Chapter 86 Rags and Ritches 27

Chapter 86 Rags and Ritches 27
“He’s going to come for you.” Judge said the moment I stepped out of the shower and into the hotel suite. It was the first thing I had done when I had been brought here. Ripped the dress off my body and took a shower that lasted well over an hour. By the time I’d gotten out, there had been clothes waiting for me.

“I know.” Standing there with the towel wrapped around my dripping hair, I studied the two men. Arguably some of the most dangerous and feared men in the world and both of them had my back but I knew Dante was dangerous as well. Just like I knew people underestimated him. One look at my brother's face and I knew that was the case.

“He loves you.” My brother said, gesturing for me to take the seat around the table. He wanted to talk, I didn’t want to do anything but eat the mountain of food on the glass top.

Suddenly I was starving.

My stomach grumbled loudly and my brothers eyebrows knotted together. “Come and eat Aria. We can talk whilst you eat, otherwise I’m afraid your belly rumbling will drown out anything else.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I slipped into the seat and reached for a plate. Gio had said things like that before, back when I was a child. 

“Dante is in love with you.” He repeated, forcing my hand to freeze over the table and spilling a pile of green beans. “Did you know that?”

“Dante doesn’t love anyone but himself.” I finished dishing up the vegetables and went for the steak. “You’re a fool to think otherwise.”

Gio’s eyebrows slammed down and I knew why. He was head of the family. His word was gospel. No one spoke to him like I just did.

Well maybe his wife and sometimes the Judge. But no one else. They wouldn’t have dared.

“Talking of fools.” The judge chuckled. “Did you really try to kill -“

My eyes snapped to his bemused face. “I did kill him.” With a shrug I shoved a piece of steak into my mouth.

“You missed the first time.” He pointed out. “Maybe you aren’t quite the assassin you think you are.”

Shrugging I kept on eating. He had a point of course. My shot that day hadn’t been true but I didn’t actually think it would have made a difference. Dante would have still come for me and this whole charade would have still played out in exactly the same way.

Because they were right, I had been a fool.

A fool for a handsome face, a kind word and a man I thought I could use for my own benefit.

“Yeah I was a fool to let Dante in my bed.” I said around a mouth full of meat.

Gio’s eyes flashed. “Yes you were but that’s not what we mean. You were a fool to think we would force you into a marriage that wouldn’t benefit you. He was a fucking invalid. You would have had power. And now-“

I swallowed hard. “Now that power is Dante’s.”

My brother nodded. “And you are  his wife; his property.”

I clenched the knife in my hand with so much force that my knuckles cracked and went whiter 

“I am no one’s property.” I hissed through clenched teeth.

“He’s wanted you for years.” Judge said softly. 

“He can keep wanting.”

There was a pause, a pained one and then the judge spoke again. “He fell in love with you. And believe me when a man like that falls in love he doesn’t let go,”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Talking from experience?” I’d heard his story, my brothers as well. 

The judges face closed down. He went absolutely motionless.

Gio cleared his throat. “What the Judge is trying to say is that Dante will demand your return. He let you go today because he thinks you will cool down but make no mistake Aria. He will be close by and watching.”

Slowly because my hands were shaking and I didn’t want to drop the silverware I lowered my fork from my lips. The juicy rib eye in my mouth suddenly tasted like ash.

“Are you going to send me back to him?” I whispered. Hating the way my voice wobbled with emotion.

“That really depends on you.”

An uneasy silence fell.

“Do you have feelings for him?” The judge asked softly. He had always been better at reading my emotions than my brother had. “Are you in love with your husband?”

I hesitated. My fingers flexing. “No.” I said maybe a little too harshly. It wasn’t a lie. I was sure I didn’t love him. But it wasn’t the entire truth either. I had feelings for Dante that I couldn’t deny. Those feelings were just all mixed up.

Not that it mattered whether I had feelings for him but or not. It didn’t even matter if I was in love with him.

He had trapped me, and I had never wanted to be trapped. Which he had known and he had done it anyway. 

“Are you sure?” The judge asked, his eyes delving deep into my soul and calling me a liar. I bristled. “I hate him.” At least that was partly true as well. “I never want to see him again.”

“Ok.” My brother said softly.

“I mean it, if I do I will kill him.”

Reaching across the table Gio took my fingers and squeezed. “No need for that. We will protect you: the family will go to war if need be. You’re one of us Aria. Kin. If you don’t want to go back then we won’t ever force you too.”

I stared at him in shock. Family. That’s what he had said. The family would protect me. My family but how could I be so selfish?

The judge was newly married, my brother had just had a baby. They had people who loved and depended on them and with my actions I was about to bring a war down on all of their heads.

I couldn’t do that because they were right, Dante would come for me and he would kill every single person who got in his way.