Page 75 of Deceitful Oath
By the time Joe and Rocco suggest calling it a night, I’m ready to explode. My blood pressure surges, building painful pressure behind my eyes, and I’ve reduced myself to grunting out one-word answers.
This isn’t the way I want Lux to wake up and see me tonight. I need to get a hold of myself.
Uncle Joe suggests heading back to Lita’s for one last late-night drink, and I agree, needing the time and space to cool down. We shoot the shit in a private room and the bourbon flows freely.
It’s only hours later, when Joe and Rocco haul my sorry ass into a taxi, that I realize I’m absolutely wasted.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lux
“Luxy, I love you so much.”
I wake with a start, not really comprehending the words, but relax into Rafael’s embrace when I realize it’s him.
“Morning,” I murmur, trying to stretch out. Rafael’s entire body is tightly curled around mine, restricting my movements, so I shove him lightly. That’s when the smell hits me.
“S’not morning,” he slurs, flopping onto his back. “No sun, see?”
He points vaguely in the direction of the window, and I wrinkle my nose. My morning sickness tapered off pretty quickly after the first few weeks, but this stench is enough to kickstart it again.
“Except my little sunshine,” he drawls, draping himself across my body again. “Sittle lunshine, I love you. Wait no, I mean sittle lunshine…I mean…”
“Little sunshine,” I finish for him. “Rafael, did you drink the whole bar?”
“Just bourbon,” he hiccups. “Lunshine, I have a secret to tell you.”
My heart skips a beat and I hold my breath, partly from the stench but mostly because Rafael’s secrets are always more like atomic bombs that completely alter my existence. Hoping he’s just wasted, I nod and wave my hand encouragingly for him to continue.
“I did a lot of bad things in my life,” he begins. “Killed too many people, stole too much, and then there’s the guns…”
“Okay, okay, I don’t think I want to know these secrets,” I cut him off, trying to disentangle myself from his grasp.
“But none of it is as bad as what I did to you,” he says gravely, burying his face in the pillow.
“It’s fine, Rafael,” I comfort him, but annoyance builds inside me. “You already told me about the alias and why you did it. We’ve discussed this.”
“No,” he whines, pulling himself out of the pillow pile to glare at me. “New bad thing.”
“New bad thing?” I ask, finally managing to escape his arms. I sit cross-legged on the bed facing him. His shirt is half-unbuttoned and one shoe is missing.
I’ve never seen perfectly polished Rafael looking this rough and it’s a bit unnerving. “Wait, I’ll get you some water.”
I shuffle down the dark hallway, praying he’ll be passed out when I get back. Then I won’t have to hear out about this “new bad thing”.
I’d rather live in denial forever. Things are good now, well, as good as they can be when you’re in a marriage of convenience with a mafia don.
When I come back with the water, he’s unfortunately awake and grabs the glass to chug it down. He lets it fall on the bed and reaches for my hands, staring deep into my eyes. His are a little unfocused and half-open, but I meet them regardless.
“I tried to destroy your life,” he starts, and I stay silent. “I stalked you, set up our meeting at the bar, got you fired from your job, and flooded your apartment.”
“Well, at least you didn’t steal my car,” I retort.
“No, wait,” he says, scratching his face and looking glum. “I maybe did that, too.”
“Okay, Rafael, go to sleep,” I pat his leg, climbing back under the covers. I don’t know what he drank tonight or why he did it so aggressively, but he’s clearly confused.
“Really, Luxy,” he pleads. “I really did all of that, and it’s eating me alive. The guilt, I mean. I can’t spend the rest of my life with you and not tell you.”