by Aliyah Burke
Chapter Ten
“Why are we taking a taxi anywhere, Val? I have a perfectly good car to be used. Now, this may come as a shock to you, for it’s sitting…wait for it…back in the driveway.”
“Woman, can you do anything without arguing first?”
He shook his head. Lexy had come home while he was in the shower and she’d had breakfast waiting for him. He knew she was giving him a pass on her anger because of his concern for Ethan. Bless her—all she’d done was ask if there’d been any news on him. The moment he’d said no, she’d let it go.
“I could. I mean, you even had a rental—I don’t know where it is or how it got returned.”
In the rear view, he could see the smirk on the driver’s face. He didn’t blame him, he would have found it amusing had it happened to anyone else.
“For the love of God, Lexy. Just trust me.”
Right then, they turned into the dealership and she closed her mouth with a snap. I’ll be damned. Ethan was right. Look at the way her eyes light up when she stares at the trucks.
“I’m buying a truck. Thought you’d want to help me.” He scowled when she laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“I don’t see you in a truck. You’ve always driven sports cars.”
He paid the driver and followed her out of the taxi. “And I can’t do something new?”
“It’s your money, hon. You can do with it what you please.”
“Will you help me?” He ground his jaw and prayed for patience.
“Of course. I love trucks. Let’s go.”
He trailed her to the trucks parked in the used lot. All makes and models. He really shouldn’t argue with her on her comment—he wasn’t really a truck person. Spying an employee approaching, Valentino waved him away. He wanted to look first without anyone trying to sell him each one, yapping in his ear.
“So what’s your recommendation?”
Surprisingly she shook her head. “Nope. You need to decide on what you want to do with it. Then compare them. And it has to feel right for you.” She canted her head and stared at him. “What do you want a truck for?”
“I need to fit in, Lexy.”
More laughter. Also unappreciated.
“You, Valentino Cassano, don’t fit in around here. Not dressed like that. Plus, you need to learn to smile.”
“Do what is necessary.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Are you giving me permission to take you clothes shopping as well?”
“Yes.” Lord, that hurt to say. He loved his suits.
His distress faded the second he noted the heat in her gaze. It wasn’t slight either, it scorched. The idea of me in jeans is appealing to her?
“Let’s shop.” Her smile banished any last doubt he had.
He drove off the lot in a blue Chevy 2500. True to her word, Lexy didn’t comment as he spoke with the salesman or made his decision, other than to answer if he asked a specific question of her.
“What do you think?” she asked after she told him which direction to go.
“Not bad. Does it meet with your approval?”
She grinned. “It does. Are you taking me out to do fun things in the back?”
His cock pressed hard against his pants. Biting back his groan, he focused on the road. They pulled into what looked like a feed store. “What are we doing here?”
“Shopping,” she said, hopping out.
He followed her and when he caught up, he captured her arm. “Why here?”
She glanced at him. “Because it’s locally owned and I always prefer to support my community than some big-named company. Their clothing is just as good. Come on.”
Greetings flowed fast as they entered. “Lexy!” a white-haired man called out with a wave.
“Hey, Lou. Glad to see you up and about.”
“Glad to be up again,” he said with a smile.
“I’ll catch up when we finish shopping. Gotta get him some jeans.”
Lou nodded and they walked on. She took him to a back corner that had stacks of clothing and two places to change.
“Here you go.” She pushed him gently before taking a seat.
He found his size and took four pairs into the dressing room. Slipping off his dress shoes, he unbuckled his belt and stared at his reflection. “What am I doing?”
An hour later, he buckled his belt again and tied the shoes she’d brought to him. He hadn’t dressed like this in a long while and it felt odd. T-shirt, jeans and shoes. He also had some boots waiting for him. Stepping from the dressing room for the last time, he kept his eyes on Lexy.
She looked up and froze. Her gaze traveled up and down his body before she gave him a slow nod. “Much, much better. You appear almost human.” She approached him and walked around him, trailing her hand along his middle. “Oh yeah, so much nicer.”
“How nice?” he asked, drawing her to his chest.
“Nice enough I’ll let you buy me ice cream.” She gave him a saucy wink. “Let’s go.”
He listened to her catch up with Lou. Her affection for him was obvious—and his for her. Valentino didn’t rush her, just took the time to learn a bit more about the woman he’d married. She hadn’t been this complex when they’d just been fucking one another. Or rather, he’d not allowed himself to see it.
There was a complete other side to her and her actions. Truth was, he enjoyed getting the chance to see this side of her. Her preference for local stores was another piece of knowledge falling into place about who she truly was.
Back at his truck, he held the door for her before walking around and climbing up in his side.
“We can get the ice cream to go if you need to check on Ethan’s situation,” she said.
“They’ll call if anything changes there. Let’s go see your brother first then get the ice cream.” He was determined to enjoy this day with her.
“Your call.”
The visit to see Eugene was uneventful. While Valentino didn’t say anything to Lexy about it, the fact her phone was so quiet bothered him a great deal. They’d called her before and had been about to tell her something. But now, it concerned him that she hadn’t been called back. This wasn’t the type of group to let something go.
“Can I ask you something?” she questioned on the way out to his truck.
“Go ahead.”
“What’s the deal with the Latin on your computer screen?”
“Semper en Obscurus. It’s the motto of the Theta Corps.” He unlocked his vehicle and held the door for her. “It means, ‘Always in the Dark’.”
“Nothing but clandestine operations then?” she asked when he hopped behind the wheel.
“Mostly. We do a lot, but much of it would be considered a Black Op if we were military, where there’s no technical order given. Or written.”
“Is Gio part of it?”
He frowned. “No, why do you ask?”
“Because he’s a pilot and a damn good one. Not that Jaydee isn’t, but I figured you’d have asked your brother to join and fly you from place to place.”
Valentino mulled that over. He’d not given it much thought before, but Lexy had a good point there.
“Haven’t, but I will think about it. Do you think Jaydee would be jealous if I asked him and not her?”
“Nope. She doesn’t have it in her. She’d be more likely to ask you why it hadn’t happened earlier.”
“Very true.”
Chatter remained light and easy as he took them to get some ice cream. As before, Lexy got herself a waffle cone with chocolate ice cream and sprinkles. Nothing fancy, just basic. They walked through the park, not really saying much, just being together. The warm sun beat down on them and he laughed as she tried to keep up with her rapidly melting ice cream.
“Not really funny there, Val.”
“Oh, I think it is. You’re not on this end seeing your expression.”
“Humph. We’ll see how funny things are this weekend.”
He narrowed his gaze. “W
hat’s happening then?”
“We’re having a cookout with a bunch of friends and their children. Time for everyone to meet Mr Cassano.”
“Lexy,” he said, “with so much going on, I don’t think it’s wise.”
“I’m not stopping my life for some jackass, Val. And as my husband, you will be there, with a fucking smile plastered on your face, being nice to every single person who deigns to talk to you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” She walked off.
He didn’t follow, just sat on the nearby bench. It was official—he didn’t understand women. But that was all right. He didn’t have to understand them all. If he could figure out the one he currently observed, he’d be much better off. She was fiery, passionate. There were many things he could call her but dull wouldn’t ever be one of them.
Valentino sat there and watched her finish her cone. She wiped her mouth and hands before coming back in his direction. He rested his left ankle on his right knee and waited for her.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
“You sure you want to leave? We could walk around a bit more.” He made the offer not really wanting to end their time together. At the house, there was work and more arguments looming.
“Walk? Sure, why not.”
With a smile for her, he rose to his feet and gestured for her to pick a direction. Falling in beside her, he nearly wrapped an arm around her but figured that wouldn’t be welcomed. They walked for another hour before they ended up back at his truck. There hadn’t been much discussion as they’d progressed, but he took it as a good sign that they weren’t at each other’s throats.
Lexy rested her arms against the back of his truck. He didn’t say anything, merely leaning along the side himself. For a few moments, the only noise around them came from the other park goers.
She lowered her head to the bedrail and shuddered. Valentino furrowed his brow—while it was a cooler day, it wasn’t cold by any means. Then came the muffled cry. To his ears, it sounded as if the noise had been ripped out of her. Forcefully. Painfully.
Then it hit him—she was crying. He wasn’t sure what to do. He’d never faced this Lexy before. She was always holding it together.
He reached for her twice only to stop before actual contact was made. Would she even want him to acknowledge her tears? Hell, he wasn’t made for this. He hunted and killed. Offering comfort wasn’t anything he had practice with.
The noise from his cell snapped his confused thoughts. “Hello?” She never even looked up.
“You do know you can offer comfort, right? After all, she is your wife. Cute little thing.”
Masters. Valentino frowned. “Where are you to know this?” He glanced around but didn’t see anything to make him think Masters was there.
“Don’t worry about me, tend to your wife.” A slight moment of silence. “For Christ’s sakes, man, put your arms around her. Hold her. Let her know she’s not alone.”
Click.
An odd call and more than a bit disturbing. Phone back in his pocket, Valentino closed the small distance between them and gathered her near, pressing her face to his chest. She gripped the sides of his shirt in strong hands and continued to cry, her entire frame trembling with the force of her sobs. Slowly, he guided her to the back and lowered the tailgate. Without breaking her hold on him, he cupped her ass and lifted her to sit on the metal.
Time passed, but he didn’t rush her, or ask her what was wrong. If she wished him to know, she’d tell him. Instead, he stood there and did what he figured was right so far—give her a warm body to hold. Because all he truly knew was she needed this.
When she drew back and looked up at him, his heart broke. Her eyes were red and puffy and the tear streaks on her face were obvious. He used his thumbs to wipe them away.
She continued to stare at him, lips wet with her tears as well. He dabbed at the lingering drops at the corners of her eyes.
“Better?” he asked, in as gentle a tone as he could manage.
Lexy removed her grip from his shirt and wiped her palms off on her thighs. “That all you have to say?”
“Yes,” he responded after thinking about it for a few moments.
It wasn’t hard to tell she was skeptical, but she nodded and slid off the tailgate, brushing by him in the process. Hell, did I mess up again?
Lexy erased the telltale signs of her breakdown from her face using the side mirror for assistance. Behind her, she could see Valentino watching her as one would a wounded animal. With cautious concern.
“Let’s go,” she said.
Without a word, he moved to the other side and got behind the wheel. She rested her head against the window and closed her eyes for the ride back, content he knew where she lived now. Plus, she was beyond exhausted. When they pulled into the drive, she slowly sat up and disengaged her seatbelt. With deliberate measured steps, she made it to the door and unlocked it.
Going straight through, she walked right out the back to the porch overlooking the fenced-in yard and climbed into the hammock there. Valentino’s heavy footsteps had her frowning. The man could be a perfect ghost if he so desired. If she was hearing him, he wanted her to be alerted to his presence.
She opened her eyes and watched him stride through the back door. Power. Grace. Danger.
Sure looks good in jeans though. They do things for him a suit never could. Not that he looked bad in a suit, it was just that jeans did it for her.
In one hand he held a glass, which he brought to her. She smiled. Iced tea. “Thank you,” she said. Sitting up, she took it from him and sipped while he sat nearby in one of her Adirondack chairs.
His response was a sharp nod. She didn’t take offense, just accepted this for what it was. He was trying to offer comfort but not pry, something she truly appreciated.
“It was just too much suddenly. I couldn’t breathe well and the only way it seemed the only way to assuage it was to cry.”
Her admission shocked her as much as it appeared to have him. But since she’d begun, she couldn’t quite shut her mouth.
“All of this. Eugene. He’s not waking up, hasn’t shown progress. And they say the longer he’s like this, the worse it is. I don’t know what else to do for him. I’m so tired, all I want to do is crawl into my bed and sleep for a year. But that’s not it. This damn group, which for some damn reason seems to have it out for me. I just…just…couldn’t take it anymore.”
There was no response and she lifted her head and gazed at him. He stared out into the backyard, hand to his chin lightly stroking it, one ankle on the opposite knee. She waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. Just continued to watch over the lawn, which needed cutting.
“Are you listening to me?” she asked.
Those intense eyes were upon her in seconds. “I heard every word. Did you want me to comment back?”
Taking a big drink of her tea, she nodded.
“Okay. I think you should cut yourself some slack and let yourself cry it out if that’s what you need to do. Eugene is one-third of the people you consider the most important in your world and he’s in a coma where the prognosis isn’t good. You’ve not cut back on your work and are trying to continue to fit in visiting him daily—it’s wearing on you. Finish it all off with the added pressure from The Watchers who are after you for something that you don’t know. If things didn’t get a bit overwhelming at one point, I would be extremely surprised.”
“One-third? I only have two brothers.”
He faced the yard again. “I know that. But you consider Jaydee your sister. That’s your third.”
Lexy finished off her tea and set the cup on the small table near the hammock. Lying on her side where she could still see him, she pushed with one foot before bringing it up with her.
“You’re insightful.”
“I’ve seen a lot of good people go through horrible experiences. That’s more what it is.”
She stared at his profile. He would be amaz
ing to paint. Or even to sketch. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him about the woman whose ring he used to wear around his neck. The chain was still there, but no ring.
Wonder how much it hurt him not to wear it anymore? And I’m intrigued as to why he never took it off. She made a mental note to ask him then closed her eyes, allowing the gentle swaying of the hammock combined with the breeze blowing over her to calm her rattled nerves. She couldn’t afford to lose it again. This wasn’t an option—she had to be at the top of her game.
Can’t let The Watchers win.
His cell rang and she cracked open her eyes and watched him. Whatever it was—she couldn’t hear because he spoke so low—he wasn’t happy. She scrutinized the play of muscles in his arm as they rippled and flexed. His jaw was set and she could see the furrow of his brow.
“Everything okay?” she asked once he’d finished.
“No. Still no sign of Ethan.”
“Do you think The Watchers took him?”
He rubbed his eyes. “The thought has occurred to us.”
“Us? Who’s us?”
“Theta Corps.” He dropped his foot to the porch and leaned back with a groan. “It could be a number of other groups as well.”
“Or something else could have come up.”
Valentino turned his head and stared at her. “Like?”
“I don’t know. But I would think any of y’all who are all so passionate about keeping those who mean something to you safe, if one of them called him, wouldn’t he go?”
“Why not tell us?”
“Maybe he can’t. Perhaps this is the only way.”
“What makes you think we’re passionate about keeping those safe who mean something?”
Please. “You didn’t tell your family for the longest time what you truly do because you wanted to keep them out of it and as safe as possible.”
“And you?”
Her belly tightened at the look he leveled at her. Hot. Sexy. Alluring. She gave a half yawn.
“You want this group, I’m a means to an end.” It bothered her how much those words hurt to say. She closed her eyes and rolled on her back. “Which is fine by me.”
