Page 49 of Hidden Ties

“Who is it?” Maria asked, seeing him whizz by.

“Backup,” was his response, flinging open the door to see who it was. Of course,hehad gotten here first.

Figures.

WatchingLucca Caruso walk into the room felt eerily strange. No longer in his deadly all-black suit, he wore a sweatshirt and dark jeans. It looked so informal on him but also so right. Now she could start to understand why the other girls found him attractive. He was no longer dressed as the Boogieman but himself, so his looks turned less sinister and more ruggedly handsome.

“Time to go, Chloe.” With a commanding voice, he waved for her to move.

Noticing the wedding band on his ring finger for the first time, Valerie’s mouth fell right down to the floor.He’s married toher!

Her mind was blown for the millionth time today. Never in all her life of playing video games could she have predicted that plot twist coming. How in the world a sweet and shy, scarred woman had ended up with the Boogieman would defy her imagination for the rest of her existence.

It was obvious Chloe didn’t want to go. “But Maria’s babysitter is watching the twins for the night, with Angelica. Can’t we stay for a bit longer?”

Jesus! They procreated?

Lucca shook his head more defiantly. “We’re leaving—now.”

The poor woman’s hair covered her face as she set the controller down in sadness, clearly having a good time. While all the girls’ faces were upset she was leaving, not one dared to question it, not even Maria.

Valerie’s heart sank for her, but before she could let the woman leave, she just couldn’t help herself and had to ask, “Chloe”—she stepped before the couple, who were complete opposites in every way, keeping them from leaving just yet—“would you mind giving me a picture of yourself?”

“W-Why?” she asked nervously, making Valerie hate herself for asking it that way before explaining. Even the way Lucca was staring at her, while in a curious way, was making her uncomfortable, as it was obvious his protective instincts were coming out. Hell, the whole room had fallen silent, as everyone had heard her and was too curious as to what kind of question that was.

She had seen this whole interaction go differently in her head. Sometimes, she really hated her big mouth but just had to go with it at this point.

“Well, I’ve been working on a video game, and if you don’t mind, I’d love to model one of my female characters after you?”

“Oh … wow,” Chloe said. Taken aback, it took her a moment before she brushed the hair behind her ears, proudly displaying her scars. “Sure.”

With Lucca relaxing his grip on his wife’s hand, he let her go. “We can stay a bit longer.”

“Hell yeah!” Kat cried gleefully, holding the controller back out for her. “We get another rematch.”

When Chloe returned to the game with a smile, Lucca gave Valerie an approving look. “Sal …”

Gettinga bit choked up at that kind interaction, he bit down the emotion welling in his throat. The action had made not only Sal grow fond of her in an instant, but Lucca Caruso himself. And Valerie didn’t have a clue what she had just accomplished.

“Yeah?” he asked, already dreading what might come next.

“You find her a job yet?”

“Not exactly.” He ran his fingers through his hair, knowing his boss wasn’t going to be happy. “It’s been a bitdifficultto place her. She—”

“Try harder, then,” Lucca cut him off.

Sal could only nod his head, accepting the order.Christ, for better or for worse, he was stuck with Valerie’s antics now. It shocked him to find that he was surprisingly happy about it, too. Once you gained Lucca’s favor, especially through the way of his wife, he did everything in his power to make sure you were cared for. If Kent Bryant didn’t find a way to get her charges dropped,and soon, the lawyer was going to have hell to pay.

“Give her whatever job she wants,” Lucca said before ending the conversation to go sit beside his wife.

Instinctively knowing Valerie’s big mouth was about to ruin the moment, he reached out to grab her hand and stop her from going after Lucca.

“Don’t press your luck,” he told Valerie quietly, hoping she’d take the hint.

“Fine,”she finally grumbled, “I won’t ask him if I can join the family.”

Only when she made him a promise that she wouldn’t did Sal let her go, somewhat satisfied.