Monster A Dark Arranged Marriage Romance - Vanessa Waltz Page 0,76
was so nice. Just like you said, a total gentleman. He took me to an Italian restaurant on the waterfront. Everything was perfect. I’ve never been spoiled like that.” She let out a heartbroken sigh that resonated in my chest. “I’m hoping this craziness dies down so we can go out again. I canceled our second date.”
That was my husband’s fault, too.
“Jennesy, I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. I feel horrible.”
“Don’t blame yourself, babe. There’s nothing you could’ve done to stop him. Guys like Costa can’t be bargained with. He’s damaged goods.”
I opened my mouth, and then shut it. What was the point of defending my husband? Tony’s reputation had taken a nosedive, and swearing to Jennesy that he’d never hurt me didn’t make him an angel.
A baby’s cry broke through the speaker.
“I should get going. Ben’s getting fussy.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Give Ben a kiss for me.”
“Will do. Bye.”
A ringing sense of loss cut through me as I hung up. Visiting my cousin was out of the question, and would be for months. She sure as hell couldn’t visit me. They were probably retaliating against Tony right now.
Wasn’t isolating me from the club his plan?
A vein in my neck pulsed, but grief quickly swallowed my anger. My throat tightened as I imagined five coffins sinking into the ground. The club would never take me back. I’d always felt like an outsider, and I’d never gelled with biker culture, but they were my only family. Tony had ripped away that support forever. I was dependent on a man who didn’t love me.
This was proof.
Tony still thought of us as rats that needed to be exterminated.
I pictured the rage in the clubhouse, the drinking, the utter chaos that these deaths would cause.
For hours, I was glued to the TV. My stomach roiled with nausea that’d stuck with me all day, interrupted by a vicious craving for sweets. I was totally off-kilter. Stress-eating. A vicious headache pounded behind my temples. Light blared from the television, filling the rooms with a pulsing glow. I sat in my chaise, facing the Boston skyline.
The door opened.
“Baby, I’m home.”
His singsong voice landed on my ears like a slap.
I winced, burrowing into Tony’s faux-fur afghan. I had no energy to confront him, but a spike of adrenaline forced my spine to straighten.
A man-shaped silhouette stepped inside, his beauty marred by a pinch in his elegant brows. He grabbed the remote and stabbed the button, shutting off the noise.
Tony fingered balled up tissues littering the coffee table, prowling around until he found me. One look at me all bundled up, and he seemed to get it.
“It takes a monster to kill a monster, Evie.”
“Well, you definitely are one.” Pure acid bubbled from my throat as I fought the urge to launch at him. “What you did was evil. How could you?”
His lips curled in a contemptuous sneer. “I’ve done a lot worse, but this? This isn’t even in the minor leagues of fucked up.”
“You’re proud of that?”
“Absolutely.”
I stumbled from the chair, clutching my stomach as though it’d hold in the hurt. I couldn’t believe I’d admired him. I must’ve been desperate, searching for virtue where there wasn’t any, taken in by his charm, his support, his generosity, his willingness to go the extra mile, but he was deranged.
The fire in his stare dimmed.
He sighed. “Evie, you don’t understand.”
“You have a vendetta against the club. I’m your excuse to maim as many bikers as you can. It’s disgusting, but pretty easy to figure out.”
His nostrils flared, and he tightened his fists. “I honored my part of the deal. All they had to do was leave us the fuck alone, but Jett couldn’t handle that. He just had to undermine me.”
“Tony, you murdered five people.”
“So what? Have you ever heard of Darfur? Hundreds of thousands men, women, and children slaughtered. Did you bat an eye? Did you join Amnesty International? No. I off five piece of shit bikers, and you throw a fit. I feel zero remorse for taking out the trash.”
“So we should kill them all, shouldn’t we?”
“It’s a start,” he said without a hint of sarcasm. “I’ve seen how your people live, Evie. The chain-link fences. No landscaping. Kids running around with no supervision. Nothing to entertain them but a rusted playground. There are prison yards with more charm. It’s fucking sad.”
I threw up my arms. “God forbid we lack the resources for Japanese maple trees on our front lawns!”