“Showtime for what? I didn’t agree to doing anything!”
You said I couldn’t be an asshole to him for our ‘plan’ to work, so I’m going to let you do the whole being sweet and vulnerable bullshit that I can’t be fucked to do.
“But…I don’t know if I can!”
You don’t have much of a choice right now. Nighty night!
Bennett’s voice carried out into the hallway as Saint and I made our way closer to the room. My heart pounded in my chest just from being in the bunker, memories of Hell week fresh in my mind. My dark alter scoffed in my mind.
“It’s literally been seconds since we switched and you’re already about to lose your shit,” it scolded. “Pull it together and do what you’re supposed to.”
I swallowed the rising bile in my throat as Saint knocked on the door.
“What?” Bennett snapped from the other side. Saint opened the door and we walked in, Bennett’s hard expression softening when he saw me. “Is something wrong?”
He sat around the table with KC, Bruce, Nyxin, and Josh, who all looked as frustrated as he did. I shuffled from foot to foot as he looked at me expectantly.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I finally said, my voice sounding weaker than I’d anticipated. “I just didn’t see you in bed. They said you were in a meeting, so I wanted to come.”
“Did you eat?”
“Carrie was going to get something else, but I’m too nauseous right now,” I said, finally noticing the other guys staring at me.
“Well, I’ll be back up once we finish down here,” he said, his voice tight with annoyance.
“I’d…rather stay down here with you,” I stammered.
“Good girl,” my alter complimented. “Now go sit on his lap like a good little pregnant wife.”
Okay, that’s pushing it.
“Not far enough. Now go sit. You have to be vulnerable first; maybe he’ll mirror your actions.”
I sighed inwardly and walked over to him and sat on his lap and curled into him, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Aww, how precious,” my alter snickered. I fought the urge to tremble in fear as his arms wrapped around me.
“You sure you’re okay?” he murmured before kissing my forehead. I nodded in response and remained quiet as he continued the meeting as if I wasn’t even there. “I don’t care what it takes. I want his fucking location as well as Brian’s.”
“I’m working as hard as I can, Bennett,” KC said with a sigh. “I can’t make information appear out of thin air.”
“What the hell is even going on right now? You weren’t this on edge yesterday; we were planning on leaving the fucking state yesterday and now you’re adamant on finding him right this second,” Nyxin asked. “Did he contact you again or something?”
“No.” Bennett’s hold tightened around me as he sighed. “Aurora’s pregnant.”
“You’re fucking joking,” Bruce said.
“No. The doctor confirmed it last night. The sooner I get this shit handled, the better.”
“Does Wilson know?” Saint asked. “If so, we’ll need to protect her 24/7 so that…well, you know.”
Bennett shook his head. “He doesn’t, but we’re going to protect her at all times anyway. It’s why I had you posted outside of the bedroom.”
“Well, congrats. The first baby of La Fedeltà,” Josh said.
“Let’s hope we all survive this bullshit before we start celebrating a baby,” I muttered. Bennett tilted my face up to look at him.
“We will,” he said, his voice firm. I only nodded in response and put my head back on his shoulder.
“Aww, look at him in protective Daddy mode,” my alter teased.
Isn’t that what you wanted?
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. It’s just weird on him. Nice to see he’s not a raging psycho all the time.”
But he’s always nice to kids, I mused.
“Yeah, yeah. Well, keep that vulnerable gate of his open,” it said before it went quiet again.
“It’s hard to pinpoint his location from his phone because he has it bouncing on towers all over the world. One minute it says he’s in Los Angeles, then in Romania, then in Texas, and now in fucking Africa. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a talented techie on his team now since he knows that you have me.”
“And you still can’t find an origin for him?” Bennett asked dryly. KC sighed deeply and turned his gaze back to his computer.
“I’ll try again,” he said.
Bennett turned his attention to me and frowned. “I need you to go upstairs and eat,” he murmured.
“Not right now. I still feel too nauseous,” I replied.
“You might feel better after eating.”
“Bennett, I’m not—”
“You need to feed my baby,” he stated, his voice a bit firmer. “Go on upstairs and get breakfast. I’ll join you in a second.” When I frowned at him, he kissed me. “I promise. Give me five and I’ll be up there.”
“If you aren’t, I’m coming back down here and you won’t like it,” I said. He chuckled and let me go.
“Yes ma’am,” he said and looked to Saint. “Stay with her until I get up there.”
“You got it.” Saint gestured toward the open doorway. “After you.”
With a final look at Bennett, I sighed and walked back into the hallway with Saint. We walked in silence for the most part, but he stopped me before we walked through the door.
“Between you and me, you may want to be careful,” he said, his voice low.
“Careful?” I repeated, a bit confused. “I don’t understand.”
“These extreme mood switches you have. One minute the whole house can hear you say you hate him and the next, you’re curled up on his lap like some love-sick newly wed.” He looked back toward the conference room. “I know you’re pregnant and all and your hormones may be all over the place, but you should be careful. Playing with Bennett’s emotions never ends well for anyone, even if he’s in a relationship with them.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He had some fucking nerve to try to warn me. “Wanting him to hold me doesn’t make me hate him any less,” I ground out. “And him holding me for five minutes doesn’t erase the weeks of abuse he’s put me through. He’d have to do a lot more than that to fucking erase the memory of murdering my parents and fiancée, raping me and my best friend, and psychologically abusing me for a week. So, unless you see me telling him that I love him or filling his head with false hope, don’t say a damn thing to me about ‘playing’ with anyone’s emotions.”
His jaw tightened as he eyes flashed with annoyance. “My apologies,” he stated firmly.
“Open the door, please,” I said, gesturing toward the locked door. He pressed his thumb against the keypad and the door clicked. I turned the knob and walked ahead of him, suddenly irritated. I doubted he told me that to truly “warn” me; he was probably reminding me to stay in my place. Bennett could say what he wanted when he’d said I just had to demand respect from everyone, but how could I do that when everyone had seen how he’d treated me? Even though Bennett called me his queen, everyone still saw me as his pathetic, weak pet who still had to comply to Bennett’s rules.
Saint caught me by the arm to stop me. “I didn’t mean any disrespect,” he started. “I just want you to be careful. He can get…volatile when he feels like he’s being played with.”
“And sitting on his lap isn’t playing with him,” I said. “What do you expect me to do? Not only am I married to this man, but I’m pregnant now. I’m going to have to figure out something with him if I’m stuck here, right?”
He sighed deeply. “Just be careful, Aurora. I’m not telling you how to feel, but don’t pretend to feel something because you have a different agenda,” he said. Carrie stopped in the kitchen and looked at me.
“There you are,” she said and rushed over to me. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I got you something else for breakfas
t.”
She pulled me away before I could say another word to Saint, his words sending a wave of dread over me. If he was already on to me, it would only be a matter of time before Bennett realized what I was doing.
“I think Saint is just too observant, not to mention he’s always staring at us. It’s fucking weird sometimes,” my dark alter said with a scoff. I sighed as I sat the dining room table with a plate full of a fruit assortment, a croissant, and yogurt.
Saint stood next to the doorway, his head on a swivel as I ate my breakfast. The taste of the fruit made my stomach swim with nausea. I couldn’t understand how I was fine before yesterday afternoon and then morning sickness just hit me all of a sudden. A part of me was sad. There were so many firsts that I was supposed to have that I was robbed of. My father was supposed to walk me down the aisle and give me away to the man I would spend my life with. My mother was supposed to help me plan my wedding and even my baby shower, helping me pick names and come up with nursery ideas for my first baby. I was supposed to be able to call her to ask if certain symptoms were normal or what I should be doing right now. But all I had were the gates of my hell and a man who had his nails deeper than I’d thought, holding me tighter in his clutches.
Savannah came into the dining room with a bright smile. “OMG, congrats!” she all but squealed as she rushed over and hugged me. I couldn’t even pretend to share her excitement because it was nothing to be excited about. Her smile faded when she saw the lack of mine. “Still in shock?”
“This isn’t what I wanted,” I murmured as I stirred the yogurt around, no longer having an appetite.
She released a soft sigh and took my hands into hers. “I know it’s not ideal but think about it. You’ve always wanted to be a mom. You used to talk about it all the—”
“Yeah and I also wanted to be married to Heath, not…” I cut my eyes to Saint, who stood as still as a statue, staring at me. I sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”
Savannah gave me a small smile and gave my hands a small squeeze. “Maybe this is what you guys need to bring you closer together. I’m sure he’ll open up to you more since you two are going to have to figure out a way to get along.”
“But what if he doesn’t? What if my feelings for him never change? I can’t imagine that it won’t be a good environment for a baby to grow up in if their parents hate each other,” I mumbled.
She giggled. “I think you’re the only one experiencing the hate.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Am I missing something?”
She glanced back at Saint before turning back to me. “When he was asking me what to do for you for your date, he seemed genuinely interested in making you happy. I don’t know for sure, but I think he wants to make something of your marriage. Like, for real. I’m pretty sure that’s more so the case now that you’re pregnant with his little baby,” she said excitedly as she placed her hand on my still flat stomach.
I gave her a small smile and moved her hand. “This is all just a lot right now. I haven’t even fully processed that I’m married and now a baby is thrown in the mix.” I looked down at the uneaten food on my plate. “I can’t eat right now. I think I’m going to go lay down.”
“You need to eat,” Bennett stated as he walked into the dining room. “The doctor left medicine for your nausea as well as prenatal vitamins that I had Carrie go and get.”
“Oh my god,” I muttered under my breath.
He narrowed his eyes at Savannah and frowned. “Isn’t there work you should be doing?”
She jumped up to her feet. “I’m sorry,” she said to him and gave me an apologetic smile. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Bennett dismissed Saint and sat at the table next to me. “Do I have to feed you like a baby?” he teased with a smirk.
“No,” I murmured, dropping my eyes down to the bowl of yogurt. He was silent for a while as he watched me eat before he cleared his throat.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” he started. “Since you’re pregnant now, my main priority is to keep you safe. You understand that, right?”
“Yes.”
“With that being said, I can’t allow you to take part in mafia business when it comes to taking care of Wilson,” he said.
I stopped mid scoop of eating my yogurt and looked at him in disbelief. “What?” I asked. There was no fucking way he was taking this back. I’d practically signed my life over to him in exchange of being able to do this. It wasn’t like either of us knew I was pregnant before I signed anything and now he was just taking it back?
“I can’t guarantee your safety if you’re out there with me.”
“But I don’t care about that!” I exclaimed.
“I do,” he stated firmly.
Fresh tears of anger and frustration as I stared at him. “You can’t do that,” I stated, upset that my voice shook. “I signed my life to you. You can’t just go back on your word.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep you and my baby safe, and you’ll be safer at home. This isn’t up for debate,” he said, the hard gaze in his eyes telling me he was serious.
I put my spoon down and scoffed, wiping at a stray tear that fell. “Great. So, you get everything you want; a wife, a baby, full control over me and I get nothing. I fucking did all of this for nothing. I pledged to you for nothing.”
“Aurora—”
“Just forget it, Bennett.” I slid my chair back from the table and stood. He caught my arm and narrowed his eyes at me.
“You need to sit down and eat,” he stated again, a warning laced in his voice.
I snatched away from him. “Or what? You want to drag me down to the Retribution room?” I shook my head. “You’ve just proven that I’m not your equal. All I am is still a glorified pet to you that you do what you please. Even under the guise of giving me ‘everything I want,’ you still manage to strip away everything that matters.”
“You’re mad at me because I want to fucking protect you?” he asked, his voice tight with irritation. “You were just the one sobbing in the fucking shower last night because you were afraid of ending up like Stephanie.”
“That didn’t mean that I didn’t want to be a part of killing your father, Bennett!” I screamed. “You’re so stuck in your own head and your own guilt to realize how unfair this is.”
He put his hands in his pockets and wiped any emotion off his face. “My decision is final, Aurora. Feel what you want to about it, but I’m not changing my mind.”
“Was that your plan all along? To trick me into signing just so you could tell me I couldn’t help?” I asked, but he didn’t respond. I shook my head and walked away from him, going into the bedroom and locking the door. He’d lied to me, and I could only blame myself for believing such an illusion.
BENNETT
She didn’t talk to me for a fucking week.
She’d locked herself in the bedroom and it was only then that I hated the fucking locks in the house. I couldn’t find the key to the door to unlock it from the outside, and she wouldn’t let me in on the inside. One of the guys stood outside her door to at least keep watch on her, but she wouldn’t say anything to anyone other than Carrie when she brought her food. Half of the trays came back with the food hardly touched. Even when I went with Carrie to deliver the food, if Aurora even assumed that I was with her, she wouldn’t take the food. I could get she was pissed, but she was starting to piss me off with her antics.
I made my way up the stairs and walked over to the bedroom door, knocking firmly.
“We can’t talk about anything if you won’t come out,” I said, loud enough for her to hear. There wasn’t a response. Nyxin looked at me and smirked but didn’t say anything. “Aurora, open the door.”
There still wasn’t an answer. I crouched down and looked through the peephole to see the sunlight lazily filtering into the room, her shadowed form underneath the sheets as if she were asleep. It was fucking killing me that I hadn’t been able to physically check o
n her to make sure she was okay. She could be dead in bed for all I knew but she was so fucking stubborn when it came to getting what she wanted. All I wanted to do was keep her safe and suddenly I was the fucking bad guy. Everyone teased me about being in the doghouse for upsetting her, but I’d take that if it meant her and my baby would be safe. I’d made so many mistakes with Stephanie that I was adamant on not making again. I just wish she would understand that.
“Just give her some time,” Nyxin finally asked when I started banging on the door again.
“She had a fucking week already,” I ground out before pounding on the door again. “Aurora, open the fucking door!”
After a few moments, the door finally flew open. She looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, bags starting to form under them. Her arm was wrapped around her stomach as if she was in pain, her mouth slightly twitching as if she were trying to suppress a wince.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice tired.
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” I said. “You’re hardly eating, and you haven’t come out of the room in a week.”
“Why does it matter?” she asked. “I’m ‘safe’ in here, right?”
“I’m not going to fucking apologize for making sure you’re safe,” I ground out.
“Of course you aren’t,” she drawled. “If that’s all, I’m going to lay back down. I’m tired.”
She moved to close the door, but I caught it with my foot. “No, that’s not all,” I stated and pushed the door back open. She scoffed and turned to walk away from me as I entered the room and closed the door.
“Don’t touch me,” she said when I moved to wrap my arms around her.
“Knock it the fuck off, Aurora,” I stated firmly. “You’ve pissed me off for the week.”
“And you’ve fucking lied to me,” she snapped. “You probably never intended to let me be a part of it anyway.”
“I’m a man of my word. I meant it when I told you that before, but I didn’t know you were pregnant then. Had I known, I wouldn’t have agreed to that shit, let alone let you join La Fedeltà.”
Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection Page 51
