Chapter Ten
Beth didn’t know exactly what she would find, but stepping into the bedroom of a private residence to find her brother pacing the room wasn’t what she expected. He wore no shoes, he’d removed his shirt, and he hadn’t shaved either.
“Ben?” she asked.
Her brother turned and she saw the relief on his face as he came toward her. Within seconds, he pulled her against him, holding onto her. “Thank God you’re here.”
“It’s okay,” she said.
“No, it’s not okay. You need to talk to Rome, okay. Get me the hell out of here. I don’t know who he thinks he is locking me up. He’s got you, and now he thinks he can use me?”
Beth frowned. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“What’s going on?” Ben pulled away and smiled at her, grabbing her hands. “Is only the greatest thing of all, Beth. We’re finally going to be on top.”
“On top?” she asked, seeing the sparkle in his eyes. It was the same look he’d given her when he had convinced her to leave town, to leave their parents. Had that all been a lie then as well?
Looking at her brother, it was strange but she could finally see through all his bullshit. All her life, she had loved her brother, looked up to him, admired him, and yet, right now, she realized it was all a lie.
“Yeah.” Ben looked past her shoulder and then pulled her in for a hug. “I’ve got contacts. All I need is for you to break through that fortress of a house, and leave Rome vulnerable. I’ve got men willing to do the deed. Then you will be free, and I will have this city to run. We’ll be on top.”
Beth couldn’t help but tense up. Ben was talking about killing Rome. This was insane.
“Ben, I’m pregnant,” Beth said.
“Well, that’s fine. We can get rid of it and I just know one of the men are going to love you, and they won’t even care that you shared Rome’s bed. I can make it work, and you can have everything your heart desires. All you’ve got to do is leave the back door open, or the front door. We’ll handle the guards, and then Rome will be dead.”
Beth pulled away and looked at her brother. She didn’t know if he was crazy or not. “This is what it has always been about, isn’t it?”
Her brother frowned as he looked at her. “What now, Beth?”
“You didn’t want a fresh start, not really. What you want is an easy life and you don’t give a fuck who suffers as long as you don’t have to work or do the right thing, or, I don’t know, put effort in!” She felt the anger bubbling up inside her. The rage at all the years of lies.
He sighed. “I should have known you wouldn’t understand.”
She shook her head. “Oh, I understand, Ben. I understand perfectly. Like everything else, you want it handed to you on a plate, but you know what, no. Rome is the father of my child, and all you have ever done is use me. What if I had said no to Rome, you might have been the one to pay the consequences for what you did, not me.” She couldn’t believe she was finally seeing how selfish and cruel her brother was after all these years. “You weren’t getting away from Mom and Dad for me, but for yourself.”
“For God’s sake, Beth, get over yourself.”
“No!” she yelled. She couldn’t help it. Whenever her brother had taken that tone with her in the past, she’d let it go because she didn’t want him to be mad at her. She’d never considered the relationship she had with her brother to be an abusive one, and yet, all he’d ever been toward her was exactly that. For years, if she didn’t do what he wanted, he’d have temper tantrums, until she finally caved. Ben had always made her life uncomfortable. It’s why he’d not gotten a real job in five years, because she didn’t want to push him. She’d been grateful to him for getting her away from their parents, and yet, it had all been for his own purpose.
According to that file, he’d pissed off some powerful people back in town, and they’d been looking for him, to teach him a lesson. By getting out of town, he stopped himself from getting beaten, and it also meant he was free.
She couldn’t believe she had never seen how selfish he was before. Her eyes were wide open now.
“Don’t you talk to me like that, after everything I’ve done for you.”
“Done for me! Done for me! What have you done for me, Ben?” She spat his name out. “Yeah, sure, you got me away from our parents, for what reason exactly? Oh, yeah, that’s right, because you didn’t like the way some of the men were looking at me, but let’s evaluate that, shall we? Uh, let’s see, oh, yes, you didn’t like the way they were looking at me, but, and this is a big but, who was quite willing to sell me to a man to save his own life? I’ll keep going, so you don’t have to think too hard. Not only were you quite happy to sell me to save your own neck, you didn’t give a flying fuck about me. You didn’t come see me or call. No! You didn’t get a job, or start paying rent for the apartment. You didn’t do anything. All you have done is take and take and take, and now you expect me to sell out the father of my child.” She shook her head, and this time she stood back. “You, Ben Hunter, have done absolutely nothing for me, and seeing as I’ve done everything in my power to give you a good life, and you’ve shit on me, it’s time for me to say I’m done.”
Clearly, her words finally started to sink in as he quickly dropped to his knees and began to beg.
“Beth, please, don’t do this. I see the error of my ways, please, please.”
“Stop. There is no way I am helping you out of this. That man, the one you want to kill…” She stopped and pressed her lips together, trying to gain her composure. “I love him.” She finally said the words out loud. “I love him and I’m going to have his baby, and you and I are done. He’s done more for me in the short time I’ve known him than you have ever done.”
Ben begged as she turned her back on him, and as she stepped out of the room, he soon turned to cursing her out. She slammed the door closed.
Rome was already there, and flicking the lock into place.
She moved away from the door as it was kicked. Ben was losing his temper and through the walls, she heard him cursing her out. Calling her a whore, a waste of space, and throwing as many insults as he could muster. Beth ignored every one of them. She turned to Rome, who cupped her cheek.
“You do what you have to do, and I don’t care what happens.” She put her hands on his chest, and slowly ran them up to circle his neck. “I don’t choose him. I choose you.”
****
Rome couldn’t keep him alive, and he refused to be the man that killed her brother, so he simply let Ben go. The man had made a lot of enemies, not just with the Bratva, but with the mafia, several MCs, and a few pimps.
After twenty-four hours of letting him go, Ben’s body was discovered outside a brothel. He’d not told Beth what had happened, nor did he plan to, unless she asked him.
As for Beth, she had seemed a little withdrawn since her encounter with her brother. They went through the motions of the day, but since her pregnancy, she tired quite quickly. She was also dealing with morning sickness. His staff knew exactly what to do and there was always dry toast waiting for her.
Rome arrived home on the third week after, and found Beth snuggled up on the sofa. The end credits were rolling on some kind of romance movie, and for several minutes he just stood, looking over her.
She wore a pair of jeans, and one of his favorite shirts. Her body was changing, and she was determined to get every bit of use out of the clothing while she could. Even though he had told her on many occasions not to worry about the cost of anything, she still did. He knew she hated not working or helping to contribute, but the truth was, he wanted to take care of her. That was all he wanted to do.
Reaching out, he pushed some hair off her face, and she gave a little moan, then opened her eyes. At first, she didn’t react, but then she suddenly smiled.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
“You’re home.” She gave a little stretch followed by a yawn.
“And I got you these.”
He held out the dozen red roses he’d picked up for her. He’d been driving past a florist shop, when they caught his attention. The moment he saw them, he immediately thought of Beth, and wanted to get them for her.
“For me?” she asked, taking them from him and smiling. “They’re beautiful.”
“They remind me of you.”
“How?” she asked.
“Simple, they’re beautiful, showstopping, and they made me get out of the car to buy them.”
Beth burst out laughing. “You bought me.”
“I’m not doing this right.”
“I think you’re doing great, actually. You’ve called me beautiful and showstopping, and you even hinted that you would stop your car just to get out and talk to me. To me, that is incredible. I kind of like that.”
He smiled. “I don’t know what it is you do, but you’ve got me hooked, Beth.”
She reached out and put a hand on his cheek. “I don’t do anything, Rome. I’m just me.”
He took her hand and kissed her inner wrist. “It’s more than that, and you know it.” He kissed her again, and knew he could keep kissing and never stop.
“I love you,” Beth said.
This made him stop and look at her.
She gave a nervous giggle. “Yeah, I promised myself I wouldn’t say anything. This is already crazy enough. I don’t know what to say or do half the time, but I know I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m not just saying this about the baby. I love you, Rome.”
“Beth?”
“And you don’t have to say anything back. I’m not telling you this so you’ll say it. I get that you don’t love me, and I did start out originally as being just a bit of fun.”
He cupped her face and kissed her lips, hard. Rome needed to silence her for himself to speak.
“Will you stop?” he asked, in between kisses.
“I’m giving you an out. I’m telling you, you don’t have to worry about … any of it.”
He laughed.
“Beth, baby, you’re carrying my child. You’re living with me and no matter what, we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.” He’d never been one for romance. He’d not needed to be, because there hadn’t been a single woman who meant anything to him. He didn’t need women, but when it came to Beth, she was everything.
“Shit, look, I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right.” He rubbed his temple. “I don’t even know what to fucking say right now.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“I do … love you. I love you more than anything.”
“Rome, please.”
“No, hear me out. I get it. I’m not good with words and all that shit. I get that. I’m not great at this, and it’s because I have never had to be.” He ran a hand down his face. “Women fall over themselves to be with me.” And he saw her withdrawing from him as soon as he said that. “No, please, wait, just hear me out. I get that I’m not good at this. I’m not good at any of this, but … I don’t want anyone else but you. I’m not saying this because I have to. I don’t know if you realize this or not, but I never do anything I don’t want to do, and there is certainly no one on this planet who can make me do anything.”
He stroked her cheek and knew he was making a mess of this, and that hadn’t been his intention, but it seemed he kept failing.
“But, when it comes to you, you’re the only person I want to be with … the only person I care about. You’re who I want to see in the morning. Who I want to be near. I could have worn protection, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to feel your naked pussy wrapped around my cock. You’re the only person I want to see, and to be around, and grow old with. I know this all started out as a way of you saving your brother, but it has become so much more.”
He saw the tears in her eyes, streaming down her face, and he didn’t want her to cry.
“Please don’t cry.”
“I know,” Beth said.
“You know?”
“About Ben,” she said. “I know, and I feel … I don’t care. Does that make me a terrible person?”
“I didn’t kill him,” Rome said, feeling any chance of a future with her slowly ebbing away.
“I know,” she said.
“How did you know?” he asked. He had been very careful about keeping that news from her.
“You left the information on your desk. I saw it, and I … called your cop informant. He told me everything.”
Rome knew he was going to have to talk to his informant. He’d told him not to reach out to Beth, and that he would handle everything.
“You had him cremated,” Beth said.
“I was going to wait for the right time to tell you,” he said. “I didn’t want you to be stressed or worried, or freaking out.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You know, Rome, I’m starting to think you’re quite the guy. Yes, you have the whole dark, dangerous, and a little cruel, thing going on, but I also believe you’re sweet, loving, and will make an amazing father.”
He’d never had anyone feel so positive about him. Staring into her eyes, he knew, like he had some time ago, that Beth was rare, and he had to do everything in his power to keep her.
“Marry me,” he said.
The smile on her lips melted his head. “I thought you were never going to ask.”
She went onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. “Yes, I will marry you, and yes, I want to spend the rest of our lives together.”
“I can’t change,” he said. “This is who I am but I will do everything in my power to protect you and our children.”
“Rome, I’ve not asked you to change, and I don’t want you to. I want you to be exactly who you’re meant to be.”
And with that, she stole his heart for good.