Page 155 of His Ruthless Match
Gabe was quiet for a beat. “You think Foster’s in on it directly?”
“No.” I stared at the wall. “I think he’s being used.”
I couldn’t say by whom. Not without opening a door Gabe didn’t even know existed. But this was something. A name. A real human connection to the shitstorm we’d been swimming through for weeks. The magical entity behind this had finally slipped up, because now we had a name we could drag into the light.
Gabe exhaled into the phone. “Maybe it’s time to send out a few of your footmen. See if Mr. Foster would like to comment on the connection between his new little PR toy and Genevieve’s imploding reputation.”
I smiled grimly. “Tempting. But I need you to handle this one.”
He paused. “You’re not going after him yourself?”
“I’m in the middle of…” I trailed off, glancing toward the closed door across the room. “Something else. Trust me, it’s better if you take point. Quietly. Use one of your clean burner accounts and reach out to Foster’s team. Don’t spook them.”
“Copy that. I’ll let you know what I find.”
“Thanks, Gabe.” I let out a heavy breath. “This might actually be the thread that unravels the whole thing.”
“I’ll pull until it breaks,” he promised, and then the line went dead.
A few minutes later, Raffaele walked into the room. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking more uncomfortable than I’d ever seen him.
“Eva, are you… okay?”
I let out a bitter laugh as I wiped my tear-stained cheeks. “What do you think?”
He sighed as he stepped further into the room. He looked like he wanted to comfort me, but I could see the uncertainty in his expression. Raffaele wasn’t the comforting type. He was the leader of a ruthless empire, a man used to issuing commands and getting results. He didn’t know what to do with a crying little sister.
“Tell me,” I said, my voice hoarse. “What did he say?”
Raffaele frowned. “Who?”
“Jareth,” I snapped, fresh tears spilling over. “What did he say to you? Why did he leave without saying goodbye?”
Raffaele hesitated, and for a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer. But then he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “He told me what happened in the Crimson Dominion,” he said, his tone carefully neutral. “And he said he couldn’t be trusted as your bodyguard anymore.”
My heart twisted painfully, and I shook my head. “So, you fired him?” My voice cracked, and I hated how weak I sounded. “Raffy, this wasmyfault. I lied to both of you! You can’t blame him for this.”
“The decision’s been made,” Raffaele said firmly, though there was a hint of regret in his voice. “He’s heading up the investigation into the Crimson Dominion. That’s where he needs to be right now.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I pushed off the bed, my legs shaking as I crossed the room toward him. “You can’t send him there,” I said, my voice rising. “That place is too dangerous. He’s going to get himself killed!”
Raffaele stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Jareth’s a fucking ruthless assassin, Eva, in case you haven’t noticed. He’ll be fine. He probably should’ve been handling this investigation from the start.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. “And since when do you care so much about what happens to Jareth? I thought you hated his guts and couldn’t wait to get rid of him. Well, congratulations. Your wish has been granted.”
His words stopped me cold. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to process what he’d just said. My wish? Is that what he thought I wanted? That I wanted Jareth gone? Sure, I felt that way at the beginning. But now? The idea that I didn’t want him around was so ridiculous it almost made me laugh, but the tears came faster instead, blurring my vision.
“Eva…” Raffaele started, but he stopped talking when he saw I was shaking.
The fight drained out of me, and I broke down completely, sobbing into my hands. Raffaele stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me in a rare display of affection. He pulled me close, holding me tightly as I cried against his chest. His cologne, sharp and woodsy, filled my senses, and it almost felt like everything was okay. Almost.
“What can I do?” he asked quietly, his voice rumbling in my ear. “Tell me what I can do to help.”
I swallowed hard, trying to catch my breath. “I think…” I hiccupped, the words sticking in my throat. “I think I fell in love with your assassin.”
Raffaele’s arms tightened around me, and he let out a soft sigh. “I figured as much.”
I pulled back just enough to look up at him, confusion clouding my tear-streaked face. “You knew?”
