Chapter 6
LUCERO
Marriage wasn't for the weak. Luckily, I was strong enough to weather the hardships.
I was willing to do anything for my sweet husband that included, and not limited to, sitting outside his old home and waiting for him.
Onyx was a very busy man. I knew that going into our marriage that sometimes work would have to come first for him.
Never for me. There wasn't a single thing in this world that was more important to me than Onyx. Not even my own life.
I flipped the page of the newspaper. It was there only to keep my hands busy.
Not having Onyx close made me a bit antsy.
As time ticked by it only made the unbearable itch fester deeper into my flesh.
It felt as if it was infecting my muscles.
No amount of scratching or slicing into my skin got rid of it.
The only time it hadn't been an issue was when I had Onyx right under me.
Our honeymoon had been the happiest I'd ever been.
I wanted to go back to the cabin in the woods and have Onyx all to myself again.
My phone dinged as I checked for the hundredth time to see if Onyx had stepped out of his home.
For the past week or so, he stayed surrounded by people.
Some might have found that threatening but not me.
I trusted him. He did his job but there was one trait about my husband that stood out amongst the rest: he was loyal.
I miss him.
Another five minutes passed, and my phone chimed again and again. With a grunt, I fished it out of my pocket and saw the brother group chat. I'd missed a lot, and Damian would give me shit about it later. Although he swore he hated the group chat, he was the one to use it the most.
I skimmed over it, catching up as much as possible.
A few of them asked for my whereabouts and how much longer I was going to be out of commission.
Taking jobs right now wasn't feasible. I couldn't miss an opportunity to see Onyx.
If I had to continue to sleep outside his building then so be it.
Aching muscles and a few pinched nerves could be taken care of later once I had my husband back in my arms.
When I didn't respond to the group message, Emir's name popped up on the screen.
He was one of my younger brothers, although sometimes, it felt like he was the older one when it came to our relationship.
I wasn't ashamed to say Emir had all the brains I lacked.
He'd been the only one of us to go and get a legitimate job.
He even stayed in school for it. I thought it was crazy but I was proud of him nonetheless.
I answered on the fifth ring, checking once more to make sure Onyx hadn't left the building.
Putting a tracker on him was hard; putting one on the men surrounding him constantly lately was much easier.
I'd always had a hard time tracking Onyx's whereabouts, but since we got married, there was a red string of fate always showing me where he was.
Even the universe believes we belong together.
"Hello."
"Where are you?" Emir asked.
"Busy. If you guys need a bod?—"
"No!" Emir growled over the line. He was normally so light and delicate; a stark contrast to his twin Elia who was wild and brash.
His sigh filled the speaker on the phone.
"Not what I meant. We know you're not on your honeymoon anymore.
You haven't been for a week. The cabin was deserted, which Elia is pissed about.
He said you left a mess behind that he had to clean up. "
That wasn't a secret. I just hadn't had time to clue my brothers in on what was happening. "Marriage, you know."
"What? No, I don't know, and Lucero, I'm pretty certain you don't know either."
I shrugged, not that he could see me.
"You have obligations," Emir started.
"Yes, to my husband."
"What about your family?"
I thought about it for a single second but there was only one clear answer. "Onyx is my family. I will do right by him no matter what."
Emir was silent for a second before he said the last thing I wanted to hear. "Maybe he doesn't want to be your husband."
"He does."
"Lucero—"
"Emir, if you're so worried about my work, why don't you go and cover for me."
"No way in hell am I doing that. I'm not Elia; they will eat me alive there."
I'd seen Emir fight. He wasn't nearly as capable as some of my brothers but he could hold his own.
Our father had made sure of that. Every single one of us had grown up learning how to take care of our own.
There weren't a whole lot of fights in the underground gambling ring I ran.
I was mostly there to make sure everyone was taken care of.
Something Emir could do with the help of Elia.
"Damian said you've taken off enough. Events have been canceled because you're not around."
"Tell him I'm still on my honeymoon and we've just changed locations."
Emir swore in Italian as he tried to convince me to leave my husband.
Not happening, ever. Movement from the building caught my eye, and I put the newspaper to the side.
Another one of those polo-collared douchebags that found themselves lucky to be around my husband headed my way.
Papers in his hand that I was more than likely going to shove up his ass.
I'd thought I'd scared the last one away.
"I have to go."
"Wait, Lucero. When are you coming home?" Emir asked.
I shrugged and grunted. "Whenever my husband is ready. I'm not rushing him to move into the house."
"Of course you won't. Fratello idiota. Perché sono nato in una famiglia piena di stronzi e idioti ?"
The guy was headed my way with a purpose in every step he took. I met his gaze and there was a sense of satisfaction written all over his face. I tried to recall if I'd seen him amongst the many people who'd come before him but couldn't place it. Then again, all I really thought about was Onyx.
Wonder if he's eaten yet?
I hadn't caught a glimpse of him yet for the day, but if I had to scale the building, I'd get to see him one way or another.
"Have to go, Onyx is watching me."
"That makes no sense and sounds creepy," Emir said. "Make sure you're taking care of yourself."
I looked around and took in a breath. "Getting plenty of fresh air and sunlight.
" I stayed sitting as the man approached.
"Talk to you later." I hung up, ignoring anything else Emir had to say.
" How is my husband doing?" It was the same question I'd asked every single one of them that had dared approach me.
Unlike the others before him, this one sneered at me. It wasn't that I wasn't used to people looking at me with disgust, it was the way he stood up taller as if he could intimidate me.
"Better once he gets rid of you."
I shook my head. "No, me and Onyx are for eternity." I lifted my left hand, the one that sported my wedding ring proudly. "See, we vowed to be each other's backbone. For better or worse."
His lips dipped in a heavy frown, making him look closer to his mid-thirties.
"Mr. Marino, I'm not here to discuss whether you need to be admitted into a psych ward or carted off to an insane asylum."
"Neither one can hold me. Most doctors stop trying to fix what's wrong once they get tired of having to see a doctor for themselves."
His mouth opened and closed as if he was at a loss for words. The confusion left his face and was replaced with one of indifference as he held the paperwork out toward me. "No one wants?—"
"Who sent you?" My voice dipped as I caught sight of the papers. They were all the same, demanding that I let go of the one man I loved. It was never going to happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
"Mr. Auclair?—"
I was up in seconds, and my fists slammed into the side of his face, catching him off guard. The man fell back and was back up just as fast as he'd gone down.
"Want to try that again?"
He wiped the corner of his mouth, smearing the red dot over his hand.
"Everyone said you were delusional, but damn, you're a lost cause.
" He raised his fist, the papers released and the wind took them away.
It would have made me happy if it wasn't for the man's words.
"If you had a shot with him, maybe I got a chance.
Once you're gone, I'll make sure to stay by Onyx's side?—"
Hot blood splattered over my knuckles and cheeks, wrapping me up in a blanket of warmth and need. My stomach knotted as I drew back my fist and slammed it forward into the guy’s face. The crunch and crack of cartilage made my dick hard.
Onyx was mine!
The man's words were nothing more than garbled up grunts.
The blows he delivered to my body felt like little puffs of air.
The more I hit him, the better I started to feel.
I wanted desperately to be more of a lover, but there were always times I'd have to fight and kill.
The world blurred around me as I continued to draw my fists back and brought them down with every ounce of my strength.
The hits stopped coming from the man, but I'd barely noticed as I attempted to rearrange his face.
No doubt there would be bruising later that would hurt, but any amount of pain was easy to handle; especially for Onyx.
Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.
I flung blood off my knuckles and looked up to meet wide eyes and a gun aimed my way.
There weren't a whole lot of people walking around where I decided to camp out.
But the few that had been passing by had made themselves scarce.
Even in this nice-as-fuck neighborhood, people knew when it was best to avoid a situation.
"Stop." The new man's voice shook. He sported the same black polo as the man on the ground. Unlike the man choking on his blood, he was still standing.