Page 96 of Married to the Devil

“Absolutely I do.”

28

RAFE

“I’ve been saying for years that you need to find a decent wife. Haven’t I been saying it?” Silas gives me a smarmy look and drinks his pretentious cup of coffee.

The hotel bar is quiet on a Thursday morning. There must not be any conferences going on. Outside, downtown Philly crawls like always, people moving, cars and buses grinding past. The skyline is a hedged bet against the clouds. I drum my fingers impatiently.

“Can we skip the part where you take credit for all my good decisions?” I ask, annoyed.

“No, I don’t think so.” Silas checks his phone and places it face down. “Seriously, she’s a good one. When all this shit’s cleared up, you’re going to keep her, right?”

“She’s not a stray dog I took in.” He arches a brow. “Yes, fine, I plan on staying married to her.”

“Good. That’s good. It’ll make the Capos happy, at least.”

“Please. Half of them won’t care. And the other half is getting retired soon enough.”

“I think you’re wrong about that.” He speaks quietly and thoughtfully. “In our modern world, people tend to think in terms of dollars. If it’s not money, what’s the point? But there’s power in family. Children are continuity and the future. Wives are stability. It shows you’re a serious man. Even the people who say they don’t care do when it comes down to it. Look at us. Mom and Dad sure as hell would’ve agreed.”

I grunt despite myself. “Six kids. Can you imagine?”

“Back then it seemed so normal, but no, I really can’t.”

“One’s hard enough.”

“At least Hattie seems like a solid girl. You should be proud.”

“That’s all because of June.”

Silas asks for more hot coffee. “I’ll get the Capos on board and start getting a feel for how they’ll vote. I’m partially with Kellan though. I worry it’ll backfire.”

“We need to know how deep the rot goes.”

“I’ll find out, one way or the other.”

“Just don’t kill anybody.”

He climbs to his feet and knocks his knuckles on the chair. “I kill one lieutenant by accident and that’s all you ever talk about.”

“You strangled him for looking at your date sideways.”

“What? It was rude!”

“You didn’t even like the girl.”

“And your point?”

We banter together as we leave the hotel. It’s past eleven in the morning. Silas will start making housecalls soon. I’ll hit the phones once I’m back in Jersey. I’m already thinking about June, her mouth on mine, holding her in bed, sitting with Hattie in front of the TV or watching my little girl make pony drawings⁠—

“The fuck is that?”

It’s the tone in his voice. The uncertain fear.

I jerk sideways as a gun goes off.

Silas saved my life. The bullet would’ve hit me in the face. Instead, it pings off a sign behind my head as the masked man adjusts his aim.