Page 70 of Deceitful Oath
We go in circles all day, throwing out ideas and then nixing them until the sun sets low in the sky. Finally, I stretch and suggest calling it a night. We’ve gotten nowhere with this today because we need more information.
I’m not rushing into Mancini’s territory and attacking him without concrete proof that he’s behind the stolen shipments, the warehouse attack, and my father’s death. As we approach the entryway, still arguing about our plan of action, the elevator opens up, and Lux steps out.
The radiant smile on her face falls as soon as she sees the group of men crowding my entryway.
I watch her gaze take them all in, but a strange look crosses her face when she gets to Vince. Her mouth forms into a little O, and her eyes widen with recognition and fear.
She nods politely and excuses herself into the kitchen, still staring at Vince as she walks past us. His demeanor remains the same—impassive, cold, and unaffected. He doesn’t seem to recognize her at all.
What a strange reaction.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lux
“Lux?” I hear Rafael calling for me. I take a deep breath and gulp some ice water, trying to steady my nerves.
Seeing that man, here in Rafael’s home, makes me feel uneasy and shaky. He refuses to look at me, making me wonder what the hell is going on here.
“Yes?” I glance up, trying to act natural. Clearly I’m failing, because Rafael is staring at me with concern in his eyes.
“Is everything okay?”
“Sure,” I gulp. “Just uh, didn’t expect mafia dudes in the house today.”
He smiles tightly and walks over to pull me into his arms. I wind mine around him and press my face into his chest, inhaling that calming Rafael scent deeply into my lungs.
“They’re not usually in the house,” he finally explains, pulling away to look down at me. “But I was waiting for a very important delivery, so we had to have our meeting here.”
My mind immediately goes to mafia business and images of crates full of drugs and weapons. If that’s what Rafael does, I’d honestly rather not know. At least then I can fool myself into thinking that he’s just a charming, sexy, philanthropist billionaire.
Right.
“And guess what?” he teases with a smile. “It came about an hour ago.”
“Oh,” I stutter, not knowing if I should pry. “That’s…nice.”
“Why are you looking at me like I’m about to swing an axe at your neck?”
“Are you saying I look like a headless chicken?” I joke, nervously running my hands up and down my thighs. He laughs, shaking his head, and walks over to the island to grab a tiny package.
A tiny blue package.
Tiffany blue, in fact.
“This,” he slides it into my hands, “is for you.”
My fingers tremble as I slip off the silky white ribbon and pop open the lid. The most gorgeous diamond ring I’ve ever seen sits snugly inside the box, sparkling like the sun. I don’t know much about jewelry or diamonds, but this must have cost him more than my car.
“Do you like it?” he asks, nervousness creeping into his voice. I’m probably making him sweat just staring open-mouthed at this ring so I gently touch it. “It’s real, you know?”
I glance up at him to see laughter in his eyes. “It’s incredible, it looks like…”
“The sun,” he finishes. “It’s a vintage ring from the 1920s, very art deco-inspired. It reminded me of you.”
Oh yeah, this definitely cost more than my car. Maybe even more than his car.
“This …reminded you of…me?” I wonder. I couldn’t even begin to fathom how this gorgeous piece of jewelry resembles me in any way. He chuckles and I look up to see crimson creeping into his cheeks.