Page 73 of Deceitful Oath
“Don’t worry, sunshine,” I say gently, tipping her chin up to place a soft kiss on her mouth. “He deserves it.”
She nods and we get back to dinner preparations, but my mind is running a million miles a minute. I need to call Enzo and get him to dig up everything he can on Vince. I want to know where he came from, how he earned my father’s trust so quickly, and what he wants.
I realize I’m rushing through dinner, but Lux doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, I think she’s anticipating that I’m going to disappear tonight to handle this. And maybe even looking forward to some alone time.
“We’re going to have to find a good doctor,” I say, trying to slow myself down as we eat our pasta. I down my glass of wine and Lux sips the mocktail I made for her. “For the baby, I mean.”
She nods, running her hands over her belly. “I know, I've only seen a doctor once so far. I’m kind of worried about that.”
“You’re healthy and young,” I assure her. “I’m sure everything is fine, but we should cover all our bases and make sure.”
We chat a bit more about her first work day, the baby, and her ring. I almost feel like a normal family man coming home from my office in midtown to have dinner with my pregnant wife. Then I remember I have to go hunt down a traitorous mafia associate tonight and instantly sober.
“You have to go, don’t you?” Lux asks apprehensively as we tidy our dishes.
“I do, sunshine,” I say, taking the bowls out of her hand and placing them in the sink. “But I’ll be back before you wake up, I promise.”
“This apartment is creepy when I’m alone,” she whispers, glancing at the floor.
“Don’t worry, most of the ghosts are friendly.”
“Rafael,” she swats me with the dish towel. “Not funny! I’m already having nightmares every night. Let’s not addday-maresto the mix.”
“Not a real word, my darling wife,” I say, kissing the tip of her nose. “It can’t hurt you if you can’t find it in the dictionary.”
“So, you’re saying ghosts, goblins, and the monster under our bed can?”
“Only if you’re a bad girl,” I whisper in her ear, feeling her shiver against me. “But Iknowyou’re a good girl.”
Her cheeks flush pink, and she swats me with the dish towel again, laughing. “Go, get out of here and find your turncoat. Just be careful.”
“Always am,” I say, kissing her one last time before I slip out of the kitchen and into the elevator. On the ride down, I call Enzo.
“Boss? You’re late, you know that?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask him, pacing in a small square.
“I thought you’d call me earlier and pat me on the back for playing the role of employer so well,” he says, laughter coloring his voice. “Your girl is a quick learner, by the way. She already came up with a color-coding system for all of my files.”
“That’s great, Enzo,” I say, a long-suffering sigh escaping from my lips. The elevator dings open, and I stride to my car. Honestly, if he wasn’t so damn good at his job, I would have fired this kid ages ago. “We need to talk real business, though.”
“What’s up?” he asks, his voice instantly in serious mode.At least he knows when to shut up sometimes.
“Vince is fucking around,” I explain, climbing into my car and firing up the engine. “I’m almost positive he’s been working with Mancini.”
“Uh-oh,” he says, the sound of his fingers flying across a keyboard in the background. “I’ll look into it.”
“I need everything on him,” I tell him, pulling out of the garage and flying down the dark street. “Absolutely everything.”
“On it.”
The phone connection clicks and I pull in a deep breath. Vince’s apartment building looms ahead of me on the other side of the bridge. I press the gas a little harder, picking up speed, praying he’s there when I arrive.
Although, if he’s as smart as I think he is, it’ll be empty. He likely put two and two together as soon as Lux waltzed into my place and went on the run. Still, I need to confirm.
I run through the list of my father’s associates, wondering who I can trust. If Vince is double-crossing me, what’s to say the others aren’t as well? Paranoia eats at me as I pull into the underground garage and park my car.
I walk to the elevator, checking over my shoulder the whole time, imagining things and seeing shadows.This is how Lux probably feels when she’s alone in the apartment, poor girl.