Page 60 of Beautiful Scar

“Would you mind if I came downstairs and helped you wash the dishes?”

His eyebrows raise in surprise. I don’t like that look, but I keep my chin up and my spine straight. Despite what Tigran says when he’s buried between my legs, I’m still a proper woman who does the right thing.

“You really don’t have to do that,” he says, tilting his head to the side.

“I just haven’t been out of my rooms in a while, and I was thinking—” I deflate slightly. He’s right; this is silly. I’m Tigran’s wife, and it’s not my place to do household chores, right? I should let his staff do their jobs and stay out of the way. I’d just be annoying and distracting anyway.

“I would be happy if you came down to help,” Vito says kindly.

“Really? I mean, great, that’s great. Should we, uh, go now?” I slurp down my coffee, groan when I burn my tongue, and shove a piece of toast in my mouth. “I’m ready,” I mumble.

Vito laughs and helps me carry the remains of my breakfast down into the main kitchen. There isn’t much to clean up, but I help him by washing a few pots and pans leftover from dinner the night before.

Some of the guards lurk nearby. I notice them on the edges of the kitchen. They’re Arsen’s men, and he swears they’re loyal only to him, but they’re still strangers in my space, and they make me uncomfortable. I don’t complain, though—they’re here for myprotection. Vito must notice, and he goes over to tell the men to stand out of sight.

“Thank you,” I say, feeling embarrassed and pathetic. “I’m sorry I’m such a pain.”

“You are far from a pain, dear,” he says lightly, patting my hand before passing me another cooking sheet to wash. “I haven’t seen Tigran this happy since I started working for him.”

I try to putTigranandhappyinto my head at the same time and fail utterly. That man is either rabidly fucking me or glaring at everything. There’s no in-between.

“How long have you worked for him?” I ask instead, not willing to think about Tigran’s feelings for me. This thing is strictly professional, no matter what Vito might say.

“Six years now,” he says, drying a pot with a towel. We work together as we talk, and it’s surprisingly comfortable. “I retired from my old position, and Tigran offered to give me a new kind of job. We found it was mutually beneficial, and here I am.”

I glance at the old Italian man and study him. Vito moves with practiced efficiency, gliding around the kitchen with ease.

Despite his age, he’s much nimbler than he lets on.

“Do you like it here?” I ask him.

He nods happily. “Very much. I find it peaceful, quite honestly. Tigran is a good man, despite what he wants the world to think. We were enemies of a sort once, you know.”

“Really? And now he trusts you enough to keep you in his house?”

Vito laughs and leans against the counter. “Funny how life goes. When he was young, Tigran was a troublemaker. I operated a very large network of brothels, and he was a regular.”

I drop a dish, and it clatters into the sink. I curse, fishing it out, and gape at the old man. He’s smiling kindly, as if he just mentioned getting the early bird special at the Cracker Barrel, not his past life as a pimp.

“You… how… I mean, what?” My cheeks are burning red, and I’m having trouble making sense of all this.

“It’s in the past, my dear, but it’s the truth. Back then, Tigran must’ve been fifteen at most. He had a scheme going where he’d sell my girls things they needed, like packs of stolen condoms, pregnancy tests, razors, and other little necessary items. But one day, he had a falling out with a girl over payment, and he decided to take the money from me instead.”

I’m having trouble imagining fifteen-year-old Tigran selling condoms to hookers and stealing money from pimp Vito, but I nod along like this is a totally reasonable story. “What did you do?”

“When I found out, I tried to have him beaten. How could I let him get away with that and still maintain my respect in the city? But Tigran was crafty and evaded me for weeks until finally, he turned himself over. He stood in my office, chin held high, and told me that he didn’t regret it, that my girl owed him and that meant I owed him by extension, and he’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“Oh my god. That’s insane. You must’ve been livid.”

“I was,” Vito says, nodding and smiling fondly. “But also impressed. Tigran owned up to his choice and showed real guts that day.”

“Did you let him go?”

“Absolutely not. I beat him bloody. But after that, we respected each other.” Vito touches my shoulder lightly. “Tigran’s a prideful man, but he’s an honest one. I believe he’s lost his way these last few years, but with you in the house, maybe he’ll find himself again.”

“I hope so,” I say, feeling at a loss. “But wait, you said you retired, right?”

“A former associate runs the girls these days, but I keep in touch with them. I’m something of a spymaster now.” His eyes twinkle with amusement. “I buy and sell information the girls pump out of their customers. I apologize for being crude about it.”

---