Page 14 of Desperate Vows

I wasn’t surprised when Dimitris fell in step next to me, not skipping a beat. As my enforcer, he’d likely think Claire would go somewhere we might have an interest in. “We got word Benny is meeting with Moretti today. My guy says they’re talking about an alliance.”

Benny was the nickname Dimitris used for Benoit. He found it funny for some reason.

“Interesting.” I’d kept my eyes on Claire as he was talking. Her head was down, arms crossed over her chest, and she’d bumped into a few people at this point because she wasn’t paying attention.

I haven’t been able to get her out of my head since last night. I never expected her to respond to my kiss by melting into me. The little whimpers and moans were music to me. Her skin was every bit as soft as I thought it would be, and now that I knew how sweet she tasted, I wanted more. The reason I’d left the party was to keep myself from becoming obsessed and to see what would happen if I did.

When I walked around the back, I never expected to find her father choking the life out of her. I was far enough away that I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Franklin was furious. When her knees buckled, I didn’t even think. The need to protect her hit me so hard that I couldn’t stop myself. Before I knew what I was doing, I was back in the garden.

I’d called Thea on the way home and asked her to keep track of Claire. If her father was willing to hurt her at his own party, there was no telling what he was willing to do in private.

“My guy also says Moretti can’t stand Benny.”

My brother’s mention of Moretti dragged me from my thoughts, and I was listening again.

Dimitris pulled a cigarette from the pack he had tucked in his pocket. He took his lighter out, blocked the wind with his hand, and lit it, taking a long draw. On the exhale, he said, “Moretti family is as bad as Benny.”

The difference between the two was that Moretti didn’t care what people thought about them and they had ties to other families. Benoit, on the other hand, seemed to care a lot. It was like he was trying to straddle both worlds, and he’d done a good job up to this point.

Dimitris continued. “Also got word Emil is dead.”

That caught me off guard. “Emil? That’s…”

“Yeah, his right-hand man. Body was found early this morning. Seems there was more than one power play in motion.” He took another drag of his cigarette. “They got girls coming in by truck two days from now. Thea says they’ll be unloaded at the warehouse near Lake Michigan.”

“Where are they headed?”

“Somewhere east, I think.”

I muttered a few four-letter words. “Need help?”

He shook his head. “And let you steal my fun? Nah, I got it.”

“All right.”

“You good here?” he asked.

“Yeah, I got her.”

He did a one-eighty, and I was on my own.

We schlepped another block, and Claire stopped at an antique shop. She didn’t go in; just stood at the window, looking. I couldn’t figure this woman out. She was dressed like she was going to waitress at a bar. Jeans, a cotton T-shirt, and a thin button-up thrown over like a jacket. Not a stitch of designer anything on her body.

She started walking again and hugged herself. Her posture, the way she was carrying herself, she looked… grief-stricken, almost.

I followed her another six blocks and realized I was in a familiar area. A really familiar area since my Aunt Helen ran a soup kitchen around here. I’d never worked in it, but I’d been by a few times to drop food off for her.

Claire ducked into my aunt’s building, and now I was really curious. I couldn’t fathom Aunt Helen being okay with a Benoit working for her or anywhere near her. She wasn’t in the dark about who they were and what they’d done to our family.

I took a right, headed down the alley, and slipped inside the back door. Just as I rounded the corner, I heard Claire speaking.

“Where do you want me today?” Claire asked.

“Would you mind serving?” My aunt replied.

Claire Benoit was going to lower herself enough to serve bums? I’d have to see this before I left. I simply couldn’t picture it.

“No, ma’am, not at all.”

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