Page 23 of UnWholly Angels
“I’d be trading one monster for another. I’ve heard the stories. Chloe told me everything that went on at the cabin between the three of you,” I stammered.
“The cabin, from what I’ve heard, was your fault. Very naughty to set up someone you claim to love,” he replied seductively.
I swallowed thickly beneath his tightening grip. “Chloe needed a hard dose of reality,” I said softly. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Placing my hand over his wrist, I attempted to peel it off with a challenging grin. “Make me bleed then, I can take it.”
Riley looked impressed by my response. The cold metal of his Rolex knocked against my skin as he adjusted his grip on my throat. He wasn’t hurting me or squeezing hard enough to cut off my oxygen, but the potential was there, and we both knew it. After a minute, he dropped his hand, standing up straight and smoothing his shirt down.
“You know nothing about the person I’ve become, Maya. If you think I could hurt Chloe for sport, then I can’t wait to play with you, too. Now go pack, we’ll be leaving soon.” His tone was bored as he ended our conversation, dismissing me like a child after an argument.
I clenched my jaw but knew better than to argue. Turning to leave the kitchen, I paused, glancing back over my shoulder. “What did you do with the money?”
“From the auction?” he asked, and I nodded. “I donated it,” he replied with a smirk. “Back to my pocket as services rendered.”
Chapter Nine
Riley
Maya skipped up the stairs, the creak of each step matching her movements. Our conversation was a whirlwind, causing the same whiplash I'd felt when she reeled back and attempted to put me in my place. The stinging pain lingering on my cheek reminded me of how sexy it was, and a fucked-up part of me wanted to feel it again. She still had fire in her, and I was grateful Rocco hadn’t snuffed it out completely. She was in for a rude awakening, though. Coming home with me would be nothing short of painful if she thought things would just snap back into place.Am I telling myself that, or trying to mentally communicate that with her?
Rocking back on my heels, I walked back into the dining area, finding Nick and Chloe staring at me. Anxiety peaked when I realizedalleyes were on me. Even their oldest kid stared at me as she twirled the noodles around her fork.
“Careful, I can see your heart beating out of your chest,” Chloe giggled.
I narrowed my eyes in her direction, but she was right. My exterior had cracked with Maya mere moments ago. Her fiery yet vulnerable remarks infuriated me, and I wanted to punish her. Yet, something told me she would take it with a smile, only to defy me once more when it was over. It would become a vicious cycle, and for the first time, a cycle I knew I'd struggle with. Shit, shesmiledthe moment my hand clasped around her throat. I wasn’t confident about upholding the ‘no strings attached’ part of our arrangement for very long. We had too much history; it would bleed through eventually. Tonight, however, I was choosing to ignore it, shut up, and fake it with a tight lipped smile.
The water still soaked my spot as I carefully took my seat, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was Rocco. He was the reason I’d ended up locked up and losing the most important person in my life. Now, forced to start over, I was afraid of the potential outcomes, none of which being the one I wanted: a peaceful life with Maya at my side.
Shaking my head, I brought my thoughts back to the here and now. “You know, you could have told me what I was dealing with before setting me…usup like this,” I said, my voice so quiet that it was hard to tell if anyone had heard me. Threading my fingers together, I dropped them to the table and pushed aside my food, my appetite long gone. “One of you needs to tell me something, anything really, before that woman reaches the bottom of the stairs again,” I hissed.
“In our defense, we didn’t know how it would turn out when the truth finally came out,” Chloe whisper shouted. “And honestly, you both needed a taste of your own medicine. Consider this a humbling of sorts.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t remember asking you to wedge your way into my life or to teach me a lesson,Mom,” I spat back.
“Oh, grow up Angel.” Chloe shot up from her spot at the table, prepared to go on the defense for Maya. The clearing of a throat from the head of the table interrupted us. My head whipped to Nick, watching as he cleaned off his daughter’s hands calmly.
“Baby, why don’t you put the kids to bed and then help Maya? I need a few minutes to talk with Angel,” he suggested.
As Chloe turned to leave, I decided one more punch to the gut wouldn’t hurt.
“Hey, she wouldn’t haveneededto ask me anything. I have a whole team behind me, and they helped kill that son of a bitch ex of yours. Why didn’t Maya deserve the same?Mywoman deserved the same.”
Rushing out the front door, I growled out my frustration and headed for the garage. My fingers twitched at my side as more thoughts ran through my head. I should've known Rocco would dig his claws into Maya somehow, and I was selfish for choosing to stay neutral and continuing to think she was dead. I should have listened to the lingering feeling in my gut and followed the trail to her. Now, Maya was nothing more than a shell of herself from all the secrets she’d carried. And part of that was my fault.
Chloe was already broken. It was easy for her to fall into a state where she would be completely in our control and forced to take what we gave within reason. Nick and I gave Chloe what she wanted. But Maya…I wasn’t sure where to even begin, but she would pay for putting me in this predicament. She would pay for lying and hiding from me. She would need to be carefully looked after, though. Who knew what would happen if I ripped her clothes off and sent her running? With how long she’d been under Rocco’s control, I wasn’t sure she knew what a safe word even was.
The layer of ice on the handle of the garage door splintered as I grabbed it, falling loosely to the ground when I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Nick followed closely behind, and as he shut the door behind us, I became increasingly aware of the silence. He walked to the bar and poured two glasses of whiskey over some ice and handed one to me. After last night, I vowed to take it easy, but doubt and unease stirred within me, and I found myself reaching for the glass. At least if I got wasted tonight, I wouldn’t be alone as I crawled on all fours to the bathroom.
Nick cleared his throat, ripping me from my thoughts. “Look,” he piped up, “before Chloe and I set this up, I had no idea how serious the situation really was. We thought it would be nice for you two to reconnect in an unconventional way…” he trailed off, avoiding my gaze.
I swirled the ice in my glass, focusing on thetinkit made each time it hit the side. “But…” I prompted, needing him to finish the thought.
Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “He had her prostituting herself and running drugs.”
“So, my question still stands. Why didn’t anyone think of stepping in sooner? You should have told me. I risked everything to help you.” I replied with a darkened expression. “That wasn’t the first time she showed up at your house like that, was it? That should have been taken as a cry for help. You should have done more.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but this is the first time she’s been brave enough to stay. If anything, give her that win,” Nick replied calmly, staring into his drink to avoid the disappointed look on my face. “According to Chloe, she’s got kilos of coke and a phone hidden somewhere with other evidence that would bring his whole operation down. But she won’t tell us anything else. Angel, I don’t know much about Rocco Vitale, but my brother spoke about him a lot. He was obsessed with workingwith him and was willing to hand Chloe to Rocco on a silver platter for a piece of that action. From the way Maya has been injured and passed around, you and I both know if that man gets ahold of her, it’s game over. You will never find her. You willneversee her again.”
My stomach sank at the thought of Maya wanting to scream for help in a crowded room of people but never being brave enough to. But, my emotions were also valid, and there were better ways to go about our reunion.
