Chapter 84 Rags and Ritches 25

Chapter 84 Rags and Ritches 25
Dante

God this woman.

This amazing, surprising woman with the soul of a warrior.

I stared at Aria I pure shock. Not because she had just killed the old man , I had been counting on that from the begining. It was the whole reason we had been playing this fucking charade over the last few weeks. I’d left enough breadcrumbs to know she would follow them and do what I couldn’t.

So no , her plunging the knife into his artery hadn’t shocked me at all. The holding the knife to her own throat had though. Because after years of watching her, research and planning. I had never once thought she was the suicide type. My voice had shook as I tried to talk her down.

But now I knew that was all an act as well.

“Gotcha.” She grinned, blood coated the front of her dress. There was splashes of it in her cheeks but she looked the happiest I had ever seen her.

There must be something seriously wrong with me because she was fucking stunning covered in blood. Especially that assholes blood.

Slowly I let my eyes drift from her to the man slumped over in his chair. 

Good riddance. 

I fought the urge to kick him out of the chair and continue to kick him until his ribs crunched. Just like he had done to me when I was seven.

The room erupted in chaos. Weapons were drawn and swung in her direction.  She didn’t blink. 

“Put your guns down.” She ordered, her voice even and cold.

They didn’t move, they aimed it straight at her head and I could tell by the look on their faces that they wanted to shoot. Emotions were high , and all it would take was one wrong move and this would all be for nothing.

I moved, finally coming out of the trance I had been in. Stepping before her, I held out my hand to the men. My men now. 

“Put your fucking weapons down.” I yelled. And unlike aria there was nothing cool and collected about my voice. Yes the plan had worked perfectly but this part was equally important. 

Slowly they began to lower their arms.

From the other side of the house a yell went up, startled and loud but it was cut off abruptly. Weapons that just a second before been lowering now turned towards the door as it crashed open.

The man standing there was familiar. Even though I had never meg him in person. His face was too similar to Arias.

This was her brother.

“Giovanni.” I nodded my head, my voice carrying.

For a split second his eyes drifted over to me, and then widened as he spotted his sister behind me. Her puffy wedding dress was coated in blood. The knife still held in her trembling hand.

“Gio?” Aria's voice broke. All the hardness cracked. She rushed forward, stumbling over her long skirts. Without thinking I caught her before she hit the ground.

“Take your hands off my sister.” Gio spoke with the sane kind of cold authority as his sister did. Like he expected to be obeyed no matter what.

“Now.”

Slowly I straightened but I didn’t release her. Instead I pulled her into my body protectively. “This is a private-“

Two long strides across the room and he was suddenly in front of us. Tilting her chin up. 

“Aria.” Gio spoke to her like she was a wailing child. “Are you ok? It’s me Gio.”

She blinked and something wet fell on my hand. Fuck, I glanced down. Was she crying?

“Gio? You really came?”

“Of course I did. The judge got in touch with me. We got here as soon as we could.”

“Where is?” She couldn’t finish as a sob ripped its way out of her throat. “Where is Judge?” 

“Securing his-“ finally Gio’s eyes met mine. And there was pure rage and hatred in them. “Men.”

“They are my men-“

He cut her off before she could finish. His eyes narrowing in pure rage. “She doesn’t know does she?”

I had been preparing for the last year for this conversation but suddenly I wasn’t ready.

“Know what?” Twisting herself out of my arms Aria whirled on me. “What’s going on?”

“I was going to tell you.”

Arias face tightened. “Can someone please fill me in on what the fuck is going on.”

She was breaking , any fool could see the emotional turmoil going on in her. But for a second she was back to being her in control self.

“He’s the head of his family now.”

“But,” arias eyes scanned my face. “He’s just a guard.”

“No he’s not. He’s the illegitimate brother of the man in the chair. The man I promised you in marriage too because he was an invalid at death door. Dante asked for you instead. He wanted control and he knew that the only way he could get it was with the old man’s death or your hand. He knew he couldn’t keep that control without the backing of the family.” Gio’s eyes scanned the carnage in front of us and then glanced down at the blood soaked wedding dress. He swore long and low in Italian as realisation hit him. “You fucking asshole.” He spat. “You fucking married her didn’t you. You married her and got her to do your dirty work.”

I didn’t move a muscle, my eyes were glued to Arias face as she too finally saw the game.

“I married you?” She whispered. “You used me.”

I could see the tears falling from her chin now, and fuck they hurt. For a second she stared at me and then her whole body crumbled in on itself with a sob.

“You used me to gain control? You fucking played me the entire time didn’t you. And now I am your wife?” She swallowed hard. “And all of these assholes knew.” She waved the knife around wildly. Flicking blood droplets everywhere.

“Is being married to me such a bad thing?” I asked quietly. “We’ve shared a bed, you like spending time with me. We are good together aria-“ 

My words were cut off by a feral scream and Aria launched herself at me, knife slicing through the air towards my throat.