Page 43 of Vengeful Lies

“I want them, Craig. I’ll do the job, and once it’s done, I won’t ever come back to this city,” I say more to myself than him. I love Craig, and I usually take his advice. But the guns? They are non-negotiable. And I hate that Eli figured that out so quickly.

“Use those brains your father gave you. Don’t be reckless,” he implores. I smirk at that because we both know reckless is my middle name. A knock on the front door startles me. Jenny isn’t here to answer it, so I jump off my bed.

“Thanks, Craig. I’ll keep you updated. If you don’t hear from me, I’m probably dead.”

“That’s not even funn—” I hang up on him as I open the door, and my stomach drops through the floor.What the fuck?

The woman standing before me wears a pinstripe suit and black heels, and her hair is perfectly tied back. Those almost silver eyes stare back at me, and I’m in shock as I look at the powerful woman who was on the television only hours ago, discussing matters of her recently closed case.

Rya fucking Monti is standing at my door.

Her gaze sweeps up me, though it gives nothing away. “Jewel Diamond?”

“Speaking.” Embarrassment rushes through me. “I mean, yes, that’s me, ma’am.”Ma’am?Why the fuck am I calling her ma’am?

She quirks a tight smile.

If I thought Eli was intimidating, he has nothing on his mother.

She steps into my apartment without invitation, which is apparently something that must run in their family.

“Do you know who I am?” she asks, looking around. She doesn’t seem as amused as her son was only days ago when he first walked in.

Fuck, why is she here? Does she know about the hit on her son?

“Yes.” I nod. “You’re Mrs. Monti.”

“Good. And I know who you are. So, why are you marrying my son?” Her heavy gaze slides back over to me and then down to the bare ring finger on my left hand.

Shit. Talk about putting a woman on the spot. How do I tell her I’m only marrying her son because he offered me a large sum of money and he stole all my guns? I’m sure that’s not the story he wants me to tell her. And to be honest, I hate lying, but it’s something I’m going to have to do if I ever want to see my guns again. It doesn’t make it any easier to square up against this woman who oozes intimidation and a cunning intellect.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve never had to deal with anyone’s mother.

“He asked me,” I say simply, which is the truth, so technically I’m not lying.

“Yes, I gathered that much. But it’s unlike my son to keep secrets. Especially of this magnitude. Are you the reason he killed two men in the restaurant last night and finally got rid of the Bedore girl?”

I try not to show my surprise at her clear dislike for Michelle. Okay, maybe I could like Rya a little more as a badass bitch. But right now, as the mother of my… fiancé, she’s really busting my balls.

When I don’t speak, she considers me. “My son, although headstrong, is not usually so reckless. Or he’s better at hiding his misdeeds.”

“That’s a polite way to say his murders,” I joke.

A silence fills the air, but the corners of her lips twitch.

“Would you like to explain how you found this address, Mother?” Eli’s voice booms from the doorway.

Oh, fuck me. Is this family reunion day? I don’t know if I can handle Eli Monti in here as well. I should’ve shut the door behind her, but I didn’t think she’d be here for so long.

Rya picks at an imaginary piece of fluff on her suit jacket.

“You were acting strange this morning, so I looked into it, and it led to me discovering a recently purchased ring and this address you’ve now frequented more than once. Including last night. And it would appear Jewel hasn’t denied being your fiancée, which confirms my suspicions.” Damn, I walked straight into her confession without even realizing it. How am I feeling like the misplaced one in my own home right now? “Why didn’t you tell us you were dating someone, let alone how serious it is?”

This time, her gaze lands on her son, and I can see the hurt there. I say nothing as Eli walks over to me and slides his hand around my back. I want to throttle this asshole since he’s the one who put me in this uncomfortable situation in the first place.

“Jewel and I wanted to enjoy a few days together in peace before the chaos unfolded,” he lies.

She seems somewhat sympathetic to the issue. But not so much so that she didn’t take matters into her own hands. “I wanted to meet her.” Her gaze flicks to me and then back to Eli.“To make sure you aren’t making a mistake. You know what it means to make this public.”

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