Alec tugs on his collar. “You are the wife of a very dangerous man, Mrs. De Luca. No one wants to risk doing or saying something that might offend you.”
My stomach sinks. Really? So they’re scared of me?
“If you’ll excuse me.” He gives me a quick bow—a bow—and leaves.
I blink at the door for a few long moments, trying to wrap my head around my new reality. In Darkwater Hollow, everyone looked down on me, but these people treat me with a fearful respect I’ve done nothing to earn. I used to be the daughter of a criminal, and now I’m the wife of one. It seems like no matter where I am, a label gets slapped on me.
I push my irritation aside and go to examine the boxes in the living room. Kneeling down, I carefully peel back the tape, lift the lid, and peer inside.
Books. The box is full of books.
A spark of joy ignites as I pull out the first title.A Discovery of Witchesby Deborah Harkness. I used to own this one.
Hold on.Darkfeverby Karen Marie Moning? I had this one too.
I pull them out, one by one, reading each familiar title and stacking them into a tall pile.
Then I find it—a signed special edition of Naomi Novik’sSpinning Silver, the one I know for a fact had a limited print run. My jaw drops.
How did Nero manage to get this?
For over an hour, I sift through the boxes, uncovering every book that was destroyed in the house fire. Every. Single. One.
Something warm yet unwelcome swells inside my chest. I shouldn’t be swayed by this gesture, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I’m amazed at how he managed to figure out the entire list of books that burned.
He’s trying to make amends.
But this isn’t enough. Not even close.
I shut my eyes and let out a breath. I won’t allow a gift to sway my opinion of Nero. This doesn’t change the fact that I don’t trust him or that I’m planning on leaving as soon as I find a way out.
The act of arranging the books on the shelves in the living room feels like a form of meditation. By the time I’m done, I feel calmer. More grounded.
I’ve just settled down on the couch and cracked open a thick tome when a knock startles me.
This is becoming ridiculous. Another delivery? I already have enough groceries to feed an army, books to last me a lifetime, and clothes for every occasion, which seems silly given that I’m not even allowed to leave this place.
I put the book down on the coffee table, get to my feet, and move into the foyer. “Come in,” I call out.
Alec peeks in, a large black box tucked under one arm. He gives me a polite smile. “Last one for the day, miss. And you have a visitor.”
He places the box by the door and lets in a wiry, middle-aged man holding a leather satchel.
“Hello, Mrs. De Luca,” the man says.
An electric charge zips down my spine at being addressed by that name.Whoa.“You’re not afraid to talk to me?”
The man’s expression turns confused. “If I didn’t talk to you, that would make this appointment quite difficult.”
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“I’m the Messero’s family’s doctor. Call me Doc. I was supposed to arrive much earlier, but we had an emergency at the clinic.”
A doctor employed by the mob? Don’t doctors have a code of ethics they have to live by?
“Just so you know, I’m being held here against my will.”
He doesn’t look particularly surprised. “I was warned you might say something like that. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to settle into a new marriage.”
