Pain and anger swirl in Aiden’s eyes, but it’s Bianca who answers my question as she locks their fingers together against her bulging stomach. “We didn’t know until after.”
“Oh no.” Piper gasps, the horror clear in her voice. “That must’ve made a frightening experience even worse, to learn something so huge after the fact.”
“I don’t know about frightening, but it was a fucking shock. I did feel bad I killed a few men and my brother’s girlfriend while pregnant, but I’d do it again if I had to.”
What she’s saying falls right in line with what I suspected—she’s fucking deadly—but I guess Piper had no idea, as she doesn’t utter a peep. “And you think you can keep Piper safer than my own men?” I ask, addressing Bianca this time.
“If it comes down to it, I won’t let anyone fucking touch her,” she says, pulling a small chrome gun with a bee etched on it from a strap on her thigh. “I’m always prepared.”
“Of course you are, baby, but you’re not killing any-fucking-one,” Aiden interrupts, glaring her way. “I have men in the building who’ll protect Piper with their lives, as if she’s one of us.”
“I’m supposed to just trust your guards?” I ask, ready to deny this bullshit on the spot. Leaving men I don’t know in charge of Piper’s safety is much too fucking far out of my comfort zone.
Aiden shrugs as if he doesn’t care one way or the other. “You’re welcome to leave any guards you see fit, but they’ll stay in the fucking hallway. Bee will only put up with so much fucking protection.”
“Besides, I don’t know your fucking men, so they damn sure aren’t coming into my house,” Bianca says, her cold eyes glaring at me.
I stay silent while my brain and heart do battle. As a hardened mob Boss, I want to stand the fuck up and tell them to go to hell while dragging Piper out the door, but as a man who loves his girl more than anything, the idea of an extra layer of protection is tempting. It all boils down to fucking trust, something I’m not sure I can give.
“Look, Simone, you can either leave her here with me or not. I frankly don’t give a shit either way. I like Piper, but I’m not going to fucking beg you,” Bianca says, apparently fed the fuck up with my indecision.
“You don’t have to beg,” Piper says, giving me a chastising glare. “It’s me we’re discussing, and I’d love to sit here with you, Bianca.”
“Great! I have a few new designs that you’d fit perfectly. You can be my model while they go do mob shit,” Bianca says excitedly.
“What the fuck?” I mutter as I stand and grab Piper’s elbow. “Excuse us. We need to have a private goddamn discussion.”
“Good luck with that, fucker.” Aiden chuckles as I start to drag Piper away.
I shift my glare from Piper to him, but the teasing glint in his eye tells me he’s been here before. “Whatever,” I mumble as I march Piper to the far end of the room.
By the time we make it to the door, Piper’s fed up. She snatches her elbow from my grasp and turns on me with fire in her eyes. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Dante?”
“Me?” I whisper-yell as I palm my chest. “You’re the one agreeing to stay here with someone you fucking barely know!”
She. Rolls. Her. Fucking. Eyes. “There’s distrust and there’s insanity. I believe you may have crossed the line into the latter.” I take a deep breath through my nose to keep from losing my shit, and she steps closer, her stiff stance softening. “Dante, you’re about to enter a meeting with some of the most powerful and ruthless men in America. Why wouldn’t you want an ally in the room with you?”
I toss my head back and pinch the bridge of my nose, taking deep breaths to keep from screaming at this infuriating woman. When I’m sufficiently calm, I roughly pull her against my chest. “Fuck the meeting. Fuck an ally.” I hug her tighter before gripping her arms and pushing her back so she can see my eyes. “Your safety is all I care about right now, and you’ve just handed yourself over to them. What if they’re not our allies, Piper? What if this is all a fucking trap to get you away from me and into the hands of Miami?”
She shakes her head sadly. “Can you look at me and honestly tell me that’s what you think this is about?”
“No,” I admit begrudgingly, casting a glance to the couple who’re bickering among themselves across the room. “Lorenzo says Aiden has his own issues with Miami, so I’m more inclined to trust him when it comes to them, but that’s business. You’re my everything, so that makes this harder.”
“And I love that you protect me so ferociously,” she says, palming my cheek. “But in this instance, you’re only ramming into a brick wall. You can station your men outside the door, but I’m staying with Bianca, and that’s final.”
Even though her words cut me to the quick, her soft eyes tell me she doesn’t want it to be that way. She truly believes the offer is genuine, and she’s made her decision based on how she feels, so I respond with my own overwhelming emotions on full display. I grip the back of her neck and pull her lips to mine for a punishing kiss. It’s filled with anger, frustration, fear, and more love than I know what to do with.
When I’m done, I jerk away, leaving only a breath of space between us. “You better be fucking safe when I come for you,” I rasp, stepping back and reaching inside my jacket. I pull out a small fixed-blade knife with
