by Penelope Sky
This was the last thing I expected to hear. “You think he meant it?”
He nodded. “Seems like it. He’s talked to me one-on-one. He’s come into my home, handed me a loaded shotgun, and handcuffed himself to a chair to prove himself to me. Now he’s helping out at the winery, trying to spend time with me so I can see who he is…”
I still couldn’t wrap my mind around this. “This has been going on the entire time?”
“I thought I was going to get rid of him in a few days…but he’s still here. He’s like a damn cockroach that just won’t die.” He finally took a drink, immediately clenching his jaw once the booze was down his throat.
“Why haven’t you ordered him to stop seeing her?” That sounded like the best solution. Bones said he would back off if my father didn’t approve. So that was all he had to do.
“Because…” He stared into his glass as he swirled it, the stress written all over his face. No matter what obstacle he faced, he was always fearless. He kept calm under dire situations, and even when bullets were flying, he was in control. But now, the worry was in all his features. “Vanessa asked me to try to accept him. She asked for a real chance. Because she loves him and knows I love her enough that I don’t want to hurt her. So…I guess I’m trying.”
“His father killed my aunt,” I snapped. “No, you don’t have to try, Father.”
He raised his hand again. “I understand how you feel. It’s the way I’ve felt for the past six weeks. I’ve said some very unkind things to Vanessa that I shouldn’t have said…because I resent her for putting us in this situation. I don’t like him, and it’s hard to imagine a time when I’ll ever like him, ever trust him.”
“Then end it,” I said. “Or I’ll kill him for you—for all of us.”
“Not so simple,” he said.
“Father, it is simple. Vanessa deserves someone better. Don’t ever tell her I said this, but she’s fucking incredible. Smart as hell and fierce like a soldier. She deserves a good man.”
“I agree,” he said with a sigh. “But he’s the man she wants…unfortunately.”
“She’ll find someone else. Plenty of fish in the sea.”
He set his glass down. “Their relationship is intense…strong. I can see it between them. It makes me hate him even more, that he won my daughter over so completely. But the worst part is…” He grabbed his glass again and took a deep drink, prolonging the inevitable. He licked his lips when he was finished and set down his glass. “I think he really loves her.”
It was hard to believe a man like that could love someone. He came from a cruel father, and he was at the Underground for a reason. I didn’t want a man of the shadows for my sister.
“I’ve seen them together.” His eyes formed a haze as he thought of a memory. “I’ve seen the way he treats her when no one is watching, the way he lifts her up and makes her feel good about herself. The way he worships the ground she walks on. The way he takes my insults even though it makes him want to kill me. The way Uncle Cane punched him twice and he still didn’t do anything. I don’t think it’s an act…I think it’s real.”
I couldn’t picture this relationship. I couldn’t picture my sister loving a man like that, and I certainly couldn’t picture a man like that loving a Barsetti. It didn’t seem possible. It went against nature. “Even if it is, you can still end it. She’ll hate you for a while, but not forever.”
“This is the thing about having children.” He refilled his glass. “I should tell you this since you’ll be a father soon. No matter how old they are…you want them to be happy. And despite my reservations and my hatred for him…which is very intense…I see the way he makes her happy. Because of that reason, I may accept him. I’ll never like him. I’ll never trust him. But…I think I should try to give Vanessa what she wants.”
I couldn’t believe my father actually said those words. Vanessa was his only daughter, and he was far more protective of her than he’d ever been of me.
“So, I think I’m going to try to get to know him better, to stop insulting him, and to see the man Vanessa has fallen in love with. Honestly, I’ve never really tried. I’ve only made him feel as unwelcome as possible. He’s never pretended to be something that he’s not, and he’s very transparent about who he is…which makes me respect him. He also told me that I was hypocritical for not accepting him, considering your uncle and I aren’t exactly the most noble people…and he’s right.”
My relationship with Sapphire wasn’t exactly respectable. I paid for her virginity and practically kept her as a slave. I was afraid to tell my father the truth because of what he would think of me, but he said it would be hypocritical to judge him. Now, I treated Sapphire the way she deserved…but it hadn’t always been that way. “But Vanessa deserves more.”
“I agree.” His eyes moved down. “But…this is what she wants.”
My father was taking this exceptionally well, but I couldn’t picture myself doing the same thing. I didn’t trust Bones. I didn’t want him anywhere near my sister or my fiancée. “I don’t think I can be as calm about it.”
“I felt the same way in the beginning. It’s taken time to be this civil.”
“Don’t expect me to be civil.”
He held his glass between his hands. “I figured you wouldn’t be. Doesn’t make a difference to me. Just don’t hit him.”
“Why?” There wasn’t a good enough reason for me to keep my hands to myself.
“It won’t solve anything. And every time he takes a hit without reacting, his power grows. He proves that he’s the man he claims to be. Don’t give him the opportunity to prove himself in any way. Your uncle almost broke his hand against his face. It’s like a slab of concrete.”
I remembered exactly how he looked, all muscle, tattoos, and a solid bone structure. He had a tight jaw, a stern expression, and shoulders so broad he looked like an ox. He was a large man, the kind that could break a man’s skull with a single fist. His size was accompanied by handsome features, looks he must have inherited from his mother. He was the kind of man who could get laid instantly. I’d seen the way the waitress looked at him that night, like she was waiting for him to invite her back to his place once her shift was over. “Then what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to try. But we need to be prepared if things go to shit.”
I nodded in agreement. “What is the likelihood he would do something?”
He dragged his finger around the rim of his glass as he considered my question. “It’s hard to say. He’s already been seeing Vanessa for a while. He could have attacked us much sooner with the element of surprise. Doesn’t make sense for him to go through all of this just to hurt us. A lot more time and effort than necessary. And like I said before…I think their relationship is real. So he may never do anything, but we should always be prepared for the off chance we’re wrong. I always have a gun on me whenever he’s around. You should do the same. Your mother has one too. I hate being armed in my own home, hate increasing security around the house and preparing for war when I’ve dedicated my life to peace…but I don’t see any way around it.”
I resented Vanessa for doing this to us, for bringing a criminal into our lives like this. She could have any other guy she wanted, but she had to pick the worst possible person. “What do you know about him? What does he do?”
“He’s a hitman.”
I remembered reading that in his file. He owned a business with a few men. Other than drinking too much and spending money on whores, there was nothing else interesting about him. He did his job then went home. “Anything else?”
“No. He’s been honest about everything I’ve uncovered about him. But he did tell me his mother was a prostitute after his father died. She was killed by one of her clients when he was just a boy. He had a vendetta against us ever since…and dropped it after he fell in love with Vanessa. I don’t see why he would tell me that unless it was the truth. Part of me believes him. Part of me thinks letting it go and acc
epting him would bring us all peace. But another part of me…will never stop hating him for what his father did to us.” He bowed his head and turned silent, his finger still moving around the rim of the glass.
I would never look at the man as anything but an enemy. I would always have my guard up, even if she married him and five years had passed. I would never allow him around my wife and children without being present. He would never be welcome in this family. I might be stubborn like my father, but I didn’t care. “I’ll never stop hating him either.”
I arrived at the small villa after dinner. Father gave me the address, and I didn’t feel intrusive slamming my fist against the solid wood of the door. Sapphire was at my parents’ house, watching TV in the living room with a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. My parents adored her, thought the world of her. They never cared she modeled lingerie or came from humble beginnings. I loved her—and that was enough for them to love her too.
The door opened, and I came face-to-face with him.
Bones.
When I’d seen him at the Underground, he’d been wearing some kind of disguise. But now he was exactly as I remembered from the pictures in his file, his gray t-shirt hugging his muscular frame and stretching across the shoulders. Ink was all over his arms, sleeves of tattoos with midnight-black coloring. He was my height, and his crystal blue eyes were the only thing about him that wasn’t innately dark. With fair skin he must have inherited from his mother, he was distinctly different from the Barsettis.
He stared at me, his guard up just as high as mine. He knew exactly who I was, and now I knew he recognized me in the Underground. He didn’t try to kill me that night—for unknown reasons.
“You want to talk to Vanessa now? Or would you like to punch me first?” He tilted his head slightly, regarding me with subtle hostility.
“Punch you?” I asked. “I usually stick a knife in the throat of my enemies.” My father told me to keep my eyes peeled and my hands to myself, but when I was face-to-face with Bones, it was impossible to be diplomatic. He didn’t deserve my sister.
“You wanna do that, then?” he asked, dead serious. “I’m sure I could handle it.”
My father was right. He had a natural ability to turn threats into signs of power.
“My father told me not to kill you—yet.”
He smiled. “That was nice of him. Can never tell how much he hates me.”
“I’ll be the messenger, then. He hates you a lot.”
Vanessa ducked underneath his arm and squeezed past him in the doorway. “So glad you two are getting along…” She moved up to me, her arms crossed over her chest. “What are you doing here?”
“You know exactly why I’m here.” My eyes flicked to Bones again.
“To kill him?” she asked incredulously. “When you brought Sapphire around, I became her best friend. It didn’t matter whether she was a good person or not. You loved her, so I had to love her. I accepted her without an interrogation.”
My eyes turned back to her. “Are you suggesting these situations are the same? This man is a murderer, Vanessa. He kills people for cash. His family—”
She raised her hand. “I’ve had this exact conversation with Mom and Dad, like, fifty times. I’m not doing it again.”
I looked at Bones, the hatred in my eyes. “Disappear.” I wanted to speak to my sister alone, not have that gargoyle watch everything.
To my surprise, he shut the front door and walked away.
Vanessa stepped farther into the cool air in the front yard, approaching the truck parked in the gravel. “So, Father told you today?”
“A few hours ago.” I slid my hands into my pockets and followed her. “I’ve gotta be honest. I’m pretty shocked.”
When we were away from the house so we couldn’t be overheard, she turned to me. “I know he’s not ideal. But I never wanted to love him. It just happened. And now that it’s happened…I never want to love anyone else.”
My father wasn’t kidding. Their relationship was intense.
“I know you’re probably never going to like him, Con. That’s fine. I’m not going to try to persuade you to change your mind. But I hope one day you’ll have an open mind. Because of Sapphire’s past, I was kidnapped by Knuckles. I’ve never been able to sleep well since that night. Bones makes me feel safe, makes me feel like nothing could ever hurt me. I’ve never held Sapphire accountable for that night or ever blamed her for what happened. I love her, as my sister and my friend. She’s family as far as I’m concerned. And if I can do that, I don’t see why you can’t do this for me.”
My sister had always been better with words than I was, and she’d made an astounding point. Because of Sapphire, Vanessa had been shot. Now she would carry a scar for the rest of her life. At the time, she’d acted so brave, but of course, it bothered her. Nightmares followed her every night. I didn’t know what to say because she made such a fair argument.
She watched me as she waited for me to say something. “Don’t say it’s different because it’s not. I would do anything for Sapphire because you love her. You know how I am, loud and opinionated. But the second it was clear that Sapphire was the only woman you wanted, I was supportive and loyal. I made her feel like family more than anyone else. I became her friend when she had no one else. She could have been a total bitch, and I still would have treated her the same way.” She stared at me with her hard gaze. “I love this man with all my heart.”
I took a deep breath when she confessed her feelings, hearing the sincerity ring like a bell.
“I don’t want anyone else. I’ll never want anyone else. Mama and Father are trying to accept him. I’d appreciate it if you would do the same. I don’t expect it to happen overnight, and Griffin is very patient. But I’ve always been there for you when it mattered—and I’ve been there for Sapphire. When Knuckles offered to make the exchange of me for Sapphire, I told you not to do it. I was willing to die for the woman you love. You owe me this, Con. Big-time.”
I clenched my jaw, having no argument against that at all. My sister had paid her dues, had been unflinchingly loyal to me. I would give this to her in a heartbeat under any other circumstance. “I don’t trust him, Vanessa. I don’t trust him not to kill our family.”
“Trust is something earned, not given. I would never ask you to trust someone you didn’t know, Con. You never have to trust him if you don’t want to. You don’t even have to like him. I’m just asking for acceptance right now. The rest of that stuff will come later…when you’re ready.”
I’d never anticipated my love for Sapphire would come back and bite me in the ass. “Can you really be with a man your entire family hates? I just talked to Father, and he despises him more than anyone else on the planet. You’re smarter than this, Vanessa. Find a better man and don’t put your family through this.”
“I tried to forget about him, Con. I broke up with him when he told me he loved me. I dated someone else. I did everything…it didn’t work. I knew I loved him so much I was willing to do anything to make it work. As slim as the odds are, I want you guys to learn to like and accept him. He’s willing to be a punching bag to make it happen. If it doesn’t work, at least I tried. I had to try before I gave up.” She took a deep breath, her chest rising. “But I don’t want to give up. The way I love him…is the way you love Sapphire. Just keep that in mind when you talk to him.”
“But how do you know he’s the right man to love? How do you know this isn’t a plot to hurt all of us?”
Her eyes watered slightly, like the question offended her. “Because he would die for me, Con. Would a man die for me if he didn’t love me with all his heart?”
I kept my hands in my pockets and stared at her, feeling the chilly air surround me and enter my lungs. I saw a different side to my sister, a vulnerable side she never let me see. Her beating heart was on her sleeve, visible for the whole world. All of her cards were on the table, and even though she had a shitty hand, she wasn’t ashamed.
; “Please try,” she whispered. “For me.”
Six
Bones
Vanessa was the first thing I looked at every morning.
I opened my eyes, and she was there, her beautiful skin bright in the morning light. Her olive skin contrasted against the white sheets. Her thick eyelashes were luscious and feminine. I studied her for a while before I turned her over and made myself welcome between her legs.
Evening used to be my favorite time of day. Now it was the morning.
Because this was how every morning was.
My arms pinned her knees in place, and I moved between her legs, greeted by her tightness and wetness. I woke her up slowly, watching her eyes flutter open as the pleasure circulated in her veins. She enjoyed sex the most when she was half asleep, when all her sensations were heightened. Her hands eventually pressed against my chest, and she looked at me with sleepy eyes.
Beautiful.
I loved the way she looked at me, with nothing but love, lust, and devotion. She gave herself to me despite all the odds against us. She told her brother I was the man she loved, told her father she wanted to be with me forever. She stood up for me in spite of the overwhelming obstacles in our way.
I breathed against her mouth and listened to her moan for me, her nails digging in a little harder as I made love to her slowly. Her moans became louder, her nails became sharper, and then she came with a moan that shook the house.
I came next, filling her perfect slit with all my come. It was how I started every morning, making love to my woman before I hauled shit all day. Her uncle and father refused to acknowledge my existence unless they were insulting me. It was tough work, especially when I could be doing anything else. But these mornings made it worth it, this time when we didn’t say a single word to each other. We just clung to one another, made love, and then started our day afterward.
I loved every morning.
We both showered so we wouldn’t smell like sex and then headed to the winery. We didn’t talk about her brother’s visit last night, probably because nothing about it was surprising. Conway hated me like everyone else.