I could lie and say something to make Hades look better, but the last thing I wanted to do was make Hades look like a liar. “A few months ago.”
“And when did he tell you that he shot our father?” The hostility picked up in the air around us. Ash’s gaze was already cold, but now it was arctic. A maniacal sheen was in his eyes, hatred oozing out of his pores like sweat. His fingers didn’t have a glass to grip, so they made a fist on the surface of the wood instead.
I wanted to cross my arms over my chest, but I refused to let him know he was getting under my skin. I refused to blink. The second I showed weakness, he would prey upon it, choke me with it. “The same evening.”
“Was this before or after you married him?” When the waitress returned with his drink, he grabbed it without looking at her. Without thinking about what he was doing, he brought it to his lips and took a deep drink. It was another trait the two men shared. They could drink like a horse and still survive.
“Before.”
Hades stayed quiet. He didn’t talk much anyway, but he gave me the stage tonight.
Ash’s eyes were locked on mine like two missiles. “And you married him anyway?”
Now was the tricky part. I had to think about my answer carefully before I uttered it. It was clearly a sore subject for Ash. To be indelicate could push him away. “Yes.”
His eyes dilated noticeably.
I kept going. “He told me what your father did, told me about his cruelty. Don’t act like he was innocent—he was far from it. I don’t blame Hades for his actions because his heart was in the right place. But I also saw how he struggled to accept the consequences of that decision, how it blackened his soul. I could see it in his eyes. He tried to do the right thing, and it cost him everything.”
Ash hadn’t blinked once.
I had no idea what was going on behind those brown eyes. Did I just provoke him? Or did I subdue him? “All I know is that he’s sorry. If he could take it back, he would. Of course, I married him, and I stand by that decision.”
Ash’s fingers squeezed his glass. “You married a murderer.”
“Better than a trafficker.”
He tilted his head slightly. “If you’re so repulsed by my career choice, why are you sitting here? Why bother?”
My eyes shifted back and forth as I stared at him. It was a good question, and I’d better have a good answer. “Because marriage is about being there for the other person, even if you disagree with the situation. His relationship with you is important to him. Therefore, it’s important to me. The two of you need to work this out. You’re brothers. You’re blood.”
He shook his head slightly. “I don’t need to do anything, sweetheart.”
“You wouldn’t be sitting here right now if you felt otherwise.” I steeled my resolve as I held the connection between our eyes.
That charming smile was long gone. “I’m just here for the booze.” He took a long drink and set his glass on the table. “Not the company.” He was like his brother, growing moodier with every sip. “But I admit you’re lovely…even if your reasoning is a little off.”
It didn’t seem like I’d be able to achieve anything tonight, but I didn’t want to get up and walk away. My husband had already tried his best to make amends, but he failed. If I failed too, we’d be out of options. “Ash, I can read people pretty well. I can see that you’re angry with your brother, that you can’t forgive him for what he did. But I can also tell that you care about him. You wouldn’t be drinking your scotch and hating his company if that weren’t the case. We aren’t asking you to forget the past. We aren’t even asking for your forgiveness. Just a chance.”
Ash looked away from both of us. The steak he ordered was sitting in front of him, abandoned. No one had touched their food because none of us had an appetite. His eyes wandered around, taking his time as he considered what to say. The air was pregnant with tension, packed so tightly my muscles ached. “My brother is no saint. Neither am I. That’s one thing we actually have in common. But we haven’t spoken in years, and I like it that way. I say we go back to that.”
“I don’t.” The emotion escaped in my voice because I wanted this to work. If this was important to Hades, it was important to me.
“I watched my father die. I saw his brains splash across the ground. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.” His gaze dropped for a moment, reliving that memory. “It was winter, snow had fallen in the city. When his tissues and blood seeped from his body onto the concrete, I could actually see the vapor rise with steam. That fucking image was burned in my brain forever. You expect me to just forget that? That man wasn’t only my father. He was my friend.”