Page 11 of A Wife’s Duty

Chloe, the hairdresser, had canceled a few of her customers to slot in his wife, and he appreciated it.

She was a damn good hairdresser, and had nearly closed a few years ago due to the rates Bonaldi had put in place on the salon to do business within his sector.

She was another person he’d taken care of, and business was booming.

He didn’t put any rates of business on anyone.

“I’m sorry,” Lucia said.

“You want it cut?” Chloe asked. She didn’t sound impatient.

“Yes, I do. I want it all off, but you asked me what style I wanted, and I don’t know. Do you think you could do something that would ... suit me?”

Chloe looked toward him and he nodded his head.

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Just don’t move and don’t make any jerky movements, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

She looked so nervous. He continued to watch as she cringed with each touch.

At no point did she ask for Chloe to stop.

As for Chloe, he had no doubt this was hard for her, working on a client who didn’t seem to want to get her hair cut.

It took a good fifteen minutes before Lucia relaxed and finally stared to enjoy it.

He watched as her hair fell to the floor. A smile filled her face. It was so natural, like she was finally at peace. Her hair must have been another element her father attempted to control, and now that was all gone. There was nothing for her to fear. He’d make sure of it.

Little by little, her hair became styled. It was longer than a bob, but hit her shoulders. There would be no way she’d be able to pull it back into a ponytail. The style curved around her face, and she looked beautiful before, but now, with that smile, it transformed her into stunning .

After Chloe was done, Lucia grabbed the woman’s hands. “Thank you,” she said.

“Honey, it’s fine.”

“No, I know I was being a problem, but thank you for working on my hair and not getting angry.”

Chloe offered her a smile, nodded to Boone, and that was the end of it.

Lucia looked back toward the mirror and Boone got to his feet, moving in behind her. “You like it?” he asked.

“I do. What about you?”

“It doesn’t matter if I like it or not.”

“Yeah, it does.”

“Why?”

“Because, you’re ... I care if you like it or not.”

Well, if she cared, then he was not going to hold back. “I love it and it suits you. Are you ready to grab some dinner?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He paid at the counter, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her fiddle with her hair. Twirling the tiny strand around her finger before letting it go. It was new and he imagined the first real time she rebelled against her father.

Taking hold of her hand, they walked out into the sunshine. He slid his sunglasses on, and held a pair out for Lucia to take. She did so with a thank you. Always so polite. It was a shame her family was not as polite as her.

They walked through the city, and people moved to step out of his way. He was used to this. He didn’t budge, just kept moving, making his way toward the café with Howard and Nancy.

Stepping inside, he saw how busy it was, but his usual table was still reserved. He’d sent Howard a text to let him know they were coming. He held out the seat for Lucia, before taking his own.

“It’s very busy,” Lucia said.

Boone nodded.

“Are you not worried?”

“About?”

“I don’t know, being attacked?”

This made him look up from grabbing the menu. “Is there something I should know?”

Lucia shook her head. “No, no, it’s just, my dad, he would make the whole restaurant leave if it was this busy.” Her face had lost all color.

He watched her, giving her a chance to compose herself, which she did, and then lifted up, and glared at him. “I told you, I made my choice. What do you mean, is there something you should know?”

There was the spirit.

He smiled at her, and leaned forward. “I didn’t know if you recognized any of your father’s men, or anyone associated with Bonaldi.”

“Oh,” Lucia said. “That makes sense. I thought you meant ... well ... you know...”

He raised a brow. She looked cute when she was nervous.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, come on, you know and you’re just teasing me right now.”

“I’m not teasing. Tell me.”

He saw her fight with herself, and then it was like she decided she wasn’t going to go down like that. She squared her shoulders and glared at him. “You and I both know what I was trying to say. I wouldn’t ever double-cross you. I’ve made my decision and I’m going to stick to it.”

“That is good to know.” He winked at her.

She gasped. “You did that on purpose.”

“It’s nice to know they haven’t beaten the fight out of you. You’ve still got a lot left.”

Lucia pulled back and shrugged.

He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “Don’t. Don’t let those bastards win. You got it. I want you to talk to me, talk back, be open with me. I’m different from them.”

“You still get your car blown up!”

“True. What if I were to tell you that I know who did it?”

Looking across the table, he saw her eyes go wide. “What?”

“Yeah, I know who did it.”

“Who did it?” Lucia asked.

“Your brother.”

“Which one?”

“Leandro.”

She pursed her lips, and her brows furrowed as she looked past his shoulder.

“That makes sense, I guess. He was always dabbling with explosives. Nearly blew the house up once when he was a kid. Dad did not like that. He got a beating then, first time ever. Not long after, he got him a shed he could dabble in. Actually, he got two. One to dabble in, the other to practice.”

Lucia went a little pale.

“I know about the nanny,” Boone said.

“You do?”

“Yeah. He locked her in the garden shed, set the trap, and got it to explode.”

Lucia nodded. “Yeah. It was ... yeah.”

He saw the sadness in her eyes. “What is it?”

“She was my nanny. She was the only one who seemed to know I was alive. I’m the youngest of my father’s children. Leandro used to laugh and tell me I was the last one out, so in a killing spree, I’d be the first one to go.”

“What?”

“Yeah, people would attempt to kill me first.” She shrugged.

“You don’t need to listen to that bullshit. It wouldn’t work that way.”

“I guess not now, seeing as I’m married to you, and they’re going to spend a lot of time and effort to get to you. You’ve got all those guards.”

He looked at Lucia. That little shit. This made him hate him just a little more. Prior to hearing Lucia, he was going to leave Leandro to have his supposed fun, however, that had just changed his plans completely. He wasn’t happy, in fact, he was very much pissed off.

“What’s wrong?” Lucia asked.

“Nothing at all. Nothing for you to worry about.”

Nancy interrupted them. “What can I get you two?” she asked with a kiss to each of their cheeks.

Lucia was taken aback, but Boone had gotten used to it.

“Your best cheeseburgers, with all the trimmings,” Boone said. Then he turned to Lucia. “Unless you want something different?”

Lucia’s face went a beautiful shade of red. She glanced down at the menu, flicked it backward and forward, and then shook her head. “No, no, a burger is more than okay for me. I’m happy with a burger.”

Nancy offered them both a smile and then left them alone.

“Could you teach me?” Lucia asked.

“What?”

“How to defend myself?”

“Is that what you would like to learn?”

Lucia pressed her lips together, glancing around the café, and then nodded her head. “Yes, yes, I don’t think I have much of a choice, do I?”

“You have a choice. I have men who are willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. If you don’t want to learn, trust in my men.”

“I do trust in your men, but what if ... something bad happens? What if they’re defending you, and I want to be able to defend you too?”

“Then I guess, baby, you and I are going to learn some defensive moves.”

“We are?” Lucia asked. She shook her head. “Yes, you’re right. We are.”

“So, tell me, is there anything else you have wanted to do?” he asked. “You got your hair cut. What else would you like to do?”

“You mean, besides learning self-defense?”

“Besides that.”

He had every intention of teaching Lucia how to take care of herself. It was important she knew.

“I thought about going back to school, but I have no idea what I would learn. There is so much to be studied. Dad only wanted us to attend high school and graduate. After that, it was about finding a husband.”

“And now, you can do anything. You want me to pick up a couple of brochures?”

“You’d do that?”

“Lucia, I’m offering.”

She nodded. “Yes, yes, I’d love that.”

“What else?”

“I don’t know. It was just stupid stuff. Like, go shopping without having to ask permission. Get my hair cut. Take long walks. Maybe one day get a dog.”

“A dog?”

“Yeah, a dog. I’d like a dog. We were never allowed them back home because my dad is allergic, and he refused to take any kind of medication to help. It was his house anyway, his rules, and if he didn’t want to get a dog, he didn’t have to get a dog.” She shrugged.

She was trying to hide her feelings, but he saw them. It hurt her that he refused to budge on the dog. He made a note to think about looking for one.

Nancy came and brought their food. She didn’t linger, just hoped they enjoyed it, and then she was off again, serving more customers.

“A tattoo,” Lucia said.

Now this did intrigue him. “A tattoo?”

“Yeah, I don’t know, maybe a dolphin, or a rose, or a flower of some kind.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps my hip, or someplace where only I can see.”

“Or your husband?” he asked.

She licked her lips and did she even realize her gaze fell to his lips? “What’s it like?”

He truly believed she was talking about sex, but he had a niggling feeling that wasn’t the case. “What?”

“Getting a tattoo. You have so many, and I just ... does it hurt?”

Over the years, he had gotten many different kinds of ink. The first was on his back and chest, to hide a couple of bullet wounds. This had been his father’s technique. It wasn’t about hiding the marks, but knowing what each one meant.

Not all of his ink symbolized a near-death experience. Several of them did, but he survived, obviously. Some of the ink he’d gotten just for the fun of it.

“It depends what you can take. Some parts of your body hurt more than others. Where would you want it?” he asked.

She pointed to her hip. “I think, but I’m not sure. No one would be able to see it, but I would know it was there.”

And Lucia was still hiding. He wasn’t going to let her hide forever. The power her father once had was dying, piece by piece. First with her hair, and he was going to make sure her father never had control of anything again.