Page 27 of A Wife's Duty

He paid at the counter, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her fiddle with her hair. Twirling the tiny strand around her finger before letting it go. It was new and he imagined the first real time she rebelled against her father.

Taking hold of her hand, they walked out into the sunshine. He slid his sunglasses on, and held a pair out for Lucia to take. She did so with a thank you. Always so polite. It was a shame her family was not as polite as her.

They walked through the city, and people moved to step out of his way. He was used to this. He didn’t budge, just kept moving, making his way toward the café with Howard and Nancy.

Stepping inside, he saw how busy it was, but his usual table was still reserved. He’d sent Howard a text to let him know they were coming. He held out the seat for Lucia, before taking his own.

“It’s very busy,” Lucia said.

Boone nodded.

“Are you not worried?”

“About?”

“I don’t know, being attacked?”

This made him look up from grabbing the menu. “Is there something I should know?”

Lucia shook her head. “No, no, it’s just, my dad, he would make the whole restaurant leave if it was this busy.” Her face had lost all color.

He watched her, giving her a chance to compose herself, which she did, and then lifted up, and glared at him. “I told you, I made my choice. What do you mean, is there something you should know?”

There was the spirit.

He smiled at her, and leaned forward. “I didn’t know if you recognized any of your father’s men, or anyone associated with Bonaldi.”

“Oh,” Lucia said. “That makes sense. I thought you meant ... well ... you know...”

He raised a brow. She looked cute when she was nervous.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, come on, you know and you’re just teasing me right now.”

“I’m not teasing. Tell me.”

He saw her fight with herself, and then it was like she decided she wasn’t going to go down like that. She squared her shoulders and glared at him. “You and I both know what I was trying to say. I wouldn’t ever double-cross you. I’ve made my decision and I’m going to stick to it.”

“That is good to know.” He winked at her.

She gasped. “You did that on purpose.”

“It’s nice to know they haven’t beaten the fight out of you. You’ve still got a lot left.”

Lucia pulled back and shrugged.

He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “Don’t. Don’t let those bastards win. You got it. I want you to talk to me, talk back, be open with me. I’m different from them.”

“You still get your car blown up!”

“True. What if I were to tell you that I know who did it?”

Looking across the table, he saw her eyes go wide. “What?”

“Yeah, I know who did it.”

“Who did it?” Lucia asked.

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