Page 2 of A Wife’s Duty

The elevator doors pinged open, and Boone grabbed her hand, and started to lead her out. His men were everywhere, and no one stopped them.

There was a car parked right outside. Boone opened the door, and waited for her to slide inside, which she did.

She moved across and settled in for him to slide in next to her.

He was a tall, muscular man. He was also very handsome, which was why it surprised her when her sister didn’t argue about being with him.

Sitting back, she tried not to look at him. Only, she was drawn to the man, who terrified the people she had known were used to being feared.

Boone Grinder. The feared man. The one man the mafia wanted on their side.

“You’re staring at me,” he said, without even glancing her way. “Why?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t ask for an apology. Why are you staring?”

“I...” She didn’t know what to say that might not anger him. He’d not hit her yet, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of it. What if he killed her?

“Lucia, I’m going to be straight with you. You want to last in my world. You want to survive, then you don’t lie to me. I can’t fucking stand liars or cheaters, or bullies. They don’t stand a chance. You want to have a good life, then you be honest with me, from the start.”

“Honesty?”

This made him turn toward her.

She looked into his dark brown eyes. So many women had said this man had come from the Devil himself. She had no idea why. Yes, his eyes were a dark brown, that they almost appeared black, but that wasn’t something to hold against him.

“Do you have a problem with honesty?” he asked.

“No, not at all. I mean, I prefer honesty.” She couldn’t quite look away. Should she trust him? Should she even attempt to be honest with him? “I was looking at you and wondering why ... everyone feared you. My family and the whole mafia family.”

He chuckled. “Do I not look scary to you?”

“Uh, I guess.”

Another chuckle.

“Your family is used to people who are difficult finally backing down. They attempt to threaten, harm, or even kill someone close to you. With me, that is difficult because I have no one. There is no family for them to hurt. No best friend. No one. They can kill my men, but where one falls, a hundred are willing to join me, and that is because for too long your family, and all the Italian mafia, have fucked any loyalty out of everyone. They take and take and take, and people have nothing left to give. They turn to me, because I give them a chance. Also, I’m not afraid to die. ”

“You’re not?”

“No, death is inevitable. I’m going to die one day. There is no reason to fear it. It’s coming for all of us, including your family.”

It was a morbid thought, but also a very strange one.

****

T he Valdez family may have thought they had given him the dud, the ugly sister, but to Boone, he didn’t think so. There was more to Lucia than met the eye. He’d seen Isabella, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed siren who was used to men adoring her. She was entitled and expected a certain way of life.

Now, Lucia had intrigued him from the start.

She didn’t know he had been watching her.

Most people thought it was hard to spy on the Italian mafia, but it wasn’t.

They had gotten sloppy with their protection detail, and when it came to Lucia, no one seemed to care about her.

She was the forgotten sister, the one no one gave a fuck about.

Boone had known if he squeezed the fuck out of the mafia family, they would eventually snap and offer him a consolation prize.

Something that would bring peace seeing as he was making them suffer, losing them thousands of dollars a day.

They were all about the money and power.

They were a couple of old sick fucks that didn’t know their head from their ass.

They were used to people being afraid and complying.

He’d seen what they were doing, who they were exploiting, and he’d brought a stop to it.

The truth was, he wanted to be left alone, but for some reason, no matter where he went, trouble followed him.

There came a point ten years ago, when he finally decided to face that trouble, accept it, then he started to fight.

No one was prepared for him. He began to build up, to learn, to take, and then he watched people run.

He watched them wish they had never woken the beast, because now that he was awake and in charge, everyone was going to pay.

Lucia was different. She didn’t command attention.

She stayed to her little corner, and he noticed that she tried to avoid her father.

At events, she was placed as far away from her own family’s table as possible.

He had looked into the reason why, assuming her mother had an affair, but there was none of that.

Lucia was his real daughter. She just didn’t look like her sister, and according to the men within the mafia, she was fat and ugly.

Glancing toward her in the red dress he had known would look amazing on her, Lucia was not ugly.

Sure, she was not what most would instantly describe as beautiful.

She had kind eyes. They were green, but kind.

There was not an evil bone in her body. Her mouth was plump, and he was not going to deny it, he had wanted to kiss her many times, but held himself back.

Succumbing to Lucia was not part of his plan.

Then, there was her body. She was not slender. Lucia had curves. Full ripe tits, heavy thighs, thick hips, and a body made for loving. She was fucking stunning, if truth be told. Not that he told anyone, but it was like she had stepped out of his fucking wet dreams.

On top of that, she was supposed to be a virgin. He didn’t give a fuck about any of that. Women could have as much freedom as men. To fuck who they wanted, have fun, explore. Boone never had a virgin, nor did he ever want one. However, his wife of three weeks was still a virgin.

He liked to keep her family waiting. They thought he was just going to submit to them. They were in for a shock. He couldn’t stand her family, nor any of the Italian mafia.

Boone had seen what some of the men do to the women—the mistresses they had used up and spat out.

Some of them bruised, heavily drugged, with a couple of kids they could no longer afford.

He’d seen it happen many times. Capos, who had mistresses spread across each city.

They wanted their wives to look pure, to do their duty.

Their mistresses were to do everything else, to be at their mercy.

To fuck when they wanted, to be beaten at will.

Boone hated them.

He’d seen a lot of women become nothing but a shell once they were used up. Mistresses had an expiration date.

“Are you afraid to die, Lucia?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He nodded. “Do you think I am capable of killing you?”

“Yes.”

“That is true. I have killed women who have betrayed me, who have lied, and gotten others killed.”

He saw her shake just a little, but he noticed her hands clenched, and she somehow got herself together. This was another side of Lucia no one else ever seemed to see.

She was strong. No one saw her strength. He did.

“Let me tell you a little secret. It’s not a hard one to understand.” He cleared his throat. “I will not kill you, or harm you, if you do exactly as I say. If you follow me, and you follow my rules.”

“You have rules?”

“Yes, and they are simple.” She turned toward him and he couldn’t help but be drawn to her cleavage.

The dress hugged her in all of the right ways, just as he knew it would.

“Don’t lie to me. Don’t go behind my back.

Don’t run back to your family. I’m the one that will keep you safe.

You can see this marriage as a prison, or freedom.

I don’t want a slave, nor a doormat. I want a wife who can hold her head high and stay by my side. Do you think you can handle that?”

Her eyes had gotten wider. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure, and we’re here. Think about it.” The car came to a stop, and he didn’t wait for one of his men to open the door. He climbed out, held his hand toward her, and she didn’t hesitate. Sliding her hand in his, he helped her out of the car.

Mitchell and Sandra had done wonders for her.

They were the best hair and makeup artists that worked for him.

They each had their own salons in the city.

The mafia had attempted to close them down, forcing them to pay for protection.

That was what they did, forced the building rates up.

They had to pay to work within the Italian mafia turf.

They didn’t have to pay him a fucking dime. People had the right to run their own business how they saw fit.

He rose up, took back turf, and stopped people from paying fees they didn’t have to. He provided the protection by being there. His soldiers were told to keep them all safe. It was what he did. He earned money through many different business ventures, most of them legal.

It was kind of hilarious, because he didn’t run girls, push drugs, or even traffic or do anything evil. He killed people who wouldn’t listen to him. He gave them choices, and if they chose wrong, there were consequences.

He had been trained since he was a kid. Nobody knew of his past, and no one would ever know. That was his life. A life that was no more.

Stepping into the nightclub, the music was loud, which was exactly the way he liked it. The dance floor was already full, but he escorted Lucia to the private spot. There were several people who paid a great deal of money for their reserved VIP spots.

One of his waitresses came over, and he ordered them both a drink.

“I don’t drink,” Lucia said.

“I ordered you an orange,” he said.

He was pretty sure she was blushing beneath the makeup.

Lucia nodded her head, and then turned toward the dance floor. Her life with her family had been closed off. There was no way she would have seen the inside of a nightclub. Her father didn’t like her. He kept her locked up, training to be the perfect little wife who would not make waves.

She had deserved better. Boone had seen the fire within her gaze. Lucia was not meant to be kept locked up. It would drive her insane.

The waitress came back with their drinks. Lucia thanked her, picked up her drink, and took a sip.

He had made sure there was no alcohol, but her gaze was completely enraptured by the dance floor. The music was heavy and thick, and it sounded so fucking good. He was about to ask her to dance, when one of his men got his attention with a nod. Something was up.

“Stay here,” he said, getting to his feet.

Ronald had been with him from the start.

The man knew how he liked to conduct his business.

They didn’t talk as they made their way toward the back of the nightclub and exited toward one of the back alleys.

There was a small light on, and Ronald turned toward him.

He didn’t say a word, and he looked down to see that Ronald was holding a little bag of white powder.

“Who?”

“There.” He nodded to his left. “He was dealing, but you recognize the logo.”

“Yeah, I do.”

It was the Italian mafia his wife’s family was part of, the Bonaldis. He would recognize this shit anywhere, and it was being dealt within his own club. He was pissed off now.

Handing the bag back to Ronald, he made his way toward the man who had attempted to deal that shit in his club. He couldn’t stand drugs. They were the Devil’s work. He had seen what it did to people, to families, and he wouldn’t have anything to do with it.

“Look, man, I was told this was no big deal.”

“What’s your name?”

“Fuck you.”

Boone looked at him for several seconds, and then without a care in the world, he drew his gun and pointed it at his forehead. Instantly, the man before him recoiled and looked quite shaken.

“You’re surprised.”

“What the fuck, Mister? I’m just following orders. I was told you’d be cool. That this shit would be tight.”

“You were told that, were you?” he asked.

The man was shaken, but Boone didn’t care. This piece of shit was selling Bonaldi’s shit on his property, in his line of work. There was only so much he was willing to accept, and this was a line they shouldn’t cross.

“Yes, man. I was told that all of your ... places of establishment are fine to conduct my level of business. Well, I’m just a ... marketer.”

He clicked the safety off his gun, and this instantly silenced the man before him. “What’s your name?”

“Shit. Fuck. Shit. I ... uh ... it’s Howard.” He held his hands up. “That’s my name, dude. Just Howard.”

Boone looked at him. It would be a lot easier to just kill him right now and deal with the drugs. However, he had Lucia inside looking so beautiful, and he didn’t want to ruin this night.

This man had pissed him off, but he was all about choices. He gave everyone a choice. It was up to them if they made the right one or the wrong one.

“Listen, Howard, you have two choices here. Either you leave and sell that piece of shit to some random stranger, or you leave and go straight to the cops. Do you hear me? You hand yourself in with this little stash of drugs, and you tell them everything.”

He watched as the man instantly recoiled.

“Shit, man, do you know what would happen to me if I did that?” Howard asked.

“What’s it going to be? Two choices. The right one or the wrong one. I’ll know which choice you make, Howard, and if you make the wrong one, this will not be our last meeting.”

He put the safety back on the gun, and then shoved it into its holster. “Give him the drugs,” he said, talking to Ronald.

Ronald handed him back the drugs.

“If I go to the cops, I’m dead. There is no way I’m making it past a day without getting killed.”

“Your choice to make, Howard.”

He stood and watched, knowing he and Howard would be meeting each other again real soon.

“Boss, you know he’s going to sell it.”

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you just end it now?”

“Because, everyone has a choice, Ronald. You know that. Everyone has a choice.” He slapped Ronald on the chest and made his way inside to find his wife exactly where he had left her.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, turning to look at him.

He held his hand out toward her. “Dance with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

She looked a little pale, but he wasn’t backing down. He’d seen the yearning inside her eyes, and now was the time for him to give her a little reward. She hadn’t run off and had stayed exactly where he wanted her to. None of his men gave him the alert that she’d been spoken to.

Everyone watched his back. He didn’t know at times if it was down to fear or loyalty. Either way, he didn’t give a fuck as long as they did their jobs.