6. Julia
6
JULIA
R oman didn’t mention my little voyeuristic breach of privacy, and when I asked him the next morning if he enjoyed the show, he only smirked and winked in response. Then, I spent the next two hours analyzing the whole situation. Did he want me to see him? Did he want me to hear him call out for me?
I decided I didn’t want to know.
Days passed. Every morning, I woke up to breakfast and coffee. Roman updated me on his day before leaving to go to work. I passed the time plotting against my aunt and compiling as much information as I could about her. I wanted to ensure I had a compelling case before I went to Roman with my plan.
When that was done, I gathered ideas for the wedding. Roman said it needed to be at the clubhouse, but if we did what I wanted, it would have to be somewhere more private, somewhere no one would stumble upon us unexpectedly. When I lost interest in that, I demanded my bodyguards take me out shopping for decorations for the proverbial bachelor pad, small accent pieces to make it feel more like a home. If Roman noticed, he didn’t say anything, not even when I replaced a cheap broken lamp with a frilly vintage one Leo would certainly label as garish.
In the afternoons, before Roman came home, I experimented in the kitchen, telling myself it had nothing to do with him, only that I wanted to learn for myself. I tried to make steak, but they ended up tasting like concrete (literally), so I threw it away before he got home and retreated to my room. He must have sensed I was trying, especially as the things he’d wanted to cook for himself disappeared. But like the decorations, he didn’t say anything about it.
He only showered, made himself dinner, and retreated to his room. I didn’t want to impose, and selfishly, I didn’t want to owe him more than I already did, so I existed off whatever I could find ready-made.
If there was church at the SRMC, he dragged me along, insisting we put on the good show. I watched from my perch with the MC princesses while hang-arounds flirted with him, that filthy brunette ceaselessly flaunting her assets in his face. He never indulged her though, despite the smirk on his lips. And he never invited me into the sessions with the club. Nor did he ask my opinion about whatever they discussed.
I made nice faces with the other women and did my best to get along with them, knowing they only tolerated me so much as I did them. None of us asked for this, but after awhile, I’d gotten lonely. I was woman enough to admit I needed friends, and they were trying. At the end of every night, Roman politely collected me, drove me home, and disappeared into his room. I did the same.
We lived around each other like magnets with matching polarities. He went right, I went left. He stepped forward, I stepped back.
One day, he didn’t have anyone to guard me, so he demanded I accompany him to the shop.
“Why can’t I stay here?” I asked, crossing my arms as I raised an eyebrow. The idea of spending an entire eight hours at that filthy, disgusting rathole made my stomach churn.
“Because I promised your safety, and I need my prospects elsewhere.” He nodded toward the door. “Let’s go.”
I glanced down at my Prada dress, my Jimmy Choo heels, and my diamond necklace, deciding I would ultimately sit in a corner anyway, so what did it matter? I reluctantly followed him out.
Thor, KC, Hollywood, and Roman worked in the garage while Selene ran the front desk. She snorted and rolled her eyes when I sat next to the coffee machine and pulled out my phone. Just because I wasn’t at home didn’t mean I couldn’t be productive, and I had wedding dresses to select. She blew a piece of gum into a bubble, popped it, and reeled it back into her mouth, eyeing me with disdain.
“What?” I finally asked when I couldn’t take it anymore.
“You going to sit there the whole time or…” She raised her eyebrows.
“That’s the plan.” I saved a beautiful Versace gown I could get at the boutique in DC.
“There’s a stack of receipts that need sorting in the back office,” she said. “If you’re going to be here all day, you might as well be useful.”
I took a deep breath and let it out. Useful. She didn’t know planning this wedding and researching my despicable aunt was my way of being the most help I could to this new life, but hey…I’d been trying to get on her good side. Maybe this was a way to soften her resolve. Girls’ night was in two days. It might be less awkward if I helped, right?
Swallowing down every rotten retort I had, I stood and walked into the back room. Besides, how long could the sorting possibly take?
Hours, it turned out. They needed to be filed by month and then alphabetized by the last name of the customer, and they were printed out on an old machine that used some kind of ink transfer. My hands, fingers, nails, and dress were covered in the stuff by the end of the day.
That was how my husband found me at five o’clock—purple, filthy, and frustrated.
“How could you let it get like this?” I blew hair out of my face and shoved another receipt into the filing cabinet. “It’s like you haven’t organized a thing in years.”
He laughed, crossed his arms, and leaned against the doorjamb. He was also dirty from head to toe. Dark oil patches smudged his massive arms, and his fingers were nearly black with grease. I ignored the rush of heat that gathered between my legs and went back to my filing.
“You almost look like you’re enjoying yourself.” He raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Maybe I’ll bring you here more often.”
I scoffed. “Like I don’t have better things to do with my time than sort your orders. Some of these are so old, I’m surprised they haven’t disintegrated into ash.”
“Well, I think you’ve earned your keep for the day. Let’s go home, huh?” He nodded toward the front, and I shut the drawer I’d been working on to follow him out. When Selene saw me, she giggled hysterically and threw me a towel.
“Rubbing alcohol and vinegar,” she said with a wink. “Nice work today. See you at the clubhouse tonight?”
I smiled, surprised by how much her compliment warmed my midsection. Maybe I could get along with the princesses after all. Maybe all I had to do was figure out how to exist in this new world. It wouldn’t be easy, but I’d done harder things.
“We could use you at the garage, ya know,” Roman said from the driver’s seat. “If you ever wanted something else to do besides sitting around the house all day.”
Part of me wanted to agree. Despite the mindlessness of the task I’d been given, the time had flown by, and I found organizing had actually been…well…fun? Normal? It was certainly better than entertaining thoughts of how to destroy the matriarch of my family. But then the mafia princess in me spoke up, demanding I be reasonable. Caputi heiresses did not file paperwork.
Of course, once I got home and saw myself in the mirror of my bathroom, I understood why Selene had been laughing at me. I had ink patches on my face from where I’d brushed hair out of my eyes or scratched at my cheeks.
Hilarious.
It took me an hour and an entire container of 90 percent proof rubbing alcohol to get it all off.
When I got to the clubhouse that night, Selene threw her arm over my shoulders and announced to Ru, V, and Alba that I was the employee of the month at the garage. If I kept it up, she’d have to find devious new ways to get Thor to hire me full-time.
“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said, holding up my hands. “I look like I’ve got frostbite. My manicurist is going to murder me.”
“I know a good one,” Ru cut in. “We’ll get you fixed in no time.”
V, Ru, and Alba laughed and clinked their beers against my glass of water, and some of the weight that had been on my chest vanished. After that, the princesses seemed to soften toward me, as if I’d been put through some demented hazing and come out the other side still standing. Maybe they just wanted to see me get my hands dirty…literally.
Now if I could only figure out how to cook.
By girls’ night, I’d started to look forward to hanging out with them, so I woke up on Friday morning regrettably grateful Alba had invited me out. Roman couldn’t tell me no, especially not when his sister and cousins would be around to babysit me.
“KC’s gonna be here the whole time?” Roman said when he dropped me off at the house Alba shared with her husband. I stood to the side and glanced around at the tiny space, my focus catching on the soft feminine details that must have been Alba’s influence—a vase of flowers on the dining room table, matching towels hanging from the oven, bright decorative lamps in every corner.
“Yes, oh my God!” Verona rolled her eyes and huffed. “You’re so overbearing.”
“Where is he?” Roman said, raising an eyebrow. “I want to talk to him.”
“I’m here, too, dickwad,” Selene said from the living room. “Your precious Caputi princess will be fine.”
Roman snorted, glancing at me with a mild hint of concern. “Are you okay?”
“Aw, be still my heart,” I teased, clutching my chest. “It’s almost like you care.”
My husband glowered before glancing around one more time. “Text me when you’re ready to come home.”
“Nonsense,” Alba cut in. “She’s spending the night, right?”
“Uh.” I tried to smile, feeling like an idiot for not assuming such a thing. “I didn’t prepare for that.” I hadn’t brought an overnight bag or a toothbrush.
“It’s fine,” Alba said. “You can borrow some of my clothes and?—”
“Let the girl breathe. Jesus.” Verona shook her head and nodded toward the kitchen. “Come on. We’ve got pizza and beer.” She set her incinerating stare on Roman again. “Goodbye, brother.”
He hummed a deep grumble before turning to leave, shutting the door behind him to leave me alone in enemy territory. I swallowed my nervousness and followed my new sister-in-law, the smell of greasy takeout making my stomach rumble. I didn’t normally eat junk food, but seeing as I didn’t know how to cook for myself, I’d been dependent on cereal and whatever leftovers I could scrounge from his fridge (which, admittedly, wasn’t a lot). I’d been trying to remedy that. Despite how much I hated him, maybe it wasn’t fair he worked all day and came home to an empty table with a clueless wife who expected to be pampered.
“Look at you,” Ru said, walking into the room with her dark curly hair up on top of her head. “You act like you’ve never seen pizza before. What’s Bear feeding you over there, huh?”
I forced a tight grin. “Breakfast.”
“Okay.” She laughed and nodded to the paper plates. “Help yourself. Beer’s in the fridge.”
“Oh, I, uh—” I shouldn’t drink around them. I still didn’t trust them or myself enough to be inebriated.
“What, you don’t drink?” Selene said, raising a dark eyebrow.
“Which is fine if you don’t,” Alba added, elbowing the taller woman in the ribs. “Not everyone likes the taste.”
I didn’t want to be rude and decline, especially when I’d been trying to find common ground. They were technically family now, right? Would they lure me into intoxication only to rip the rug out from under me? Would they humiliate me or sell me out to my aunt the moment I’d lost control? Judging by the camaraderie and warmth between them, I doubted it.
Besides, Alba and V were technically my family. Selene and Roman were cousins, which made her my cousin, too. Ru and Alba had the same father. The four of them were as close as sisters, and even if I cherished my real cousins deeply, I’d never had a sister before.
“Sure,” I finally said. “I’ll take a beer.”
“Cool.” Ru smiled and opened the fridge to hand me a bottle, and I glanced at the label. I’d never had an IPA, but after I twisted off the top and took a drink, I decided it wasn’t too bad. I was usually a dry wine sort of girl, but I supposed I could get used to this.
Selene opened the pizza box so I could grab a slice of cheese for myself and sit in the empty spot at the table.
“So,” Alba said, taking the seat next to me. “How is everything going?”
“Yeah,” Verona said, glancing up from across the table. “Is my brother being a fucking twat?”
I snorted at her vulgarity and took a small bite of pizza. “He’s fine. It’s all…fine.”
“Fine?” Ru raised an eyebrow. “I’d feel like a fish out of water if I were you.”
“Yeah, that’s a good way to put it.” I pursed my lips and sipped my beer, visions of the time Gabriella had abducted us flashing through my mind. The four of them had been bound and gagged on that dusty wooden floor, staring down at me while I moaned and curled in on myself. Men I had known my whole life had beaten me nearly to death, and I hadn’t been able to see out of one eye, but I knew they were there. All of us had almost died that day. “But the war needs to end. I don’t want any more bloodshed. If this is what I have to do, then I’ll do it.”
“Well, I admire your spirit,” Alba said, clinking her beer bottle against mine.
“Bear’s a pigheaded alpha asshole sometimes,” Ru said. “They all are. But he’s a good man deep down. He’ll never hurt you.”
“And if he does,” Verona added, “you tell me, and I’ll handle it, you understand?”
I thought of when he’d woken me up from my nightmare and I held a knife to his throat. The gleam in his eye hadn’t been fear or fury, but something much more dangerous…bordering on lust. I couldn’t help but laugh.
The conversation drifted to other things. I learned Alba ran a website where she and her husband had sex on camera for money. Ru and Verona worked at the MC-owned BDSM dungeon called the Beacon. In a few weeks, they were having a massive end-of-summer party, and everyone who was anyone in the area would be there.
“You should come. Bring Bear along…or not,” she said with a wink.
“I’m not sure that’s my scene,” I said, trying not to sound snotty and prudish.
“Have you ever been to a dungeon before?” Ru asked.
“Well, no. But I also don’t like the thought of anyone else watching me while I… do that ,” I explained.
“You don’t have to do anything,” Alba explained. “And if you decide you do, there are private rooms where you can sneak away.”
I tried to imagine Roman and me going to her club and what we might see. Undoubtedly, we would encounter things I’d never considered, which might lead to other things I needed to confront but hadn’t yet dared to face. The memory of him masturbating in the shower came back to me: how beautiful he’d looked, how hard I’d come watching him watching me, how much I wanted to do it again. I’d gone out of my way to avoid bringing it up since, but that wasn’t to say I’d forgotten about it. My cheeks burned a scalding flame that echoed into my ears and down my chest.
“I’ll talk to my husband about it,” I said, taking another drink of beer to quench how suddenly dry my throat had become.
We ate the rest of our dinner in amicable conversation, and I realized I liked these women. They were strong and smart and exactly like Roman had said—not at all damsels. They tried to make me feel included, though that was hard considering our vastly different backgrounds. They were salt of the earth, and I had been raised with a silver spoon. Still, I’d entered this arrangement of my own free will, so I might as well make the best of it.
After the pizza, we went to Alba’s living room to watch an old movie, something about a vampire who fell in love with an average high school girl for a completely unrealistic reason. I’d heard of the cult classic, of course, but never had the opportunity to watch it with any seriousness. Neither, it seemed, did these women. They laughed and joked and made fun of the characters the entire time.
A few hours later, after I drank another two beers, I went outside with Verona while she had a cigarette. I didn’t smoke, but she’d invited me and I could use the fresh air.
She sat on the porch swing and patted the spot next to her, which I took with a grateful smile.
“Thank you for insisting I come,” I said. “I’m enjoying myself.”
“Shocking, right?” Verona laughed, reassuring me she’d meant it sincerely and not as ridicule. “When I first came home from college, I thought I’d rather be anywhere else than stuck with these three all night. But they’re not so bad.”
I appreciated her candor.
“But seriously,” she said. “How’s it going with Bear?”
Sighing, I ran a hand over my forehead and debated what to say. I didn’t want to tell her the truth, seeing as it was her brother, but I also didn’t have anyone else to confide in. Three IPAs into the night had lowered my inhibitions and raised my ability to trust her, at least enough to spill my guts.
“It’s tolerable,” I said.
“Tolerable?” She whistled incredulously. “Well, that’s what good marriages are made of.”
“We barely talk, and when we do, it almost always leads to a fight. We’ve been living together for two weeks, and I feel like the divide between us now is greater than when we signed that contract.”
“Hmm,” Verona said with a nod, taking a long drag on the cigarette.
“We’re supposed to be partners, to have an alliance in every sense of the word, but I…” I trailed off because I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her, how much she’d want to hear.
“Go on,” she said.
“I’m not supposed to want him,” I admitted. “I’m not supposed to like any of you. Yet here I am, drinking with the enemy.”
Verona gave me a small smile and nudged me with her shoulder. “I admire you, ya know.”
That got my attention, and I sipped beer to hide my embarrassment at her admission.
“I’m not sure I’d be able to do it…if roles were reversed. If Bear had asked me to marry Leo?” She blew out a breath. “That’s a tough spot to be in. On one hand, I want the war to end. On the other, I’ve wanted to claw Leo’s eyes out for a long time.”
I grinned. “He has that effect on people.”
“So does my brother.” Verona let out a deep sigh. “My mother died when I was nine. She was in a car with Selene’s parents. It was your father that blew them up.”
I held my breath, unsure of what to say in response. I knew about this, of course, but it had happened so long ago I barely remembered it. Giuseppe Caputi, my father, had later died in his sleep from an apoplexy, or so we thought.
“After that, my father never really recovered. He loved her and her death…” Verona shook her head and wiped at a cheek, perhaps brushing away a tear before I could see it. “Bear took over in a lot of ways. He got me and my brothers up for school and made sure we did our homework. He cooked dinner for us every night and packed our lunches. The boy was fourteen going on forty, and he never once complained about any of it.” Verona met my gaze then, hers sympathetic and seemingly gentle despite sitting next to the daughter of her mother’s killer. “And when Dad fell on hard times, Bear started working at the garage to pay our water bill and put food on the table. He had his own shit going on and he put it all aside so we didn’t go without.”
“Verona, I…” I choked back my tears. She’d lost family to his war, so had I. Where did it end? Could Leo and I really put a stop to it? “I don’t know what to say.”
“Bear wanted to go to college. He wanted out of this life, and he never got it,” she said. “Now he’s under the pressure of taking over the mess my father left him, this fractured kingdom. He’s the king.” She took another long drag on her cigarette before stabbing it out. “And you, darling, you’re the queen, even if you don’t like it, even if you don’t know what to do with it.”
She could have smacked me and it would have shocked me less. I had never known any of this about him, but nor had I asked. I’d been too focused on my plight to consider exactly what type of mess I’d stepped in. But she was right. Roman was holding things together by his fingernails, praying Leo would come through in the end. But my brother wasn’t the one who had the information, the one who had a plan, the one who was supposed to be his partner.
Roman needed me. And begrudgingly, I needed him.
“Take it from one princess to another,” Verona said. “If you can make Bear respect you, the others will, too. From what I’ve heard from my boyfriend, you’ve got enough spirit to have all of them eating out of the palm of your hand.”
I tried not to blush, but couldn’t help it. I could only imagine the stories Hollywood had told Verona.
“My brother loves a woman who will stand up to him,” Verona said. “So keep doing that and things will get better.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Truly.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” She gave me another friendly smile. “You know, it may be the four beers talking, but I’ve always wanted a sister, and if you’re what fate’s gonna give me, then I guess I can find a way to make my peace with it, no matter what our families did to each other.”
“Yeah, me too,” I told her.
Then, she stood, grabbed my hand to haul me up, and threw her arm over my shoulder, guiding me back inside.