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Baffled, I stare at him. Of course he knows. If he knows I’m going to the village, he must have me watched. Or whoever is watching the house must’ve told him. Wait. I’m using the secret path now. That means someone saw me sneaking away before Sophie showed me the stairs that lead to the beach. The alternative is that he has informants in the village. I better be careful. Anyway, if everything goes the way I hope it does when I tell my husband my news, I won’t have to hide my comings and goings any longer.
“Why did he come?” he asks when I don’t reply. “How did he know where to find you?”
“I don’t see how that concerns you.”
He advances on me with surprising speed and agility. “He came to get information on my nephew.”
I aim for my escape route, but his hand is around my neck before I have time to spin around. My back hits the wall, the air leaving my lungs with an oomph.
He hovers over me with a menacing gaze. “What did you tell him?”
“Nothing,” I cry out, grabbing his wrist and trying to pull him off me. “I didn’t say anything.”
His eyes bulge. “You didn’t take the deal?”
“No,” I exclaim. “I already told him the first time he took me in for questioning that I won’t gather evidence against my husband.”
“Why?” He sneers. “Because you love your spouse so much? Or because your family’s lives are at stake?”
“Both,” I croak, admitting the truth out loud for the first time.
“Do you expect me to believe you?” He lets me go with a shove. “You’re an Edwards. You’re a traitor and a liar just like your father and the rest of your family.”
Rubbing my neck where I can still feel his grip, I sidestep to the door. “I’m telling the truth.”
His upper lip curls. “You made my nephew weak. He should’ve honored my brother’s wish to kill you. Instead, he dragged you into his home, putting all of us at risk.”
Anger takes over, dulling my fear. “So what then? You’re here to finish the job for your nephew?”
“No.” He grins, revealing yellowed teeth. “My nephew will discover the truth for himself. He has a way of getting information from people. Lieutenant Lavigne won’t last long before he tells Angelo what was said between the two of you outside.”
“Youwantme to betray him,” I whisper as the realization hits home. “That’s how you want to get rid of me. You’re hoping my husband will kill me himself.” The insight makes me brave enough to step up and face him squarely. “Because you know my husband will kill you if you lay a finger on me, and you just crossed that line.”
It’s a wild card but one I’m betting on. Angelo is too possessive. That’s why he branded me. If he does decide to kill me, he’ll never let anyone else take care of the task. No, he’ll do it himself. Anyone who dares will pay bitterly. That’s the lesson he taught me when he fired Roch for pushing and insulting me.
Nico or Enzo, whichever one of the two he is, considers that quietly. After a beat, the curve of his lips gives him a cruel expression. “You’re not as untouchable as you think you are.”
“Neither are you,” I deadpan.
Something sparks in his eyes, something calculated that I don’t like.
“That may be true,” he says, “but soon, it won’t matter.”
He leaves me with that statement, his laugh following him out of the house.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Angelo
The day breaks peacefully over the water as the skipper turns the yacht into the marina at Bastia.
My phone rings in my pocket with the ringtone I saved for Sabella.
I fish the phone out in a second, my heart pounding. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Her husky voice washes over my senses. Why haven’t I realized before how much I love the soft, feminine sound of her words?
