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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

GIA

No matter how many times I see a dead man, it never gets any more normal.

Not when it’s bitterly cold and they’re half-wrapped in a blue tarp. Not when my breath comes out in white bursts around me, the world looking like a winter wonderland.

Certainly not when I think about the baby sleeping safely at the house, blissfully unaware of the fact that both of her parents are killers.

That we’re likely both going to have to kill again before the war between our families is over.

I crouch down beside the bodies, my stomach rolling.

Their faces are drained of color, skin sallow and eyes wide. Not in shock, but more in a disbelief that someone would actually kill them.

Life looks good until Noah decides you're expendable, and then you’re the first one he sends to the chopping block. Neither of them would’ve come out of this alive. If Royce hadn’t killed them, the moment they got home, Noah would have put a bullet in their heads for failing him.

Royce puts his hand on the small of my back, though I can barely feel him through the thick coat. “Are you okay?”

I swallow hard, trying to untangle the mess of emotions. “I don’t know. Knowing that they’re dead is a relief, if that makes sense. I let these men be around our daughter. I trusted them to watch her if I had to run out, and now they’ve come to kidnap her. Or do whatever the hell it is that Noah wants with her.”

“Do you think he’s capable of hurting his own niece?”

Yes.

No.

I don’t know.

My stomach flops as I look up at him, his forest-green eyes staring straight through to the soul. It’s unsettling, but he’s always been able to see straight through me.

I take a deep, shaking breath, clenching my hands into fists so they stop trembling. “I wish I could say no, but the truth is that I have no clue. I think I don’t even know the beginning of what he’s capable of.”

Royce’s body tenses before he nods. “Aiden wouldn’t hurt her, I don’t think, but I can’t promise that he wouldn’t use Bianca as a pawn in the war.”

“You think he would hand her over to Noah if it got him what he wants?”

His lips press together, nearly becoming invisible behind the beard as he shrugs.

I would almost think he’s indifferent to what happens, except for the anger shining in his eyes. It’s clear that he hates that he can’t trust his own brother.

Would he be willing to kill his brother to save me?

To save Bianca?

Could I kill mine?

“The others would keep him from doing that if I couldn’t,” Royce says finally, his voice gravelly. “Ellie would probably be the first one to claw his throat out if he even thought about handing Bianca over. The others would be right there behind him.”

Though I know it should bring some small sense of relief, it doesn’t. Not when I know that there are people out there who would harm my baby. Not when I’m part of the reason for her being stuck in the middle of a war she thankfully knows nothing about.

“Sucks when you can’t trust your own family.”

Royce snorts. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

I look down at the men in front of me, taking in the cuts on their bodies and the dried blood from the bullet wounds in their chest. The blue tarp wrapped around their bodies covers the rest.

“You should get out of here.” Royce grabs one of the shovels he brought down with us, the other still leaning against a tree.

“I don’t know why you think I would do that when I told you I was going to help you.”

He drives the end of the shovel into the dirt and leans against it. “You have to think about this, Gia. You even knowing about the bodies right now and not calling the cops is a crime.”

“Yeah, because forging paintings for a living isn’t.” I give him a flat look, glancing down at Jon and Marcus again.

“Only one of us should go down for the crime if we get caught. Someone needs to be around for Bianca.”

Tears prick the corners of my eyes, an overwhelming sense of guilt crashing over me in waves. It threatens to knock me over, but I stand tall, glaring at the men who thought they could come for my daughter.

They were going to take her from me. I know they were.

If Noah was coming for both of us, there would’ve been more men.

“Hand me the damn shovel, Royce.”

He watches me like I’m a caged animal about to go feral before he hands over the shovel and grabs the other one.

I plunge the sharp edge into the dirt close to the bodies. “So, how many times have you done this? Is there something I should do?”

“You’ve never buried a body before, but you wanted to come out here and help me with these ones?” He shakes his head, amusement in his voice. “Gia, this is one of the nastiest things we have to do.”

“How nasty?” I slide another shovelful of dirt to the side. “The bodies don’t start breaking down for several hours.”

His gaze is cold as he nods to the trees. “I’ve got the body of a pig sitting farther away from us. We have to dig the hole deep enough to put the bodies, add a layer of dirt, toss the pig on top to throw off any dogs that might come out this way, and then cover it all back up.”

I pause for a moment before shrugging. “That’s honestly not as bad as I thought.”

Royce laughs, digging beside me. “How bad did you think it was going to be?”

“I’ve seen bodies put through industrial meat grinders.”

“Sadly, those are a little hard to transport.” He smirks at me as we keep digging, sweat beading on the back of my neck.

“Only you would be making jokes at a time like this.” I can’t help the tiny spark of amusement that has me forgetting for just a moment that we’re going to dispose of bodies together.

If I close my eyes for a minute, I might be able to pretend that the two of us are on a date.

A really fucked-up and nasty date.

“Well, maybe.” He grins and keeps shoveling, the thud of the shovel hitting the dirt filling the air.

The last of the leaves on the trees rustle with the wind, the first flakes of snow falling and melting before they hit the ground.

“You didn’t tell me how much you’ve done this.”

“Since I was old enough to kill.” He stops to think about it. “Probably about seven or eight when I buried the first one.”

My shovel careens to the side, hitting a rock at an odd angle and nearly falling from my hand. “You’ve been killing people for that long?”

He shrugs, digging deeper and ignoring the strangled sound of my voice. “Maybe a little earlier, but I don’t think so. Not that I remember at least.”

I press a hand to my mouth. “Royce. That’s not normal.”

Chuckling, he pauses. “I don’t think you need to worry about it. It’s the life I grew up with and it’s the only one I know. Dad wanted us all to learn how to take care of ourselves from a young age, and I can do that.”

“I get it.” I swallow hard, my mind drifting back to my own past. “Dad had us learn once we were twelve or so though. He thought it was wrong to start any younger. I think he saw what it did to Noah, and he was trying to prevent creating a monster out of me and my sister.”

Royce’s gaze sparks with something I don’t understand. “Do you think I’m a monster?”

I stare at the man in front of me, trying to put the pieces together of who he is.

Has he done bad things in life, or course.

Does he love our daughter? I think so. I’ve seen the way he looks at her and the way he cradles her. I’ve watched from the doorway as he’s read her book after book.

Royce might be a killer, but I think he’s the best father I’ve ever met.

He scoffs and shakes his head. “You know what, don’t worry about it. I don’t know why I asked. I know what I am.”

A sharp pang radiates through my chest. “Royce, I don’t think?—”

“No. Let’s just not do this, alright?” He forces a small smirk on his face despite the anger in his eyes and the sweat rolling down it. “We have to finish dealing with these two.”

“You aren’t?—”

He cuts me off again with one sharp look.

It has the words on the tip of my tongue dying instantly.

He might have asked me if I think he’s a monster, but when it comes down to it, he doesn’t want to hear the truth. It’s clear that he thinks he is, and he doesn’t want his mind changed about that.

What makes a man a monster, though?

Noah is a monster. Our father was a monster.

I might be a monster after all the things I’ve done to stay alive.

Royce has too many tender spots to be considered a monster. He cares too deeply, even though he throws up a wall every chance he gets to try and keep people out.

He clears his throat. “You know, I thought about coming back after I left you.”

The words hit me like a ton of bricks.

“You did?” I hate the way my voice breaks, but this is the one conversation I’ve been thinking about having with him for as long as I can remember.

There was a small part of me that hoped one day he was going to come back to me and tell me he made a mistake. I wished that he would walk through my front door again so many times for those first few months.

Royce nods as we continue to work, digging the hole deeper. “I did. I thought that I could come back, and we could figure out where the hell to go from where we were.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“It was a lot to deal with. Finding out you were the daughter of a man my father had been fighting with since they were children was hard. And then Noah took over and now you were sister to the head asshole in charge, which means that you were the one person I shouldn’t be with.”

“And you thought that it would be better to just leave and not talk about it at all?” I wipe some of the sweat from my forehead. “Royce, what the hell?”

“I didn’t say it was the right decision, but it was the one I made, and it was the one I was determined to live with.”

There’s a bitter taste in my mouth. “I’m sorry for hiding who I was from you. I knew who you were, and I should’ve been honest about that. You didn’t deserve to be lied to. I was scared of how it would change things, and I didn’t think much about what would happen when you found out I was keeping a secret from you.”

He pauses and studies me for a second. It’s like he’s looking to catch me in another lie, but I know that he’s not going to see anything other than sincerity.

I shouldn’t have lied to him all those years ago, and whether we’re together or not, we’re going to be connected for the rest of our lives.

Maybe we could be together, though.

“Aiden would’ve been a problem for us,” Royce says, his voice soft. “He wouldn’t have let us be together.”

“That would have stopped you?”

“The person I was back then? Yes.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, the hole now up to my knees, even though it’s not wide enough to hold two bodies yet. “And you think you’ve changed that much since we broke up?”

“In some ways. He’s changed too. He’s mellowed a little in some ways, gotten worse in others, but Ellie and Sean getting married was good for him. He saw that people are more than just the families they were raised in.”

I clear my throat, trying to hold back the tears that prick against the corners of my eyes. “When all this is over, I still want you to be part of Bianca’s life. The rest of your siblings too, if they’re willing to spend time with her.”

Royce’s mouth opens and closes before he beams at me. “You mean that?”

“I do. You’re her father and I never should’ve kept her from you.” I smile and keep digging, wishing that there was an easier way to do this. “You’re good with her, and she likes you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as calm as she is when you’re reading with her.”

He grins as he digs with me, the conversation falling as we focus on getting the bodies buried before it gets any colder out here.

* * *

“I’m going for a shower,” Royce says as we walk into the house, and he locks the door behind us. “It would’ve been easier to call a cleaning crew. Now I smell like fucking corn chips and dead pig.”

I wrinkle my nose as I finally get a good whiff of him. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

He smirks and takes the stairs two at a time.

For a moment I stand in the kitchen, considering going after him.

It’s going to take forever to feel clean again, but the thought of his hands lathering soap on my body has me rushing up the stairs after him.

As I step into his bedroom, his back is to me. He pulls his shirt over his head, the muscles in his back cording.

Standing in the doorway, I watch his reflection in the mirror as he reaches for the button of his pants, the zipper sliding down over the bulge. My thighs press together, memories of what’s beneath his clothing sparking through my imagination.

I don’t need to imagine for long, though.

Fabric pools around his feet, boxers following.

He turns, one eyebrow lifting when he sees me standing there. “You enjoying the show?”

I motion to a streak of mud on his upper thigh that got there when he was shedding his clothes. “You missed a spot. I could help with that.”

He smirks and jerks his chin toward the bathroom. “Get going, then.”

With a grin, I pull the shirt over my head before shimmying the leggings down. Royce’s gaze drags up and down my body, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

When I’m naked in front of him, I stride to the bathroom, taking my time and adding an extra sway to my hips.

An arm loops around my waist, hauling me back against his firm body. His lips press to the side of my neck.

His breath ghosts against the shell of my ear. “You’re being a tease.”

“And you like it.” I grind back against the erection pressing against my ass.

Royce lets go of me and turns on the shower, letting the water run until steam is fogging the mirror. He steps inside and I follow, tilting my head back beneath the rainfall showerhead.

When I straighten back up, Royce’s hands sink into my hair. He lathers shampoo in the strands as I reach for the soap, running my hands over his body, cleaning his muscles as my pussy pulses.

I moan as his hands leave my hair, running down my body to cup the curve of my ass.

He pulls me flush against him, nipping at my bottom lip.

Reaching between us, I wrap a hand around his cock, sliding up and down the thick length. He throbs in my hand, his hips tilting forward as he runs soapy hands over my body.

His thumbs brush against my nipples, flicking them into stiff peaks. “Look at how eager you are to be fucked.”

Smirking, my hand slips to his balls, and I give them a firm squeeze. “I could say the same about you.”

He spins me around and pushes me up against a wall. He pins me between his body and the white tiles, grabbing my wrists and holding them high above my head.

As his lips trace my shoulder, he keeps my wrists locked in one hand. The other snakes around the front of my body, dipping between my legs and pressing against my clit.

Moaning, I rock back into him. “Yes. Please.”

“You want to come for me, Gia?” His voice is rough.

When his teeth graze my pulse while his fingers dive into me, I feel like I’m going to combust.

“Yes.”

His cock grinds into me as my pussy pulses around his fingers. I try to wriggle back against him but there’s no room. He has me right where he wants me and as his fingers dive deeper into me, I know he’s going to take his time teasing me.

With each rock of his fingers, his thumb presses against my clit.

“I want you to come for me like the dirty little slut we both know you are when I have you like this.”

His words combined with a twist of his fingers send me over the edge, arousal coating my thighs as my legs turn to jelly. I rock my hips in time with his fingers, riding out the waves of pleasure for as long as possible.

The second my legs stop shaking, he lets me go and I spin in front of him, sinking to my knees.

Royce gives me a look of approval as I trace the underside of his cock from base to tip with my tongue. His hips rock forward, the tip pushing past my lips.

I hollow my cheeks, taking him deeper.

As I moan around his length, my nails dig into his thighs. I bob up and down, taking him until tears prick the corners of my eyes.

“Good girl.” He pulls on my hair, removing me from his cock. “Stand up.”

I do as he says, grinning when he picks me up and presses me against the wall.

His cock brushes against me before he sinks in, bracing his forearms on either side of my body against the wall.

Leaning in, I kiss him, our lips molding together as he thrusts hard and fast. My inner walls clamp down around him as my nails dig into his shoulders.

He rolls his hips, hitting a spot deep inside me that has me crashing over the edge of another orgasm.

Royce throbs before his entire body stiffens. He comes as his strokes slow, then he pulls out and sets me down.

When his hands land on my hips, pulling me into him for another kiss, my heart beats faster.

As we finish washing up, he hums to himself, the melody soft and slow.

We get out of the shower together, and he wraps a fluffy towel around me. We head to bed, nestling down in the sheets once we’re dry.

It feels odd to be next to him in bed like this after all this time, but there’s another part of it that feels right.

Like I should’ve been with him the entire time.

Just as I’m curling into his side, his phone starts ringing. Royce groans and rolls over, grabbing his phone and heading into the washroom.

I sit up in bed, clutching the sheets to my chest. This feels a lot like the night he left.

Of course, we hadn’t been in bed that night, but he had gotten a call from Matt and the next thing I knew, we were fighting about my family and the lie I had told him for a year.

Royce comes back into the room, grabbing clothes from the closet and hauling them on. “Matt is going to stay with you, but I have to run into town and meet someone.”

“Do you have to go tonight?”

He nods. “Yeah, it’s about someone who needs to be handled and I have to be the one to do it. We can go into town together this weekend, though. I know you’re tired of being trapped here.”

Without another word, he heads for the door, shutting it behind him.

I roll over, leaning over the edge of the bed and grabbing the baby monitor from where it fell earlier tonight. Bianca is still sleeping soundly in her bed, hair everywhere and arms raised high above her head.

I hope he doesn’t hurt you like he hurt me.