Page 22 of Righteous Enforcer
I search his beautiful, dangerous face that once looked at me like I was the center of his world. Now it looks at me with pain and suspicion.
"The less you know, the better," I say, pulling my arm away and reaching for my water.
Adriano's expression darkens. "That's not how this works, Eva."
The waitress brings our food, chicken strips and fries for Mirabella, and burgers for me and Adriano.
My daughter attacks her meal with the ferocity of someone who hasn't eaten properly in days.
My guilt over that multiplies and I’m reminded that she would have been better off without me.
Adriano continues to treat my arm. "You should have stitches," he mutters. “And probably penicillin.”
"It'll heal." I've had worse, but I don’t tell him that.
For some reason, I don’t want him to know how far I’ve fallen.
How hard our lives got when the Bratva showed up at my door, shocking me.
I still don’t know how they found me, or even why they’d want to at this point.
He finishes cleaning and bandaging my wounds and then sits back, watching me and Mirabella with dark, assessing eyes.
Does he see her resemblance to him?
Worried he might see too much, I turn away, scanning the street for black SUVs and men in dark coats.
At least with Adriano here, we have some protection.
"They won't try anything while I'm with you," Adriano says, reading my thoughts. "But they'll be looking. Why are the Bratva hunting you, Eva? What did you do?"
I take a sip of water, buying time, knowing he’ll keep asking. The truth is, I’m not quite sure what they want now, but I can guess based on what happened four years ago. "It's complicated."
"Everything in life is complicated." His jaw tightens. "At some point, that excuse runs out."
Mirabella looks up from her stuffing a fry in her mouth, ketchup on her chin. "Mama, can I have more juice?"
Adriano signals the waitress before I can respond, and I watch my daughter smile shyly at him.
"You can't keep running forever." Adriano’s gaze fixes on mine. "Let me help you."
If only it were that simple. “I don’t need your help.”
Mirabella looks between us, sensing the tension.
He shakes his head at my stupidity.
Had he not shown up, I’d be dead and who knows if Mirabella would have stayed hidden long enough for the men to leave.
Then what?
I’ve taught her how to get help, but today, who can anyone really trust?
But now I wonder how Adriano found me.
“Okay, how about you tell me where you have been for four years and why you let me believe you were dead?” His intense gaze tells me he’s not going to let this go.
I stare at my plate, weighing how much I can safely reveal. "Boston, at first."
