I winced as I climbed the stairs to head up, careful not to let my feet land too strong. I didn’t want to wake Beatrice, who I figured was already fast asleep.
I walked into my room and froze.
Beatrice was sitting on my bed, perfectly poised with one leg crossed over the other, her fingers steepled over her knees. And she was staring right at me, like this was an inquisition I’d unwittingly walked into.
“Beatrice…” There was a question in my voice as I carefully closed the door behind me. “I thought you’d be asleep.”
The last person I expected in my bedroom at this hour was Beatrice, especially after our argument yesterday. For a moment, I thought she was here to talk about that. But looking at the hour, it made no sense.
“What are you doing here?”
“The question is,” she asked, rising to her feet. That flimsy little robe she had on parted at her collar, the swell of her breasts rising through the thin camisole she had on under. I held back a groan and forced my eyes not to linger any lower, to those baby-shorts that had no business being on a grown woman. “What are you doing back so late?”
I flicked my gaze up to meet her stormy brown eyes, which at this moment reminded me of a dust storm. She meant business, except I had no idea what this was about.
“I was working late.” I tried to give her the truth, the only way I knew how.
“Really?” She cocked her hip, planting a hand on it. “Killing men in pool houses is business now?”
I froze, my brain scrambling to put two and two together. None of my people would spy on me and report to her. She couldn’t have known about that … unless she was there.
“Fuck, Beatrice!” I strode forward in a rush, the pain in my spine worsening. I rotated my neck, standing a mere foot from her. “You shouldn’t have followed me out tonight! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
“I’m fine, aren’t I?” She looked up, glaring at me. “Can’t say the same for that guy you killed.”
“It could have gone sideways,” I hissed, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “What if there were other men? Dangerous men? What if I were alone and taken by surprise?”
“Don’t change the subject,” she said, in a voice so fierce it made me stop. “I saw you kill that man. I heard everything you said afterward. I’m so sick and tired, Dante, of being kept in the dark about what you do. Why the hell are you so damn intent on keeping me safe when you’re walking into trouble all the damn time?”
“God, Bea.” I couldn’t help but let my voice rise. “That’s my job!”
“Your job is to kill men trafficking women?” She crossed her arms, her eyes dazzling with fury. “Last time I checked, mobsters didn’t go around saving the world. I don’t get it, Arko. On one hand, you let the world think you’re so damn ruthless. On the other hand, you push everything aside to save innocent women. What game are you playing?”
I stalked toward her, agitated. “It’s not a game,” I hissed.
“Then what’s your deal? Explain it to me. I’m right here. Your wife by right, and I want to know exactly who I’m married to.” She took a step closer. So close, in fact, I could see her lashes sweeping over her cheeks when she blinked.
“There’s nothing to explain here,” I defended myself, shaking my head. “I might be a mobster, but that doesn’t mean I have to be cruel. It’s not in me to turn a blind eye to something as horrifying as sexual slavery. So. I did what I had to do to rescue those women.”
Beatrice’s eyes narrowed. “So you draw the line at sexual exploitation, but kidnapping for leverage is fine?”
“Those women were in a position where they had no one looking out for them, Beatrice.” I clenched my fists, my patience wearing thin. “They were going to be sold to evil men, men who wouldn’t care how they lived or died.”
I saw her chest rise and fall, the confusion on her face as she tried to understand. “Look. I never said I was a good man.” I lowered my voice and moved a step back. A sharp pain shot up my spine again, like whiplash, and I choked back a groan.
“I’ve had to make decisions that weren’t always good for someone else,” I said. “I was going to have Alisa before your brother took her. So yes, I kidnapped you. I wanted to weaken Dante, to show him I could take what was his because he did the same to me.”
“So like…revenge?” she asked, wincing at the word.
“Everyone plays the game, Beatrice. Families like ours take people and call them leverage. But we don’t hurt innocent women. Those girls being trafficked? They were headed for something much worse. They had no choice, no power, nothing.” My face turned with anguish at the thought of such bleak lives.
“What you did today was amazing,” she said, her voice softening slightly. “I was proud of you, for once, Arko. But why do you hide the good in you?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head, then grimaced, my hand reaching behind my neck, where the pain now spiraled out of control. “I suppose I don’t want to look weak.”
Beatrice’s eyes travelled from mine to where I clutched my neck. She gasped, her eyes widening as she moved toward me. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I grunted, straightening up and trying to mask the pain. “Just a crick.”
