?”
“He was about to give it all to you, disown me and make you the head of the Delaney Family. He paid the price of betraying me.” Sick motherfucker. “If he’d done that I would have killed you both. You should be grateful I spared you. And this is what you to do me. Betray me for this wop. He stole Aria from me and you know it.”