I blush under his scrutiny. “Ah, sorry about that. It all happened so fast I don’t think there was any time to invite guests. There was barely anyone there,” I ramble, “so there’s no reason to feel bad. Rem didn’t mean to exclude you, I’m sure.”
“At least one of us is.” Ari stares at me for another beat before brushing the subject off with a flick of his hand. “Coffee?”
“Um, yeah. Thanks.” I reach for the second cup on the counter, careful not to touch his arm in the process. Ari never stops watching me, my skin prickling as he tracks every move I make.
He waits until I’ve taken a sip before asking, “Settling in? By the looks of it you seem pretty comfortable.”
I force myself not to squirm. I realize this guy is Rem’s brother—my family by extension—but this is my home, for as long as I can keep it. “It’s a gorgeous place,” I answer, not backing down under Ari’s intense expression. “Rem has a wonderful home and he’s made me feel very welcome.”
“Well, you are his wife.” Ari practically growls out the lastword. “It’s not like he’d keep you caged up somewhere. Even if you deserve to be.”
The hot liquid burns my esophagus as I choke. I misheard him, right? There’s no way my brother-in-law thinks I should be in acage. “Excuse me?”
Ari ignores me, carrying on with what’s starting to feel like an interrogation. “Tell me little sis, what’s it like being married to a mafia enforcer?” His cup makes a hollow ring as he puts it on the counter. “I’ve always wondered what type of woman would be able to put up with Rem’s less than conventional lifestyle.”
“I don’t—” I don’t know if I’m about to protest, or acknowledge that I know what my husband is, or defend Rem to his own brother, but Ari cuts me off.
“I mean, the hours alone are hell on a relationship. Out all the time, especially at night. Coming home reeking of some poor bastard’s fear and piss. A solid chance there’s blood stains too. I know my brother likes to keep his kills clean, but sometimes you just have to get in there with your hands, you know?”
The coffee is acid in my empty stomach, churning violently as Ari continues. “Brain and skull fragments,” he says, shaking his head. “Now that shit’ll go everywhere. Explodes all over the fucking place if you’re not careful. It’s a bitch to get out of clothing too. Back in our father’s day, Mom was always the one scrubbing the bloodstains out of his clothes. But I guess Rem has a housekeeper for that. So…lucky you. Best to keep those hands of yours clean—don’t want to fuck up your music career before it gets started, right?”
I should say something, anything to put an end to this conversation, but I’m dumbfounded. I make an inarticulate sound, the weakest protest, but Ari just steps closer. He’s quiet, calm, with an intensity to his expression that makes me nervous.
“How much has Rem told you about his life?”
Ari waits expectantly. Guess this time he expects an answer.
“I, um…he…” I stop, clear my throat, and square my shoulders as I answer my new brother-in-law. “I know who Rem is. What he does. What your family is. And how much it means to him.”
Ari doesn’t look impressed. “And you? What does this family mean to you, Lena?” He waves at the luxurious apartment. “Is this just a hiding place until you’re out of danger? My brother just a bodyguard with benefits until you can safely leave and start a new life somewhere? I know Rem inside and out. And for reasons I can’t begin to fathom, he’s laid claim to you. Which means I know he’ll do everything he can to protect you. He’ll kill for you, die for you, commit every heinous and necessary act of violence in between. All for you. Hiswife. A woman he barely knows.”
Ari blindly reaches for a coffee spoon resting on the counter. He spins in through his fingers, the metal a dull flash of movement. His expression is stoic, but it’s clear there are a lot of emotions simmering just beneath his carefully controlled surface.
The man is protective of his brother. Despite the distrust in his eyes, I find myself warming to him slightly based on that fact alone. “You want to know if I’m going to hurt your brother.”
Ari grips the spoon tight, his knuckles whitening before he sets it spinning again.
“That’s one way of putting it.”
“And another?”
“I want to know if you’re going to betray my brother. My family.”
I abandon my coffee to the counter so I can prop my hands on my hips. I’m not cowering in front of this man. I’m claiming my place in this family and making myself as big as possible while I do it. “We don’t know each other, so let me be brutally honest.”
“The more brutal the better. I’m never one for pulling punches.”
“Excellent. So let me be clear, when your brother initially ‘proposed’—if you can even call it that—I said no. To all of it. The fake engagement, the offer for help, him hovering over me constantly. Do you know what my exact words were?”
“Enlighten me.”
Anger making me brave, I poke my new brother in the chest. “Fuck you. Those were my exact words.”
“Charming.”
I shrug. “It didn’t seem to put Rem off. In fact, I couldn’t get rid of him. From the moment your brother crashed into my life, he has kidnapped me, followed me to my job, locked me in this house, and given me no choice but to marry him.”
“That doesn’t sound like the start to a healthy relationship. And yet you’ve clearly moved in. Clearly fucked him.”