“Francine,” a voice she never expected to hear again, interrupted her fake fiancé’s lecture on how they should act. She turned to see a silver-eyed gaze boring into her with clear distaste.
Chapter Nine
Raphael was slightly off his game after Francine’s mother called their bluff and pushed them to prove they were truly engaged by getting married today. That after seeing his older brother and father for the first time in a decade attending a wedding they had not publicly announced their plan to attend. It was truly a banner day for shock and awe.
Even worse, Francine found out things about him that he should have told her himself.
He’d given Francine a story about the ring that, while true, was not thewholetruth. He had gotten itbackafter performing a job for someone clever enough to acquire the precious family jewelry through trickery. Instead of returning it to his family, Raphael had kept the treasure for reasons he couldn’t even explain fully to himself.
Besides, the ring had always been marked as his to give to a future bride, even though, at the time, he hadn’t had anyone in mind. He hadn’t met Francine yet and it was perfect for her.
The ring had slipped out of the family coffers through no fault of his and he’d completed a job to reacquire it. Now Francine assumed he’d lied to her about the ring and why he had such a treasure. Plus, he had for all intents and purposes outright fibbed and misled her about his role in the royal Boudreaux family, never expecting his relatives to show up at the Duvall-Roth wedding. Never expecting his brother to treat him civilly. His father, predictably, was furious from the word go.Some things never change.
He was about to tell Francine everything in a whispered report, hoping to win her forgiveness.
Until a man’s voice said venomously, “Francine.”
Raphael felt Francine shiver against him and looked up to see who had spoken. The silver-eyed man, a black scowl on his face, blocked their way.Where did you come from?
“I hadn’t heard you were engaged, Francine,” the stranger said in a mean voice.
“Well, now you know.” The words were confident, but Raphael heard the uncertainty in her tone. The doubt he’d put there by not being as forthcoming as he should have been.
“I’m Raphael Boudreaux, Francine’s fiancé. And you are?” Raphael moved, placing himself partly between them, and extended his hand. He’d love the chance to crush this man’s fingers.
“Howard Reginald.” He declined Raphael’s hand, so Raphael dropped it.
“Is that so?” Raphael smiled thinly.I know a secret about you, sir.
Howard had an evil glint in his eye when he leaned into Raphael’s personal space. “Does Francine still have the crescent moon-shaped beauty mark below her navel? I always wondered if it was real or fake.”
Francine sucked in a horrified breath and her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
Raphael leaned to within inches of the other man’s smug face. “Given that you betrayed her so brutally and cruelly, I don’t really care if you ever learn the truth as to that private information.” At normal volume, certain to be heard by anyone nearby, he added, “Bad bit of news about your cousin’s escape. Has he been found yet?”
Howard’s eyes widened as he took a step away from Raphael. His lips slammed shut until they formed a straight line. “No. They haven’t. I mean…how did you…? I mean…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His expression congealed so quickly, Raphael expected it to crack off his head. Howard shot Francine a fearful look, opened his mouth and then closed it.
Raphael straightened. “You owe Francine an apology, don’t you, Howard? Why don’t you tell her how sorry you are for all you’ve done?”
Howard looked like he’d rather swallow a barrel filled with glass. He drew in a huffy breath and frowned, clearly not ready to acquiesce. Raphael leaned in and whispered another threat. “I will see to it that every law enforcement agency in three galaxies knows who you are related to and suggest the authorities search your extensive properties with a fine-tooth comb. Do not test me, Howard. You will lose.”
After several expressions flashed over his face, Howard finally said, “I’m sorry, Francine.” The harsh whisper wasn’t the apology Francine deserved, and Howard certainly didn’t sound like he meant it, but Raphael decided it was as good as they would get under the circumstances.
Francine’s lovely lips parted in surprise, but she didn’t speak. Howard gave Raphael a sharp look, nodded once, turned on his heel and walked away like he had a stick shoved all the way up in a place where the sun never shines.
“How in the world did you do that?” Francine stared after Howard’s retreating figure. “He never backs down. I wasn’t certain he even knew the word ‘sorry,’ let alone ever allowed it to escape from between his lips.” A look of awe shaped her features. “Whatever did you say to him?”
“Knowledge is power. I had some knowledge about his family and I shared the fact I knew it. Then I threatened to reveal the information to everyone and anyone.” Raphael hoped he’d won back some points with her. Given her reaction to Howard and what he knew about the man, he had a good idea of what had taken place between them.
“Who is his cousin?”
Raphael said close to her ear, “Indigo Smith.”
She gasped. “What? Is that true?”
