A Sinner’s Truth (De Bellis Crime Family Book 5)
A Sinner’s Truth: Chapter 22

Despite Eloise’s best efforts to convince me to go back to the De Bellis mansion with her, I choose to carry on with my original plan for the day. It’s not my fault that Santo showed up drunk off his ass, talking about his dead fiancée.

He told me he’d come with me to my father’s office, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to have him there smelling like a bar. I’m also not going to put my day on hold by waiting around for him. I’m not that wife.

I understand his guilt. I do. But this push and pull he’s doing with me has to stop. He either wants to explore sex with me or not. I don’t care which it is. I’ve gone my whole life without good sex. I can continue to do so.

My mind replays the orgasms he’s already managed to drag out of me with just his fingers and tongue. Damn it. Why did he have to go and do that?

The Uber driver pulls to a stop in front of my father’s building. It’s a huge skyscraper. The name Swan stares down at me in big red letters from across the top. My heart picks up speed as I exit the car and enter the building. I’m surprised when my security badge actually works. I was half-expecting my father to have completely blocked my entrance.

A crowd of people surrounds me as I ride the elevator up, yet I’ve never felt more alone in my life. I pull my phone from my bag, bring up Drew’s name, and type out a text.

I roll my eyes. He adds a winky face emoji onto the end of his message. Idiot.

I shove my phone back into my bag, and as soon as I walk into my office, I know something is off. There’s also a huge bouquet of red roses sitting in the middle of my desk. I walk around and pluck the white card from the top.

Aria,

You took what belongs to me. I’m coming to get it back.

There isn’t a signature or a name to identify the sender. Chills run up my spine. I don’t know why but I feel like I’m being watched. I look up at all the corners of the office. My father has very high-tech security in the building, but he’s always insisted there were no cameras in this office. Right now, though, I definitely get the feeling there are.

I shove the card into my bag and collect the few little ornaments I had on my desk that I want to keep. I’m not happy to be leaving this place. I really like my job here. Maybe I can come back after the year. I’m still my father’s only heir. Unless he writes me out of his will, I will inherit this company. One day.

I’m tempted to go up to the top floor where his office is and see him. Maybe he’s had a change of heart. Maybe he can see how trying to force me to marry someone for the benefit of a business deal wasn’t okay. That said, I don’t think I’m ready to actually face him alone yet. So, instead of seeing my father, I go and say goodbye to each person I’ve worked closely with over the last year, promising to stay in touch.

I don’t know if it’s an empty promise. I always got the impression that I was welcomed and liked for my hard work. But when you’re the boss’s daughter, there’s always that doubt in the back of your head that the staff is only being nice to you because they want to keep their jobs.

When I get to the café, Drew is already there waiting for me, a huge pair of dark sunglasses covering half his face. Whatever he did last night, he’s paying for it now. I shake my head. This is a recurring thing with my best friend. He’s a big partier. Me? Not so much. I love to go out and dance, but I have to be in the right mood for it.

“Hey, thanks for meeting me.” I bend and kiss his cheek.

Drew stands, his arms circle my waist, and he holds me so freaking tight. “You good?” he says, finally letting me go and sitting back down.

“Mhmm.” I nod my head and pick up the menu. I already know what’s on it, though.

“What’s wrong? Did that arsehole do something?” Drew asks me.

“Other than give me the best orgasms of my entire life? No.” My cheeks heat up, but I can finally pay Drew back for all the times he’s made me listen as he went into detail about his sexcapades. I’ve never had any of my own to write home about, so to speak. But now I do, and the screwed-up expression on Drew’s face as he removes his glasses is worth every bit of embarrassment I’m feeling right now.

“Ew, I do not need those visuals, Aria.” He shakes his head, as if it’ll help purge the images from his mind.

“What? You always tell me about your sex life.” I shrug.

“That’s because it’s me, not you. You might as well tell me my nana has a sex life,” he says.

“She did make your mother at some point. She had to have sex for that to happen.” I laugh.

“Did you bring me here to torture me?” Drew deadpans.

“No, I brought you here to brag about the amazing orgasms I finally got.” I smirk.

“Kill me now. Okay, let’s hear it. What he do to rock your world?” Drew waves a hand in a rolling motion, his way of telling me to get on with it.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” The waitress stops by our table. Although her question is aimed at both of us, her eyes are solely on Drew. I’m used to this, though. And Drew? He loves the attention.

“I’ll have a latte, full-cream milk. She’ll have an English breakfast tea, skim.” Drew gives her our usual order. After she walks away, he turns to me. “Okay, out with it. What makes him so good?”

I smile. The thoughts of everything Santo did to me, the pleasure he brings me, have my thighs clenching together. “Okay, we haven’t actually had sex yet,” I admit.

“You haven’t had sex yet?” Drew deadpans. “What did you do?”

“He… well… you know.” My words are whispered. I can’t say them out loud.

“No, I don’t know. What’d he do?” Drew laughs, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

“He used his fingers… and his tongue,” I say.

“That’s it?” Drew asks.

I nod. The waitress comes and places our drinks in front of us.

Drew waits for her to leave again before continuing his interrogation. “Why haven’t you had sex yet? And I thought this was a fake marriage?”

“It is fake. We are just making the most of it, I guess. Santo has this thing about being exclusive. We either use each other for sex or we go without,” I tell Drew.

He lifts an incredulous brow. “You really think he’s going to go without sex for a year if you decide you don’t want to?”

I know he will. Santo told me he hasn’t slept with anyone since his fiancée died. That was a year and a half ago. I believe him. He’d be able to go without it. “He would,” I say with confidence.

“Right.” Drew rolls his eyes.

“Aria, I thought that was you, sissy. What are the odds I’d run into you here?” A large body fills the seat next to mine. Gabe De Bellis, Santo’s brother.

My entire being goes on alert. He’s not here by accident. I don’t think any of the De Bellis brothers do anything by accident. “Where’s Santo? What happened?” I ask him.

Gabe looks at me. I know this easygoing expression on his face is a façade. I can tell he doesn’t actually like me very much. Or he doesn’t like the fact that he’s had to come and find me. “I don’t know where your husband is, dear sister. I figured that’s something you would know,” he says.

“He was with Gio when I left him.” Santo’s fine. Gio’s not going to let anything happen to him. Right?

“Hey. Gabrielle De Bellis, the brother-in-law.” Gabe holds out a hand to Drew.

“Drew, the best friend,” he replies while returning the gesture.

“Sure,” Gabe says a little sarcastically. “I’m heading back to the house. Aria, you need a ride?” Although he makes it sound like a question, I have a feeling it’s anything but.

“Actually, I have things to do, but thanks.” I smile at him, hoping it eases some of the blow.

“No worries.” Gabe stands. He looks at Drew like he wants to wring his neck before he shocks me by bending down to kiss my cheek. “Call your husband. He could use a friend right now,” Gabe whispers.

“Actually, I do need to go back. I’d love a lift. Sorry, Drew. I’ll call you later. Thanks for the tea. Love you.” I hug him briefly, then quickly follow Gabe out of the café.

When I’m closed inside the back of an SUV, I turn to Gabe. “Where is he?” I ask more forcefully than I mean to.

“He’s with Gio, doing a job,” Gabe says.

“Then why am I here? Why do I need to go home with you? And why are you trying to make me think something is wrong with him?”

“He found out basically everything he believed was a lie. He’s not going to deal with it well. And I want to make sure you can handle it,” Gabe tells me as he pulls the car into traffic.

“Handle what?”

“Santo, when he’s at his worst,” he says.

I can’t imagine Santo being that bad. I mean, he’s helping me when he could have easily walked away. He didn’t have to put himself out to save me. “What do you mean at his worst?”

“He’s going to go on self-destruct mode. I don’t know what’s going to pull him back this time, but I’m hoping like fuck it’s you.” Gabe pins me with a look.

Well, way to put the pressure on me.

I don’t think I’m the answer to what he’s searching for, though. I don’t even know Santo that well. How the hell am I supposed to get through to him when I don’t even know what’s wrong with him yet?

What did he find out?