Page 128 of Devious Kingpin
CHAPTER51
Juliette
Dante had been sitting at the bar for the past two hours, his gaze burning into the back of my head. Goose bumps rose on my skin, running down my arms. I didn’t need to turn around to see that he was staring. I could feel the intensity of his laser-focused stare as if he were touching me, electrifying me.
I forced myself to avert my eyes. His attention might have been exclusively on me, but I refused to give him my own, so I made a point to appear aloof and take in my surroundings instead. Honestly, I worried his burning gaze would weaken my resolve.
“So how long will this last?” Wynter asked. I shrugged my shoulders, taking a sip of my water. “Have you talked to him since—” Wynter’s voice trailed off, noting my glare.
“Talk to him about what?” I hissed under my breath. “The fact that he drugged me? That he forced me to marry him?” Wynter’s gaze drifted away from me uncomfortably. “Please don’t tell me that I should forgive him,” I uttered exasperatedly.
Wynter could be too sweet sometimes. We both grew up in a similar environment, but where she was always calm and collected, I was rash. Or maybe I’d become rash somewhere along the way because I had to deal with my anger issues on my own.
“I didn’t say that. It’s just that… well, you seemed to be happy and you’ve been raving about how sweet he is. Then just like that, you shut him out? Maybe you should talk it out.”
I narrowed my eyes on her. “So you think I should forgive him?”
Wynter just shrugged, her curls bouncing. With her pregnancy, I swore she had even more hair. Her face glowed, and every time I saw Basilio with her, his hand was on her belly like it was a crystal ball. It was annoying as fuck.
“Well, I don’t think you should just end it,” Wynter replied diplomatically.
“Of course you don’t,” I remarked wryly. “You were fine with your husband kidnapping you, instead of kicking him in the balls.”
I was being a bitch, I knew it. But wasn’t it time that we stood up for ourselves? These men, mafia or not, couldn’t just do whatever the fuck they felt like and expect us to fall in line. How would they like it if we drugged them? Kidnapped them?
An idea flickered to life—so deliciously wicked—but I quickly pushed it away. Except, it remained lingering in the dark, fucked-up corner of my mind. To give back what he had given me. Except, I didn’t think I could do it. It was a violation of my free will. If I did it to him, it’d be a violation of his free will and it didn’t sit well with me.
“Why don’t you tell me why you are really upset?” Wynter asked calmly. “Yes, I admit, it was wrong of him to do that. But he didn’t hurt you.” The old panic suffocated my throat, slithered through my veins. It took only one night to make a different person out of me. It changed me forever. “Jules, talk to me. Please.”
A shudder rolled down my spine as I met my cousin’s eyes. Everything about Wynter made you want to smile. I didn’t see that same light in myself. Only darkness. And heavy secrets that dragged me down for far too long.
“Remember when—” I swallowed, my gulp audible. “First year of high school, I went to a school party hosted by one of the families without you.” Wynter waited, watching me. “There was no alcohol. Just dancing. Some boys and girls. I don’t know.” I pushed my trembling hand through my hair, then got mad at myself for being weak. Too sensitive. “Three boys slipped something into my drink. Then dragged me into a bedroom.”
It was as far as I could go. She’d get the picture.
My cousin’s hand came to mine and she squeezed it. “Oh my gosh, Jules.” She shook her head, squeezing my hand so hard, it turned purple. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I swept my tongue across my bottom lip. “I was ashamed. Scared. Maybe even in denial. I couldn’t believe it happened to me.”
“Who did it?” she hissed. “Basilio and Dante will—”
“They’re dead,” I told her calmly. “I killed two of them. Dante killed the third.”
Surprise washed over her expression and she blinked in confusion. “Dante knows?” I nodded. “He knew about the drugs and he drugged you?”
I shook my head. “No, he learned… afterwards.”When I couldn’t sleep with him.I kept that piece of information to myself. “Don’t tell Dad. Or your mom.” She shook her head, her curls bouncing. “Don’t tell anyone about any of this,” I added.
I didn’t want anyone going after Dante. That was reserved only for me. And it turned out, I didn’t have the stomach to torture him.You don’t have the stomach or the heart to torture him?my mind asked, mockingly.
Silence stretched.
“Well, there are two options as I see them,” Wynter answered, interrupting the silence. “You can work it out with him and set some boundaries. Or you can live a separate life and never have a relationship with another man.” When my eyebrows shot up to my hairline, she chuckled softly. “He’ll never allow you to have another man. You realize that, right?”
I grumbled. “Well, then he can suffer and not have another woman.” I knew I was proving my stubbornness but I was past caring.
“Okay, whatever you say, Jules.”
She didn’t believe it. By the look on my cousin’s face, I could tell she thought eventually Dante would get another woman. A mistress.
