“So?” she asks, reminding me that she wanted some answers.
“Nothing will happen now, baby. Joker betrayed Ram with what he did, and in turn, that means Ram and the entire club betrayed their agreement with Damien. That isn’t something Ram will take lightly.”
“So… the Italians, the Reapers and us… we all have an agreement to stay out of each other’s way?”
“Yeah, in layman's terms. But ultimately, we’re in charge. We control the shipments that get into this part of the city which means we control the money. The Reapers or the Italians fail to get their shipments and they’ll go under. We have the power to cut them off. We pull the strings, so—”
“They break the rules and they're fucked.”
“Pretty much. And by putting those hits on you, on us, whether he was working for Jonas or not, Joker shattered those fucking rules. If you didn’t put that bullet in his head, then Ram would have done it himself when he found out what his prospect was up to.”
“Okay,” she whispers, nodding.
“The second he decided to try to impress Jonas, he signed his own death certificate, baby.”
“And Jonas knew that?”
“Of course he did.”
“I hope Toby is having fun with him.”
I can’t help the chuckle that rumbles in my chest. “Oh, he is.”
She twists to look up at me, sloshing water all over the side of the tub in the process.
“You’ve spoken to him?” she asks, her eyes hopeful.
“I’ve spoken to Theo. That’s where I was when you…” I trail off, not wanting to remind her of whatever happened there. “He’s with the others where they’re holding Jonas.”
“O-okay. Good. Theo’s okay too?” she asks, concern pulling her brows tight.
“Yeah. The Reapers wouldn’t have touched him, baby. Everyone who should be okay is okay. You can relax.”
She nods and sinks back against me.
“This is nice,” she whispers after a few silent minutes.
“Yeah. I had big plans for this bathtub when I chose it,” I confess.
Her thigh brushes against my semi. “You’re insatiable.”
“You’re naked.”
She shakes her head and rests it back against my chest.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“You have nothing to thank me for, Hellion.”
She nods against me before pressing a kiss to my scar.
“I love you,” she whispers, her exhaustion and emotion making her voice crack.
“I love you too, Stella. More than you could ever know.”
I press a kiss onto the top of her head and sink us both lower into the water.
* * *