Chapter 53
I huffed in frustration as Henry’s head lolled back, unconscious.
“I’m going for some air. Come get us when that fucker wakes up, I want to see him take his final breath,” Red sighed, rising from his chair.
“You lot go, I’ll wait with him.” Arturo smiled, his head falling back against the wall. He looked exhausted and it dawned on me he’d barely slept the last few days. His eyes were sunken and the bruises he’d taken from my father’s beating were now a viscous purple.
Once the men stepped out of the shipping container, I wandered over to Arturo and lowered myself onto his lap. .
“You look tired, mi amor. ”
“Say that again,” he smiled, sleepily.
“ Mi amor. ” I ran my fingertips along his stubbled jawline. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, can’t wait to end this bastard so I can take you home to bed.” He rested his head against my breasts, sighing.
“He hasn’t admitted to who he’s working for though.” I chewed on my lip. Knowing the threat was still out there worried me more than I wanted to admit.
“With or without his help, I’ll find out, hermosa. Te prometo que. ” he whispered against my skin. “ Eres toda mi vida, Bella. No puedo imaginar mi vida sin ti en ella. Me casaré contigo y seré el mejor esposo y padre que pueda ser para ti y nuestro bebé. ”
Not understanding a word, but loving the sound and sentiment, my eyes welled with happy tears and for a moment I forgot there was a half dead Henry behind me.
“I never asked how the talk went with my father.”
“Ah, that… Well, he’s given us his blessing but it wasn’t the most forthcoming. Fuck it, I’ll take it.” He circled my ring finger and smiled softly. “ No puedo esperar para llamarte mi esposa. ”
“W-what… Where?” Henry mumbled from behind us.
“Looks like someone’s ready to die. What do you think?”
“I think we need to call everyone back in.” I replied, sliding from Arturo’s lap.
“You bitch. You should have died in that fire.” Henry gritted.
“Sorry to burst your bubble.” I smiled.
“You smug little witch, who do you think will come after you once they find out I’m dead, huh? My father will have your head as a prize on the wall of our house before the week is out.” He thrashed against his bindings.
“Your father won’t do anything of the sort.
And you know why? Because he’ll fight tooth and nail—pun intended—to ensure our alliance remains.
” He frowned at this, making me grin. “Oh, we know what you’ve been doing.
Skimming off the top of other people’s businesses?
Bet your father doesn’t know about that, does he?
I thought not. I wonder what his rivals will do when they find out Duval Junior’s been misbehaving.
Add that on top of what you tried to do to a member of the Ricci family, you should count yourself lucky it’s me killing you and not daddy dearest.” I pushed the tip of my blade just above his navel, pressing hard enough to draw blood.
“Unlike you, you snivelling little prick, your father is an honourable man and loyal to my father. I can’t wait to tell him what a terrible disappointment you are. ”
“Do it, Bells,” my father said, his voice soft and unwavering.
Releasing a sigh, I pushed my blade in as far as it would go. Stepping back, I gasped as pleasure surged through my body.
No, not pleasure. Power.
Arturo stepped toward me and covered my hand with his, gripping the handle.
“Don’t pull back,” he whispered, my heart rate quickening.
“Gut him.” To my surprise, terror didn’t take hold of me like I’d expected it to.
Determined, I looked up and caught Henry’s eyes, loving the fear in them.
With one smooth stroke Arturo and I glided the blade up from navel to sternum.
“That’s for me.” I spat, ripping my blade from his chest and holding it against his Adam's apple.
“And this is for Tyler.” In one clean swipe I slit his throat, letting him take his final breath.
Dropping the blade to the floor I let out a deep, steady breath and turned to Arturo.
“Take me home.” I pleaded as his arms wrapped around my frame.
“Take my baby home, we’ll clean up here.” Papa said, giving Arturo a nod.
The moment we made it to the car around the back, I whispered to him in the safety of the darkness.
“Arturo?”
“Yeah?” He turned, stopping by the hood of the Jeep.
“Thank you.” I murmured.
“What for, Princesa ?” he asked, caging me against the car door.
“Everything… I couldn’t have done that without you.”
“Yes, you could. I was just a bonus.” His lips brushed against mine, making butterflies swarm low in my belly.
“You’re more than that.” I smiled, pecking his lips.
“Oh, yeah, what am I then?”
“Mine.”
The next morning, I was just finishing my jog around the lake when my father appeared at my side.
“No Arturo this morning?” he asked, sinking down to sit beside me. I kept my eyes on the trees lining the other side of the lake as I replied.
“He’s sleeping. He needed it.”
“And what about you?”
“I’m good.” The tension between us was festering. And as much as I hated it I couldn’t find it in my heart to forgive him.
“Bella, please… Tell me what I can do to help you forgive me?”
“That’s not how this works.” I replied, picking at the lint on my running leggings.
“I fucked up, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I know that now, your mother made sure of it.” He rambled, smoothing his palms down his thighs.
“Someone had to, I guess.”
“I’m sorry, my diamond” A lump formed in my throat as he reached a hand out but then thought better of it. “I know I’ve hurt you, but you must understand, he isn’t what I wanted for you.” Wow…
“And what about what I wanted, Pa?” I seethed, slapping my palms against my knees. “Arturo makes me happier than I’ve been in a very long time. He’s a good man, the only man that I have ever trusted, and besides you loved him until you found out about us.” I rose to my feet, gripping my waist.
“I did… that’s true.” he replied, standing. “But not for my little girl.” I looked up as his voice broke. “You deserved someone with family and a good heart. Arturo has neither.”
“You don’t know him like I do,” I hissed. “And he had his family torn away from him. Is he supposed to punish himself forever?”
“No,” my father shook his head.
I sighed and chewed on my lip before asking, “Arturo said you gave us your blessing to be together, is that true?”
“Reluctantly, yes.” I nodded as he stepped forward to take my hand. “Diamond… Your brother couldn’t do this. I had years to become who I was before I met your mother. What makes you think you can do this with a baby on the way?”
“Easy… Arturo.” I smiled as I shrugged. “He makes me push myself, Papa. When I’m around him I feel as though I can do anything, and that includes being a mom and leader. He’s loyal. You can trust him.”
“Okay.” He opened his arms and waited. “Come on, Bells. Don’t leave your old man waiting.”
“Promise you won’t hurt him again?” I asked, flicking at pine needles and dirt littering the ground with the toe of my sneaker.
“I won’t touch him again, you have my word.” Relieved, I stepped into his arms and breathed him in. “For the record, I’m looking forward to meeting my grandchild.”
“You have eight months to wait, Pa.” I chucked, as he kissed the top of my head.
“Goes by quicker than you think, diamond.”
“I love him.” I blurted, my eyes tearing up.
“I know. And although he’s a pain in the ass, I guess I can’t deny that he feels the same about you. Guy took the beating of a lifetime to prove it.”
My gut swirled with tension as I pulled back and asked the question that had been circling my mind for hours.
“Pa, I need you to tell me the truth… If I hadn’t stopped you when I did, would you have killed him?
” My father’s face became impassive as he pondered what I’d asked.
My face fell as he sank his hands into his pockets and wandered back to the water’s edge.
And just when I thought I couldn’t take another second of waiting his gruff tone floated over to me.
“I wanted to.” I licked my lips and ground my teeth together before wandering over to his side.
“God knows I wanted to. Our family’s hands aren’t clean but…
the stories I had heard about Arturo?” He stopped and rubbed his forehead.
“There are men far more dangerous than me Bells that wouldn’t give me Arturo’s name.
That’s the kind of fear he commanded. I probably shouldn’t tell you this but, Bells?
Arturo killed his leader when he was barely eighteen.
” I waited for the fear to come but it didn’t.
I trusted Arturo and I knew if I asked he would tell me everything.
But honestly? I didn’t need to. Our pasts were our pasts.
All I wanted with him now was the future he promised me.
“You haven’t answered my question, Pa.” He turned to me and grimaced.
“No, Bella. By the time you got there my anger was fizzling out, and when my head was clearing I realised I couldn’t do it.
You’re right. He’s been nothing but loyal since the moment he joined our house, and the look on his face when I found you both at that house, I’ve never seen a man look more hollow.
A part of me knew he loved my baby girl and that he’d die before he let anything happen to you. ”
“You don’t need to worry, Pa, he’s protected me more than once already, I think we’ll be fine.”
“What do you mean more than once already, what are you two hiding?” He questioned, his brows furrowing.
“Nothing! It’s in the past, nothing to worry about now. But if you’re bothered, you can quiz Arturo on it.” I giggled, leaving my father to mull everything over under the tree beside the lake.
One hot shower later, I jogged down the stairs to find Arturo leaning against the island sipping an espresso. “ Ahi esta mi chica. Buen día, mi amor. ” he beamed. “The bed was pretty fuckin’ empty without you.”
“Is that so?” I teased, running my fingertips along his abs under his tank. “Sorry, I went for a run. Didn’t want to wake you. You looked so tired.”
“I’m absolutely fine, it’s you I’m worried about.” he sighed, glancing over my shoulder to see my father walking toward the house.
“You don’t need to worry about me, I’m good. And the second I’m not you’ll be the first to know.” I whispered, tracing my thumb over the healing bruise under his eye.
“Promise?”
“I promise, now how about some breakfast?” I asked, shimmying away from him to the fridge.
“Great idea, why don’t you and Arturo cook for everyone?” My father voiced from the doorway. “Just don’t poison me, I’d like to meet my grandchild first.”
Arturo laughed as I scoffed.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing, mister. He’s talking about you.” I winked, cracking some eggs into a bowl.
“Bollocks, he ruined my plan.” And for the first time since my father found out, he and Arturo shared a real laugh.
“Can I help?” Theo smiled from the door.
“Of course you can, little man. We’re making pancakes!” Arturo scooped him into his arms as my father left the three of us alone.
“I love pancakes!” Theo wiggled with excitement.
I watched the pair of them laughing and joking as Arturo let Theo mix the batter.
“Papa likes chocolate, can we do that?” Theo asked, shoving chocolate chips into his mouth.
“That’s if there’s any left,” Arturo teased, popping a chocolate chip in his mouth.
Looks like he’s getting his practice in, huh?
That wasn’t the voice in my head I was used to…
Tyler?
The one and only… Did you think you’d get rid of me that easily?
Not in a million years.
Told ya you’d never lose me.
Yeah, but it’s not the same…
Maybe not, but I‘ll always be here with you… every step of the way.
Ty… I killed Henry.
I saw and I am so fucking proud.
I’ll always be proud of you, trouble, never forget that.
I won’t… Promise.
“ Hermosa , you okay?” Arturo asked, bringing me back to the present.
“Yeah. You know what? I think I am…”
Or will be at least.