I sense her watching me as Angelo steers us through a second doorway and down a corridor. We walk into an office where a youngish man wearing a surprisingly expensive suit sits hunched over a keyboard.
“Brandon, I’d like to introduce my wife, Chiara.”
The man freezes in surprise. “Wife?”
“Yes, Brandon. My wife.”
“I’m well now,” I announce, in case Brandon is aware of my backstory. From Angelo’s clenched jaw, I guess not.
Angelo pushes me forward. “Can you show Chiara how things work? She’s here to look over the books and see if she can figure out what’s going on.”
A flash of annoyance crosses Brandon’s face before he forces a smile. The poor guy probably thinks Angelo is casting aspersions on his professional abilities.
“Of course, sir,” he says after a pregnant pause.
“Great. I’ll see you later.” Before I ask how long Angelo expects me to stay in this office, he disappears. I wait a minute, ignoring Brandon, before stepping out into the corridor.
Kane leans against the wall with a wide grin.
“Sorry, kitten. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this building is a fortress, so get any ideas you have about absconding out of your head right now.”
“Seriously? I was looking for the ladies,” I huff crossly. “I have really bad cramps because Auntie Flo’s arrived, and I might be leaking.” That kind of oversharing would normally send a man running away in horror, but Kane just rolls his eyes.
“The ladies’ bathroom is through that door there. Let me know if you need any supplies, like tampons, chocolate, or painkillers, yeah?”
My mouth gapes in surprise before I rally and force a smile. “Um, thanks.”
“No problem.” He smirks. “Best hurry before I have to call a Code Red and ask the janitor to fetch the carpet cleaner.” He winks and I scowl. So much for acting all sweet and caring.
“Hilarious.” His laughter follows me all the way into the bathroom, where I discover, as suspected, that my period has arrived right on schedule. Which is good because even though Luka brought me a Plan B the day after ouraccidentby the pool, it’s not one hundred percent effective.
When I return to Brandon’s office, there’s a bar of chocolate waiting for me, along with a note.
Let me know if you need anything else, K.
Kane might look and act like a tough, scary gangster, but inside, he’s soft as a marshmallow. Any woman would be lucky to have him. So why does the fact it won’t be me make me sad?
39
Chiara
Asteady drizzle falls from a leaden sky, but the umbrella over my head shields me from the worst of it. We’re surrounded by tall trees and gray headstones. On a fine day, this hillside would be scenic, as it overlooks the bay, but not today.
Angelo stands by my side, not quite touching, while Kane is somewhere behind us. Lorenzo and Fina are two spaces to my left.
On the far side of the gaping hole in the ground, a motley group of seniors sits on folding chairs, some of them dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs as the priest drones on.
There aren’t many mourners here today. No family. When I asked Angelo why not, he said Ronald never married or had children.
That makes me sad, but at least the poor man had Felix.
I left the cat sleeping on my bed. He’s settled in well, happy to remain in my bedroom for now. A few cat toys appeared on the bed yesterday, which I assume came from Kane. For a big, gruff enforcer, Kane sure is a softy around Felix.
When I teased him about it, he just laughed and said he loved all pussies. I told him he was disgusting, but it was water off a duck’s back; the man has no shame.
Luka has yet to meet Felix. I haven’t seen him since our tryst. A big part of me wonders whether Angelo has threatened him and that’s why he’s staying away. Honestly, nothing my husband does surprises me, and threatening his brother is exactly the sort of bullshit stunt Angelo would pull, even though he has no right to demand monogamy in a marriage I never consented to.
I stand motionless while the priest rambles on, thinking about the day we buried my father. He lies in a different cemetery, but being here brings up too many unpleasant memories.
