Lover (Betrothed 3)

“No.”

“At least he’s alive.”

“He won’t let me see him.”

“No surprise there,” Ash said. “He’s always been that way. Doesn’t want anyone to see him weak.”

“He’s not weak,” I snapped, “He’s hurt.”

“He won’t let me see him either, if that makes you feel better.”

“No…”

Ash looked down at my untouched food. “Are you gonna eat that?”

I shook my head.

He pulled the plate toward him and grabbed a fork. “Looks good.”

“Helena is an amazing cook.”

“Then why aren’t you eating?”

I shrugged. “Not hungry.”

“How do you expect to take care of him if you don’t take care of yourself first?” He took a bite and handed the fork back to me, as if we were going to share the meal.

I knew it was a ploy to get me to eat, but I caved anyway. “I’m surprised you came down here.”

“When Damien told me what happened, I felt like shit.” He leaned back into the chair and stared at me with sad eyes. “You didn’t deserve to be taken, and despite my issues with my brother, he didn’t deserve that horror. No man should have to lose his wife like that.”

I knew Hades must have been miserable while I was gone. I didn’t tell him what Maddox did to me, but I had a feeling he knew.

“One way or another, Maddox is gonna die. Either I’ll kill him, Damien will, or Hades will. Fucker’s gotta die.”

“I should be the one to kill him.” I would get a gun, load it with one bullet, and lock him in a cell so he had no other choice. He could either starve to death or end it quickly.

Ash gave a slight nod. “Yes, you deserve it. One day, we’ll make it happen.”

“They say tragedy brings people together. At least some good came out of this.” Ash and Hades were talking once again, behaving like brothers. “He really wanted to make things right with you, and he was devastated when he couldn’t.”

“Did he ever tell you why it was so important to him?”

I didn’t want to lie about his hunch that there was more to it; he was dead on about his assumption. “No. But it doesn’t matter because his desire for reconciliation was genuine.”

He turned his gaze away and stared over the balcony. “I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. Life is too short for grudges.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

He turned his eyes back to me. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No. You can head home, and I’ll give you updates when I receive them.”

He shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere. When we finish this, I’ll leave.”

“Don’t you have a business to run?” Not that I considered it to be much of a business.

He was quiet for a long time as he considered my question. He grabbed the fork off the plate and took another bite. “I thought about what my brother said… Maybe it’s time to move on.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not naïve. I know our father was an asshole. When I heard that Maddox had taken you, I was devastated. I’d only met you a couple of times, and I already cared about you. Knowing what Maddox was doing to you…made me sick to my stomach. It made me realize that I was no different from him, that I was a huge asshole. I don’t want to be that guy anymore.”

“Who do you want to be?” I whispered.

“Not sure yet.”

“Will you work with Hades?”

“No. I want to do my own thing. I think I might be a pimp.”

I laughed because I assumed it was a joke.

“I’m serious. It’s basically what I was doing before, but now I’d work with girls who want to work. And I could protect them as a boss.”

It was still an unconventional career choice, but at least he wouldn’t be hurting anybody.

“I love women, sex, titties. You could say it’s my passion in life.” He shrugged slightly. “I’d rather do that than deal drugs.”

It wasn’t the most respectable line of work, but I could get on board with it. “That’ll make Hades happy.”

“He’d be really happy if he were still single. He’d want to use my services all the time.”

I wasn’t oblivious to Hades’s behavior before we were married; it never bothered me. But now I was a bit jealous thinking about everyone who came before me. His sex life used to be a lot more adventurous. Now, he was tied down, committed to one woman. I wondered if he ever got bored. “Where are you staying?”

“In a hotel.”

“You wanna stay here?” I asked. “We have a lot of extra bedrooms.”

“Yeah, I can tell. This place is a mansion. A little big for just two people.”

“Three.”

His eyes glanced down at my stomach, an eyebrow raised.

“My mother lives with us,” I explained.

The accusation disappeared from his eyes. “Do you want me to stay with you?”