AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ass.” I playfully push at his chest. I lean in and place my lips on his. Out of the corner of my eye, as I’m pulling back, I see the weird bag Demetri brought in with our luggage. “That have anything to do with the business you need to deal with while we are wherever we are going?” I dip my head toward the bag.
He turns, looking at the bag then glances at Luca. “Haven wants to know what’s in the bag, Luca. Open the front zipper and toss me the contents.”
The sound of the zipper opening and closing fills the space. Luca holds a small velvet pouch in his hand. He tosses it to Demetri who then places it in my hand.
“Open it,” he orders with a jerk of his chin.
I pull the drawstring to loosen its hold and then pull the ruffled sides apart. I gasp at the beauty sparkling from inside the confines of the cloth. Diamonds. Lot and lots of diamonds. Demetri takes the bag from me and dumps them into his callused palm. He wiggles his fingers, moving the stones around so they catch the beam of light from overhead.
“They’re exquisite,” I say in awe.
He’s quiet a moment. “They remind me of how your eyes looked just before you shot me.” I take in a deep breath and wait for him to continue. “Beautifully broken to the point of shattering.” He rolls his fingers, watching the stones glisten. “I’ve never apologized to a single person in my life, Haven.” He looks at me. “Never had to. Don’t really care if someone is hurt by my actions. But you…” He trails off, running his knuckles on his free hand down my cheek. “It doesn’t sit right with me.” He lifts his hand with the diamonds. “Pick one.”
“What?”
“Pick a stone. Any stone. It’s yours. I’ll have it made into a wedding ring for you.”
“The simple band you gave me is enough.” I lift my hand to show him.
“It’s not. Never was.”
“I don’t need—”
“Pick one, Haven.”
“I don’t need a diamond as an apology, sir. What I want is a husband who is honest with me. Can you do that?”
“I can only be as honest as my lifestyle allows. I took an oath. The Omerta is a code of silence. My silence will keep you alive as well as myself and the others in our organization. Don’t ask me to betray it, because I won’t.”
“I would never. I may have never been involved in the business, but I know enough to know mobsters like you and my brother take it seriously. You need that solidarity to survive. A common criminal, a street thief, they have no values. They don’t care who they hurt, steal from, or violate.” He raises his brow to dispute my portrayal of the common criminal to one of his stature. “You may not care but you hurt people who are like-minded, in the same business. They know what to expect. An innocent old lady on the street being robbed is way different than you selling diamonds to the highest bidder. As well as you taking an oath to protect others and yourself in a deadly business. You have men at your back. A common criminal doesn’t repeat those words.” I nod toward Luca and Joseph. “Would you die for them?”
“Without question.”
“And me?”
His pupils flare. “I will gut a fucker from pelvis to sternum for hurting you.”
I glance down at his hand. “I don’t need diamonds. I just need us.” I lean down, sealing my words with a chaste kiss, which he takes further. When we pull back from each other, I pick up one of the stones. “I’m assuming this is the reason for the trip.”
“That and the fact that I need to dispose part of someone’s remains.”
Struck silent in confusion at his admission, I sit there frozen on his lap. “Excuse me?” I shake my head, sure of the fact that my ears were playing tricks on me.
“The bag that has caught your curiosity will be disposed of in the country we are flying to.”
If I’m being honest with myself, I know he isn’t lying. But in this moment, I want to pretend that he is. It’s when reality really hits me, and I realize exactly what kind of man I am married to. “You… You…” I stare at the non-descript bag. It’s smaller in size but big enough to bring a hefty lunch for an afternoon family picnic. Only now do I realize that the bag is a thermal bag to keep objects cool. “Demetri…”
“Yes, Haven?” He watches me closely.
A sinking feeling weighs heavy in my stomach. “Demetri, who’s in the bag?”
“The man who decided it was okay to put his lips on my woman.”
“Demetri!” I shout, jumping up from his lap.
He calmly puts the diamonds back in the bag before standing. He tosses the diamond bag to Luca then grabs my upper arm and pulls me flush against his chest. I yank at my arm, emotions I can’t explain filling my chest as I try to pull away.
“Stop.” His deep baritone stops me from struggling.
