Page 112 of Married to the Devil

“Rafe—“

“It isn’t your problem to worry about. You have Hattie to watch over. You have the house to deal with. One day soon, when this is all over, you can go back to work with Beth⁠—“

“About that.” I clear my throat and take his hand between mine. I lift his fingers to my lips and kiss the letters on his knuckles. A. S. H. E. S. “Have you thought more about my suggestion?”

“The vote.” He purrs as I keep kissing his hand. “Careful. You’re going to distract me.”

“Yes, the vote, and you’re too easily distracted then.” I nibble his thumb. “I was thinking. What if me and Beth helped?”

“I don’t see how.”

“Well, you need the vote to look legitimate, right? And it will be, basically, even though you know how it’ll go before everyone shows up.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Then let me and Beth plan it. I’ll use the same venue where we got married⁠—“

“Absolutely not.”

“Rafe—“

“You’ve been in too much trouble already. I won’t put you in that position again.”

“Rafe!” I bite his index finger. He grunts, glaring at me. “I won’t be in the room, okay? I’ll only plan it. Make it look real. Whatever else you do will be your business. I’ll take care of the catering, the logistics, that stuff.”

He studies me for a long moment. I watch him in return. Something shifted inside me back when Nunzio took me. Back when I watched Byron get killed.

There’s still fear. Mostly for Hattie.

But I want to hurt the men who hurt my friends even more than I’m terrified of them.

“How far are you willing to go, love?” he asks quietly, voice a velvet whisper. He grabs my wrist suddenly and tugs me toward him.

His lips find mine. I return his feverish, hungry kiss.

“As far as it takes.”

“Are you sure?”

“I can’t live in fear my whole life, Rafe. I need to do something to take back control.”

He presses his forehead to mine. “Alright, love. I understand that better than you’ll ever know.”

34

JUNE

Ihit the buzzer on an old apartment intercom and wait. The line comes to life. “Hello?”

“Hey, stranger. It’s been a while.”

Beth’s voice goes silent, but the line stays alive. I hear a Real Housewife reunion in the background. “JUNE?! Are you kidding me? Is that really you?!”

“Yep, buzz me in.”

The door unlocks. I make it up the steps and Beth’s already waiting in the hall. She screams and rushes me like a bull and I laugh as she hugs me wildly.

“Oh my god! I’ve been so worried! You disappeared but Marnie said you were okay but couldn’t talk and I didn’t know what the heck that meant and now you’re married and oh my god is that the ring and you have to tell me about your husband⁠—“