Ugly Beast closed the door behind them.
Alone in his home with his wife, he’d rather take on a fucking army of enemies than go upstairs to her.
He put the phone her father had given her on the cabinet near the door, and made his way upstairs to her bedroom.
Leaning against the doorframe, he stared into the room. She stared down at her hands, and he saw the tear tracks. When he got his hand on Vigo, that bastard better pray for death.
“Why did you do that?” Ugly Beast asked.
She looked up. She never wore any makeup, and he got to see all the puffiness of her face from crying.
He hated seeing women cry. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
With Abriana, he felt a twist in his gut and an overwhelming need to hurt something.
“Do what?”
“Give me that cell phone.”
She sniffled. Her lips pressed together. He wasn’t trying to be a dick, even though that did come naturally to him. Folding his arms, he waited.
Abriana wiped at her eyes. “I don’t want to die. We’re married, and that’s got to mean something.”
“You’re a mafia princess.”
She snorted. “I’m more like the mafia dog. I’m no princess.”
“By giving us to each other, they tried to insult us.” He stepped into the room, and moved to sit beside her on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s not your fault. I don’t feel insulted about our marriage. Do you?”
“I don’t think about it.”
“You should. You just picked a side down there, Abriana. You need to know how to deal with doing something like that.”
She laughed. It was forced and slightly hysterical. “Are you mad at me because I gave you the cell phone? Do you want to kill me, is that it? Now that I’ve shown my side, you can’t get rid of me. You can divorce me. It wouldn’t matter.”
“Abriana, I’m not going to divorce your ass, nor am I going to kill it. I’m going to keep you alive. However, what this does mean is if your father or Garofalo ever find out, they will hurt you. I want you protected at all times.”
“What does that even mean?”
“You’re about to have a shadow everywhere you go. The clubhouse, even for drinks, and coming home. You won’t be alone. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you stay alive. You’re my wife, and by doing this, you’re now under club protection as well. Smokey will tell everyone that you’re to be protected at all costs.”
“I’m not worth it.”
He took hold of her hand, turning her to face him. Unable to stop himself from touching her, he cupped her cheek. “You are worth it, Abriana. Do not let those bastards get you down.”
She pressed her face against his hand, and he hated how fucking broken she looked.
“What did you try to kill in this house?” he asked.
“What?”
“The smell? Did you try to set your father on fire?”
She started to laugh even with tears rolling down her cheeks. He didn’t know what it was, but he was starting to see little parts of her that were beautiful. Especially when she smiled. There was a happiness within her gaze that called to him.
“Chicken. I tried to cook some chicken. It wasn’t edible. I had the oven on too high. It burned on the outside and was raw in the center.”
“First things first, we so need to get you some lessons on cooking.”
“Do you know anyone?”
“Not a clue, but we’ve got the cooking channel.”
“I tried that,” she said.
“We got this. If all else fails we’ve got noodles or takeout.”
She moved away from his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me for anything.”
She fell silent, and he stared across the room, waiting for her to speak.
“I hate him,” she said. It was a mere whisper, but he heard it. “I want him to die.”
“One day, I’ll kill him for you.”
“Do you promise?”
“I’ll even let you watch if you think you can handle it.”
“I want to see it happen. Does that make me a bad person?”
“To some, maybe. Not to me.”
“How come?”
“I’m used to the sickness in this world. I’m used to the fucked-up shit.”
“Does that make me fucked up?”
Hearing her swear was the cutest thing.
“No. You’re not fucked up.”
“I don’t want to be some scared woman afraid of her own shadow anymore, Ugly Beast. I want to be … someone you can be proud of.”
He frowned and leaned back so she had no choice but to sit up. “What makes you think I’m not proud right now?”
“You shouldn’t be proud of someone like me. I’m weak.”
This time, he cupped her face with both hands. “In a world dominated by men, you are still walking. Still talking. You’re strong. Vigo didn’t break you. This world has not broken you.”
“I’m nothing like Raven.”