Page 42 of Bellona

"Is he always such a grumpy dick?" Rafael asked, making Set laugh.

"No. He's worried about something but doesn't want to admit it," he replied.

Bellona watched Romulus's head finally disappear, but his words lingered. Maybe after Rita was dead, she would take Dionysus up on his offer to borrow his house in Turkey. She liked the idea of sitting on the beach with Rafael beside her and both of them being far, far away from Rome when it finally exploded.

23

That night, Rafael helped Set cook roasted racks of lamb while Bellona supervised from her seat behind the counter. Set and Rafael had decided she needed a night off no matter how pressing matters were, and she didn't like it one bit.

"I still think I should be out, doing something tonight. Rita must have more buildings that I can blow up," she grumbled irritably.

Rafael topped her wine glass. "She does, and they will still be there tomorrow. You got half your side shot out last night and need the break. And you forget I'm the boss because I'm your client, and I say we are having the night off."

Bellona glared at him, but Rafael didn't take it personally. He just glared right back. Set chuckled as he tossed salad ingredients together.

"Don't encourage him, Set. You're meant to be on my side," Bellona complained.

"I'm always on your side, Bells, but he's right. Besides, we are still waiting for Medusa to give us a list of Rita's properties to hit. Is having two handsome men cook you dinner and wait on you so awful?"

Bellona sniffed haughtily and picked up her glass. "One handsome man, who I let get away with entirely too much."

Rafael beamed at her and gave her a plate of charcuterie. She winked at him and ate an olive in a way that made him remember that gorgeous mouth on his dick that morning. God, those lips…

"Do I need to spray you with water like you're a cat in heat? Because I will," Set said, with a grossed-out look on his face.

Bellona replied, "Stop being so dramatic over some light flirting."

"You two eye fucking each other is going to ruin my appetite."

"That's a lie, and you know it. I have seen you eat the nastiest army rations and local wildlife in the world with zero fucks," she pointed out.

Rafael watched them bicker, a grin tugging on his lips. He liked being around them and hearing their stories. As time went on, he'd gotten fewer and fewer friends he could relax and be himself with. Strangely, the people he had finally found to make him feel that way were gods and not human at all.

They were in the middle of eating when Bellona's new cell phone began ringing loudly.

"Leave it," Rafael begged as she checked the caller ID.

"I can't. It's Medusa, and if I don't, she'll hack into the electricity grid and start fucking with the power," Bellona replied and pressed the screen to answer. "Tell me some good news, Serpent Queen."

"It's good news, and yet, I feel like washing my eyes in bleach," Medusa said, disgust lacing every word. "I have a list of properties Rita Costa owns, including a handful buried under shell companies out of Dubai. Lola went full dark web mode and found the site where they have been auctioning people off, including more 'used products' that are cheaper to buy, ranging from house slaves to bodies for snuff films. I swear, Bellona, if you don't kill this bitch and salt the earth with her ashes, I will."

Rafael's stomach churned. "I knew the Costas were bad news, but this..." It was a side of the world he'd never experienced before. Bellona's eyes were glowing with golden fire because she dealt with that kind of horror every day.

"Don't worry, Susa. By the time I'm done with them, there won't be enough to bury," she promised, her voice deadly calm. She focused on Rafael, and the gold shifted back to blue. "I'll make a plan tonight and hit them tomorrow. Rom has offered some men, so we might make it a family affair and hit all the properties at once so she has nowhere left to scurry off to. I need to take the night to rest. Apparently."

"It's good to hear that fine ass man of yours is taking care of you," Medusa said with a wicked laugh.

Bellona's ears went red. "Do you mind? You're on speakerphone."

"I know, and I don't care. You don't think Rafael doesn't know he's hot?"

Rafael shrugged. "Beauty is subjective."

"Ah, huh. All that subjectiveness you have going on is the reason Rita wants to have your babies so badly and Bellona wants to kill anyone who looks at you funny."

"Rita isn't going to lay a finger on him," Bellona hissed and then looked even more embarrassed.

Rafael's heart swelled dangerously. He tried to think of her protectiveness and not Romulus's casual comment about him being her toy. They had talked the previous night in the bath about continuing whatever was happening between them, but that didn't mean Bellona wouldn't tire of him eventually. He would grow old, and she wouldn't. What could he possibly offer her long term?

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