Page 50 of Married to the Enemy

“It wasn’t me!” Jim protested, twisting against the cuffs. “I didn’t do nothing! It was that weirdo, the freak in the treehouse out back!”

For a moment, no one moved. Then, almost in unison, every head turned toward the back windows.

And there he was.

Peering over the railing of a ragged old treehouse, eyes wide and terrified, sat Barry Trello.

The sight made Jim snarl, his panic clawing up his throat. “See? I told you! It was him! He’s the crazy one!”

But no one seemed convinced. Not with the knife still in Jim’s hand, feathers clinging to him, and the mounds of shredded fabric upstairs.

Chapter 36

They had gone out for lunch, nothing fancy—sandwiches and soup at a little café downtown, Freddy laughing at one of Evangaline’s stories while Raffe sat across from them, the weight of the world still pressing down on his shoulders. For a rare hour, it had almost felt normal.

But the moment they pulled onto their street to come home, everything changed. Several police vehicles, sirens blaring, blew past Mia’s car. Everyone stared, startled by the progression.

Raffe’s phone buzzed on the console between them. He glanced down, then again, his expression turning to stone.

Mia’s stomach tightened. “What is it?”

His eyes didn’t move from the screen. “Someone’s in the house.” He looked up and, sure enough, the police were turning into Evangeline’s driveway.

Evangaline gasped softly from the backseat. Freddy’s hand tightened on his walker.

Before Mia could respond, Raffe was already reaching for the door handle. His voice was calm, controlled, but his tone left no room for argument. “I need to go. I’ll be right back. All of you stay here.”

Her pulse jumped. “Raffe—”

But he was already out of the car, the slam of the door echoing through the quiet afternoon.

Mia twisted in her seat, peering back at Nonna and Freddy, then back to the tall figure striding toward the front of the house. He moved like a soldier, each step deliberate, every sense tuned to danger.

The way his hand casually brushed his hip, she knew without asking—he was armed.

Freddy whispered, “Is it…bad?”

Mia forced her voice steady. “It’ll be fine. Raffe knows what he’s doing.”

Evangaline muttered something in Italian under her breath, crossing herself quickly. Then, sharper, she added, “We don’t move until he comes back.”

Mia’s throat was dry. The seconds dragged, stretching into long, suffocating moments. Through the windshield, she watched him disappear around the corner of the house, silent as a shadow.

The part of her that had grown up under her father’s rule recognized this look in Raffe—alert, deadly, focused. He wasn’t the man who had teased Freddy into eating broccoli or teased her by stealing her ice cream. He was something else entirely.

Her heart thudded painfully.

And even though she hated herself for it, a thought flashed through her mind.

If someone was inside that house, heaven help them. Because Raffe won’t!

Chapter 37

Raffe rounded the corner of Evangeline’s house silently. Shouting filled the air, and he skidded to a halt just as Jim Fuller’s body came half-spilling out of the broken side window.

Two uniformed officers had him by the arms, dragging him down and pressing him to the ground. Fuller fought like a wild dog, his face tomato red, spittle flying as he screamed.

“I didn’t do nothing! It was that weirdo, the freak in the treehouse out back!”