A Duet of the Soul

Chapter 41: A Lot to Learn

*Maria's POV*

Ryan laughed; his grin stretched from ear to ear. "You have a lot to learn about your future husband. He's actually the most skilled killer out of the three of us. His aim is so precise that he's only ever needed one bullet to hit his target."

My eyes bulged at the absurdity of Ryan's comments. I shook my head, denying his accusations. "Justin is too nice to do something like that."

"Oh, he's killed a good handful of people in his time. But, then again, you're right about him being different from us. We don't mind doing what needs to be done without any guilt attached. Justin does have a guilty conscious, though, and that's why he's made sure he's the best at what he does. Using only one bullet is his way of being merciful. It's quick and they never realize what happened."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

Ryan thought about his answer before replying. "I think it's important for you to know what our world is really like. Plus, it's important for you to know what lengths he's willing to go to just to keep you safe. He's a great guy, and he really loves you."

"I know," I whispered, looking down at my hands fidgeting in my lap.

"Maria," Ryan's voice became serious. I redirected my focus back to him before he continued. "We all know he's going to try to pull something to get out of marrying you and to give you your freedom back. He is willing to sacrifice everything just for you to be happy. Neither Sean nor I will let him do anything that's going to bring serious consequences down on himself. Plus, I like you too much to see something happen to you just because he decided to be stupid and go against the family. Believe it or not, but Sean feels the same way."

A thick silence settled in the room between us. "What are you asking me to do, Ryan?"

"I'm just asking you to give him a real chance after we're done with Adam. If you two give your relationship a real chance, and it doesn't work out, then no one will stop you from leaving. Probably. But no one is going to let you sit here and break Justin's heart without giving him a chance. Especially after all he has done and the lengths we've gone through to keep you safe."

"You know," I rolled my eyes, trying to lighten the mood, "for a mob family, y'all are pretty sentimental and soft when it comes to each other."

Ryan didn't respond. He waited silently for me to acknowledge his request. I sighed and dropped my gaze back to my lap. I tucked my legs under me and chewed on my lower lip, debating whether or not to open up to Ryan. After a few minutes I decided to tell him a portion of what I was thinking. I trusted him and already viewed him as an older brother, and I really needed to talk to someone about what was going on with me.

"Honestly," I started, keeping my eyes glued to my hands that were playing with the hem of my shirt. "I wouldn't mind giving him a real chance when this is done. I won't try to escape from him or your family unless our relationship really doesn't actually work out. But... Don't tell him this yet, okay? Because I really don't know for sure yet, but... I do think I've started to fall in love with him, and I would like to see where this all goes."

He nodded his head, a beaming smile plastered on his face. "That's all anyone is asking of you – just to give him a chance."

Headlights flashed across the opposite wall as Justin's truck pulled down the gravel driveway. The basement door slammed shut, and Sean appeared in the entryway. Fresh blood stained the front of his blue t-shirt, small specks dotted his face like extra freckles.

"That was one of the easiest interrogations I'd ever done," he told Ryan, wiping his hands on his shirt.

"You might wanna get cleaned up before Justin's friends walk in," Ryan suggested.

Sean shrugged. "They already know about who we are and what we do. Why bother when we still need to get rid of the body?"

My stomach lurched at their discussion. The front door slammed open with a bang as Monica, Greg, and Justin ran inside. Monica froze at the sight of Sean; Greg bumped into her with Amaya's baby carrier. Justin pushed the door closed and locked it before turning to face the rest of the group. His eyebrows shot up in surprise at Sean's appearance before he turned see me seated on the couch.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Maria," Ryan stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Why don't you show Monica and the baby upstairs so she can get changed out of those wet clothes before dinner."

I numbly nodded and started walking towards the group. Justin took a step forward and pulled me in front of him. He spun me around looking me up and down until he was satisfied that no harm had come to me in his absence. He kissed my cheek and smiled nervously at me. "I'll be up in just a minute."

I mustered up the best smile I could, though it barely showed on my face, and told him I'd wait for him up there. I then faced Monica, who clutched the baby carrier tight against her. "I can take the baby's bags if you just want to carry her," I offered.

She silently nodded before passing me the bag then followed me up the stairs. Once we were safely in the guest bedroom, I placed the bags next to the door and shut it. I slid down against the back of the door and let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

Monica gently set the carrier on the floor before plopping down on the foot of the bed. Her gaze narrowed, and her voice was low. "What the hell is going on here?"

I inhaled a shaky breath before I answered her. "Adam sent someone here to try to kill me. Sean and Ryan stopped him, and Sean's been... interrogating him in the basement."

Shock flashed across her face before she shook her head and stood up. Monica began pacing the room, looking back and forth between the door and the window. "Is there nowhere safe?" she muttered to herself.

I pulled myself up off the floor and gently guided her back to the bed. We sat there next to each other, both lost in thought and unsure of what to do. "Justin had told me before that he thought they'd be able to get rid of him in the next couple of days. That must by why Adam sent the guy, to try and stop Justin and his brothers from catching him."

Monica nodded in understanding. "That's good then that he's scared. If they're that close, though, what if he tries something else?"

"Sean and Ryan are patrolling the house at all hours. I don't know that anything will get past them."

"I hope you're right," Monice sighed, cradling her head in her hands. "I just want Amaya to be safe."

"I think she is safe here," I tried to comfort her by placing a hand on her knee.

A bitter laugh erupted from her as she pulled my hand away. "Right. My daughter is super safe around a man who kidnapped you and his mafia brothers. Honestly, I don't know how on earth you are even still here when you had the chance to escape."

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to keep myself as composed and calm as possible. "I really do think this is the safest place I could be. Plus... they may be mob members, but they're actually pretty nice people. And as for Justin... He's not a bad guy."

Monica raised an eyebrow and stood up from the bed, pointing a finger at me. "Damn, Greg wasn't joking when he said you fell in love with Justin. How on earth do you think this is right?"

Embarrassment flooded my cheeks as they burned a bright red. "It's not right," I agreed. "The whole thing is a complete and total shit show. I don't know that I love him yet, but I feel like I'm starting to. I know how crazy that sounds and how not normal that is. I just... I can't help it."

She sighed in frustration. "Well, we'll see how it all ends up after this mess is over with." Monica sat back down on the bed next to me and pondered what to say next. She sighed in resignation before shaking her head. "I guess you could do a lot worse than Justin, but I just don't like what he's done to you leading up to this."

"I know, and I appreciate you defending me against him," I told her.

"Us women gotta stick together," she shook her head at the closed door. "Especially when those men think they've got everything under control and figured out."