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“You’ll have Dante and Erik on your side. I think you can handle Viktor.”
“You really want me to do this? Choose to work with Dante and Erik?”
“No. I want you to choose me. I want you to live. Do you think you can do that?”
His eyes search my face for a long time. Then he smiles. “I love you too, you know that?”
“You do?”
“Don’t sound so shocked, princess.”
“I just wasn’t sure if you were fully capable of love.”
“It clearly surprises you but I am capable of it.” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it. “And I do love you. When Sal held that knife to your throat, I knew I couldn’t lose you. I’ve never loved anyone before.”
“Neither have I.”
“Then we’re new in this together,” he says. “So, what I mean is that I don’t want to lose you again. I know I took you in the first place. I know I’ve done a lot of fucked up shit in my life. I know that I’ll probably still do some fucked up shit. But I fucking love you, Aria. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life.”
I don’t even realize tears are streaming down my face until I feel the tears touch my lips. “You’ll agree to work with Dante and Erik?”
He sighs. “Yes. I’ll agree to work with Dante and Erik. You’re sure they won’t kill me?”
“No. But if you show them loyalty, they’ll extend the same back.”
“And Viktor?”
“He’s chosen to be on his own lonely island.”
“Yeah, but it’s because of me,” he admits. “I told your father that he was the reason you were kidnapped, so your father went to attack Viktor and that’s what pissed Viktor off. That’s what made him turn on Erik and Dante. I did that.”
“Yes, you did. But Viktor still made his decisions in life. He can face the consequences of them.”
“Shouldn’t I face the consequences of my own actions?”
“Yes,” I say bluntly. “But I think you’ve already done that. You almost died. You lost your brother in this war. You lost me. You lost almost everything. But now’s your chance to get it all back. So take it, Finn.”
“Ok. Send in the calvary. I know they have questions.”
Dante and Erik come in a moment later.
“So?” Dante asks.
Finn keeps holding onto my hand as he looks at the other two men. “Ok. I’ll work with you again. I don’t want to lose Aria.”
“How do we know we can trust you?” Erik gives Finn a pointed look. “You have betrayed us on more than one occasion. You killed Ivan Romanov who was a friend of mine.”
“If Elena can forgive him,” I cut in, “then so can you.”
Erik’s eyes widen while Dante chuckles. “She is a spitfire, Erik. I told you that.”
“She is,” Finn agrees. “And I’m not going to offer you both apologies. It’s not apologies you want anyway. It’s action. You want to know if I’ll work with you again and I will. I will promise you that you can trust me. I am not giving up Aria for anything. I’ll do what I’ll have to. But I’m not going to grovel for your forgiveness. You wouldn’t believe me anyway. So either take me at my word or don’t. It’s your choice. I’m in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound to my chest. I can’t fight back right now. If you want to kill me, now’s your chance. Either take it or don’t. If you don’t, then I’ll come work with you again. I won’t try to kill any of you. I can promise that.”
“So,” I say, “can you kill an unarmed man in his hospital bed?”
Dante gives me an annoyed look. “While Aria is getting on my nerves, she has a point. Finn has changed. I can tell. And only time will tell whether he’ll truly be loyal to us.”
“But neither of us can risk our wives’ safety. I have a daughter now. I can’t risk that.”