Chapter 22
I curse under my breath. Zara is out to cause trouble tonight.
I don’t know what’s going on between her and Ares, or if anything is going on at all.
But when I look from Zara, who is currently hanging off the arm of a preppy douche, and then to Ares, who is staring at the unsuspecting guy like a tiger ready to pounce, I know shit is about to go down.
“Whatever their problems are, they’re not ours, Aurora,” Connor whispers into my ear. His arm wraps around me, his fingers digging into my waist like he’s trying to hold me still.
I tilt my head up and smile at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tell him. “I’m going to go say hi to Ares.”
Connor doesn’t remove his hand, silently following behind me instead.
Ares stands from his chair as we approach. “How’d you manage to get out?” he asks me.
“I have my ways,” I reply, hugging him and then leaning back. “What’s the deal with you and Zara?”
“There is no deal with me and Zara,” he’s quick to deny.
“Yeah? Does your face know that?” I ask him.
Ares shakes his head and continues to stare past me, in Zara’s direction.
“Who is he?” I press.
“Who?” Ares says, glancing my way again.
“The guy she’s talking to.” I turn and look at Zara. Her palm rests on the guy’s chest, his hand low on her back, almost touching her ass.
“No fucking idea. Never seen him before,” Ares grunts.
“Okay. You two catch up. I’ll be right back.”
Connor grabs on to me as I take a step towards Zara. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Relax. Have a drink. Ares will have the good stuff,” I tell him. “I’ll be right back.”
As I walk over to Zara, my eyes zone in on my target. The douche who doesn’t even know he’s a few minutes away from dealing with the wrath of a De Bellis. I’m doing him a favor really.
“Hey.” I pull Zara from her date’s arms, wrapping my own around her. “You could have told me the party was in the middle of nowhere.”
“I gave you the address. It’s not my fault you didn’t Google it first.” She rolls her eyes.
“Who is this?” I ask her, gesturing a hand at the fucker standing at her side.
“This is George.” Zara smiles. “George, this is Aurora, my sister’s sister-in-law.”
“Nice to meet you.” The dumb fuck gives me a once-over.
“You should leave,” I tell him.
He laughs at me. “I’m good right here,” he says, pulling Zara against his body.
“It wasn’t a suggestion,” I grind out between clenched teeth. Although, at this point, I’m keen to step back and watch what Ares has in him.
“What the fuck is your problem, bitch?” George, aka the person I’m likely to stab next, sneers at me.
I raise a single brow. Zara looks from me to George with concern written all over her face. “You should leave,” she says.
George tightens his hold on her again. “I’m not leaving. You invited me. Let’s go find somewhere quiet.”
“Yeah, I’m not doing that.” Zara shakes her head.
“You little fucking cocktease,” George hisses at her. “We’re going. Now, Zara.”
“No, you’re going. She’s staying.” I physically tug Zara out of his arms and push her behind me.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, you stupid cunt? Fuck off and mind your own business.” George shoves at my chest. He’s trying to reach Zara.
I shove him back, and then his fist comes out of nowhere and connects with my face. I’m momentarily stunned, but then I smile. “Oh, you really shouldn’t have done that,” I tell him.
He’s taller than me, bigger than me. But right now, all I see is my target again. My fist closes and then I’m swinging. I get two hits in before arms wrap around me and pull me backwards.
My head jerks to the rear, connecting with someone’s nose. “Fuck, Aurora, calm down,” Ares yells in my ear.
“Let me go,” I tell him.
“Do not let her go,” Connor says before turning his attention to George, who I think just realized his mistake. The dumbass should have listened to me and left.
Connor doesn’t say a word. He strikes. And before I contemplate what’s happening, the fact that my boyfriend is currently beating the absolute shit out of some guy, he has the douche laid out on his back. George’s head between his hands as he smashes it against the ground.
I don’t think the guy is even conscious anymore, but Connor doesn’t stop. He grabs a rock from somewhere and brings it down on top of George’s face. Over and over.
“Ares, let me go. He’s going to fucking kill him.” I manage to pry myself out of Ares’s hold. Just as Connor is bringing that rock down again, I grab on to his arm. “Stop,” I tell him.
Connor looks at me, then at the guy beneath him. He doesn’t want to stop.
People are screaming, running, hysterical. Then Ares shouts for everyone to leave.
“Connor, you’re going to kill him. Stop,” I try again.
“That’s the whole point, princess.” Connor smiles at me. I’ve seen him fight before, but this… it’s different. I’ve never seen him so unhinged. And it’s my fault. He yanks himself free and brings the rock down on George’s head.
“I don’t think he can get any more dead, mate.” A deep voice has me looking over a shoulder. That voice belongs to Ares’s dad, Vin De Bellis. Shit. The crowd of teenagers has dispersed, replaced with a bunch of made men. My brother being one of them.
“Wasn’t me this time, Dad,” Ares replies.
“Yeah, I can see that,” Vin says.
Lorenzo looks from Connor to me and clearly doesn’t like what he finds there. Storming past everyone, he stops in front of me. His fingers grip my chin as he lifts my face, inspecting what no doubt is a red mark from where I got hit.
“If he’s not already dead, he’s about to be,” my brother grunts.
Connor stands and comes to my side.
“What the fuck were you two thinking? How in any fucking universe is this staying out of trouble? Staying hidden?” Lorenzo asks.
“It’s not his fault. I wanted to come. He just followed me.” I step in front of Connor, not sure my brother is in his right mind at the moment.
“I have no doubt about that,” Lorenzo says before looking to Connor. “Is he dead?”
“Yep,” Connor replies. When I look behind me, I see him nod. There’s a darkness to his eyes, one I’ve seen before. Back at the gas station in Boston.
Lorenzo looks around, his hand comes up with a wave, and then three of his soldiers appear. “Get rid of that. Make sure there’s no evidence that my sister was here,” he orders them.
“On it.” One of the soldiers nods and all three walk away.
“I’m sorry,” I tell my brother. “He was being an ass to Zara.”
At the mention of his sister-in-law, my brother turns, seeking her out in the small crowd. “Does your father know you’re here?”
“Of course he does,” she lies.
“I’m taking her home.” Ares grabs hold of Zara’s hand and starts walking away with her.
“Make sure there aren’t any stops along the way,” Lorenzo warns him.
Vin glares at my brother. “Don’t threaten my son. You’re in our town, Valentino. Don’t fucking forget that.” Then he turns and follows Ares out.
“You two, car, now.” Lorenzo glares at us over a shoulder.
I take hold of Connor’s hand and head towards the blacked-out SUV idling by the side of the warehouse. “I could have handled that myself, you know,” I grumble.
“I know,” Connor replies.
“I don’t need a man to come in and save me.”
“You might not need it, but I’m always going to be the man who comes in and saves you, princess.” He opens the back door and waits for me to get in.
I press up on my toes and kiss him before climbing inside. “Thank you for being that guy for me,” I tell him.
Twenty minutes into the drive back to Lorenzo’s house, I realize we’re actually heading out of town. “Where are we going?” I ask my brother.
“The airport. You two are going to Zia Lola’s island. No one’s there, which means there’s no possible way for you to find trouble.”
I’m about to protest. But then images of being stranded on an island with Connor, uninterrupted, come to mind. And, suddenly, the idea’s not as unappealing as I first thought. So I keep those thoughts to myself.