Page 37 of Beautiful Revenge

“That wasn’t an answer.”

He sighs. “He’s still my brother but I will not let him hurt you again.”

“Good. Do that. I’m tired. I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going to bed.”

“You don’t want to talk about what happened?” Dad asks.

“No. Not tonight. Besides, I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it. I just want to sleep in my bed knowing I’m safe again.”

I leave the two men to deal with Finn if he shows back up. Hopefully Finn will see that I’m a lost cause and let me go.

I never want to see him again.

At least that’s what I tell myself. Because the other deep down dark part of me wants to see him again and that’s something that can never happen.

Finn

The moment I return to the cabin I know I fucked up. Aria isn’there.

Because I forgot to tie her to the bed.

Shit, shit, shit. I let my anger over what Zach did to her get to me. I made sure to track down Zach last and murder him. The other men were easy too. I know where each of them live. I just showed up at their houses and bang, bang. They were dead.

Easy fucking peasy.

Except, I forgot about Aria. That never happens to me. I never lose sight of a mission. So why the fuck did it happen now?

The girl means nothing to me. It doesn’t matter if I got upset that Zach tried to kill her or that Jed stuck his dick in her face. She means nothing.

So then why did I get so upset? Why did seeing her afraid and in pain make me see red?

I don’t have the fucking answer for that. What I do know is I need to get Aria back. If I’m going to hurt Dante, she needs to be in my clutches. I’ll have nothing to use against Dante if I don’t have her.

I know exactly where she’ll be going.

I drive back to New York and wait outside her brownstone. Eventually, a cab pulls up to the house and she gets out. I could have taken her right then and there but I’ve chosen to wait.

I want to make a spectacle. It’s a favorite pastime of mine.

I wait until it’s early in the morning. Aria will be asleep in her bed still. Elio will probably be so exhausted from staying up all night waiting for her to come back home that he’ll be off his game. There aren’t any guards out front. What are they waiting for?

Surely they must know that I’m coming back for her.

So what do they have waiting for me in that house?

I approach the house anyway and kick down the door. Stepping inside, I come face to face with my brother.

Aiden is standing in the foyer, his gun raised, ready for me.

Of course it would be Aiden. There’s no one else that can rattle me the way he does.

Well, not until Aria. She’s rattled me when I least expected it.

“You are not going to get her, Finn,” Aiden warns.

“Then shoot me.”

Aiden doesn’t move an inch.

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