He nods, but Victor Sterling stops next to him. “Don’t cancel it. Get it to go.”
I freeze and look around the room. Every pair of eyes is on us. I have no idea how I got myself into this situation, but I know I’ve got to get out of it. I stand up. “Victor, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would be here. I’ll go.”
Victor holds his hand up. “Sit.”
Reluctantly, I sit back down and look up at him. The whole restaurant is watching as Victor sits down across from me.
“Where is your husband?”
I can’t tell him I don’t know. “He has a work thing.”
He blurts out a laugh. “A work thing? Is that what we’re calling it these days? Because I would swear I saw him walking into the hotel over on Fifth Street not thirty minutes ago.”
I try to school my expression. I know one rule of Mafia families is that you never let the enemy see your weakness, but instantly my thoughts go to last night when I accused Robert of cheating.
Victor catches the fleeting look on my face, and his eyebrows rise. “Oh. Problems in the Kingston household?”
I just lift my chin at him.
He reaches across the table and stops right before touching me. I’m glad he doesn’t because if he did, my husband would killhim. I know he would, even now with our marriage in turmoil. Maybe not because he cares about me, but he wouldn’t like Victor touching something that he considers his.
Victor continues. “I heard you left him.”
I just glare at him.
He chuckles. “I heard you moved into the apartments on Grand Avenue. Third floor. Apartment 3C.”
I try to keep any expression off my face. I don’t know why I thought I could do something without Victor knowing about it, but I guess I thought I wasn’t a top priority for him.
He laughs again, obviously pleased to see the discomfort on my face. “I guess you figured out what kind of man you were married to. He thinks he’s better than me, but I never cheated on my wife when she was alive.”
I just stare at him.
The waiter comes and sets the bag of food on the table. I pick up my purse, but Victor stops me. “I’ll take care of it. I mean, I can take care of you if your husband won’t.”
I pull my card out and try to hand it to the server, but he refuses to take it. I don’t blame him. Not many people would want to get caught in the crosshairs with a Sterling. Especially not Victor himself.
I stand up, and Victor follows.
“I’m leaving now,” I announce.
He picks up the bag of food and holds it out to me. “Don’t forget your lunch.”
I shake my head, not taking the bag. “Keep it. I don’t want it.”
He laughs again. “You came here wanting something. Maybe it was just to see how the better half lives.”
“I’m going to leave now, Victor, and I suggest that you and your goons don’t try and stop me.”
His eyebrows lift. “Goons?” He looks over at the men in suits. “Did you hear that? Eleanor Kingston just called you goons.”
The two men are not amused, to say the least. They both glower at me.
My heart is racing, and I can feel the sweat pouring down my back, but I’m trying not to panic. I lift my chin at him. “Victor, you know if you touch me, my husband will kill you. No questions asked. He won’t care that I walked into a restaurant that you were already in. He will come after you.”
His face turns to stone. He knows I’m right. Victor may be evil, but my husband protects what is his no matter what.
He takes a step forward, and even though he doesn’t touch me, I can feel his hot garlic breath on my face. “Are you threatening me, Eleanor? And after I was playing nice. I was offering to take care of you since your man obviously can’t.”
