He hums with a smile and waves for his men to carry on—a silent signal that everything is fine and to mind their own business. “Is there something you wanted, or did you just come to question my authority?”
“I just wanted to make something clear, so you know it came straight from my mouth,” I tell him. “If any of your men try to come after me, in retaliation for the men I’ve killed or otherwise, I will not apologize for the bodies that end up at your doorstep, even if it declares war.”
Erik opens his mouth to talk, but I hold one finger up to signify that I’m not finished yet.
“But, I believe this city is big enough for two organizations, and as long as you stay on your side of things and don’t overstep into my territory, I will not be wasting my time with the insignificant.”
He rubs his hand over his bare chin, as if there’s supposed to be hair there. “So what? Is this you wanting some kind of truce?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “No. I don’t make deals with scum, but the vendetta I had against your former bosses was a personal one and doesn’t pertain to you. Keep it that way.”
With that, I get up from my seat and hold my head high as we leave, knowing the message was properly relayed. What they do with it is on them.
I SIT AT THE small table in the corner of L’Artusi as I wait for my guest to arrive. By my third glass of water, I almost think she isn’t coming, when the door opens. Scarlett has Kylie’s hand grasped firmly in hers as I stand. She looks around the room, exhaling when she sees me.
“Thank you for meeting me,” I tell her as she reaches my table.
Her hair is thrown into a messy bun, and she looks like she’s had one hell of a day, but she gives me her best smile. “Of course. I’m sorry I had to bring my daughter. She woke up sick and I had to keep her home from school.”
“It’s no problem at all.”
She pulls an iPad out of her purse for Kylie to play with as I order the little girl a ginger ale for her stomach. Once Saxon’s sister is settled, Scarlett turns her complete attention to me.
“So, what is this about?” she asks. “You said that Raff left a message for me with you?”
I nod and pick my phone up off the table. “Before he died, he recorded this for you just in case we needed it. In the event he wouldn’t be here to explain it himself.”
Scarlett takes my phone and hits play, her eyes instantly tearing up as Raff’s charming face comes on the screen.
“Hey, Scar,” he says. “I wish I could have been there to explain this to you in person, but if you’re watching this, it seems I’m unable to do that. Please remember the strong woman your father raised you to be as you listen to this message. It’ll help get you through everything you’re about to hear.”
She swats a tear from her cheek as she listens carefully.
“Your husband is not the man he makes himself out to be. Deep down, you’ve always known it. Silas kept him in line for the most part, but when Dalton’s hunger for power got stronger, he turned on him. Kage is going to show you a lot of evidence showing the role your husband played in Silas’s death, as well as Saxon’s. I need you to trust him enough to listen, because your safety and Kylie’s future depends on it.
“I’ve always loved you like a daughter, and even though I’m not there to help you through this, I promise you it’s all going to be okay.”
The video ends, and I can’t tell whether she’s more upset or confused, though it’s probably an equal mix of both.
“Raff was such a good friend of my Dad’s,” she explains. “If it weren’t for him, I don’t know how I would have gotten through the loss. Did you know him well?”
I nod respectively. “He was my father, for all intents and purposes, since I was ten years old.”
She gives me a tearful smile. “Then you must be a good man, too.”
Kylie pushes the headphones off her ear and pouts at her mother. “Mom, I feel icky.”
“Actually, I have a message for you too, little one,” I tell her, getting up and squatting down in front of her. She gives me her full attention as I boop her on the nose. “Your sister loved you very much.”
Her eyes light up. “You knew my sister?”
“I did, and she used to talk about you for hours. Said you were her favorite person ever.”
A grin spreads across her face, like having that title is the greatest accomplishment she’s ever made in her short little life. She puts her headphones back on and engrosses herself in the video she’s watching while I sit back down.
“I had no idea you knew my daughter,” Scarlett says.
I smile the same way I always do when I think about Saxon. “I more than knew her, actually. I was married to her.”
“Excuse me?”
Reaching into the folder, I pull out our marriage certificate and a picture of us from the ceremony. We’re standing in the middle of my office, with Saxon in a white gown my stylist picked out for her. She’s smiling brightly as she stares up at me.
Scarlett looks at the photo and covers her mouth with her free hand. “She was always so beautiful.”
“That she was,” I agree. “It was a small ceremony. She was planning on coming to tell you and introduce me to you, but Dalton never gave her the chance.”
It doesn’t matter that we got married only hours before the meeting with Dalton, or that originally it was meant to be an insurance plan, because there’s no going back from here. She and I are in this for the long term. If she wants a divorce, she’ll have to actually shoot me this time.
Putting the picture back on the table, she presses two fingers to her temple. “I don’t understand. Why would Dalton do something to harm Saxon? He loved his daughter.”
“What do you know about Dmitri Petrov?” I ask her.
She purses her lips. “Not much. Just that Dalton used to have business meetings often with him.”
I breathe in and let it out slowly. “Dmitri was the leader of the Russian mafia. When your father passed away and Dalton was going to inherit all of his properties, he reached out to Dmitri and struck a deal. He would give everything to him, plus your Saxon’s hand in marriage, in exchange for power.”
“H-he would do that to our daughter?”
“He did a lot more than that,” I say softly. “When Saxon found out, she came to stay with me. She was never at Duke University or any of the lies he told you. She was in the Hamptons with me, where Dalton couldn’t force her to be with Dmitri. But when he learned she was pregnant, she was no longer of use to Dmitri. Your husband was furious, and he had her killed for it.”
Lying doesn’t usually bother me, but in this situation, I wish things could be different. This is a woman who loved her daughter so much that the pain of losing her is all over her face. But as I think back to the conversation I had with Saxon this morning, I know I have to respect her wishes.
Saxon lies with her head on my chest as I run my fingers through her hair. For a moment, I think she fell asleep, but then she picks her head up and looks at me.
“What time are you meeting my mom today?” she questions.