Page 15 of A Wife's Duty

She took a deep breath.

“I know they were cooking something up in a lab. They kept saying it was going to wipe something out, and that they already had buyers and suppliers. They also kept implying it would be too late for anyone to do anything by the time this was out. I know that is not a lot to go on. I think it is drugs. Maybe. I don’t know.”

“I know what they’re doing,” Boone said.

She licked her lips and chanced asking him the question. “What are they doing?”

Boone let go of her hand, sat back in his chair, and continued to look at her.

“Three girls were put into the hospital the other night after taking one of Bonaldi’s latest drugs. The guy was attempting to sell it in my club. I believe your father was trying to sabotage me. Make it look like I was selling the product. I don’t do drugs.”

“You don’t?”

Boone smiled. “Lucia, I don’t do anything illegal, apart from killing people that ... need to be killed, but they get a choice.”

This surprised her and she frowned. Aside from the killing people, she wondered how he didn’t deal with illegal business. “How?”

“Simple. I have no reason to.”

“No, no, I don’t mean how are you not into anything illegal. How are you doing business with Bonaldi and my father? How am I married to you? They’re so afraid of you.”

“Because I put men like your father and Bonaldi out of business. I also put them on the dead list.”

“Dead list?”

“I kill people, Lucia. One day, I might even tell you about my past to help you understand. I don’t like when people break the rules. I am against it.”

Okay, now this made her frown. “I ... huh. You kill people.”

“Bad people. I never hurt anyone who is good and follows the rules. Like Tyler and Nancy. Yourself.”

She had no idea who this man was. Her family were so afraid of him, as were the Bonaldis. Sitting back in her chair, she looked at him.

“You can’t be bought,” she said.

“No.”

“But, if that is the case, why did you agree to marry me? I’m part of their world, and based on that, I am not a good person.”

“You are,” Boone said.

“But I was a Valdez.”

“And?”

“Doesn’t that make me guilty by association?”

“Have you ever hurt anyone just because you could?” he asked.

This made her frown again. “No.” She would never dream of hurting anyone.

“Would you manipulate or humiliate someone to make yourself feel good?”

She shook her head. She knew what it was like to feel that way on a daily basis and it wasn’t good.

“You’re a good person, Lucia.”

“But I’ve never shown you that. I’ve never proven it.”

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