Page 29

Every word that left Aria’s mouth seemed to spite her brother, hitting him in every place that counted. I couldn’t do anything but watch in silence while she had her moment, taking charge like the leader she was born to be.

The leader so few credited her to be, including me, once.

But at that moment, I had no doubt. Every hesitation dissolved entirely, leaving behind a determination that instilled even more of my faith in her.

The gun pressed against her chest had me on edge while I trained mine on its wielder, but even then, I was in complete awe of her strength, and in her ability to not be deterred.

Regardless of that silent threat, she went on anyway—she said her piece and had every right to.

Esidor’s fury only worsened, and his eyes burned. It seemed that no part of him was willing to concede—to submit.

“You truly are the foolish, naive girl I always knew you were…you say you’ve changed, but it seems you’re just as ridiculous as you always have been,” Esidor ground out, jaw set. “You’re kidding yourself if you think you know better, that you can do better. You’re nothing. Now, you’ll never be anything more than a Novikov whore .”

My grip on the pistol tightened, growing furious with the way he spoke to her, his blatant disrespect for her in every way.

While I didn’t think very highly of her once, I knew better. With time and the chance to see the full extent of her character, I knew she was so much more than that.

She was everything…and it took me time to realize that, but with every fiber of my being, I knew it to be true.

Despite the anger that flashed in Aria’s eyes, she remained calm and steady while she muttered back, “And you’ll never be anything more than a dead man.”

As if that had been his final straw, Esidor went to cock his gun, but Aria was faster.

Regardless of her wrists being zip tied together, she knocked his arm away hard enough to loosen his grip, making him fumble and drop the pistol.

Startled, not having anticipated her swiftness, Esidor was knocked back the moment she closed the space between them and slammed her head into his nose.

Groaning at the sudden hit, he stumbled backward while blood poured down his face.

In what felt like the span of three seconds, Esidor tried to correct himself, but I aimed, making sure I didn’t miss before squeezing the trigger.

The loud pop of my shot echoed within the warehouse, and the bullet pierced straight through the side of his head.

He swayed for a moment. Aria’s eyes widened, along with those on his side as Esidor lost his balance and succumbed to the wound, falling back until he hit the concrete.

Everything went impossibly still for a moment. Like the air had been sucked from the room.

“No,” Giovanni mumbled, expression riddled with shock and pure disbelief. Then, his hands shook with anger as he lifted his pistol to aim at Aria. “You bitch—”

Another shot rang out, sniping Giovanni right through the chest. Then another for good measure. In the blink of an eye, he too stumbled before falling back into Vinny’s arms. The latter let go of what sounded like a whimper while he gazed down at his dying brother cradled in his grasp.

Glancing over, Gabriel relaxed his arm, bringing his gun back down to his side. Despite wearing a neutral expression, there was a note of satisfaction in his eyes.

With Esidor and Giovanni down, and Vinny shattered by it all, weeping quietly, the rest of the warehouse was completely still. Men on either side didn’t move—not when there was too much uncertainty.

That was it. Esidor lost. Aria won.

While she stood there, taking a moment to come to terms with everything that happened, every part of me wanted to be with her.

Even if she was perfectly strong on her own, I had the feeling she needed my support—at the very least, she needed to know that I was with her through it all.

I was the first one to move while I cleared the space between us, feeling all eyes on me. But it wasn’t my moment…no.

It was still hers.

Wordlessly, I moved to Aria’s side and pulled a knife from my pocket. With ease, I carefully took her wrists in mine and slid the blade through the restraints until they fell away.

Looking at her, I took in her confused expression of both grief and triumph, aware that she both won something and lost another.

But in all honesty, she never had her brother to begin with.

Holding her gaze, letting her know she had my full support, I gave her a gentle nod.

Even without having to say anything, it was like she knew exactly what I meant; she understood every unspoken word.

Aria seemed to pull some confidence from that and allowed herself to stand taller. To step back into the place that was rightfully hers. She looked between the unmoving men on both sides, gathering her thoughts before she began.

“It was never my intention to fracture the ranks, but I made the decision I felt was right, and I stand by it. Moving forward, we will work with the Novikovs and Levovs without hesitation,” Aria said, voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Every word was full of pure conviction that stirred something inside me. Her attention turned to those who opposed her. “And if you have a problem with that, you can either leave now or end up like Giovanni.”

There was another moment of hesitation while the others considered the condition, as if weighing to themselves if it was worth the risk of remaining loyal to Esidor through his death.

Then, the group as a whole surrendered and lowered their weapons, putting them away.

“Don’t assume I’ll forget about this,” Aria reminded them with an edge to her voice, one of warning regardless of the mercy she was offering them. “I will remember who worked against me, but if you prove your loyalty to me, then I’ll offer a chance for redemption. But this is the only chance you’ll get.”

A mutual understanding filled the space, and as the tense situation dissipated, some of our men withdrew while others were given the command by Alex to wrap everything up.

With the threat neutralized and Vinny restrained, I took the opportunity to pull Aria aside and away from prying eyes.

While I looked down at her with a hand on her waist, neither of us said a word. There was so much I wanted to tell her, but at that moment, I could only gaze at her and silently appreciate the woman in front of me.

After some time, I let out a breath and gently hooked her chin with my finger. I kept my voice low as I murmured, “You know, there was a time when I questioned if you’d be able to keep up as my wife…”

At the words, Aria lifted a curious brow, as if questioning where I was going with it.

But I let a small, proud smile cross my lips while my thumb ghosted just beneath her mouth. “But I know now that I was sorely, stupidly mistaken.”

She huffed out a small sound of amusement. “Is that what it took for you to respect me?”

Humming to myself, I shook my head and let my fingertips graze her cheek before moving a bit closer. “No…you gained my respect some time ago. I just needed my eyes opened.”

Aria softened at that, seemingly pulled in by my proximity despite herself. I could feel her breath mingling with mine, just barely following my lips. “So now I can keep up with you, hm?”

“Fuck yes, you can,” I returned, letting some of that need stir within me again. My thumb gently brushed against her cheek while I looked into her eyes. “In fact, watching you take control like that turned me on, just so you know…”

An amused grin spread across Aria’s face then, paired with a touch of satisfaction. Her hands carefully rested on my hips, clearly feeling the mutual crackle of attraction. “Is that so?”

“Yes…very much so,” I hummed again, unable to resist.

Tucked away out of sight, I took that chance, hoping to sate some of that need growing in me as I eliminated that final gap between us and pressed my lips against hers.

Aria, immediately receptive, leaned into the kiss and melded her mouth with mine. Her fingers tightened against my hips, seemingly pulling everything she could out of the kiss.

Finally allowing myself to relax and release the heavy burden of assuming the worst of her and the circumstances, I poured everything I had into it and savored the feeling of her.

I hadn’t realized how badly I needed her until she was taken from me, and with that new sense of clarity, I understood the gravity of what she meant to me.

She was more than just my business partner…she was my wife and my equal in every way.

Fingers moving to the back of her head, I deepened the kiss a touch before pulling back enough to murmur against her lips, “If you thought I had a problem before, I’m never letting you out of my sight now.”

Despite the implications of those words, my light-hearted tone made her grin again.

Running her hand down my chest, stoking more desire in me whether she knew it or not, Aria’s expression made me wish I could have my way with her right then and here.

“For some reason, I don’t think I’d mind that.”

Giving her a smile of my own, feeling better in that comfortable moment between us, I pulled her even closer, and she wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Good…I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

At ease and more grateful than I had ever been, I kissed her lips more tenderly and soaked up how she responded to me so easily.

Without needing to question it, I knew I wouldn’t be letting go of her for the rest of the night.