Page 47 of Married to the Enemy

Mia lifted her chin even as her pulse hammered in her ears. “No.” Her voice wobbled once, but then steadied. “I’ve spent too much of my life trying to escape your depravity and cruelty. I will never voluntarily go with you. So, you’re either going to have to drag me out of here in front of all of these witnesses, or leave me the hell alone!”

His eyes narrowed, hard and calculating. For a terrifying moment, she thought he might actually grab her, witnesses or not.

But instead, he tucked the phone back into his pocket and smiled that reptilian smile she knew all too well.

The message was clear. This isn’t over.

Chapter 33

Steam curled from the pot on the stove, fogging the edge of the overhead cabinet. Raffe carefully added the dry pasta into the pot. The hiss and sudden billow of starchy steam filled the kitchen, while the sauce simmered on the neighboring burner, smelling faintly of spices and tomato sauce.

Behind him, Mia’s knife tapped rhythmically against the cutting board. He could hear her soft humming, almost careless, though he knew her well enough by now to understand it was forced—something she did to cover nerves. Plus, he could sense something was bothering her. No, not bothering her. Mia seemed…oddly distracted. And distraction was dangerous when things were happening. Vito was moving puzzle pieces and Raffe didn’t know where all of those pieces were. Yet.

He glanced toward the doorway. Evangeline’s voice carried faintly from the parlor, encouraging Freddy as he worked through some math problems. Good. They were occupied. He needed them to stay that way.

Raffe turned, bracing his palms against the counter edge, the warmth of the stove at his back.

“Mia,” he said.

She looked up, mid-chop, her dark curls bouncing slightly. “What’s up?”

His chest tightened. There wasn’t a right way to do this.

“Jim Fuller,” he began, his voice low, controlled. “Freddy’s previous foster dad. He’s the one who slashed your tires.” The knife stilled. Raffe hurried to continue before she could respond. “He was arrested for trespassing and vandalism. He’s out on bail right now, but… there’s more you need to know.”

Her lips parted, but no sound came out. He saw her fingers curl tighter around the knife handle, knuckles whitening.

“I’m FBI.” He leaned forward slightly, the words more difficult than he’d imagined. “I was—am—on the organized crime task force investigating your father.”

The silence stretched. He could hear the pasta boiling behind him, the faint creak of Freddy’s chair in the next room. His pulse pounded deafeningly in his ears.

“I had no idea who you were,” he said firmly. “Not until we were standing in your friend’s office, about to be married. That was not part of my plan.”

He raked a hand over his face, frustration burning through him. “I wasn’t going to tell you. I thought I could keep this quiet, keep you shielded. But there are more players moving in this mess and I need you to be aware.”

Her eyes shuttered, closing off, her face going carefully blank.

Raffe swore silently. He hated that look.

“I know you’re angry with me for lying to you,” he pressed, his voice dropping low. He stepped closer, his gaze locking onto hers. “But I had to tell you. I will keep you, Freddy, and Evangeline safe, Mia. That’s a promise.”

She didn’t answer.

Not with words.

But her hand trembled slightly as she carefully set the knife down, and that flicker of vulnerability, more than the anger in her eyes, nearly gutted him.

Before he could offer her more information, or even beg her to forgive him, Freddy and Evangeline walked carefully into the kitchen, Freddy announcing triumphantly that he’d finished his homework. They were both walking better, but slowly. Carefully. And sometimes, reaching out to steady themselves with a wall or furniture as their legs slowly regained muscle strength.

“Why don’t you go set the table?” Raffe suggested, still staring at Mia.

Then Mia whispered, “Let’s talk about this later, okay?”

Raffe didn’t want to talk about it later. He wanted to talk about it now. Correction, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, to explain everything and beg her to forgive him. He wanted to make love to her, to show her what he could give her. And he wanted to drive over to Vito’s house and arrest him. He didn’t have any evidence yet, but with that look in Mia’s eyes, he’d work doubly hard to find out what that bastard was up to and make him pay for his crimes. Anything to keep Mia, Evangeline, and Freddy safe.

But she was right. This wasn’t a conversation to have right now. Freddy was still worried about the arrangement blowing up on him and being forced back to a horrible foster family. Evangeline was getting stronger, she was walking all the time now, but at the end of the day, both were tired, their muscles not completely back to normal.

They would discuss this later, he promised himself.