Page 2 of Revenge & Truth

Braxton and Jace have been right on Astin’s heels since she stepped through the fucking door. Ryker had history, even if it was bad history, and it gave him a leg up. Atticus and Astin seemed to have a strange and beautiful connection. She saw him for who he truly was, which created a tight bond. Fuck, even Hound, the newest member of our strange family, had a leg up on me. He had the privilege of knowing Astin while she was in hiding.

None of that mattered, though, because I saw the value of earning Astin’s trust, no matter how long it took. Once she gave it to a person, there were no lengths she wouldn’t go to protect them. Luca was a perfect example of this.

Getting him out of jail and his record cleared was her sole focus even as she dealt with the day-to-day things for the Family. She’d made it crystal clear to Hound and me that we were to take whatever lengths necessary to make it happen. We had to be careful with our tactics since we didn’t know who was really behind this. Hound and I agreed there was more going on than just a cop wanting to take on the Caprioni Family.

“I can do this for you, but it won’t be today.” I held up a hand to stop her from speaking before I finished explaining. “Even though I’m his lawyer, Luca is in solitary confinement. He’s under such heavy restrictions, even I’m limited to seeing him once every other day. They’re doing everything they can to break him, so he talks and admits his guilt.”

“That’s the other thing I need,” she commented.

“Getting Luca to admit guilt? Or do you mean getting him to talk?” I questioned, not following her train of thought.

“Talk,” she answered succinctly.

“I need him to tell me where he stashed Melony. Luca never planned to leave her wherever she is, and I need her alive. Well, at least alive long enough to give the cops reasonable doubt and something else to chase. She’s the one who fucking shot the mayor in the first place. So if we can prove it with the gun Luca stashed in the same place she is, everything will be put right. They’re dragging their feet because they can’t find Melony or the gun, so they’ve pinned it all on Luca,” Astin pointed out, her voice becoming increasingly heated as she spoke. “We don’t even have Gunner to give a statement. Not that it would have helped matters since he’d have then been charged as an accessory.”

I paused, hearing her mention Gunner. His name hadn’t come up much in the past two weeks, and none of us wanted to bring it up if she wasn’t going to. Now that she’d opened the door, I took the chance to check on her.

“Are you going to his funeral?” I questioned softly.

Astin chose to call what happened with Gunner what it was—a suicide. She informed his mother about the situation and took the time to answer all of her questions. The strength she displayed talking to his mother and holding her when she came to the house to pick up his personal things was awe-inspiring. If I were in her situation, having lost so much, I don’t think I could have been any help to another grieving person. Yet, there stood our Mistress and queen of the Caprioni Family caring for her people. The funeral was taken care of in full, as well as a large sum of money given to the grieving mother from a made-up life insurance policy. Somehow, Astin knew his mother wouldn’t take charity, but if she believed her son had wanted to provide for her in the event of his death, that was another story.

“No,” she whispered. Her eyes dropped to stare at her hands, where she picked at her thumb, making the skin around her nail bleed. “I don’t think I can hold it together knowing what my family did to him. It’s my fault he’s dead, so showing up would be an insult to him.”

Anger at her words flared through me. I shot to my feet and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at me with those stunning emerald eyes. Normally, they were unflinching, full of determination and strength, but right now, I’d never seen a more vulnerable expression on her face, and it broke my heart.

“None of what you just said is true,” I stated. “First of all, those two who claimed to be your uncles were no family of yours. The moment they betrayed your father is the second they cut themselves off from any right to claim the Caprioni name. Secondly, you had nothing to do with Gunner’s death. Yes, what happened to him was tragic and an unfortunate side effect of the world we live in. Astin, if it wasn’t you, it could have been Ryker or hell, even me, your uncles perceived as a threat to take out. This won’t be the last time good people are lost along the way toward your rise to greatness. But understand one thing...” I paused, searching her gaze to see if my words were pushing past her guilt. I knew she heard me when I saw the small glimmer of that natural stubbornness coming back.

“We knew what choosing you meant, and I bet my life on the fact every one of us by your side would make that same choice time and time again.”

Surprise made her eyes widen slightly at my words. “How do you know that?”

“Because we bare your mark,” I answered, lifting the hand I cut when giving my oath. “This is just the physical representation of your hold on all of your lieutenants. You claimed our souls, hearts, and bodies, Astin. Say the word, and we’ll do whatever it takes to keep you alive and safe, even if that means giving our lives for it.”

Understanding bloomed in her expression seconds before she snatched my face and slammed her lips to mine. I gave myself to her willingly, but I didn’t read more into this than meeting my Mistress’ needs. It would be too easy to believe this was a sign she wanted me as much as I wanted her. Better to keep up what’s left of the crumbling walls around my heart than to have it ripped to shreds at her rejection.

She nipped at my lower lip, demanding I deepen the kiss which I did eagerly, losing my resolve just as quickly as I decided on it. The slim chance I had of holding back came crashing down when she wrapped her legs around me and pulled me tight against her. This had her skirt hiking up, and only a bit of lace and my dress pants kept us from touching. My cock was hard as steel, knowing everything I ever wanted was right there for the taking if I was brave enough. She ground against me, making me moan into her mouth as she gave a breathy chuckle.

“Undo your pants,” Astin ordered.

My mind screamed at me to do as she directed, but my heart clenched with worry. I pulled back slightly to see her face, trying to get a read on this damn woman who was about to own every last bit of my being if I continued.

“Is this what you want?” I asked after clearing my throat. “More so, does this mean you want me? I’m not like the others. I can’t keep my emotions separate from sex, from you. I need to know this means something more to you than seeking comfort in the moment.”

Astin pulled back, but her hands didn’t fall from my shoulders. “That’s a fair question, but it’s not one I have an answer to.”

I nodded and kissed her sweetly on the lips. “Then I think it’s best for both of us if we know the answer before we go further.” A harsh laugh escaped me. “I must be fucking mental for saying no right now when all I want to do is flip you over, yank off those lace panties, and fuck the shit out of you.”

Astin’s breath hitched at my words, making my cock ache with the need to act on my fantasy. At this point, I think I’d come just from thrusting into her with how jacked up I was. Yet, it was clear to me it wasn’t the time for us, but there would be a right moment now that she knew how I felt.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, reaching out to cup my face. “That was unfair of me to do to you. Daddy told me about your mother and how she used you solely to gain public favor. That’s not what I want between us, so you were right to call me on it. In fact, it might have just made you my favorite for the day.”

Snorting, I pulled back and took my seat once more. “Have the others figured out that’s what you’re doing with the seating arrangement?”

I’d picked up on it over the past two weeks when people were getting shuffled around to different places at the table every day. Noticing it, I paid attention to those who got moved and to where and then accounted for what else happened during the day.

“Nope,” she said with a grin on her face. “You’re the only one. It’s far more fun to know you know, though.”

I returned her grin with a smirk. “My bet’s on Hound or Ryker figuring it out next since they hate being at the end of the table so far away from you.”