My hands smooth over Tony’s sculpted arms, tracing over the intricate tattoos inked on his tanned skin. He closes his eyes as if it soothes him to have my hands on him, and then he takes my hand and brings it to his lips. A bump of pleasure lifts my heart as he kisses it, and then his gray eyes open to mine, lust and devotion swirling together.

We haven’t really said much to each other since it all happened. It was hard getting a moment away from the people constantly visiting him, but now a heavy silence falls over us both.

“I need to change your bandage.”

“So change it.”

A wide smirk staggers over his face as I straddle his waist. I change his shoulder first, gently peeling the bandage coated with rusty blood. He doesn’t make a sound, even though it must sting. His hands stroke my sides as his charcoal eyes never stray from my face.

All the unsaid things glow from Tony’s gaze. I’m vividly aware that this is the first time we’re actually alone together. No doctors to interrupt us, no mother to pop in unannounced, nothing. Heat builds up between us until I have to wipe my hands over my jeans.

Underneath my legs, I feel him hardening into a stiff rock. I meet his gaze warily and I inhale a sharp breath. Fuck, he just always looks so delectable. Even now with his five o’ clock shadow, I just want to run my fingers along his jaw and stare into those deep eyes as he rams me hard.

“Tony, we can’t. The doctor said—”

“The doctor said a lot of shit.”

The heat in his voice makes me lick my lips. “Seriously, though. You could hurt yourself.”

“I’ll fuck you when I want to fuck you, stitches be damned.”

He leans forward, kissing my neck. The feeling of his lips pressed against mine gently strokes the fire simmering inside me. It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve felt him inside me. We’ve just had stolen kisses in the hospital bed, a hand job while the nurses were occupied, that’s it. Tony’s face blazes with need, his hair already tousled from the many times I’ve run my hands through it.

“Sweetie, let me do the work.”

I lift myself and reach down, touching his iron-stiff cock.

“No, I’ll never let you do that again.”

I’m not sure what he’s referring to, but then again, Tony’s been odd lately. It must have been his close brush with death. He hasn’t let me out of his sight.

He stands up and takes my hand, a devilish look on his face. Cock vivid against his jeans, he pulls them down, his biceps straining. I help him undress, kissing the hard bump struggling against his briefs.

“This fucking wife of mine.” He stares down at me, his eyes shining. “You saved my life, and I hate that. I hate that I put you in that position, but I love you for being so fucking brave.”

I feel fit to burst as I stand up in his arms, and he holds me as though he needs it, as though he’s still beating himself up over it.

“I love you, Tony. I’d do anything for you. Always.”

He takes me to the bedroom and pulls the t-shirt from my head. The bra unsnaps from my back with a twist of his hand, and that falls to the ground, too.

I love this, just being naked with him, our bodies exposed to one another. He touches me as if I’m a piece of art, sadness still lingering in his eyes. I don’t know why.

I take off my pants and he follows my every move. He watches as I struggle with the tightness of the fabric. It snags my panties and those drop down. He touches my belly again and I imagine what it’ll be like when it starts kicking. My heart races whenever he puts his hands on me.

Then he lowers his head, lips brushing against my ear. “Having you there at the hospital was hell. They don’t tell you about the raging hard-ons you get when you’re naked under the sheets and your wife is right there, but you can’t fuck her.”

His hand covers my breast and I shudder at the contact. Hot lips sear against the side of my head as he pinches my hard nipple.

“You have me now.”

He grabs the base of my neck gently and makes me sit down on the edge of the bed. I slide my hands up his muscular thighs and pull his black briefs down, so that he bounces free. I grab the veined, stiff cock and my lips roll over his head. Tony sighs and pulls away from me.

“I need your pussy right now.”

Tony covers my body with his as he pushes me over the bed, spreading my thighs with his hand. The head pushes hard against the ache crying out for him, for his thickness. I love that sound he makes when he sheathes himself for the first time. My wetness gathers around him as he pulls out and shoves it back in, deep inside my pussy. He’s never been this gentle with me. Never looked at me with so much love in his eyes. It’s hard to describe, but they almost look fractured. In pain.

My body clenches around him as he pulses inside me, hammering my pussy as he breathes into my neck.

“I fuckin’ need you.”

He stops for a moment, grabbing my tits and then sinking his teeth into my neck.

I need him too—need this passion in my life. I need his cock inside me and his cum, too. The future unfolds for me. We’ll have more kids, and we’ll have a lot of fun making them. He makes me happier than I ever could have dreamed.

He kisses my damp neck as I dig my fingers into his back, screaming into the ceiling as he hits my G-spot. Then a groan shakes from his throat, and his cock stabs me hard. He empties his seed in my womb, and I feel the sticky warmth inside me.

We kiss like two teenagers who just discovered sex. He bites my bottom lip, and butterflies flutter in my chest as he looks at me with that slightly drunken expression.

“I love you.”

But a frown descends over his face.

“What’s wrong?”

He rolls on his back and opens and closes his mouth a few times, staring at the ceiling. “You know what’s wrong.”

I rub my arm feverishly. Rafael. He’s nowhere to be found.

“It drives me insane knowing he’s still out there.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. I just—I have no idea what his endgame is.”

Tony’s eyes flick to me, and I almost flinch from the darkness. “You. You’re his endgame.”

I don’t like hearing that. Bitterness curls my lip. “I’m not a fucking trophy. I’m not a goddamn possession.”

“I’m just as possessive as your ex. I just don’t have to hurt anyone to keep what’s mine.” He takes my chin gently, and even though his words should make my blood run cold, they have the opposite effect. “There’s no way in hell I’d let you go.”

I don’t want you to.

We lie there in bed for a while and gradually Tony closes his eyes. Sound asleep. I let him. The doctor said he needed rest, but I can’t rest. My nerves are fucked from being back in this house, where Rafael knows exactly where to find us.

I get up from the bed and grab my phone off the nightstand, which lights up with a new text:

Need to see you. Tell no one, or I go to the police and tell them who really shot me.

The blood drains right out of me. I can almost feel it pooled at my feet.

He has my number from the phone he stole from Tony. He’s still after me.

I look over at Tony’s sleeping form, knowing how enraged he’d be if he knew that Rafael contacted me. He would want to find him, but what if he didn’t? What if he went to the police?

The phone shakes in my hand. I don’t know what to do.

What do you want?

Meet me here. Now.

The text has a map pointing to a motel outside of town. The hair rises on the back of my neck.

No fucking way I’m meeting you there.

Then enjoy prison, I guess.

A shock of cold horror runs through me like a rippling wave. Prison. Either he could link the gun that shot him to me, or Tony.

I just want to talk.

I don’t believe that for a second.

How stupid do you think I am? I’m not going anywhere near you.

I wonder if the guards will let me in the cell with you if I bribe them.

My lip curls as I stare at the screen. Fuck you. I am not going to jail, and neither is Tony. I won’t be lured into a trap.

In the living room, I peel back the curtains and stare into the white streets, heart hammering. What should I do?

I could meet him.

I could kill him.

My heart seizes at the thought. I know I’m capable. I’ll do anything to save Tony and my baby. And I owe him.

Just look at him. Look at what you cost him.

My heart breaks when I look at Tony’s sleeping, exhausted body. He’s been shot, and he’s had one of his molars ripped out all because of me. Rafael’s too smart to be tracked down, but maybe I can do the work for them. For fuck’s sake, I don’t want to rely on anyone anymore. I was Daddy’s girl, but I’m not anymore. I’m not just Tony’s wife, either.

I’m Elena, and I can handle this piece of shit.

I look at Tony, almost wishing he was awake so that he could stop me from leaving. My heart slams against my chest as I gather my purse and slip out the door, locking it behind me.

* * *

My footsteps echo hollowly through the mostly empty parking lot. A dirty, dingy motel lays in front of me.

It’s dangerous. I know that, but I’m also familiar with Rafael’s moods. Now that he actually thinks he’s the father of my child, he won’t hurt me.

Too bad I have no problem hurting him.

I knock on the door, legs shaking as the blinds ripple near the window. The door cracks open and I stare into the nozzle of a gun.

I knock on the door, legs shaking as the blinds ripple near the window. The door cracks open and I stare into the muzzle of a gun.

“You’re alone?”

A sliver of a man shows through the door.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Get in.”

The door swings open and Rafael beckons me from the darkness. I hesitate, wavering on my feet, and he reaches forward and yanks me inside. The door slams shut and my back hits the solid wood as Rafael presses his angular body into mine, his hot, greedy lips at my neck. Hands touch my waist and a surge of vomit rises up my throat. I shove his chest hard and he stumbles backward.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

Rafael doesn’t look as coked out as he has the last few times I’ve seen him. He wears a white tank top and dark-blue jeans, the bandage visible behind the shirt. A pained look crosses his face. For a moment I think it’s remorse, then I notice the way his hand flies to his shoulder. I realize I shoved him where his wound was. Good.

“You wanted to talk. So talk.”

That dangerous, calm look falls over his face as he corners me, close enough so that I can see every bit of stubble on his cheek. His lips are inches from mine, and his eyes are clear. They’re filled with deadly calm.

Oh God. I don’t like this.

“Let me tell you what’s going to happen if you don’t do what I say. I’ll tell the police who shot me, and after a short trial, you get a couple years in prison. Long enough for you to give birth there.”

Where the fuck is this going?

Horror slowly fills my chest as a creeping smile spreads over his face. God, his smile used to make me glow. Now it just makes me sick. His fingers touch my frozen cheek, then my neck.

“They’ll take the baby away from you soon as it’s born. It’ll be ripped from your arms.”

It’s like a gray cloud rolling over my head. I’m cast in a black shadow. Rafael seems to glorify my despair.

“Then I establish paternity for the kid, and I take it away from you.”

“No.”

It’s like a whisper. It barely passes from my lips, but Rafael hears it. His fingers brush over my bottom lip.

“Yes.”

He can’t do this to me. An image of my swollen self, pacing the small cell of a prison cell haunts my mind. Giving birth in prison, and almost immediately having a nurse rip the child away from my arms.

He can’t do this.

“It’s not even your baby!”

He raises his eyebrow, smile trembling. “Are you sure about that?”

No, I’m not. As much as I want the baby to be Tony’s, as much as I hope that it’s his, I’m not completely sure.

It’s a horrifying image. As far-fetched I think his plan is—it still stabs my chest like a knife. I force myself to keep calm, to make myself seem like I really believe this shit. He’ll drop his guard, and I’ll get him. Somehow.

The room echoes with my shuddering gasps. I slump against the door, pretending to lose all strength in my limbs. Rafael wraps an arm around my waist, and I’m terrified by his warmth.

“I don’t want to do this to us, Elena, but I will get what I want.”

“You can’t do this to me.” I beg him with my eyes. “Please.”

But everything he’s done soared beyond any kind of usual evil.

I’ll kill you.

“You’ll leave Tony, or you’ll never see your kid again.”

“Leave Tony?”

Leave the man I love? He must be insane if he thinks I’m going to actually go through with this, but inwardly I rejoice. He might as well have handed his head on a silver platter.

I’ll go to Tony, sure. I’ll tell him exactly where you are.

Rafael has the balls to grin at me. It’s a wide, self-assured grin, not unlike the one Tony gives me, but so undeserving. He’s such a piece of shit. A worm. A parasite unworthy to stand on the same ground as my beautiful, brave husband.

Rafael’s sinewy arms wrap around me, pulling me against his chest. I ball my hands at my sides, holding them rigid as he wraps me inside his poisonous embrace.

“We belong together.”

“We really fucking don’t.”

“I understand why you left, but it’s different now. I’m off the coke.” His lips hover right over my ear, just close enough to make me shiver violently. “I’ll be a good father to our kid, and I sure as shit won’t let another man come between us.”

I let tears slip down my cheeks, and Rafael wipes them away greedily.

“No—I don’t want—no!”

He grabs my jaw firmly as he plants his lips against my jaw. “I won, Elena. Just accept it.”

I won’t accept it.

The police in Montreal are not going to give a shit about a suspect for attempted murder if I’m in New York. They’d have to extradite me, which could take weeks. He’s out of his mind.

“You need to break up with him, and you need to make it convincing.”

I screw up my face, pretending to be devastated. “I won’t!”

He forces my jaw forward, so that I’m facing him. “Then I call the police right fucking now and they haul your ass to jail.”

“This whole plan of yours makes no sense. Once they find out that you—you’ve coerced a member’s wife, they’ll kill you. Vincent will kill you.”

“Not while this baby is mine.” He growls in my face, reflexively grabbing my belly.

I slap his hand away, and he gives me an extremely offended look.

“I’m not yours to touch anymore. Keep your fucking hands to yourself.”

Within seconds his hand curls in my hair and he wrenches my neck hard, twisting my arm behind my back, making me cry out in pain. Deep loathing burns through my eyes as I look at Rafael’s twisting grin. I hate how easy it is for him to make me surrender. I struggle in his grasp, but it’s useless. I’m no match for years and years of hardened brutality.

“These fucking tits.”

He lets out a growl like a rabid animal and gropes my breast, his hand twisting my hair. The ugly violation boils my blood, but I’m powerless to stop him. He slides under my shirt and slips underneath my bra, mauling my sensitive flesh.

“Stop—please, stop!”

He lets me go so suddenly that I stumble to the floor. Immediately I wrap my jacket around myself. Rafael’s cruel laughter rings in the small room.

My fear makes him laugh.

“What’s the matter, hon? You used to like it rough, remember? You used to beg for this.” He grabs his cock and gives it a squeeze, and I turn away with a look of revulsion.

“Touch me again, and I’ll scream.”

His eyes narrow and he digs a finger into the center of my chest. “You know what’ll happen if you make one fucking sound.”

Make him think you’ve lost. You’ve done it before.

My eyes lower from his and Rafael lets out a grunt, satisfied with my submission. This sudden surge of self-conscious introspection won’t last, that I’m sure of. He’ll go back to snorting lines and smacking me around.

Only this time, I’ll be ready.

Because the first chance I get, I’m killing him.

The chair drags over the shitty carpet as Rafael pulls it out and sits down, stripping his white tank top from his shoulders. The bandage on his shoulder is soaked through, and he massages it with a tired look on his face. He beckons me with his finger.

“What?”

“Change my bandage.”

I’ll change your fucking bandage.

I step forward and rip the bandage from his shoulder, smirking as he lets out a sharp hiss.

“What the fuck is your problem?”

Are you seriously that stupid?

The genuine surprise on his face makes me livid. “You’re insane, that’s my problem. This fucking plan of yours isn’t going to work. Tony is not going to let me go anywhere with you.”

The slick grin on his face twitches as I slap the fresh bandage over his skin. He cocks his head, studying me. Then his hand shoots out, grabbing my wrist. I yank hard and then I twist my arm. He bends my wrist in a painful position and tears spring to my eyes. He pulls my body so that I fall over his lap. I cringe from the warmth of his chest and his hand snaking around my waist.

“Then you better find a good reason to tell him to back off.”

I try to get up, my abdominal muscles tensing against his powerful arm, but I fall back onto his lap. “Let me go!”

“What the fuck is your problem? Why are you giving me such a hard time?”

I want to scream.

I dig my elbow in his wounded shoulder and he screams in pain, releasing me immediately. He stands up from the chair, a murderous look snarling his features. My heart stammers and I wonder what the hell I’m doing. Why am I provoking him? I forget all about my plan as rage bursts from my mouth.

“I don’t want you! I can’t fucking stand you. For months, I was biding my time until I had a chance to leave. I took it and never looked back. You were the one who couldn’t fucking let go!”

His muscles tense as he screams. “Because you don’t get to fucking decide when we’re over, especially when you are carrying my fucking kid.”

“It’s not your kid!”

He grabs my arms, his thumbs digging in hard enough to make me moan. He looks as though he wants to throw me against the wall, and I wait for it. His lips tremble as he bares his teeth like an animal, but he slowly releases me, breathing in deeply.

“I won’t hit you because you’re pregnant.”

“You’re a scumbag and you don’t deser—”

My face whips to the side as a stinging slap burns my cheek.

I fucking hate him.

“I have no problem with slapping you around when you give me a smart mouth. That won’t hurt the baby.”

“I’m glad you’re so confident.”

This time I catch a blur of his hand as it hits me again, my eyes stinging.

“Want another one, you stupid bitch?”

His hand hovers above my face and I watch it, hating the weak part of me that makes me shake my head.

* * *

Crowds of people jostle me as I make my way through the mall. My eyes sift through them to find my husband’s face.

So that I can tell him what I did.

He’ll be furious with me. I spent the night under Rafael’s watchful gaze as I sat in the chair, refusing to occupy the same space as him.

But now it’s over. I know exactly where he is, and I’ll point Tony in the direction. I stand there, brain abuzz with what I’m supposed to say to him.

I watch him check his phone anxiously. He runs a hand over his face, looking stressed, and I feel a pang for the pain I’ve caused him. Then his eyes sweep over me, recognizing me. Relief floods his face and he gets up from the table. It melts away from the heat baking his skin. His jaw sets and he—there’s no other word for it—he looks pissed. My heart squeezes at the sight of him looking so upset.

Tony’s sculpted arms grab me, and for a moment I think he’s going to throttle my neck, but he pulls me into his body. He holds me so tightly that my lungs wheeze, and his fingers curl into my hair as a sound I’ve never heard from Tony shakes from his chest.

“I was so fucking worried, Elena. I had half my guys out looking for you.”

The worry in his voice throttles my heart. It’s torture. I bury my face in his chest without saying a word, inhaling the sharp spice of his deodorant. This is where I belong. It takes every effort inside me not to break down.

“I’m fine.”

He pulls away from me, his hands still holding my shoulders as sharp eyes scan my face. Can he see the tracks on my face?

“You know you’re a shit liar, right?”

“Tony—”

“You left me in the middle of the night.”

“I had to go.”

Thick eyebrows narrow dangerously. “Lie again, and I’ll bend you over my knee right here.”

An involuntary shiver runs through my body at the image of that. Tony seems to sense how it makes me feel, and a heart-stopping smile tiptoes across his face.

“Fuck.”

His thumb sweeps across my bottom lip right before he crushes his mouth against mine.

He’s watching you right now.

But right now I don’t care. I’m in Tony’s arms, and when I look at him I can’t help but feel that everything’s going to be all right.

“I think you better tell me where the fuck you were.”

He drags me to the table and we sit down together, his eyes never leaving my face. Fuck, I can’t breathe when he looks at me like that.

Tony makes an impatient growl at the back of his throat. “You better start talking, or I just might make good on my fucking promise.”

“Just hear me out. Okay?”

Tears well up in my eyes, consumed with the vision of me behind bars. I swallow them down, trying to free that knot in my throat. Gentle fingers touch my cheek.

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

Tony’s eyes widen as it dawns over him. Fists clenched, he stands up from the seat and stares into the crowds of people. “Where is that piece of shit? I’ll kill him right now.” He looks around the mall. “Is he here, watching us?” His fist slams into the table separating us. “Talk to me, Goddamn it!”

“He’s here. I lured him here for you.”

I don’t expect him to be happy, but I expect him to be pleased, at least. His eyes are red-hot as they scorch through my skin. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Tony, you don’t understand. I can’t—we can’t—”

He yanks me back down on my seat, his snarling face right up against mine. People around us are starting to stare, and a man behind Tony gives me a concerned look. He digs his fingers into my hair.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I met him at a motel. He said I’d go to jail if I didn’t. I just wanted him to believe he had me under his control, so we could finally get rid of him.” My voice cracks as I finally break in half, folding in on myself.

Tony’s eyes smolder as his lips tremble, white with rage. “You went to a motel with him. Alone.”

I know what he’s thinking.

“I don’t know what the fuck you were thinking—”

“He says I’m going to jail, Tony. I shot him. I needed to do something.”

I stand up again, hating how furious he is with me. He grabs my waist again and a flash of anger sears up my throat, which dissolves when he gives me that look.

“Then why not fucking tell me about it? Why the hell would you go off on your own?”

“I’ve already done enough to you.”

It hurts me that he can’t see that I was only trying to save him from whatever hell Rafael has planned for him.

“I can take care of myself, Elena.” His eyes smolder. “How dare you make this decision without me? We’re married, and that means you involve me in every fucking decision.”

Tony looks somehow shadowed, even in the bright lights inside the mall. His black, flyaway hair hangs over his face, the stubble on his cheeks overgrown, but his eyes are cold. A chill emanates from them, and I wonder if I’ve crossed some boundary with him—if I’ve gone past the point of no forgiveness. He takes my face in his hands as my breaths quicken to short gasps that hardly give me any air.

“I don’t know for sure if it’s yours. And if it isn’t, and if I’m in jail, then he gets custody—then he raises my kid.”

“Elena, that’s a lot of ‘ifs.’ And it’s not going to happen.”

“You c-can’t be sure.”

“That baby inside you is mine and when I find him, I’ll make the bastard pay for everything he’s done to us.”

“But, Tony—”

“I don’t give a fuck what he told you. You should never have left the apartment. It was stupid to put yourself in so much danger.”

It stings to hear the truth lash across my face like that, even worse to see the pain fracturing his eyes.

“Don’t you trust me to keep you safe?”

Of course I do.

“I just wanted to take care of him myself.”

How can I tell him that I’m trying to be a better person? I don’t want to have to rely on anyone. That’s what I did before, with Dad. That’s all.

“No. Your job is to stay home and keep your legs open for your husband, to take his cock whenever he needs you to. Protecting you is my job.”

His hand suddenly grabs my ass as he leans in, crushing his lips to mine as his fingers burrow in my hair. My heart pounds as his tongue shoves inside my mouth, tasting me. Heat burns my face as I imagine the people in the mall, staring at the spectacle we’re making. Nothing compares to the horror I feel—Rafael is watching. He’s going to know something is up.

He ends the kiss, breathing hard as he rests his forehead against mine. “I can’t fucking stand it—can’t take it that he fucking had you in a motel room.”

Bile rises up my throat. “Tony, nothing happened.”

His hands shake at his sides as he looks away from me, overcome with emotion. He can’t look at me.

It’s as though he can’t stand the sight of me.

My voice is small. “I’m sorry.”

He explodes. “That fucker is the only one who’s going to be sorry. He fucked my wife!”

The bottom drops out of my stomach. That’s what he thinks? “I didn’t let him. Tony, I swear!”

“FUCK!”

My heart hammers against my chest as he stands up, yanking me with him. I’ve never seen him so upset. The grip on my hand is almost painful as he marches me through the crowd, his chest pulsing like a bull’s. His arms are flushed with blood. “I’m going to inflict as much pain on that bastard as possible.”

I dig in my heels, stopping him. The face that looks at me isn’t one I recognize. It’s ugly, full of hate and a twisted malice.

“Nothing happened. I didn’t let him touch me.”

“It doesn’t matter to them!”

His nostrils flare as he looks at me with a tortured look.

Them?

“My boss—all my fucking colleagues are going to think that I’m some fucking joke.”

“You know what really happened. Who gives a fuck what anyone thinks?”

He stares at me for a moment, his face blank. “My reputation matters, sweetheart. If people think I’m a chump, why the fuck should they pay up on time?” His seething heat surrounds me as he grabs my upper arm. “You matter to me. I care what people think of my wife. A man who can’t keep his wife in line isn’t a fucking man.”

“I’m not your goddamn property.”

Then he draws me closer, until my fists are against his chest and a warm smile spreads across his face. “Yeah? That’s not what you said last night.”

I’m amazed at how hot my face gets when he gives me that searing, confident look and the smile that always makes my butterflies out of control.

Tension balls in my stomach as he leads us outside.

It feels like a fist inside me, squeezing my organs until stars burst in my vision. Oblivious to my anxiety, Tony pulls my hand and leads me into the crisp outdoors.

“Where is he?”

I expect Rafael to jump from around the corner, gun blazing.

“He’s probably gone by now. He must know I didn’t do what he wanted.”

Anxiety trembles through my voice. My plan fell apart like a house of cards. I expect to see a shadow of him lurking somewhere, but there’s no sign of him. It makes me uneasy. Tony yanks me across the parking lot and into his car.

Tony makes a few calls while he drives us away. I keep silent as he talks on the phone, trying to suppress the desire to lower my head from the window. Tony looks on edge, too.

Then he stops in front of Le Zinc, and a man comes outside to greet us.

“Go with him inside. I’m going to find parking.”

He says it in a voice that bids no argument, and I reluctantly open the door to walk the short distance from the curb to the restaurant, the man following behind me.

It reminds me of when my dad was still alive. Dad sent his guys to chaperone me to places, usually when he was in hot water. The familiarity calms me down somewhat. The restaurant is closed, but all of Johnny’s people are there, standing in the middle of the dining area. At the sight of the Montreal boss, my insides tighten. He’s never liked me. Tommy stands apart from the guys, his arms crossed. I can feel the judgment rolling from his gaze heating my face.

He still thinks we’re running a scam.

A wide, toothy smile spreads on Johnny’s handsome face. He beckons me closer and I slide into a chair.

“You want anything to drink?”

I still haven’t forgiven him for refusing to help me track down Tony. “No.”

No, thanks, you mean.

The rudeness doesn’t slide past Johnny, who frowns at me, saying nothing. I hate sitting here, being surrounded by all these men I don’t trust. They look down at me. Occasionally I catch a glimpse of a sneer and I wonder if they made their own minds about where I was last night.

Fuck.

French words and laughter surround me, and I wonder if they’re talking about me. It seems like it from the way they glance away from me when I meet their eyes, and the way they laugh with their backs to me. An unpleasant, sick feeling festers in my stomach and I remember what Tony told me.

They want a fucking spectacle? I’ll give them that.

I lift the napkin sitting on the table to my eyes and I screw up my face.

Cry. Cry, damn it.

Sobs break from my throat just as the door from the front of the restaurant swings open. The French chatter drops as my voice echoes through the restaurant, and suddenly Johnny’s hand is on my back.

“What’s the matter?”

“He took me,” I wail. “He took me from the apartment. I stepped outside f-for some fresh air and he grabbed me. Then he took me t-to his motel—”

“All right,” Johnny says in a leaden voice.

“He had a gun to my head. I thought I was going to die.”

I lift my head from the tissue as the men glance at each other, looking more sympathetic.

“He wouldn’t let me leave—”

“That’s enough,” Johnny says.

“It’s not nearly enough.”

Tony’s gravelly voice rumbles behind me, and my sobs subside as he takes both shoulders in his hands.

“Johnny, I got to talk to you.”

“All right. Let’s go to my office.”

He stands up, and to my surprise Tony tugs my shoulders. “C’mon.”

Making a show of wiping my face, I follow Johnny into the back, passing Tommy’s stony face. We file into Johnny’s office, taking seats behind his desk as he takes his.

“Johnny, we need to—”

“Shut the fuck up.”

My heart jumps at the sudden heat blazing from his voice. His hands grip the edge of the desk, his knuckles white.

“Tommy told me everything.”

Fuck.

“Told you what?”

I stare at Tony, surprised by the hostility in his tone. He’s the boss! You can’t talk like that to him!

“I know the wedding and pregnancy were part of a giant scam. I know about the money, and I’ve already taken my cut.” Johnny fumes at me across the table. “That’s thirty thousand dollars you’ll never see again.”

Behind my simmering fear, I feel a ripple of anger. He has no right to that money.

“I never took a dime from her, John. It is real, she showed me the tests.”

“I don’t give a fuck. You disrespected me by lying to my face. I should fucking kill you.”

Tony clenches the arms of his chair, staring at Johnny. “What are you going to do about Rafael?”

“Why the fuck is that my problem? As far as I’m concerned, he’s Vincent’s problem.”

“He tried to kill me. Did you forget about that?”

Johnny takes a pen from his desk and bends it in his hands, finally hurling it back down.

“That was before I knew you lied to me and brought all this bullshit on this family.”

The breath catches in my throat as the last words fall from Johnny’s lips like a battle-axe. Without their support, we really are fucked.

“I won’t deny that she came to me and asked me to do this for her.”

Johnny smiles bitterly.

“But I never took a dime from her, and she is carrying my kid. That’s a fact. You want to believe a fucking Yankee over me, that’s your fucking problem.”

The boss’ eyes flash dangerously. “I’m not convinced. Your wife gave quite a performance outside, when I know for a fact she left your apartment willingly because I had Tommy watch the place.”

A knock at the door disturbs us, but I’m almost grateful for the intrusion. The tension between the two men is red hot, and deadly. The veins in Tony’s neck stick out as if he was screaming. He turns around and snarls at the door.

“What?”

“Police, open the door!”

“Who the fuck let them in the restaurant?”

There’s a brief moment of silence before the officer knocks on the door again. Having no choice, Tony stands up and opens the door. Men in blue stand at the threshold, Johnny’s men not far behind them.

“Tony Vidal?”

My husband crosses his arms. “That’s me.”

“You’re under arrest.”