Two mornings later, Sonny drove me to the Trenton campus of my college for class. I’d never been so excited. Getting out of the car and crunching over the fall leaves, with a new backpack and clothes carefully selected from my new designer wardrobe, I felt like a student starting her first day of high school.
Just over a week had passed since the benefit where I’d had to serve Doctor Dan and his friends, but I felt like a different person. So much had happened to me, not the least of which was the big-ass ruby-and-diamond rock on my finger. I had suggested taking it off, but that idea had been met with a wry, final shake of my bodyguard’s head.
Renato wanted the damn ring on my finger, and I was pretty sure Sonny was under instruction to put it back on if I tried to take it off, or worse, call my husband.
I’d rather not test that theory, so I wore it.
Considering that yesterday, I’d finally had the health checkup that Renato had been threatening, I didn’t want to rock the boat. I was pretty sure my birth control shot was about to be discovered with the blood test. There was no way to make the hormones wear off faster, so I still had a good seven weeks of protection, and I had no idea how my baby-obsessed husband was going to react. His addiction to filling me up and holding me in place, full of his cum, was pretty transparent. He wanted me pregnant, and soon he’d find out that wasn’t going to be possible for another seven weeks. That moment was coming, and I had no idea exactly when.
However, since that moment wasn’t this one, and I was at school and Renato wasn’t here, I wasn’t going to let my anxiety ruin my day. In the grand scheme of things I was keeping from him, a temporarily higher hormone level barely made the cut.
Today was special and just for me. Making the decision to run from Atlantic City had already meant giving up everything I’d accomplished here, including my degree. Now, I had another chance. An unexpected opportunity to follow my dreams when I’d thought they were gone for good.
I entered the building where my lecture was, soaking up everything about the place. The flyers on the wall, the smell of burnt popcorn emanating from the common room. I grabbed a coffee from the takeout cart and waved to some people I knew in my program. The only dark spot on an otherwise happy day was my lurking shadow.
When it was time to pay, Sonny handed money over and took his Americano from the barista.
“You know, you don’t have to watch me in here. You can wait outside in the car.”
“The lot is way in the back. I need to be close at hand, just in case,” Sonny muttered, looking at every student who passed us suspiciously.
“Just in case what?”
“Those Castillo fuckers try and get some revenge. An eye for an eye, you know. That’s not just in the movies. It’s painfully real.”
We walked along in silence for a moment. People passing us sent smiles my way, only to blanch when they clocked the hulking man in a suit glowering at them. There was no hiding Sonny. He was large and in charge, or so he liked to think, clearly. He seemed to have been trained in the same merc school as Elio, because he scanned corners and moved with the same tactical grace as the sottocapo.
“Did you serve with Elio?” I wondered as we reached my classroom.
“How did you know that?”
“Just a guess. You know you can’t come into the lecture hall, right?”
Sonny nodded and pointed to a spot by the door. “I’ll be here. If you need anything, Mrs. De Sanctis, just scream, and I’ll be there before you run out of steam.”
“Call me Charlie, please. Don’t make this weirder than it already is,” I begged him.
He avoided my eyes, moving to his position beside the doors. “Mrs. D. Final offer,” he finally agreed.
With a resigned sigh, I turned to the doorway.
“Before you go, how long is this?” Sonny shot out before I left.
“Three hours.”
His look of disgust made me laugh. He crossed himself quickly, swearing under his breath in Italian.
“You’ll survive, and if you get tired, I can come look for you at the coffee shop?” I suggested.
But he was having none of it. “I’ll be here,” he said firmly, planting his feet.
“See you later, then,” I teased and went into the classroom.
Students were settling into their seats, and I selected one on the end and sat. I had my notes and books. Somehow, Renato had managed to get a minion to track down all our things from the bus. He’d also had everything moved from our old apartment to Casa Nera. I had all my notes and secondhand textbooks back.
And now that I had my old clothes back, I could see how shabby they looked next to my new designer threads. I was considering donating them, but that felt wasteful and spoiled. I actually felt guilty toward my own clothes for wanting to toss them when something better came along. I was clearly losing my sanity a little bit more with each passing day.
The lights dimmed as I checked the class schedule. A guest lecturer? Who could it be?
As if my thoughts had summoned him, he suddenly appeared. “Well, Nurse Burke, I’m relieved to see you’re still alive.”
Oh, no.
Doctor Dan stood at my side, peering down at me with a self-important smile.
“Are you the guest lecturer?”
“I sure am. I hope you don’t mind being taught by a co-worker. Or is it former co-worker? I heard you transferred to St. Roberta’s. A nice small place with less violent crime. Nice location if you can land it,” Doctor Dan went on.
I’d forgotten how much the man liked the sound of his own voice. I used to mistake that drone for confidence, but meeting Renato had changed my opinion. There was power in silence. Not being compelled to fill every gap in the conversation was confidence.
“I’m going to be studying full time, and then, yeah, I’ll probably be finishing my rotations at St. Roberta’s.” I wasn’t surprised to hear that Renato had already arranged for me to work at the hospital closest to Casa Nera. Weirdly, I didn’t mind it. St. Roberta’s was a lovely little hospital, and it was generally considered a dream come true to land it for rotations. I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. My pride wasn’t that fragile.
“Well, we miss you around Camden Community Hospital.”
The lights dimmed in the hall, and the projector came on. I pointed toward the front. “I think it’s time to start.”
Dan nodded, though he seemed like he had more to say. Luckily, he was out of time.
He headed to the front, preening as he waved to the audience. Great, three hours of hearing Dan talk about how awesome he was. Just what I needed. He wasn’t a bad doctor at all, but he couldn’t go five minutes without bragging.
I took a sip of my hazelnut mocha, picked up a pen, and braced myself.
In the end, the time went by quickly. He’d talked about shifts in the ER, which was interesting, and I’d missed studying so much, when I checked the clock, I was shocked to find out how time had flown. As soon as we were finished, people surged from their seats. I packed my bag and made my way out of my row.
“Charlotte? Can I have a word?” Dan called from the front.
I seriously considered pretending I didn’t hear him, but in the end, my good manners were too deeply ingrained.
“What is it?”
“Did you enjoy the class?” Dan perched a hip on his desk and smiled benevolently at me.
I nodded. “Sure, it was really interesting. You’re a good teacher,” I said, hoping he was just looking for a little ego boost.
“I know, that’s why they always ask me back. One day, when I get too tired or burned out at work, I’ll go into teaching. There’s something about eager young students that just makes me excited about the topics again.” He smirked.
Eager young students? There was something slimy about the way he’d said it, and I imagined him as an older man, graying at the temples, like Renato, but with none of his style or dark charisma, hitting on students more than half his age.
“We’re going to miss you around Camden Community, but to be honest, it was always a bit of a ball ache that we were co-workers. It’s such a cliché, the nurse and the doctor,” he chuckled. “I try and avoid that sort of thing, but now, it’s easier.”
“I don’t follow.” I glanced nervously at the door. It was only a matter of time before Sonny came looking for me.
“Us. I apologize for being drunk at the gala,” he began.
“No need. It’s water under the bridge. But I should stop you there. I can’t date you.”
Dan frowned, seeming annoyed at being cut off just as he was getting ready to hit on me. “Why not?”
“Because she’s married, and I’m not the type to share,” Renato’s deep voice filled the room.
A frisson of alarm zipped through me.
He stood in the doorway, leaning against the threshold with indolent grace.
“Excuse me?” Dan asked, his reedy voice fading as he took in the man staring at him with murder in his eyes.
Renato straightened up and sauntered into the room. He took his time walking down the stairs that led to the lectern. When he reached us, he pulled me to his side and kissed my cheek.
“Why are you here?” I wondered.
“I wanted to pick up my wife up after her first day.” His gaze roved over my face like he’d missed me terribly in the few hours we’d been apart.
“Your wife?” Dan repeated skeptically.
Renato turned to him, his warm expression melting into something terrifying. “Yes, my wife. Charlotte and I are recently married. You may congratulate us.” He raised his chin and waited, with all the imperiousness of a king. He’d definitely been royalty in a past life.
“Congratulations, I guess,” Dan stammered. He looked closely at Renato, probably trying to place where he knew him from. The head of the De Sanctis family was notorious, but Princeton boys like Dan – pampered and coddled and brought up far away from the real world – might have missed the memo. Maybe he recognized him from the gala.
Dan’s gaze fell to my hand, scanning for a ring. Renato laced his fingers through mine and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back. The ring was obvious.
Dan’s mouth fell open. “I-I didn’t know,” he started.
“And now you do. From now on, you don’t ask my wife to stay late to be alone with you. You don’t attempt to flirt with her, or even speak to her about anything unrelated to the subject you’re teaching, and above all…” Renato’s tone dropped, holding a deadly hint that sent fear skittering down my spine. “You never, ever talk down to her. No one disrespects my wife. No one.”
The tension was high as hell, and I looked at my husband. He was mad. Renato didn’t get mad like other people did. He didn’t rant and rave. He didn’t even shout. I’d never heard him shout. The quieter and more controlled he was, the more deadly.
“Let’s go. There’s a cute coffee place on campus. Buy me a hot chocolate,” I said to Renato.
He stared at Doctor Dan in a way that was making the other man sweat. He turned pale under that withering stare.
“Ren, come on.” I tugged at my husband’s hand, and to my surprise, it worked.
He broke his death stare and looked down at me.
“I want a hot chocolate, and someone I know likes to buy me everything I want, so here’s your chance,” I told him and attempted a smile.
A beat passed, and then Renato’s lips lifted into a grin, Doctor Dan forgotten.
“If my wife wants a hot chocolate, then that’s what she gets.” He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and turned us, without another glance at Dan. “You know, Carmella can make a far better hot chocolate for you. None of that instant powdered crap they use in coffee shops.”
“I like the powdered crap,” I protested, relieved the storm had passed.
We left the room, and Sonny detached himself from the wall. Renato tossed a glance at him as we passed.
“You’re not going to do anything to Doctor Dan, are you? He’s just an idiot.”
Renato patted my hand. “That’s indisputable. Now, where is this coffee place?”
I twisted before we turned the corner and looked back at the door to the lecture hall. The door was closed, and Sonny was nowhere to be seen.
Renato watched me over his espresso cup as I excitedly went over the lecture. He didn’t interrupt and he didn’t seem bored, either. When I was done, I sagged back against the seat.
“Okay, your turn to talk,” I said and picked up my hot chocolate, taking a sip and grimacing at the temperature. I’d talked for so long it had gone cold.
Renato caught someone’s eye, and before I knew it, he’d ordered a new drink for me.
“Do you always get what you want? You are aware that they don’t do table service here?” I asked as he settled back and smirked at me.
“Sometimes they do, I suppose.”
Rolling my eyes, I stood and stepped past him to head to the bathroom. “You’re just that guy who gets everything he wants, every single time, aren’t you?”
He caught my wrist as I passed and stopped me. “Not everything. I’d like you to straddle me while you tell me about your classes and let me fuck you right here in this chair, but I can’t.”
Heat flushed through me. His words made me feel wanted and wicked. I wanted him just as much. It was a frightening realization.
“Well, there’s always the car home,” I pointed out.
Renato smiled, and it was so breathtakingly hot I fought the urge to fan myself. He pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist and then released my hand.
“You have five minutes, in that case.”
I spun on my heel and headed for the restroom. I had no doubt that he meant it. He was going to fuck me in his fancy SUV while Sonny drove us home. Thank God there was a privacy partition.
I stepped into the bathroom, fizzling excitement in my belly. It was quiet, and only got more so as I flushed and zipped up my jeans. Heading out to the sinks, I stopped in my tracks. There was a reason it was so quiet. A person stood barring the door, and another leaned against the sinks.
Detective Vane and Detective Whitely.
“Miss Burke, or should I call you Mrs. De Sanctis? You’re a difficult lady to get alone.”
I seriously considered backing into the cubicle and locking it, but Renato would come looking for me soon, and finding me here with the detectives? I was terrified to see his reaction.
“I have nothing to say to you.” I jerked my head toward the door. “Let me out, my husband is waiting for me.”
“Waiting for you or watching to make sure you don’t run away?”
“What do you want?” I demanded, but I knew, of course. They were never going to just let me go without a fight. They saw a hole in Renato De Sanctis’s inner circle, and they wouldn’t be giving that up so easily.
“What happened to the listening device? It was transmitting perfectly fine and then, nothing.”
“I don’t know,” I blustered.
Detective Vane stared at me closely, her face calculating. “You got rid of it, didn’t you? You’ve switched sides, haven’t you, Charlie?”
“Sides? I was never on your side, or his. I’m on my side.”
Whitely made a frustrated sound. “And you want to throw in your lot with a kingpin. This man is dangerous, Charlie. He’s a killer.”
I waited for a long moment, taking slow breaths, my brain working furiously over the predicament. “Are we done here? I’m assuming you don’t have a warrant?”
Detective Vane stood and folded her arms. “No, no warrant. But we do have evidence leaked from inside Casa Nera. I bet your husband would just love to know he has a mole, and that it’s his wife.”
A pang of regret went through me. Great, now that I’d made the mistake of planting the bug in the first place, Detective Vane would try to use it against me.
I shrugged. “Tell him, I can’t stop you.”
She laughed. “You think he cares enough about you to overlook it? Don’t you know how families like his work? Loyalty is the most important thing. Omertà, look it up.”
“Are we done?” I repeated, injecting a bored note I didn’t feel at all into my voice.
Detective Vane’s face grew red. She was getting pissed off, so I had to be doing something right.
“Okay, say you actually trust the killer you married. Let’s imagine you really do have shit for brains, or he has a magic cock. What about your sister?”
“What about her?” I demanded. This woman was absolutely coming unhinged to speak to me like this. Her erratic behavior felt dangerous.
“We have a warrant for Lucy, all ready to go. She was at the scene of the crime, she knew the deceased, and his friends say he was cheating on her. That’s what we call opportunity and motive.”
“Circumstantial at best.”
Detective Vane shrugged. “Sure, maybe, but if she confesses to what happened, whatever it was, then we have a witness. Do you really think Lucy can take hours of interrogation? She looked pretty fragile the last we saw her. I wonder if seeing crime scene photos will jog her memory. Maybe if we tug the right thread, it’ll all come tumbling down.”
My thoughts raced around my head. My old motto of surviving another day screamed at me, and my responsibility for Lucy counter balanced the new feeling of trust that had developed between me and the dangerous man I’d married. I was pulled in all directions and had no idea how to fight my way out of the spiderweb.
I swallowed hard and gripped my St. Anthony’s medal. It was my go-to move. It always comforted me.
You’re not alone anymore. A pair of white and black chess pieces, united against the horde, a perfect balance. Renato’s ring on my finger and the cut beneath. Only this ring keeps you safe, only our union protects you. I was so tired of being alone. I was so weary of being the only one making all decisions and sacrifices. I was done.
I needed someone to lean on, and I chose him.
“Do what you want. I won’t speak to you again without a lawyer present, and if you want to speak to our attorney, contact the De Sanctis offices. Now, fuck off and leave me alone.”
I pushed past Detective Vane. Whitely stepped aside when I got to the doorway and wrenched it open, spilling out into the hall and coming to an abrupt stop.
Renato leaned against the wall outside. He was the picture of ease, his knee bent, foot planted on the exposed brick, his expression soft when he met my eyes. I knew that expression. It was just for me. He didn’t look at anyone else that way.
Did he know what’d just happened inside the restroom? Did he know the police were in there, trying to get to me? I had no idea. Nothing in his pose gave him away, if he did know.
“That was more than five minutes,” he pointed out, straightening up.
“I’m sorry, I got caught up,” I muttered and went to his side. I needed to get him away from the restroom area. I waited for a painfully long moment to see if he was going to say something about the cops.
“It’s okay, wife. I don’t mind waiting for you,” he said and took my hand in his, interlacing our fingers.
I nearly collapsed with relief.
His lips curved into a smile. We walked away from the bathroom.
“Now, though, we have a car ride to get to.”
