Page 17 of A Wife's Duty

He had eyes on every deal and port the Bonaldis had going down. There were not many people in this world he trusted, but he did trust those who were close to him.

With everything in place, he pocketed his cell phone and looked toward Lucia. She had dressed very conservatively, a dress with a short-sleeved cardigan to cover her arms. The clothes she wore were sent by her father, and he didn’t like them.

“Come on,” he said, reaching for her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re going out.” And without another word, he marched her out of the apartment and down toward the elevator.

His men knew when to follow him. They joined him, with two men standing on the elevator with them, and he imagined the others were taking the stairs. Boone didn’t wait for them, and once they were out in the main parking lot, he helped Lucia into his car first before rounding toward his own seat, and then he climbed in, buckled in, and turned over the ignition. Pushing his foot to the gas, he rushed out of the underground parking facility and made his way toward the city center.

Lucia didn’t say a word. He chanced a glance toward her. Her hands were placed on her thighs, and she stared out the window.

“Are you curious about where we’re going?”

“It’s none of my business. We’re going wherever you want to go.”

Said like the good little wife.

“Do you want to please me?” he asked.

He felt her gaze on him.

“Uh ... yes.”

She sounded so nervous. It was cute. She didn’t even realize she had nothing to be afraid of. At least not yet. He understood her nervousness when it came to him, taking down a man she had feared. Boone didn’t fear Bonaldi. The truth was, he had never known fear. Not since he was a child, but that had been fleeting.

Bonaldi was not even the first criminal he’d brought down. The Italian mafia wasn’t even the first he messed with. He’d taken on the cartels, the Bratvas, petty street criminals, drug lords, and plenty of other people in between.

He didn’t like bullies. He didn’t like men or women who used their power and wealth to get what they wanted. Over the years, he had shut down a lot of bad and dark shit, and he’d done it for fun. This with Bonaldi was just another piece of shit that was going to come to an end, along with everyone associated with him.

He had already sent in some evidence to a news anchor known for exposing political parties and members. One local mayor was caught raping a young girl. A young girl that was supplied by Bonaldi. The young girl’s body was found washed up in the sewer. Strangled. The evidence he’d obtained was not going away. By the end of the day, the mayor who was helping to look the other way as Bonaldi exported underage girls was about to be exposed.

This was how he started. Slowly.

He would have already been close to destroying this piece of shit, along with Valdez, if it hadn’t been for that footage he’d seen of Lucia. She changed everything. She made him alter his plans. He knew he had to get her to safety.

“Then ask me,” he said.

“Ask you what?”

“Ask me where you’re going.”

He glanced over to her and saw her lick her lips. “Do I really need to do that?” she asked.

“Yes, you do. If you want to please me, your husband, then I need you to ask me that.”

She was nervous and he didn’t want her to be, not around him. He waited, giving her time. In her world, he was aware she had to be silent. She didn’t have a voice. She was taught to follow instructions, to be submissive. He intended to strip that away, build her up, for her to become the woman he knew her to be.

Her hands clenched her thighs, and it made him want to kill Valdez. His time was coming.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

Her voice was so soft, that it was nearly impossible to catch, but he heard her question, and he couldn’t help but be proud.

“We’re going shopping.” He could have teased her a little, but with Lucia he had to use baby steps.

It had taken her a few days to walk around the apartment where he left her. His men had informed him that one of the days, she had sat, not even daring to put the television on. He wouldn’t allow that. He wanted Lucia to fly.

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