A Sinner’s Truth (De Bellis Crime Family Book 5)
A Sinner’s Truth: Chapter 31

Gio smirks. I see the amusement in his eyes while his gaze is focused on the screen to my left that shows the CCTV footage of the house. “Your wife is trying to leave,” he tells me.

My head snaps to the side. And, sure enough, Aria is at the front gates. Arguing with the guys on guard. They’re not letting her through. My phone buzzes in my pocket.

“Hello?” I answer, not taking my eyes off the screen as I stand.

“Santo, your wife wants to leave. Do we let her out?” Franko asks.

“Fuck no. Do not open those fucking gates. I’m coming,” I yell through the phone.

“You holding her hostage now?” Gio lifts a curious eyebrow. It’s clear he’s trying not to laugh.

“Someone killed her father two weeks ago. I’m not letting her out by herself when there’s a possible target on her back,” I tell him.

“So, how’s this fake marriage working out for you?”

“Fucking perfect. It’s not fake anymore.” I smile. I’m fucking proud that Aria is my wife.

“Didn’t think so. You might want to get out there before she hurts one of them.” He nods to the screen, where Aria is shoving at Franko’s chest. The guy’s not stupid. He doesn’t lay a hand on her and just takes the abuse.

By the time I get to the gate, Aria is screaming at the top of her lungs. “Let me the fuck out, idiot! You can’t keep me in here!”

“Going somewhere, darling?” I ask from behind her. She didn’t hear me approach.

She pivots on a heel before I’m greeted with a very pissed-off Aria, and my dick hardens. I know there’s something fucking wrong with me. “I’m going out to meet a friend for lunch and your stupid henchmen won’t let me out!” she hisses. “Why is that, Santo? Are you trying to hold me here against my will?”

I bend at the waist, pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and storm towards the garage. If she’s determined to go out and meet a fucking friend for lunch, then I’m going with her. I don’t want to keep her locked up. I just want to keep her fucking alive.

Aria screams and hits my back the whole trek there. When I set her on her feet again, she stumbles into me before catching herself and shoving at my chest. “What the hell, Santo? I’m not some rag doll you can just throw around how ever you like.”

“You didn’t complain when I threw you around last night,” I remind her.

“That’s different,” she huffs.

“Get in. I’ll take you to your lunch.” I open the passenger-side door.

She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me. “You weren’t invited.”

“Tough shit. If you want to go out, then I’m coming. I’m not letting you out without security, Aria. Whoever shot your father is still out there somewhere with a vendetta against the Swan name. I’m not taking chances with your life. I need you alive. I cannot lose you. I won’t.” I can feel myself start to spiral into panic mode. Okay, maybe I do want to take her inside and lock her in a room. No one can get to her if she just stays here.

“Do you really think someone is after me?”

“You just inherited your father’s company. Someone is after that company, even if it’s a sinking ship right now,” I tell her.

“Let them have it. I don’t need it,” she says.

“No, you don’t. But it’s yours, and we don’t let people take what’s ours. Are you getting in, or are you calling Drew and cancelling?” I ask her.

“How do you know I’m meeting Drew?”

“You’ve only ever mentioned one friend. Which means, unless you’ve made some new ones, preferably of the female variety, then you’re going to meet Drew right now.” I hate her friendship with that guy. I don’t understand how anyone can be friends with Aria and not want to fuck her.

I’ve watched them together, though. He doesn’t give off the vibe that he’s interested in her like that. Their relationship is very sibling like. It’s fucking odd.

“Okay, you can come, but you need to be nice.” She points a finger at me.

“I’m always nice.” I grab hold of her hand and stare at her bare ring finger. I need to fix this. Now. “Tell Drew you’re gonna be late. We need to make a stop along the way.”

“Where?” she asks me.

“Pick anything you like,” I tell Aria as we stare down at a collection of diamond rings.

“You want to buy me a ring?” she asks.

I press my lips to her temple. “I should have done it the day we were married. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long.”

“Okay, but if I’m wearing a ring, then so are you.” She looks at me, waiting for a negative reaction. She won’t get one. I’ll wear that ring with fucking pride.

“Deal,” I tell her, and she smiles. Aria has a possessive side that rivals my own. She just hides it better. I’ve seen it come out, though, and I fucking love it. Shelli was never possessive of me. I thought it was because she trusted me. She knew she didn’t need to worry about other girls because I was fucking loyal. Now, I think it’s because she just didn’t care that much.

In all fairness, I don’t think I felt the same level of jealousy towards my ex-fiancée that I feel for Aria. It’s just different with her. At first, I put it down to the fact that she’s my wife. I know better now. It’s because she’s her.

Aria turns her attention back to the rings before she plucks up the smallest fucking diamond on the tray. I snatch it out of her hand and put it back down. “That’s too fucking small. I want people to see your rock from outer space. It needs to be big. I want every fucker to know you’re mine.”

“You say the sweetest things, you know.” Aria laughs. “My hands are little, Santo, and I’m not a flashy person. I can’t wear a huge-ass rock.”

Ignoring her, I pick up one of the larger stones. It’s a round solitaire diamond on a platinum band. I slide it onto her finger and smile. “It fits,” I tell her.

Aria holds up her hand, the light reflecting off the stone. “This is the one you like?”

“You have to wear it. Do you like it?” As much as I want to put the biggest stone on her finger, I’m not a total ass. I do want her to be comfortable wearing it.

“I like that you picked it. If we did this differently, if we dated and fell in love and then you proposed, would you have picked something like this?” she asks me.

I think about her words for a moment. “Do you regret getting married?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “We’re just doing it all backwards. I love being married to you.” Aria pushes up on her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine. “I want this one, but only if it’s within the budget.”

“For you, there is no fucking budget, darling.”

“Okay, let’s pick yours,” she says.

“You pick it.” I slide the ring off her finger and pass it over to the jeweller. “We’ll take this one. We need wedding bands too,” I tell him.

I find a platinum band that matches the diamond ring perfectly. Aria then takes about twenty minutes looking around the store. She inspects every option and finally decides on a platinum ring for me to wear. “I want to get something engraved on it.”

“We can do that,” I tell her.

“Do you like it?” she asks me.

“I love it.” I slide the ring onto my finger. It feels right.

After paying the jeweller, I lead Aria back out to the car. Where I open the boxes and take out both of her rings. “I vow to always protect you, to always be by your side, through the good and bad times. I vow to be yours and only yours for eternity,” I tell her as I slide the ring into place. “I love you.” The last words are whispered as I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it.

Aria picks up my ring as she peers up at me through her thick lashes. “I promise to always be honest with you. I promise to be yours and only yours for the rest of my life. I promise to love you unconditionally,” she says as she glides the ring onto my finger.

My lips slam down over hers. My heart is so damn full. I thought I knew love once, but right now, I know that wasn’t true love. It was love, but it wasn’t anywhere near what I feel for this woman.

“Sure you don’t want to skip lunch and just go home? I want to fuck you while you’re naked and wearing this ring,” I tell her.

Aria laughs. “How about we do lunch and then we go home and you fuck me until I don’t know what my own name is?”

I groan. “Just so you know, I’ll be sitting through lunch with a fucking hard-on while I imagine all the things I’m going to do to you.”