Only when it was quiet did Bruce come inside. “It’s safe to come out,” he called, not for me, obviously, since I stood waiting for his report.
A pale Nicky emerged with Zaza in her arms. “Who was it?”
“A couple who got lost. They missed the turn-off for their cabin so I sent them back down the mountain.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. For a second, I thought Joseph found us.”
Bruce tensed. “Do you have a picture of your husband?”
“Why?”
“I just want to make sure.”
She bit her lip. “I left without my phone and didn’t keep any images of him. Did the man you spoke to have a slight scar above his right eyebrow?”
“No, but that said, rest assured if your husband should happen to show up, I won’t say a word about you being here.”
“He has ways of making people talk,” was her curt reply.
Bruce snorted. “He’d find it hard to bully me.”
“Alone maybe, but Joseph rarely goes anywhere without his posse to do his dirty work.” Her lips clamped shut.
“You make him sound like some kind of mobster.”
“Because he is,” was her soft admission. “Joseph ‘Iceman’ Palumbo is not someone you should antagonize.”
“Some would say the same about me.”
“Joseph wouldn’t hesitate to have you killed.”
“Wouldn’t be the first to try, and look at that, I’m still here.” Bruce’s expression turned hard and cold. “But they aren’t.”
Ooh. I liked this darker side of my servant.
“I should leave in the morning,” Nicky stated, her voice trembling.
“To go where?”
“I don’t know. Initially, when I left my home, I planned to leave the country but I don’t have a passport.”
“I have contacts who can help with that, but at the same time I will add, running won’t solve the problem. You might escape for now, but one day, when you’ve let your guard down, you’ll be most vulnerable to discovery. If this Joseph is the type of man I think he is then he won’t stop hunting you until the day he dies.”
“He’ll never stop looking, but what am I supposed to do? I already tried killing him and failed.” She uttered a bitter laugh. “Never even scratched him with the kitchen knife before he took it from me and gave me this. She pulled back her sleeve to show a white weal marring her forearm.
Bruce drew in a hissing breath. “That bastard.”
“That’s only one of a few he gave me over the years.” Her lips turned down. “The others are in spots more easily concealed.”
“He didn’t care about hiding the fact he gave you a black eye,” Bruce growled.
“Because he wanted his people to see he’d put me in my place. I told you, among his associates, his behavior is considered normal.”
“Like fuck it is.” Bruce swore, only to glance at Zaza who clung to Nicky’s leg, sucking her thumb. “Sorry. The thought of someone hitting you riles me up something fierce.”
“Why do you care? It happened before we met, and despite the last few days, you barely know me.”
“I care because it’s wrong.”
