Page 20 of Unspoken Ties

Ettore didn’t bother wasting his breath on a response. With a fierce grip on the back of Dillon’s head, he drove his face forcefully into the cold, unforgiving surface of the sink. A resounding thud echoed through the room as Dillon crumpled to the floor, unconscious from the blow. Blood leaked from his nose and it was now positioned in an awkward angle, and early signs of bruises began to bloom.

“Did you…” I uttered, breaking the silence in the room. “Kill him?”

“Nah,” he responded. “I’d like to, but that’d cause too many problems. Hopefully, he gets the hint and stays away from you.”

I nodded, my chest still heaving with the terror of what had just transpired.

“Let’s go,” he said, tilting his head towards the bathroom door.

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode out, leaving me alone with the unconscious body of Dillon. I took one last look at him before following Ettore out of the bathroom.

As I stepped into the warmer air of the hallway, I noticed that the congregation hall was eerily silent. The once bustling room was now devoid of any life, like everyone had just evaporated into thin air. Everyone except for Ettore’s men, who stood guard around the room, their eyes narrowed and alert.

Ettore walked ahead of me, each of his steps measured and confident. I followed behind him, my heart pounding against my ribcage. As he opened the main door, the late afternoon sun bathed the room in a warm glow, casting elongated shadows across the polished wooden floor. His silhouette, tall and foreboding, was highlighted against the backdrop of the deserted street outside.

As we stepped out onto the cobblestones, I glanced back at the church. The funeral goers had all left, and it was devoid of any life.

“Y’know, I heard something as I was walking into the bathroom,” he said, the corner of his lip twitching upwards.

“Hm?” I responded.

“If I heard you correctly, I think you said ‘I like Ettore,’” he continued, the smirk now fully stretching across his face.

“N-not like that!” I sputtered, my face turning bright red. “I just meant I like being married to you better.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You are so full of yourself,” I scoffed. “I’d rather be married to an alien than Dillon.”

“You meet a lot of aliens?”

The banter continued between the two of us as we treaded along the cobblestone streets, the severity of the situation gradually fading. Every word he spoke, every retort he threw at me, was a palpable relief to my nerves.

“Not as much as I meet jerks like you,” I said, nudging him playfully in the ribs.

“A jerk who just saved your life,” he reminded me.

“A jerk who created the situation to begin with.”

Ettore shrugged nonchalantly, not denying my claim. “Think you can stand me long enough to get home?” he asked, slowing his pace.

I looked at him, studying his face. His eyes were on me, waiting for my answer. I didn’t have to think.

“Yes,” I said, smiling. It was genuine this time; the first truly genuine smile since I’d been forced into this absurdity of a marriage. “Yes, I think I can.”

Chapter ten

Ettore

Ishould have been getting work done, but instead I was sitting in my office chair, looking out of the window. Every muscle in my body tensed as I had watched that scumbag lay his hands on Liria yesterday. The rage I felt wasn’t just fueled by my duty to protect her, it was a primal instinct to defend and keep safe from what was mine.

No matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn’t deny the feeling of jealousy boiling inside of me. But this was supposed to be an arranged marriage; I shouldn’t be feeling this way.

“Ugh,” I said, no one around to hear it except a fake potted plant.

I turned grimly from the window and faced my desk, strewn with paperwork and notes. “Work,” I muttered to no one in particular, pushing the memories of last night to the back of my mind and dragging my mind into the present.

A knock at my door jolted me from my dark thoughts. A welcomed distraction, no doubt. I called out a gruff, “Come in,” not bothering to mask my agitation.

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