บท 8: Devotion

"You're not scared of me now?" Aiden's lips curved with a mocking smirk. "You ran away as fast as you possibly could. Scared of me?"

Tony's eyebrows twitched with disgust and impatience.

"Oh, my! You were waiting for me all this time thinking that I ignored you?" Tony smirked feigning surprise. "I didn't even see you! Don't be offended."

He noticed him earlier. He had the urge to kill him. But he didn't want to do that in front of Marcella. That's why he removed himself from that situation. It appeared that Aiden wanted her back and came back crawling. She was smart about it.

Aiden's no good. She does not need him.

Tony knew Aiden would be waiting for him to find out what was happening between him and Marcella.

Adrian took a deep puff while side-eyeing Tony. His fingers were trembling as he tried to control his anger. He needed to keep his calm with this guy. He's dangerous. He does not listen to fists.

Aiden cocked his head. "Carrying her bag, walking her home, staying in an unmarried woman's house at night… it's not right, is it?"

"Why not?" Tony shrugged. His entire aura exuberated calmness. He was like the moon in the sky—gentle and bright. "She's the light of my universe and I love her. Why can't I stay with her if she prefers it?"

Aiden choked on the smoke and coughed. It's Tony. Why is he talking about love?

"Love?" Aiden scoffed. "You? Do you even know what that means?"

He's known Tony for the past decade. There were a lot of rumors about him even when he was studying law at the university. They said that he mixed with the wrong crowd but there was no proof. He somehow had a lot of money even though he was raised by his old grandmother who worked as a cook in Don DeAngelo's house. That probably was the origin of the rumors.

He had made a lot of connections and no one knew how he could get in the good graces of the elites of the city. Somehow, Tony managed to brownnose his way into a popular law firm just out of the university. There he rose to be a partner in the firm in a short amount of time even though he was wet behind the ears.

Out of nowhere, he quit his job, to help in the campaign of one of his clients who was running for Congress. Anyone who knew Tony couldn't figure out why he quit the job for a wild goose chase. The incumbent congressman was projected to win as he had almost thirty points lead.

But a lot happened. Aiden heard tales of Tony, the devious wolf, who led his candidate to victory. Aiden didn't want to believe it. But the proof was in the pudding. Tony is currently the chief of staff of the congressman.

He is devious. Look how he manages to rile him up! Scoundrel!

"Why? Can't I love?" Tony asked, jerking his head with an introspective and awed expression. It was as if he found that question odd.

Aiden was annoyed by Tony's reaction. "A bastard like yo~" Aiden paused as Tony took a step forward. He squinted his eyes and observed the man approaching him.

Man? That was no man. In those eyes that were focused, Aiden saw death. They didn't call him "The Wolf" for no reason. His adrenaline trigger got activated and he fisted his hands to balls to defend himself.

He wanted to turn and leave, but he didn't want to leave without having the last word. "What can I do if Don DeAngelo's daughter lets mutts on her bed? And, Tony…" Aiden whispered. "I don't kiss and tell but have you tried touching her with your fingers? She loves it when~"

*Whoosh*

Aiden got frozen as Tony's fist whooshed past his ears. He heard Tony's bones crack as his fist landed on the wall behind him.

"I'll tell you something, Aiden. I may truly not understand what love is. But let me tell you about my devotion… If she was in the dark and cold, feeling blue, if she asks me for it, I will burn her enemies in front of her and I will scorch the earth they stood on, just to bring her warmth; just to see the corners of her lips curve. So… Tell me, Jackass… Whom should I burn first? Whom does she hate the most?"

Aiden gulped and took a step backward. He's been through a lot of situations. He's in politics for f*ck's sake! He has never met an evil person like this guy. He didn't know if he means what he says. Why would a man lose everything just for a woman? Can someone wise like Tony be this stupid?

Aiden didn't want to stand there and find out. Tony smirked seeing Aiden scurrying away like the little rat he was. He cannot be allowed near Marcella now.

His eyes ended at the window of Marcella's apartment. It was dark. He walked across the street and down a couple of alleyways. In the dead end of a dark alleyway, there was a rusted speakeasy gate.

He knocked on it twice.

Through the opening, a guy peeked out. Seeing Tony, he opened the gate.

"They brought them all here, boss," he said scratching his arm where there was a tattoo of a skull and a four-leaved clover.

Tony walked in. "How many?" Tony asked.

"All ten of them," the guy answered.

"Where is the one who stabbed her?" Tony asked walking inside the dark warehouse.

"Here," one of the guys turned on the hanging light. "He's still not telling us who sent him."

Under the light was a chair. And tied to that chair was the guy who stabbed Marcella earlier. His face was bruised so badly as those men used him as a punching bag.

Tony threw his jacket on his shoulder and rolled up his sleeves as he walked closer.