Page 23 of A Wife’s Duty

Boone was ... everything. The very thought of it scared her. She had never known love. Not even parental love. She had never meant anything to anyone, but looking at Boone, she wanted to mean something to him. For the first time in her life, she wanted someone to love her.

She accepted that her parents hated her, and her siblings despised her. She had gotten used to that feeling.

With Boone, she hoped he could one day have feelings for her that went beyond saving her, and not an obligation.

****

“Y ou know, you could come with me,” Lucia said.

The temptation was strong, but Boone reached over and put a hand on her knee. The apartments he had spread around the city were not ideal. Not for his wife, not when he was about to go to war.

While he’d been enjoying his wife, several Bonaldi residents had been invaded by the police.

He had already forwarded the information to the cop on the case, about some of the dealings going on.

One of the places was a warehouse that bagged the drugs Bonaldi distributed.

That place, along with the staff, had been arrested.

The cops on Bonaldi’s payroll were also turning up dead.

Boone had been very clear to the cop he dealt with. He let the man know who was dirty and who wasn’t. It made it harder for Bonaldi to be one step ahead of the game.

Donald had done the right thing and was currently in witness protection.

The men who hurt Nancy had never been caught, but that was because their body parts had been disposed of by Valdez and Bonaldi. Boone had made sure they got equal men. Admittedly, they both got each other’s parts, just for the fun of it.

After the drug warehouse, the shipment of guns had also been ceased. Two brothels had been invaded as well.

There were several other businesses that dealt with the money-laundering, and he’d taken care of that as well. The money had been piled high in stacks, that building had somehow caught fire, and the dirty money had been burnt.

Bonaldi was going to start reaching for straws, and like all desperate men, he would get dirty, which is why getting Lucia to safety was his top priority.

As for Valdez, Leandro was currently trapped in one of his apartments, with no way to escape. All he had to do was bring up the footage, and he would get to see Leandro in all his glory. The man didn’t like being caged up. It was a shame, as there was no way out for him.

“I will come to you. This is not goodbye. I’ll be staying with you a couple of days.” That should give Leandro enough time to ... panic. “I’ll get you settled and we can have some time together. Consider it a mini-honeymoon.”

“A honeymoon?”

“Yes, don’t you want one of them?”

“That’s what normal couples have, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and we can be a normal couple.”

She laughed. “Okay then, a mini-honeymoon.”

He reached over and took her hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her glancing out the window, and she had this serene smile on her face, which is exactly how he wanted her to be. Lucia deserved happiness and he was going to make sure she got it.

All of a sudden, she gasped and jerked around in her seat. He looked to see what threat there was, but there was nothing. Frank was following behind him, as he had opted to come and help them get settled.

“What is it?” Boone asked.

“That ... man, he just ... I swear he just kicked that dog.” She looked behind her and Boone looked out his window, seeing a group of men. Most of them without shirts, sporting ink. Just as he was about to ignore it and tell her it was all good, he watched one of the boys kick a dog.

Lucia gasped.

Putting the car in “park,” he let go of Lucia’s hand. “Wait here, and do me a favor, don’t look out the window.”

He got out of his car, went to the trunk, opened it up, and found the claw wrench. Frank was already out of the car.

“What’s happening, Boss?”

He didn’t need to answer as they heard the dog whimper.

“Got it,” Frank said.

With the claw wrench in his hand, he approached the group of men. The dog was cowering from them, but it was also on a leash. It looked like a staff, and from the quick glance, it was also a female dog.

“What the fuck is your problem?” the guy who held the dog asked.

“Is that your dog?” Boone asked.

“Yeah, this is my bitch, what the fuck is your problem?”

“You have two choices,” Boone said. “Give me the dog, or start screaming like a little bitch.”

The group of men looked at one another, and their expressions were all serious, then they burst out laughing.

“Get the fuck out of here. You got a problem with the way I treat my dog, fuck you. There is nothing you can do about it.” The man went to kick the dog, only his leg didn’t hit the animal, as Boone brought the claw wrench down, hard.

The man began to scream and collapsed on the floor, letting the leash go. The dog moved away, but she didn’t go for him.

“I did give you a choice.”

“Fuck him up,” the man said.

Frank was at his back, but he didn’t need the help.

Two men attacked him, and he swung the claw wrench, hitting one of them around the face, the second he shoved into the guts of another.

The third guy that came at him had piercings, and he pulled them, rending the man squealing. The fourth man got hit by Frank.

Now, the leader was back on his feet, and Boone didn’t wait, he slammed the claw wrench across his face and then swung it at the man coming in from behind. They kept coming, and Boone didn’t stop until they were on the floor, moaning. Teeth were missing, and blood covered their faces.

“Don’t let me catch you ever kicking a dog again.” With that, Boone went to the dog, picked the girl up in his arms, and carried her to the car. The wrench was thrown in the trunk, and he handed the dog to Lucia.

“I hope you’re ready to be a fur mummy,” Boone said.

“Holy crap, I’ve never had a dog before,” Lucia said.

The dog shook a little.

“She’s a little afraid. She looks young. Hug her, let her know you’re not afraid of her.”

“You’ve had a dog before?”

“A long time ago.”

Lucia wrapped her arms around the dog, and Boone turned over the ignition and began to drive away.

“You saved her,” Lucia said.

“For you.”

“Did it bother you that he was kicking the dog?”

“Yes,” Boone said. “Dogs are loyal. They will fight for you, defend you with their lives. They’re better than all humans and should be protected.”

“Dad never allowed us to have a dog. He was allergic, so no pets for us. No dogs.” She pressed her face against the dog’s neck.

“It’s okay. I have no idea how to take care of you, but Boone is going to teach me.

Yes, he is, and you are going to be so loved, and no one is ever going to kick you again.

” She let out a sigh. “What animal kicks a dog?”

He didn’t have to say, because the animal that was wouldn’t be having a good time of it. During his attack, he heard a few bones crunching, and he hadn’t been light in teaching that piece of shit a lesson.

On the road, Frank continued to follow him, and it was getting late.

The hot summer sun was glaring down, and they had to make a few stops for the dog to do her business.

He stared at the dog, and it was strange, because it looked fat to him.

Boone had a feeling the dog was pregnant.

That evil little bastard was kicking a pregnant dog.

Now he wished he hadn’t let the piece of shit live.

If he saw him again, there would be hell to pay.

He’d make the necessary arrangements for a vet to see the dog. They were less than twenty minutes from where he wanted to take her, and he looked toward Lucia.

“Do you want to name her?” Boone asked.

Lucia stroked the dog. It hadn’t taken long, but the dog now seemed quite attached to Lucia. She kept hugging her, soothing her.

“I don’t know. Does it have to be dog names?”

“It can be anything you want,” he said.

He glanced over to see Lucia’s lips perched as she started trying to think of a dog’s name.

“I have no idea. What did you call your dogs?”

“I had male dogs, there was Ryan and Blue.”

“You had two dogs?”

“My dad had two dogs.”

“Your father?”

“He passed away a long time ago.”

“You know, I don’t know anything about you, or your past.”

“A lot of people don’t.” He didn’t talk about his past, because that man didn’t exist. No one would find a single trace of him.

“Betty? What do you think?”

“You want to call the dog, Betty?”

“Yeah, I like the name, and she is so lovely. When I look at her, I think Betty.”

The dog had lifted her head, and Boone laughed. “Betty it is.”

“That is your new name. Betty Grinder.” Lucia kissed the top of her head. “You’re going to have a wonderful life, and I am going to give you so many treats, and I’m going to take such good care of you.”

Betty was already having a good life.

He pulled off the main road, going down a secluded driveway, where he came to the security fence. Reaching out, he typed out the code and the gates opened up, letting them inside.

The old farmhouse he had bought, renovated, and updated was the most secure safe house. No one would ever get within breathing distance of Lucia. Not only did he have the security fence, anyone who climbed the fence would set off sensors, alerting anyone in the house to a possible intruder.

Once inside the house, he had multiple panic rooms, with supplies that would last several days of a possible home invasion, as well as weapons to fight back. He didn’t hold back with this house.

Parking the car, Frank joined them, and Lucia opened the door, allowing Betty out and sniffing the yard before heading toward the front door.

“Wow,” Lucia said. “This is ... incredible.

The house looked like the old farmhouse, surrounded by trees, and beyond there were endless fields far and wide. It was a beautiful place to raise a family, which is why he’d created it. Although having a family had been the last thing on his mind. Men like him didn’t get the option of a family.

After Betty had finishing sniffing around and sat dutifully by Lucia’s side, he took her hand and led her into the house.

Most of the furniture was covered in protective sheeting, and he didn’t have people coming to clean this place. This was his private place, and he didn’t want anyone involved, but those he trusted with his life.

“Damn, this is a pretty nice place,” Frank said.

Lucia giggled. “Can I take her off the leash?”

“Sure.”

He watched as Lucia bent down and removed the leash from the collar. The dog didn’t scurry off but stayed by Lucia’s side.

He was going to have to grab some dog food. Then, he remembered the guard, and he pulled out some cash, handing it to Frank. His guard nodded and left. Now, it was just him and Lucia.

“Let me show you the place.”

The tour wasn’t extensive. A sitting room, game room, dining room that led onto the main kitchen. There was a back porch leading out to a garden, as well as a small vegetable patch that hadn’t been worked.

Taking her inside, he led her upstairs to the five bedrooms. All with en-suites. The master bedroom the biggest.

All of the rooms were stark. No memories. Nothing. He’d renovated this house, but he had yet to live in it.

Once she had seen the whole house, it was time to take her to the panic rooms.

“Panic rooms?” Lucia asked.

“Consider them safe rooms.” He went into the main bedroom, going toward the closet, sliding the column open, and clicking the code in. The door opened. It was not a large space, enough to fit Lucia, and if necessary, a couple of kids.

They stepped inside, and Betty continued to sniff the space. He pointed out the security cameras spread across two screens that showed every room in the house.

“Wow,” Lucia said, which seemed to be saying a lot.

“It’s a lot to take in.”

“No, it’s just that you are so prepared. I don’t think my dad was ever this prepared.” Lucia turned to look at him, and there was a question in her eyes.

Boone didn’t say a word. “I’m going to protect you.”

“You built all of this before you even knew me.”

He stayed silent and Lucia nodded, stepping out of the room. She was outside the closet when he spoke.

“One day, I will tell you who I am, what I did, who I was, but right now is not the time. I’m a good man, Lucia, but I am also a bad man. All I hope is that you trust me.”

“I do trust you, Boone. I just hope one day you can trust me as well.”