Wife (Betrothed Book 1) Read online

  “Fine…” She pulled her fingertips from her glass and looked at me, her green eyes gorgeous when they reflected the candlelight. “I want to know…so I guess that means I’m jealous.”

  I stopped my smile from showing and felt a rush of hope in my chest. That fortune really was bullshit. It was just a stupid story the gypsy made up for a couple of coins. I was seeing something that wasn’t there, losing sight of reality and focusing on stupidity. Sofia was mine. It would just take her some time to get there. “I’ve only been with you.”

  16

  Sofia

  Esme sat across from me in the booth, looking like she’d just taken a shower and done her makeup even though she’d put in a full shift before meeting me for a drink. She was living her best life, enjoying being single until she finally felt like settling down. She made enough money to have her own apartment, so she didn’t need to find a husband until she actually fell in love.

  I’d thought growing up in a wealthy family would ensure I never had to marry unless I absolutely wanted to, but that wasn’t the case.

  “So, you’re still seeing that hot guy?” Esme stirred her martini as she waited for an answer.

  “I’m not really seeing him…”

  “But you’re sleeping with him, right?”

  “Technically.”

  “And only sleeping with him?”

  “Uh…technically.”

  She chuckled. “You’re sticking to your guns, huh?”

  “I’m not sticking to anything. That’s just the honest truth.”

  “For years, you’ve been saying you never want to get married. I guess you really meant that, because you’re screwing the perfect man, but you still haven’t changed your mind.”

  “Yes, he’s beautiful, but he’s not perfect.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  I told her about all the stuff going on with the hotel, and of course, she was shocked. She didn’t expect it; no one did. “And he owns a bank that launders a lot of cash. I guess he’s also a drug dealer too.”

  “No way. He doesn’t look like he would be one.”

  I shrugged. “I’m starting to realize the world isn’t a warm and bubbly place.”

  “Guess not. So, if he weren’t a drug dealer, you’d be interested?”

  “Not necessarily. After watching my mother’s first and second marriages, I’m just not interested. Breakups are always really nasty affairs. And relationships that last are usually worse in the long run. I understand a couple staying together to have children, but other than that, they just don’t make sense.”

  “Yeah, I guess I see what you mean.” She kept stirring her drink.

  “I just want to run our hotel and live my life. I don’t want to be pressured into getting married. Not all men get married, so why do women have to get married?”

  She shrugged. “Kids?”

  “I guess. But Hades keeps trying to push me into a commitment.”

  “Honestly, that’s kind of romantic.” She took a drink. “This guy wants you all to himself and doesn’t want to share.”

  “I suppose…”

  A couple of guys joined us, tag-teaming us with free drinks. One of the guys immediately went to Esme and started the conversation with a joke, which must have been funny because she laughed. They hit it off pretty quickly and kept to themselves in the corner of the booth.

  My guy was cute, and since he was nice, I didn’t want to waste his time. “I’m seeing someone.”

  “I usually assume that every time I meet a beautiful woman. It’s just the odds, you know? But since my friend is—” he glanced at them and chuckled “—already making out with your friend, I guess we could keep talking.”

  “Yeah, I don’t see the harm in that.”

  “Let me walk you home.” Lance walked beside me, wearing his thick coat to fight the cold.

  “I just live a few blocks from here. I’ll be fine.”

  “Really? Because my apartment is in the same direction. So I can walk behind you like a weirdo, or we can walk together.”

  “Wouldn’t want you to look like a weirdo,” I said with a laugh.

  We headed down the street together then approached my building.

  I said goodnight on the sidewalk. “Well, it was nice to meet you.” I gave a wave before I turned away.

  Instead of leaving me alone, he moved into my body and kissed me.

  “Whoa…” I pushed against his chest. “You need to back up, man.” My purse hung across my chest, and thankfully it was right in between us, pressed into my body, so it gave me a few inches of space. “I think you had too much to drink.”

  “No. You’re just really pretty, and I had to go for it.”

  “Well, I have a boyfriend.” The situation was getting tenser by the second. He’d seemed like a nice guy at the bar. Talking to him didn’t feel like an invitation to sex. But now, it seemed like he wanted to get his way—no matter the cost.

  “He doesn’t need to know anything.” He moved into me again.

  Instinct kicked in, and I punched him in the face. “Don’t touch me.” I only had seconds to figure out what to do. If I opened my purse and dug for my phone, I would be vulnerable to an attack. If I ran up the stairs to my apartment, I probably wouldn’t make it there in time. I had to fish out my keys too.

  He turned with the hit then grabbed his nose. “Wow…that was unnecessary.” When he turned back to me, he wiped his nose, and a couple drops of blood were on his fingertip.

  “Just leave me alone, alright? Go home.” I was rigid on the spot, unsure what to do. It was late at night, and no one was around. I could scream, but who would hear me? Who would call the police? How long would it take them to get there?

  “You should at least let me inside to clean up.”

  Yeah fucking right. “Go.”

  He stood still.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Waiting for you to go to your door. I’m still a gentleman.”

  I saw right through that bullshit. Once I got the door unlocked, he would push me inside and gag me. He wanted to hold me down and get what he wanted out of me—even if that meant he had to rape me.

  How did this happen?

  How the hell did I get myself in this situation?

  I turned around and headed back where I came from. If I returned to the main road where the bar was, there were bound to be other people there. I could get a ride to Hades’s place and stay there for the night.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” He grabbed me by the elbow and started to drag me into the alley.

  “Get off!” I kicked him hard in the shin then threw my elbow into his face. He was a big guy, but I used enough force to make him falter. “Help!” I started to run again.

  He tripped me so I fell to the ground, hidden from the road because we were in between two buildings. His hand covered my mouth, and he yanked up my dress.

  I tried to buck him off and bite him, but I couldn’t. This man was twice my weight. I couldn’t get my body free even if it meant the difference between life and death. I tried to roll away, but it was no use. I pushed my jaw out and finally got some of his skin. I bit down hard, but there was hardly anything to bite into.

  “Bitch.” He grabbed a plastic bag that had been dropped on the ground.

  “No!”

  He shoved it over my head and suffocated me.

  I struggled to breathe, but every time I sucked in air, I just got the bag. Now my attention was focused on surviving, so he would have no problem getting my dress up and my panties down.

  Was this how I was going to die?

  This was it? My last moments on earth?

  His heavy body was suddenly thrown off mine. Lance groaned when he was kicked by someone. Footsteps were audible in the alleyway. Someone must have heard my struggle and come to save me.

  I got the bag off my head and finally breathed. My hands went to my neck, and I sucked air into my lungs, gasping because I was a
bout to pass out from lack of oxygen. I could hear the sound of fists smashing against bone, could hear the moment Lance’s body became lifeless. But the hits continued.

  I picked myself up off the ground and gasped when I saw who’d saved me.

  Hades was still punching him, his knuckles bloody. He held on to the front of his shirt and smashed his face in. It was so bloody, his features were no longer distinguishable. Minutes ago, he was a handsome man. Now he was just a bloody corpse.

  “Stop. You’ll kill him.”

  “He is dead.” He gave him one more hard punch before he let Lance’s head hit the concrete. As if nothing had happened, he got to his feet and wiped his bloody hands on his jeans. When he moved to me, his rage was gone, replaced by gentle concern. “Baby, are you alright?” He kneeled in front of me, examining my features for signs of injury.

  My dress was down now and my panties were on, so he didn’t have to see me like that. I survived the fight without a scratch. The only scar I had was the memory of almost being raped in an alleyway. I blurted the first question that came to mind. “How did you know…?” Was he watching me? Having his men tail me?

  He nodded to my purse. “You accidentally called me. I listened for a few seconds and knew something was wrong. I drove over here right away and saw him drag you into the alleyway.” Now that Lance was dead, his violence disappeared too. He seemed relieved I was okay, grateful nothing had happened to me, grateful that my phone was jostled in the fight and called him. “How many times have I told you not to walk home alone?”

  I was too embarrassed to answer.

  “Are you going to listen to me now?”

  I nodded.

  “You think you’re invincible, but you aren’t.”

  “You think I don’t know that now?” I whispered. “What do we do with him?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “But the police…”

  “The police won’t do anything. It’ll be considered a missing persons case.”

  “How…?”

  He helped me to my feet. “Because they do whatever I tell them to do.”

  He scrubbed his knuckles in the bathroom sink for what seemed like an hour before all the blood and bits of flesh came off. It didn’t seem to disturb him in the least, that he’d just killed someone he didn’t even know. It wasn’t only a murder, but murder from being beaten to death.

  I took a shower when we got to his place because I felt dirty after being pinned to the alley. I also wanted to wash off Lance’s touch, get rid of any trace of DNA found on my body. I dried my hair with a towel then got into his bed.

  Hades joined me minutes later.

  “Thanks for letting me stay here.”

  He cuddled me into his side and wrapped his powerful arms around me, reminding me that no one could bother me while I was his. “You’re welcome here anytime.” His lips rested against the back of my neck, and he kissed me. His mouth migrated to my shoulder and then to my ear, layering me with affection.

  “Do you feel weird?” I whispered.

  “How?”

  “That you just killed someone…”

  His hand rubbed across my belly. “I kill people all the time, baby.”

  “But not innocent people.”

  His voice suddenly turned cold. “He wasn’t innocent. If I’d let him live, he would have come back to your apartment. And if he didn’t, he would have done that to some other girl. He probably already has. He’s not innocent—and he deserved to die like that. Don’t waste your time thinking about him a second longer. He’s gone—end of story.”

  Death was irreversible, so this was permanent. That man was never coming back. It seemed like such a harsh price to pay for what he did, but I never would have felt safe if he had lived. He probably would have killed me anyway, suffocated me with that bag and then kept raping me until he was finished.

  Hades was right—I shouldn’t mourn his death.

  I was glad he was dead.

  When I woke up the next morning, Hades had just gotten out of the shower. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he picked out his outfit for the day from his closet. A black tie with a navy-blue suit and a cream-colored collared shirt. He also had a drawer filled with various expensive watches.

  It was hard to watch him go, but I didn’t expect him to stay with me all day. “That’s a lot of watches.”

  He left his closet and came to the bed, the towel still snug around his waist. There were still a few water drops on his shoulder, and his hair was still damp even though he’d dried it with a towel. “I’m a collector.”

  “Didn’t know that.” I reached for his towel and gave it a playful tug. “When did you become shy?”

  He grinned before he tugged it loose and let it fall to the floor.

  I stared at his nice dick and reached out my fingers to stroke his balls.

  He tensed slightly when I touched him, and within seconds, his dick increased to an impressive size. He was hard and ready to fuck.

  I kicked the sheets back so he could join me. I went to sleep in the nude last night because I hadn’t had any clothes besides the ones on my back. It gave him easy access—if he wanted it.

  “So, I’m your boyfriend?” His knees sank into the mattress as he moved on top of me.

  I had no idea what provoked the question. I spread my knees and pulled him close to me. “I never said that.”

  “Really? I heard you say it last night.”

  When I’d tried to get that asshole to go away, I’d blurted out those words. I wasn’t thinking at the time, just saying whatever was necessary to get him to leave me alone. There had been no merit in it, but I didn’t want to ruin this moment with cruel honesty. “Don’t remember.”

  “I do.” He pinned my knees back as he brought our bodies close together. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I wouldn’t give last night another moment of my time. I’d learned my lesson, and now I would never walk home again. If Hades hadn’t been there to save me, my life would have taken a dark turn…or ended altogether. But that didn’t happen. “God, yes.” I grabbed his ass and pulled him deep inside me, feeling my toes curl when he was all the way in. “Yes.”

  17

  Hades

  I examined the kilos of meth that were ready to be shipped and looked at the inventory sheet. Slightly over four hundred kilos of crystal were ready to be delivered to Milan, one of my most profitable cities in the country. There were smaller dealers who infringed on my territory, assholes with a tiny lab set up in their bedrooms, but since their product was so inferior and cheap, I didn’t give them the time of day.

  The wolf doesn’t concern himself with the sheep, right?

  I signed off on the paperwork so it could be shipped hundreds of miles north, disguised as cargo for a cheese company. I made appearances at every station in my lab, popping up randomly so my men would never know when I might catch them with their pants down. Damien did the same thing—so everyone walked on eggshells.

  Damien took the clipboard and glanced over it. “What did you do with the body?” He did his own check.

  “Oil drum.”

  “And where is that?”

  “Buried somewhere in the middle of Tuscany.” The guy hadn’t been a criminal who competed with my ranks, but he wasn’t an innocent person who should have walked free. He’d tried to rape my woman—even kill her. I enjoyed beating him to death. My knuckles were still sore, but that pain only reminded me how much I had caused him to feel.

  “Is she alright?”

  “Yeah. She bounced back pretty quickly.”

  “That’s good. I bet she learned her lesson…”

  She’d slowly floated back down to earth after the traumatic event took place. Then she brushed it off and kept going, almost like it never happened at all. She still wanted to sleep with me as if some man hadn’t just tried to force himself on her. It made me respect her, how tough she was. “Yeah. She won’t be walking home alone anytime
soon.”

  “I’m surprised you’re taking this so well.” He handed the clipboard off to one of the guys then walked with me to the counter.

  “I killed the guy, didn’t I?” With my bare hands.

  “But what if she hadn’t butt-dialed you?” His phone started to ring, but he silenced it and set it on the counter.

  I didn’t want to think about that. “That didn’t happen, so it doesn’t matter.” If I had it my way, she’d be living with me, escorted everywhere she went by my best guys. All men would be afraid to look at her longer than a nanosecond. But that lack of independence was exactly what she didn’t want. She refused to let one bad night make her afraid to live.

  Damien let it go. “Need anything?”

  “I’m not the one who was assaulted.”

  “Yeah, but it probably hurt you a million times more than it hurt her.”

  When she stepped out of the hotel, I was waiting for her.

  She wore a black pea coat with gold buttons along with tights and black boots. Her brown hair was straight and still perfectly styled despite working five hours at the lobby counter. With her hands in her pockets for warmth, she walked to the edge of the sidewalk and prepared to wave down a cab.

  Good girl.

  She didn’t see me standing to the left, and she didn’t notice my black car parked along the curb. She was probably eager to go home and get out of the cold. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started to text.

  I came up behind her but stopped when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. I’m about to get in a cab. Should I give the driver my address or yours?

  “Mine.”

  At the sound of my voice, she turned around, both surprised and happy to see me. It was late at night, but we were still in public. That didn’t stop her from moving into my chest and wrapping her arms around my neck. She seemed to forget about the cameras everywhere, the fact that a coworker could see her at any second.