Page 49 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

That was a good sign, at least.

“I had business to take care of,” I said plainly, not offering any kind of further explanation. He didn’t need it, and he certainly didn’t deserve it.

He hummed and nodded, but the lingering amusement in his smile didn’t get past me. “Right. I’m sure you have much to tend to with the new establishment. Congrats, by the way.”

I gave a sound of acknowledgment, not wanting to offer him more than I needed to.

Frankly, I wanted him gone, and as far away from my club as possible. I didn’t know why he was there in the first place.

“You know, I was just letting Tia know how impressed I am by her ability to handle herself in such a chaotic environment. Not every woman could deal with finding themselves in a place like this,” Tommaso went on, putting far too much sweetness into his words for my liking.

It was far from a compliment; if anything, it was a jab at me for even bringing her there in the first place.

I wanted to knock him out so badly, but I couldn’t in front of Tia. She wasn’t used to casual violence. It would only cause more problems, and I knew that.

“Right. Well, she’s more resilient than you might think,” I said, subtly moving closer to Tia, acting as a wall between them. “She is my wife, after all.”

He huffed his amusement at that, but his grin never reached his eyes. “Of course. With the dangerous life you lead, I’d hope she can stomach it.”

The words nearly cracked me across the face, and I could feel the conversation edging toward dangerous territory.

No…he was pushing where he shouldn’t.

Tensing inwardly, I did everything I could to steel myself. But I could feel the immediate shift in the air.

My heart clenched, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at Tia’s face.

Regrettably, Tommaso cocked a brow at me, glancing between the two of us. “Wait a minute…don’t tell me she doesn’t know.”

My eyes closed for a moment, forced to accept the fact that there was no walking it back anymore.

He did the one thing I needed him tonotdo…and so callously, too.

There it was, hanging between us like a heavy thing, and there was no way for me to shield Tia from it anymore. I could already feel her eyes on me, questioning.

When I didn’t say anything, Tommaso chuckled and crossed his arms, looking so pleased with himself that I was surprised he didn’t follow it up by congratulating himself.

“I’ll be damned…you’ve kept all kinds of secrets from that pretty wife of yours,” he continued, grinning nearly ear-to-ear. “And here I was assuming she already knew this whole thing was just a way to cover up your dirty money. You know what they say about assuming things.”

As much as I could feel the temptation to shove his head into the drywall behind him, I couldn’t look at him.

Instead, my gaze landed on Tia, and I could see the slight widening of her eyes while she processed his words. The way she looked between me and Tommaso with disbelief coloring her features.

Immediate guilt washed through me, and despite myself, I couldn’t find the words, despite how badly I needed them at the moment.

Tommaso was well aware of what he’d done and the mess he had just made for me. He knew it, and it was obvious he had hoped for something of that nature to happen.

He was savoring it like the rat he was.

“That’s my cue, I guess,” he spoke up, words dripping in satisfaction. “I’ll let you two handle this…debacle on your own. Take care.”

Before I could snuff the light from his eyes, Tommaso walked off, disappearing without another word.

I wanted to bask in his absence, but I couldn’t ignore the chill between myself and Tia, the reality of how entirely wrong the whole ordeal was.

Even letting him walk away thinking he won for the time being sent me into a furious state, but I had to keep it down. I had pressing matters to tend to.

I had to defend myself, even if she likely didn’t want to hear it.

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