Page 53 of Coerced Wife

“That makes him dangerous. Men with nothing left to lose are the worst enemies.”

“I know how it works. I don’t need a lecture from you.”

“Do you need him to disappear? I can arrange an accident.”

I pause to face him. “I don’t need someone else to clean up my mess. I’ll handle it.”

“’Kay.” He doesn’t seem convinced. “Anya is doing a great job with the books.”

“But?”

“But if I were you, I’d marry her sooner than later.”

I don’t miss the warning in his words. She has too many enemies on both sides of the law. Both Luigi and Kearney have strong motives for wanting her gone. Marriage is the best way of protecting her, but of everyone who means her harm, I’m sure she considers me her biggest enemy. And when it comes to my intentions of making her my hostage forever, she’d be right.

I drive back to Tersia and Richard’s place and wait in the car until Tersia sends me a message to say they’re done. Small groups of women file through the front door, talking and laughing. Tersia and Anya exit arm in arm, and then Livy steps out. The old lady exchanged the hot-pink dress in which she arrived for black leggings and a red hoodie.Her long gray hair is braided and twisted into a bun on her head. A large green tote bag hangs from her shoulder. After giving Anya a hug, she crosses the road.

I get out of the car and make my way over before Livy turns the corner. “Need a ride?”

She looks around with a big smile. “I’m meeting my tai chi group in the park for a moonlight session, but thanks.”

I frown. “Is that safe?”

She says with the same kind of patience that a teacher would address a primary school pupil, “I’m with martial art gurus, Sav.”

I nod. “Have fun.”

“Oh, I will.”

She winks, waves, and skips off.

Shaking my head, I take my phone from my pocket and text one of the men stationed nearby to keep an eye on her just in case. Then I jog back to the house to meet Anya.

Richard wheels a cart loaded with gifts onto the patio. He tilts his head toward the Corvette. “You may need a bigger car to fit all this.”

I catch the gaze of the driver who waits two cars down the street. “I came prepared.”

Kevin runs up on stiff legs and takes the cart from Richard. While he loads the mountain of gifts into the trunk and onto the backseat, I brush a kiss over Anya’s temple.

“Did you have fun?” I whisper.

She smiles at me, but apprehension sparks in her pretty eyes. “Yes.”

I thank Tersia for the arrangements, say goodbye to Richard, and usher Anya to my car.

Once we’re in the traffic, she turns on her seat to face me. “What happened?”

I don’t take my gaze off the road. “Who says anything happened?”

“I know you, Saverio De Luca. You wouldn’t have left if there weren’t an emergency.”

I can lie to her, but there’s enough secrets between us as it is. “Kearney instigated a raid on After Dark.”

“What?” she exclaims.

I steal a quick glance at her. “Apparently, I pissed him off.”

“No kidding,” she says, narrowing her eyes in a cute way. “So he retaliated by taking revenge?”

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