Page 66 of Lethal Vows

“Of course.” He points to the open blue box in the basket. I purposefully ignored it before. “Those are beautiful pearls.”

Had he known part of that note also mentioned the matching piece Crue would give me later as a pearl necklace, he might not have been so quick to comment.

“I’m sure the donations box will love them,” I add with a tight smile.

Asshole.

CHAPTER37

Rya

Angel’s eyes grow wide. “You shot at him?”

I wave my hand. “Not at him. The lamp beside his face.”

Dominic covers his mouth in attempt to hide the chuckle. “Fuck, Rya, you have bigger balls than I thought.”

“I will take that as a compliment. Thank you very much,” I say, popping a french fry in my mouth. Angel had a craving for a Five Guys burger, so here we are, with two shady men standing near the entrance—a dead giveaway that no one should fuck with Angel or Dominic.

She slurps on the thick shake and looks at Dominic. He averts his gaze. “Dominic,” she warns.

“What, woman? You know he gets mad if I tell other people his business.”

She rests her hand on her stomach. “I’m pretty sure anything to do with Ryaishis business.”

He sighs. “All I’m going to say is, I was with him two nights ago, and he definitely did not have sex with anyone. And I don’t think he has intentions of going anywhere else anytime soon.”

A cold relief washes over me, and I hate how that makes me feel. That sense of lightness, but also dread and embarrassment that I reacted in such a way, linger. That I let Crue crawl under my skin.

“He’s obsessed with you, Rya,” Angel says what Dominic could not.

“It’s just sex.Wasjust sex.”

“Was?” she asks.

“I’m done with it. I got Crue out of my system, and now I can continue with my life.”

“Was Crue a part of the discussion?” she asks warily. She and Dominic share a glance.

“He didn’t need to be. He doesn’t own me.”

They share another look. They might be under Crue’s control, but I sure as hell am not. Nor will I ever be.

“Is that why you’re hiding out?”

“I’m not hiding out.” I nonchalantly shrug, tapping my sharp nail on the table. “The Torrisi case is coming to a close. I have a lot of things riding on this case. Crue is a distraction.”

“Have we been a distraction?” she asks quietly, rubbing her hand on her stomach.

“No. Of course not. I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Only two more weeks, though,” she reminds me.

Again, Dominic and Angel share another look as if they are in on something that I am not.

“Can’t you convince him to go back home with you?” I ask Dominic.

He snorts. “Have you ever tried to convince Crue of anything?”

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