CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

BELLA

Nico takes my hand and walks me to the door. He glances at me, and pulls my hand to his lips and kisses my palm softly.

“Let’s start with breathing, shall we?”

A very pregnant woman opens the door, with an ear-to-ear grin, and when she throws her hands around Nico’s back, it’s clear she must be Athena. The grumbling man behind her must be Bones. I saw him at the graveyard once, but I didn’t get a good look since I was running for my life. He is handsome like Nico, but his hair is a lighter color. He’s wearing a black dress shirt and matching pants, but I notice the skulls tattooed on his hands. The most notable thing about his appearance is the scowl on his face.

“Get your fucking hands off my wife.”

Nico turns to him. “Hey, Dick.”

“If you’re going to work for the family, you’ll need to learn some respect,” he says as we step inside.

Nico smirks at him. “Mr. Dick? Sir Dick? Dick Sir?”

The woman smacks him in the chest and giggles. “Reaper, behave. Don’t get him wound up, because I’m the one that will have to deal with it.”

He grins in response and says, “Athena, this is Bella. Bella, this is my favorite sister-in-law, Athena, and her dickhead husband, Bones.”

I grab his arm. “Nico, stop.”

“Fine.”

He turns to his brother. “Where are Kage and Psycho?”

Standing in the living room, Bones places his hand on his wife’s stomach in a sweet way, and somehow I know it’s at odds with how he is with anyone else .

“In the office, join them, and I’ll be right there.”

Nico kisses me on the cheek.

“I’ll see you in a bit, baby. Trust me, you’ll love Athena.”

He walks up a spiral staircase as I watch him, and feel insecure, as Bones stares at me with what I’ve decided looks exactly like Nico’s death eyes. Walking over to me, he narrows his gaze at me, while he crosses his arms over his chest.

“I hear you’ve taken up the hobby of killing people, like my little brother.”

Nodding silently, I don’t say more, because I know better. Something about him tells me you only speak when spoken to in his presence, and Nico is out of earshot.

“Let me be clear, living dead girl.”

I shudder at the way he says Nico’s nickname for me. It’s nothing like when Nico says it, and I don’t like it.

“If you touch one hair on my wife’s head, I guarantee you, I will break every fucking bone in your body. When you beg for death, I’ll break them all again. Do we understand each other?”

His wife gasps beside me. “Luca.”

Raising my gaze, I glare back at him. He doesn’t know me, but I don’t like being threatened.

“I love your brother, and I’m not so disrespectful to come into his brother’s home and hurt his family. Think what you want about me, but I’m not the monster you’ve decided I am. If you’d prefer, I can wait for Nico in the car.”

“Nonsense!” Athena interjects.

“Luca, you go to your meeting, and I’ll be fine here with Bella. If Reaper says she’s safe, then she is. He would never put me in danger.”

He kisses her quickly.

“I can have security here, just in case.”

She shakes her head. “Luca, stop. Please. ”

After he kisses her again, he walks away and joins the other men in his office.

“Sorry about that. He’s a little much with my safety, and it’s gotten worse since I got pregnant.”

She takes my hand and pulls me further into the living room, and to the sofa, and we both sit. They say pregnant women glow, and she really does. Athena has long dark hair, and pretty blue eyes that immediately remind me of Nico, which might sound disturbing, but I am careful not to compliment her on them.

“Luca says he thinks things are serious between you two. Are they?”

I nod with a smile.

“They are.”

She claps her hands excitedly.

“I’m so happy. Reaper is a loving man, even though he doesn’t see it. I’ve known since I met him. Because of the things he does, people think he only has darkness in his heart, but I’m guessing you also know that’s not the case.”

I smile as I think about him.

“He is my entire world, and I don’t think I could survive without him.”

Athena rubs her belly, as she stares down and smiles at the life inside her.

“I saw the way he looked at you. I don’t think you need to be worried about being without him.”

“When are you due?”

She giggles softly.

“Six weeks, and I can’t wait to get this baby out.”

Suddenly, loud voices travel from upstairs, followed by heavy footsteps. I look up and see a furious glare on Nico’s face. He storms toward me.

“Bella. Now. We’re leaving. Athena, I’m sorry. ”

I get up and walk over to him to ask what’s going on, when the other three come down the stairs. Bones growls, “Goddamn it, Reaper. We aren’t done.”

Nico gives him the same growl back.

“We are done. Fuck you. Fuck this family. I’m done!”

I glance at Bones, and his expression is full of pain. It’s heartbreaking, even if I don’t know what’s going on.

“I didn’t fucking know.”

Nico takes my hand in his, and tightens his hold around mine painfully, pulling me to the door as Bones’ loud voice booms through the entryway.

“I didn’t fucking know!”

Without turning around, Nico says, “I’m a Bonetti in name only. You have two brothers now. Leave me alone.”

Taking a look back, I see Athena standing with her hand over her mouth like she’s horrified, and I agree with her, although I don’t know why.

Whatever happened in there is going to change everything.