The Queen Of Bad Things, page 11
Aria stood between my legs and glanced down at me. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders.
Instinctively, I pushed her hair behind her ear with my fingers. I meant to keep a distance from her because I knew what I was used to and what she was used to were completely divergent.
Aria shuddered at my touch. “How is it possible?” Aria whispered and closed her eyes.
“What?” I murmured, confused.
Aria opened her eyes and stared into mine. “What I feel when I’m with you is impossible. It seems impossible. It’s familiar, but I can’t. . .” Aria trailed off. “I’m crazy.” Aria shook her head.
“I get it, but you’re not crazy. It’s still there deep inside of you, bebita. I see it every damn time I look into your eyes,” I said.
I closed my eyes, put her hand against my cheek, and inhaled the perfume that she sprayed onto her wrist. The scent was like flames that engulfed me. Her skin burned against mine. When I opened my eyes, her eyes were filled with hunger. My mouth went dry from the desperation to have her lips on mine.
Aria moved closer. Her forehead rested against mine, and she hesitated.
The last thing I wanted was for her to stall. I didn’t want her to overthink it. “Just kiss me, bebita,” I murmured.
As soon as the words fell from my mouth, her lips claimed mine. Part of me wanted to break the kiss just to make sure that we didn’t catch the room on fire, but I didn’t care enough to check.
My arms wound around her waist, and I pulled her down onto the mattress. The exhaustion I felt earlier had vanished. Thinking wasn’t an option. I had no brain activity left for that. All I could do was commit the feel of her to memory. It felt like it had been decades since I last kissed her. My mind exploded into pieces, and it wasn’t ever going to be the same.
I lost her and still won her back.
Aria’s fingers traced me as if to memorize me too. She inhaled deeply through her nose and wrapped her legs around my waist.
My fingers caressed her thigh, and a groan escaped me. My jeans tightened, and I ground my hips against hers.
Aria gasped and broke the kiss.
Damn — my first thought. Too fast — my second thought. Oh, shit — my third thought. The third thought came when Aria placed a hand on her head and whimpered in pain.
“Bebita, what is wrong?” I climbed off of her and pulled her to a sitting position. When I let go of her, she started to fall. I caught her and held onto her.
Aria squeezed her eyes closed, opened them, and blinked several times. “I remember something, I think.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m too tired,” she murmured.
“Okay. Come on, I’ll take you to bed,” I said.
Aria clenched onto my shirt with both fists. “No. I want to stay in here with you,” Aria mumbled.
“Um, are you sure?” I asked.
Aria rested her head against my chest and sighed contently.
I put the files back into my drawer, turned the light off, and pulled the covers back. Aria curled up onto my chest, and she was out in a matter of seconds. I wanted to stay awake to keep an eye on her to be sure she was okay. Whatever she remembered caused her a sudden headache. As much as I wanted to stay awake, the fact was impossible. I was too drained to keep my eyes open any longer.
When I woke up the following day, I was thinking clearer than I had in months. I had eight uninterrupted hours of sleep for the first time in months. Aria wasn’t in the bed beside me, and I had to find her.
I pulled the shirt over my head as I took two steps at a time down into the foyer.
“Aria’s in the study,” Ramone said.
“Thanks,” I said. I sprinted down the long hall to the study.
The door flew open in my haste to get to her, but as soon as I stepped into the study, I stopped. “Aria, what are you doing?” I asked.
Aria sat at the desk as she looked through the files that had been tucked away in my end table the night before. Aria lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at me. The blood drained from her face.
“I have a better question, Ace. What the fuck are you doing?” Aria asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and rose out of the seat.
“Um, I can explain that,” I said.
“You can explain why you’re digging up graves?” Aria snorted. “This ought to be good.”
“Bebita, it’s not like that—”
“Don’t call me that,” Aria hissed. “You have two minutes to explain this shit.” Aria held up a picture of the empty casket that belonged to Jenny.
I sighed. “The grave belongs to a friend. Your head was injured by an explosion, which is why you don’t remember. Someone brought a bomb to the door, and you answered it. It was the night before our wedding, so I wasn’t there. I can tell you that two people were killed — Joey’s girlfriend Jennifer and one of our butlers John Andersen. John isn’t just a butler. He is an old friend of your father's. More than that, really. Your grandfather had basically adopted John Andersen. Joey had suspicions that Jenny wasn’t dead. We exhumed the bodies, but there weren’t any bodies in either casket.”
“W-what does that mean?” Aria stuttered.
“They might not be dead,” I said and shrugged.
“Why would anyone want to do such a thing?” Aria asked. Her lips parted in shock, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Ransom, maybe, I don’t know. I have to figure that part out,” I said.
Aria plopped down in the chair and exhaled sharply. She stared down at the files.
I walked over to the desk and put the papers back in the folders, and closed them. “Forget about this for now. I have something that I want to show you,” I said.
Aria gazed up at me. “Okay.”
Aria followed me down into the basement. Like the old mansion. The downstairs was set up like a workout center.
“What are we doing down here?” Aria asked.
“Well, we used to spend a lot of time together in the basement of your father’s old place, which was sat up just like this. I thought maybe if we tried it, it might bring more of your memory back,” I explained.
Aria’s eyes danced in amusement, and she laughed. “You’re kidding, right? We worked out together?”
“A couple of years ago, I taught you how to fight. Kind of like karate lessons, but a bit more advanced. You learned fast. It didn’t take long to teach you. I thought it might not be a bad idea to reteach you,” I explained.
“Why did you teach me to fight in the first place?” Aria asked.
“To keep you safe,” I said.
“From what?”
“It’s a big bad city.”
Aria pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, there is something you’re not telling me, and I won’t agree to this until you do.” Aria turned on her heel to walk away.
I caught her arm and forced her to face me. “Look, I will tell you over time. I just can’t explain it all at once. At one point in time, you knew everything and everything there was to know about me and the life we shared. There was no dishonesty or disloyalty. You have to trust that for now, and trust that I will tell you when the time is right. Can you do that?”
Aria thought about it for a long moment. “Okay, fine. I’ll give it a try.”
“Good,” I said. I grabbed a pair of boxing gloves and two pads for me to block her hits. I helped her put the gloves on, and we climbed into the boxing ring.
Aria swung at the pad that I had on my hand, but she completely missed it. She gritted her teeth and huffed in irritation.
“Stop,” I said.
Aria looked at me with irritation in her eyes.
“Close your eyes,” I said.
“What?” Aria scoffed. “How will I see?”
“Just do it,” I demanded.
Aria sighed and closed her eyes. “They’re closed,” she muttered. “Now what?”
“Just relax,” I said. “Take deep breaths. Don’t even think about it. Just do it. It’s instinctive. It’s still there, and I know it.”
Aria visibly relaxed. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she took several deep breaths as I told her to.
“Open your eyes, bebita,” I murmured.
Aria’s blue eyes fluttered open. Her eyes pierced mine. I couldn’t describe what I saw in them, but something was there. A part of her that was buried deep inside came to the surface, and I knew from the second her eyes met mine that nothing was going to stop her or stand in her way. Whether she got her memories or not, she would come back to me eventually.
This wasn’t a part of her I had seen in a very long time. She suddenly became the weapon that I turned her into. Aria had been lethal before she lost her memory, and somehow that part of her resurfaced when she opened her eyes.
Chapter 11. Try Me
It took me one week to work with Aria. Most people would have thought it was crazy or impossible, but it was as if she had never forgotten the things that I taught her. It seemed that she just needed someone to remind her about who she is and what she is capable of. She could shoot, throw knives, and fight exactly the way she did before her head injury.
Aria still had no idea about the Latin King stuff. I would save that for another time. Aria informed me that she remembered Carlos a little and the DNA test. She didn’t mention anything about the Latin King stuff, so I knew she still didn’t know about that. Aria also recalled giving birth to Angel, but nothing else. There were still many things that Aria had no recollection of.
Aria fought with me to learn the truth, but I told her there was no reason to tell her since it seemed her memory was slowly making its way back. The doctor told us that he didn’t think she would get all of them back, but it was possible for her to get a few more. After we left the doctor’s office, I told Aria the doctor is an idiot and that I was confident she would get them all back.
There hadn’t been any news on Andersen or Jennifer. We were no closer to finding them. The only thing we could do is work to pass the time.
“The guns are no different, and the situation is no different. The price is better than it ever has been. What reason do you have to bitch?” I snapped. Cigarette smoke rolled out of my mouth, and I threw the cigarette. I wanted to throw the cigarette at Jorge Ruiz’s eye.
“From what I heard, Carlos’s daughter is running the show. I do not agree to let women lead something that has always been done and better done by men,” Jorge said.
Jorge Ruiz is the head of the West Coast Cartel — a cartel we had dealt with for years with no problems until now.
“Carlos is dead, Ruiz. Aria had an accident and is currently unable to run things. I’m the one that is running the show. So, if you have a problem, you’re looking at the guy you need to be talking to about it,” I said through clenched teeth.
“You are running things?” Jorge Ruiz asked and tilted his head. Jorge looked back at his men, and they shrugged.
“And even though my fiancé is out of sorts, just know that for a woman, she is as tough as they come. As a matter of fact, she could kick your short, rich, skinny little ass into next week. I would watch who you’re insulting. She ran things far better than I’m capable of. It’s a new day and age, Mr. Ruiz. I suggest you get with the program. You wouldn’t like it if some man insulted your daughter like that, would you?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Hm,” Ruiz hummed. Ruiz rubbed his chin with two fingers and smirked. He looked back at his men and back to me. “Well, with that said, Mr. Garcia, I see no reason to continue our relationship. It seems we have too much to disagree on, yes?”
“Take your leave in a kind matter, Mr. Ruiz. We wouldn’t want things to get ugly. As long as you leave in peace, we won’t be a bother,” I said.
Ruiz gave me a small smile and glanced around at the boys that stood alongside me.
Luis and Austin crossed their arms over their chests. They both grew rigid as they waited for things to turn ugly.
I, on the other hand, felt completely at ease. I knew that Ruiz wouldn’t be stupid enough to start a war right here. We had the upper hand, and he knew that. If Ruiz attacked, it would be a different way and a different day.
Ruiz put his hands up as if in surrender and started to back away.
“Ruiz,” I called.
Ruiz turned to face me before he got into his limousine.
“Don’t come at me sideways. No matter how you come at me, you will lose. Don’t. . .” I trailed off and hmphed with a smile. My gaze locked with Ruiz. “Don’t fuck with me.”
Something in his eyes flashed, fear perhaps. Whatever it was, he looked away too quickly for me to see it. Ruiz climbed into his limo. The limo pulled away from the warehouse and left a cloud of dust from the gravel.
“This is getting to be bullshit, Ace. We have lost many relations because of Aria taking over,” Luis said. “I love Aria, and she does a great job, but we need to find new relations that wouldn’t have a problem with her.”
“You know that new relations are her call. I’m not going behind her back like that,” I said.
“Then it’s time you tell her who she is. You said her training was going good,” Abel said.
“She can fight, yes, but this is different from that,” I argued.
“You’re scared of how she will react,” Austin said.
I sighed. “A little.”
“She reacted just fine the first time,” Joey pointed out.
“We’re not having this conversation right now. I’m going home. I need to check on Angel and Aria,” I said. I turned and started for my GTO but stopped because of a vibration against my thigh.
Aria’s phone number flashed across my screen. I slid my thumb across the screen to answer it.
“Hey, bebita. I’m on my way home now. Sorry, I was—”
“Ace!” Aria shrieked. “I need you.”
I stopped. My heart dropped into my stomach. My gaze flickered to the boys.
The boys stopped when they saw the look on my face.
“What? Where are you?”
“The girls talked me into going out to this club. I stepped out back to get some air because I got one of those flash headaches that I get. This man. . .” Aria trailed off. Her voice came out in a rush and barely above a whisper. “I killed him. I didn’t know what to do. He was going to hurt me. I-I t-th-think.”
“Stop. Where the hell are you at?” I asked. My pace quickened as I headed for my car.
“That new club that we opened downtown on 21st Street,” Aria said.
“Stay put. I’ll be there in a few,” I said. I shoved my phone into my pocket. “We need to go to the Sunset Nightclub on 21st Street.”
“What happened?” the boys chorused.
“Aria killed someone,” I said.
The boys stared at me in shock. Their shock wore off when I jumped into my GTO, and it roared to life. Gravel flew through the air as the GTO spun in a half-circle.
People walked in different directions up the sidewalk and across the street. Lights from the businesses lit up the area. I stopped in a parking spot near the front of the nightclub.
I gazed through the crowd for anyone familiar but saw nobody. There was a dark alleyway on the side of the club. I started up the alleyway.
A dumpster sat near the corner of the building. As I walked past it, a hand reached out and grabbed me. My muscles tensed instinctively, but when my eyes caught a pair of familiar blue ones, I stopped.
“Aria,” I breathed. “Are you okay?” I gazed around, and my eyes stopped on a man that laid beside the dumpster. “What happened? Did anyone see?”
“I broke his neck, I think, just like you taught me. Nobody saw. At least, I don’t think. I didn’t know what to do. He started touching me and like trying to force himself onto me, and I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t,” Aria explained in a rush.
Luis, Austin, and Abel came up behind us. All three of them were breathless.
“Joey and Benny are inside,” Abel panted.
“Fixing the cameras,” Austin added.
“We need to move this guy fast. The cops were called for a dispute that happened in the club,” Luis said.
“Austin, bring your car around the back,” I said.
Austin took off back down the alleyway.
“I’m so sorry,” Aria said. Tears built in her eyes. She trembled from fear, and her chin quivered.
“Stop, bebita. It’s okay. You’re okay. That’s all that matters,” I said.
“Shouldn’t we tell the cops?” Aria whispered.
“No, we’re not. I told you that I taught you to fight to protect yourself. This is one of those situations.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into my side.
Several days had passed since the incident with West Coast Cartel and the man that Aria killed. For days Aria and I slept in my bedroom. Aria told me sleeping apart was ridiculous and to just move back into our bedroom. Aria grew more comfortable around me as time had passed, and her shyness began to fade, and her bluntness returned.
Aria sat on the railing of the balcony just outside of our bedroom. Her eyes were fixated on the stars in the dark sky.
I stepped between her legs and stole her attention from the sky. I smiled at her. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t you think it is strange?” Aria murmured.
“That depends on what you’re talking about,” I said.
Aria smiled. “You know me so well. Why don’t you tell me?”
I pursed my lips and tilted my head. “What do you mean?”
“It always seems that you can just pick my thoughts right out of my brain. You know how I will react, what I will say, or think to almost any situation,” Aria said. “It’s frustrating that I don’t know you the way you know me.”
“You used to, and I’m sure it will come back to you. You’re wrong. I wasn’t ever sure how you would react, and it kept things interesting,” I insisted. I caught a strand of her hair that the wind blew out of place and tucked it back behind her ear. “I’ve had more difficulties lately. I’m more used to the new you and not the old you. You’ve changed a lot in two years, but it’s as if we’re back at square one.”
