Page 78 of Deceitful Oath

I scrub the cigarette smoke and bourbon smell out of my hair, racking my brain for a better explanation. In the end, I decide to stick with the truth and let Lux take it as she will. No more lies, no more half-truths.

I wrap a towel around myself and brush my teeth, letting the minty smell settle the flip-flopping in my stomach.

When I finally join Lux in the kitchen, she’s still in the bathrobe, perched on a stool at the marble island. She stops flipping through a magazine and eyes me, nodding at my clean appearance.

“You almost catapulted me back into the horror show of morning sickness with your stench last night,” she says.

“I’m really sorry,” I whisper as I tentatively wrap my arms around her from behind. I feel her stiffen, but she doesn’t push me away, so I nuzzle her neck lightly, grateful for the physical contact.

“Rafael, we really do need to talk,” she finally says, nudging me away gently. She hops down from the stool and wanders to the opposite side of the island just as two pieces of bread pop out of the toaster.

“Here,” she says, sliding them toward me while filling a mug with fresh, steaming coffee. “Put something in your system to soak it all up.”

My eyes mist over and I berate myself for being such a fucking softie. It’s just toast and coffee, I tell myself. But I know it’s so much more. She cares about me, even after what I told her last night. How can she still care about me?

She could have easily packed her bag and checked into a nice hotel room with Enzo’s salary advance. She could have given me the cold shoulder, ignoring me and letting me fend for myself.

She could have done any number of things, but instead, she made me breakfast and let me hug her.

I take a bite of toast as she watches me suspiciously, a steaming mug of tea in her hand. We’re both quiet for a few minutes, processing the situation and wondering how it’ll all turn out.

“I thought we could discuss this like adults,” she finally says.

“I agree,” I immediately acknowledge. “Last night wasn’t my finest moment, and I’m truly sorry for how I told you the truth.”

She nods, puts her cup down, and joins me on the stool next to mine. Her fingers tremble, nervously playing with the edge of the hem of the robe, as she eyes the floor.

I know she’s still scared of me, of what I wanted to do to her, but she also trusts me on some level. I slip my hand around hers, squeezing it a few times until she looks up at me.

“Tell me everything,” she whispers. But before I can launch into the story, the elevator dings, and heavy footsteps pound on the marble floors.

I move as fast as I can, hopping off the stool to shield Lux with my body. A sigh of relief audibly escapes my lips when I see my uncles round the corner into the kitchen.

They stare at Lux for a few seconds, and I can feel her shrinking away behind me. I remove myself as her human shieldand come to stand next to her instead, draping my arm over her shoulders protectively.

“Lux, these are my uncles, Joe and Rocco,” I say, nodding to them. “Uncles, this is Lux.”

“The waitress?” Rocco asks, confusion clouding his face.

“She’s my wife now,” I nod, pulling her in tighter against me. “Vince used her as a scapegoat for Dad’s death. She knows everything, so speak freely if you need to.”

Rocco looks like he’s about to have an aneurysm, but Joe pulls himself together to be their mouthpiece.

“We got a lead on…Vince,” he says, eyeing Lux. When she doesn’t react, he continues. “It’s a solid lead. Your kid Enzo has been trying to reach you all morning apparently, but your phone is off. He finally had the sense to call me, so we rushed right over.”

“Where is it?”

“One of Dominic’s old warehouses,” Rocco says, finally recovering enough from the shock to join the conversation. “About an hour outside the city. It’s been out of use for decades, but Enzo crawled traffic footage and spotted Vince’s plates on the freeway, heading out that way.”

“Give me ten minutes,” I tell them, chugging the rest of the coffee. “We’ll take my car. Meet me in the garage.”

The men nod and leave, giving Lux a tentative wave as they go. I hear her breath of relief once they’re gone, and pull her in for a tight hug.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper into her hair, stroking my hand down her back. “We’ll talk about this when I get home, I promise. I can’t pass up this lead.”

“I know,” her muffled voice says. She pulls away from my chest. She stares deeply into my eyes, hope and fear swirling together in her gaze. “Do what you need to do.”

I rush to the bedroom, throwing on fresh clothes, and stop by the kitchen on my way out. She’s finishing my dry toast, flipping through the magazine again.

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