Nash ran a hand through his hair again, then nodded. “Okay, but please, Aria, think about my offer. You can’t stay with him, you’re not safe.”
“Aria?” Diego mumbled.
“Okay, I’ll think about it, but please just leave,” she said in a rush.
Nash nodded, seemingly satisfied, then turned to leave. “Take care of yourself,” he said.
“See you tomorrow, Aria,” Maya said.
Aria nodded. “Tomorrow.”
“Aria,” Diego said, sounding annoyed now.
Aria turned back to him just as he was sitting up. He blinked up at her. “What happened?”
He didn’t remember?
Aria was tempted to lie and say that he’d fainted, but he was going to have one hell of a black eye so that might not be the best course of action. Of course, she could always say that he’d hit his head on the ground. That might explain the black eye.
On the other hand, knowing Diego, he had remembered perfectly well what had happened, but was just too embarrassed to admit that he’d been knocked out.
“Someone punched you,” she said at last.
“What? Who?”
“I don’t know. He left.”
“Oh. What kind of asshole goes around punching people they don’t know?”
A better man than you, she wanted to say. Then she was annoyed with herself. She wasn’t even sure why she’d had that thought. She didn’t know a thing about Nash, after all. He really could just be a bully who went around punching people for fun. Somehow, she didn’t think so, though. She believed him when he’d said he’d reacted badly because he didn’t like violence towards women. She shook her head. She really shouldn’t be so trusting—that was what had gotten her into this mess to start with. But there was something about Nash that made her want to believe him. About everything.
“Take me home,” Diego ordered.
Aria rolled her eyes as he got to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. She opened her mouth to ask if he needed any help, then thought better of it. He hated looking weak, and the last thing he’d want was her help. And the last thingshewanted was for him to feel like he had to prove how tough he was. As they walked along the sidewalk to get to where she had parked the car, the weird little high she’d felt being around Nash disappeared and her mood plummeted. Diego was definitely going to take this out on her tonight.
Aria wished, not for the first time, that she could just walk away from the marriage. But if she did, they would ask Diego to leave the country and he would think nothing of telling the authorities about their financial arrangement to get back at her. Not to mention what he might do to her mother. She couldn’t let that happen. No, it was a nice fantasy, but she had to face facts—she was stuck with Diego, at least until he got his green card. Then she would finally be free of him. Unfortunately, and without a lot of luck, that was still years off. Until then, she’d just have to endure having him in her life. But it didn’t mean she couldn’t count the days until her freedom.
Diego was quiet on the drive back and when they arrived home, he quickly retreated to his bedroom. She called him when dinner was on the table and he came down to eat it, but he barely said two words to her before he disappeared back upstairs again. Weird. He was never that quiet. He hadn’t even complained about her lousy cooking, which was what he usually did throughout dinner.
She had expected him to take what had happened to him out on her, but it was as if Nash’s punch had the opposite effect on him. It was almost like he was afraid to go near her or say anything that might get him in trouble again. She couldn’t say she wasn’t secretly a tiny bit pleased that he was getting a taste of how she spent most of her time around him feeling.
Then she blew out a heavy sigh and set about cleaning up. Thoughts like that didn’t help her, and that wasn’t who she was. No matter what Diego had done to her, she didn’t take pleasure in someone else’s suffering, deserved or not. Shehadchosen this life, and sure, she might not have known what she was getting into, but that didn’t mean she was going to let it change who she was.
After Aria had cleaned away the table and done the dishes, she sank down onto the sofa and switched on the television. There was nothing on that she particularly wanted to watch, so she just channel surfed for a while, staring idly at the flickering images. She had just started to get into a nature documentary when there was a knock on the front door.
She checked her watch with a frown. It was nearly nine. Who could be calling at that time of night? An icy lance of fear ran through her. Oh, God, what if it was the cartel—what if they’d caught up with Diego, and—
She shook her head. She highly doubted they were the knocking on doors sort. They’d be more likely to break it down.Get a grip, Aria.
Another flash of panic rushed through her. What if it was someone from immigration, calling by for another spot check? Diego’s black eye would raise all sorts of questions neither of them could answer. She couldn’t afford for them to get suspicious.
She shot to her feet then rushed to the front door, pausing once she got there to try to steady the tremble in her hands. Cautiously, she pressed one eye to the spyhole. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and it took her a moment to gather her wits and open the door.
“Nash, what are you doing here?”
The handsome bear shifter eased his weight from one foot to the other and back again, looking past her for a brief moment before his gaze darted back to her face. His arms hung by his sides and his hand started to twitch forward before it fell back into place.
“Hey.” He cleared his throat. “Can we talk, please?”
