25. Sever
It rained the day we buried our father. We all wore black. We spit on his casket after they’d lowered it into the ground, just the four of us.
He’d been murdered.
A job many had tried to do over the years but none had ever succeeded in.
Arianna’s body was missing when we’d arrived to find him dead. We’d killed his two men outside, guarding him. We’d gone inside hoping to retrieve her body and had instead found his.
If we needed confirmation she was still alive, it came in the form of her father’s death reaching us.
Also stabbed.
His wasn’t as clean as our father’s had been.
He’d been practically ripped to shreds.
We’d had the mess discretely cleaned up.
We knew it was her, especially after I’d told my brothers I’d given her my knife. She’d faked her death so well. She’d always been amazing in the theater productions in high school though, so I wasn’t sure why I was so surprised.
She hadn’t returned to us though. That was a month ago now. Mass was now in charge of the syndicate. The transition had been flawless, fortunately. Anyone who remained loyal to our father made their voices heard, and we’d killed them without mercy.
“Mm, I miss her,” Ren said, sighing as he stared out the window in the living room. He’d been there nearly every waking moment, like he expected her to just walk up the long driveway and knock on the door.
“I do too.” Roe drank his scotch down and let his head fall back against the couch cushion.
“She’d be insane to come back to this,” I said glumly, knowing it was the truth. I was sure it hadn’t been a pleasure cruise with us. In fact, I wasn’t so delusional that I thought our love was enough.
But she was free. It was what she wanted most, and I’d accept that.
To know she’d survived and succeeded where we’d failed had brought me a new kind of high I knew I’d never be able to replicate if I tried.
As long as she was happy and safe wherever she was, I’d accept it.
Because I loved her, I’d accept it.
We all felt the hole her absence left though.
I knew Roe and Ren drove around at night looking for her. Every night, they’d drive past her dad’s place. Some nights, I’d go with them, hoping maybe she’d return there for what little bit of her stuff was left behind but no. She never came.
“She would,” Mass agreed, rubbing his eyes. “I’d have fled too.”
“I’m proud of her,” Roe said. “Even if she left us, I’m still proud of her. She was stronger than I realized.”
“She was,” Ren mused, looking over at us all. “I bet she’s having a laugh at us assholes, thinking she pulled a fast one.”
I nodded, smiling sadly. I really hoped she was laughing wherever she was.
We all learned a hard lesson when it came to Misery.
I awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. I sat up, frowning. We hadn’t cooked a decent breakfast in forever, and certainly none that smelled that good.
I wandered out to the hallway to find Roe and Ren coming out of their room.
“Is Mass cooking?” I called out.
“No,” Mass answered, stepping out of his room with a frown on his face.
We all stared at one another for a moment before we darted forward at the same time and thundered down the stairs.
Once we made it to the kitchen, we stopped in our tracks, Ren crashing into me, as Arianna stood in front of the stove in nothing but a white t-shirt, making pancakes.
“Misery?” Roe choked out, stumbling forward. “Little snowflake, is it really you?”
She turned around to face us, looking so fucking beautiful I almost drooled. She looked way better now than when we’d had her. She’d put some weight on after starving herself. Her eyes were bright and full of life. Her hair was wild and wavy, tumbling around her.
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and gave us a sexy look.
“It’s me,” she said.
I darted past my brothers and dragged her against my body, holding her tightly.
“Darling star,” I whispered on repeat. “You came back.”
“I promised you I would,” she answered, hugging me back tightly.
I clung harder, my body racking with my sobs. I’d missed her so fucking much.
More warm arms encircled us.
My brothers.
My family.
I released her so they could have their turn. The twins fought over her for a moment before both kissing all over her and whispering things we couldn’t hear.
When she fell into Mass’s arms, he cradled her to him like she was the most precious thing in the world.
“I love you so fucking much, Arianna,” he said on repeat, rocking her.
“I love you too, Massimo. So much.” She went up on her toes and kissed him gently before pulling away and going back to the stove to flip a burning pancake.
“Fuck the pancakes,” I said, tugging her away and turning the stove off.
She let out a soft laugh as I hauled her straight to the living room, my brothers following us.
“Have I ever told you how fucking sexy you look in nothing but my t-shirt?” I asked, nipping her bottom lip.
She laughed softly, kissing me back.
“Tell me that in a few months when my belly gets bigger.”
I stopped and stared at her.
“What?” I asked the same time Mass did.
The twins stopped undressing for a moment.
“What’s going on?” Roe demanded, his shirt halfway off.
“I missed it,” Ren muttered.
“A-Are you pregnant?” Mass demanded, taking her away from me and tilting her chin up so she was looking into his face. “Don’t fucking lie to me about it? Are we having a baby?”
She nodded wordlessly.
“I-It’s all of ours?” he whispered thickly.
She nodded again. “All of ours.”
I knew what Mass meant. The baby belonged to us all. It didn’t matter the father. We were in this together.
I didn’t think more love could fit into my heart, but there I was, having the damn thing inflate further.
“I-I’m going to be a dad?” I asked, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.
“You are. You all are if you want—” she started.
“If we want? Mm, you’re fucking nuts, kitten, if you think we don’t all want this with you.” Ren scooped her up and away from us, hauling her straight to the couch and depositing her on it.
He wasted no time in claiming her mouth with his while Roe tried to fight him off.
“We’re having a baby,” Mass murmured, wonder in his eyes as we watched the twins fight over her.
“We are,” I said softly. “Is this how you imagined it?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s how I dreamed it. With a woman I love. My brothers with me. I couldn’t ask for more.” He clapped me on the back. “Are you OK?”
I nodded wordlessly, my throat tight. “I’m better than OK.”
He gave me a smile before shoving the twins aside and stealing her away from them, his lips on hers, and her shirt being tossed to the floor as he shoved deep into her body amid her soft cries of pleasure.
I watched Mass fuck our girl for a long time before the twins forced him away and they each took up residence in her body. Her soft cries let me know she was enjoying the way they handled her.
I let them have their fun while I watched, stroking my dick from my chair.
I liked to watch them all fuck her.
Even Mass joined in with them, his dick buried in her throat while the twins pounded away on her.
She came for them, her moans of euphoria warming my heart. It was when they freed her and she crawled to me, their come dripping out of her, that I stopped stroking my cock. Gently, she climbed atop me, letting my cock tease her come-drenched pussy.
“What do you want, darling star?” I murmured, staring into her brilliant green eyes.
“You,” she answered. “And them.”
“You have us. Forever.”
“Promise?”
“On my life.”
She smiled and settled on my cock, letting it sink deep inside her. I groaned at the intense heat and tightness.
“Good. I like when you promise me a life,” she said against my lips.
“I always deliver, baby.”
She let out a soft laugh and rode me harder. I stared up in wonder at her, completely taken by her fierce beauty.
She’d sidelined me.
No longer was she the quiet, sweet girl I’d known.
In her place was a fighter. A warrior. Someone to be feared. Someone we’d all underestimated.
A perfect fallen angel for our personal Hell.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Forever looked pretty fucking good.
Thank you for reading Sweet Misery.