Page 8 of A Wife’s Duty

I n all of her twenty -two years, Lucia had never gone out for ice cream. Standing at that truck, at her age, she had looked at the varieties on offer, and it was impossible to choose.

She settled for a mint ice cream cone. It looked and sounded the most delicious, as she loved chocolate and mint together. Not that she got it often. Her father constantly had her on some kind of food ban. It was rare for her to even get chocolate.

Licking her ice cream, they walked into the park gates.

Again, this was new for her as well. Going out shopping, getting ice cream, taking a walk—these were things she had never done.

She couldn’t recall any of the women talking about doing this.

They had a duty. And yet, the sun felt amazing on her skin.

“Here, let me take this,” Boone said, taking her cardigan off her arms.

She moved her ice cream from one hand to the other as he eased the sweater down her arms, until she was no longer in it. Her arms were exposed, and again, this was a new feeling for her. He surprised her when he threw her cardigan in the trash can.

“Why did you do that?”

The moment the question fell from her lips, she wanted to slap a hand right over her mouth. It was not her place to ask questions.

“It was an ugly cardigan and you don’t need it.” He took her hand, and they walked through the park.

Lucia remembered her ice cream and started to lick it before it melted onto her hand. It tasted so good. Each lick made her mouth water for more.

She looked toward Boone. Who was this man? She tried to think of all the conversations she had overheard people talking about Boone. Most of it was speculation. Not once did anyone have anything concrete on him.

Her father feared him and he had to be powerful enough to force a marriage between them. Only, their marriage was fake, wasn’t it? They didn’t have sex and he had every intention of bringing down the Bonaldis. Did she care if he did that and ... succeeded?

The very thought of the Bonaldis being annihilated was unheard of back home.

She shouldn’t even be thinking about it.

She couldn’t help herself. She wasn’t back home.

She was Boone’s wife, and he was going to bring down the Bonaldis, once and for all.

The more she thought about it, the more real it seemed.

Was it even possible? No one had ever succeeded but then, an outsider had never been able to marry a capo’s daughter.

Regardless of whether her father liked her or not, this was still a big deal. Was it bigger than she realized?

She licked her ice cream. Today had been crazy. Waking up to Boone making her breakfast, then being asked those questions. Telling him what she could remember overhearing. His declaration, going shopping, eating ice cream, and now walking in the park.

She couldn’t help but look around her. For so long she had kept her head down, not daring to look at the crowd for fear of what she might find.

There were people, families, couples, men and women, just walking, enjoying the day in the sunshine.

There were so many families, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives, children.

They all looked so happy. She had seen them a time or two and known that would never be for her, no matter how much she wished it.

“What’s the matter?” Boone asked.

“Nothing.”

“Talk to me.”

She glanced over toward him, and she didn’t quite know how he did it. How did he know what she was thinking or feeling, or did he even know at all?

“I’m just ... everyone seems so happy.”

“And you’re not?”

“I didn’t say that. It’s just, do they even realize how lucky they are?” she asked. She felt her cheeks start to heat.

Boone had stopped them. They had now finished their ice cream, and she had nothing to distract herself with.

“How lucky they are to be in love, to have a family, to walk around so free without fear of being hurt?” he asked.

This made her look up at him. No one ever talked or stated the reality of what she lived. She licked her dry lips. Lucia felt the tears start to pool in her eyes.

He placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head back.

“Can we keep walking?” she asked.

“You felt trapped and you envy those who are not?”

Did she even dare answer that?

“Boone?”

“Lucia, you do not need to hide from me. One day, you are going to see that I am on your side.”

“No one is on my side.”

“You’re married to me. I’m on your side, and when you realize that I have ... saved you, that you have nothing to fear, you might start to trust me with all your secrets.”

He let her chin go but took her hand, and this made her frown even more. What did he mean, he was on her side? He was going to take down the Bonaldis, and she was part of it. None of this made sense.

They finished walking through the park and made their way back to the car. He helped her into the passenger seat and climbed behind the wheel. The moment Boone sat behind the steering wheel, she turned to him about to ask a question.

He held a finger up. It was silent.

“Get out of the car, and start walking,” Boone said.

Lucia didn’t question him. It was something in his tone.

She immediately climbed out of the car and began walking. Within seconds, Boone was by her side. Lucia didn’t know what was happening. They crossed the street, and she recognized one of his men.

Boone nodded his head. She turned to look at him in time to see that. She was pushed into the back of the car and just as she was about to ask what was going on, she heard it. The car they had been sitting in moments ago exploded right before her eyes.

Her husband didn’t stop, and they were already on the road before the last of the explosion took place. Lucia gasped and she turned in her seat to see the car burning. Someone had set a bomb in the car. Was it a bomb, or had someone shot at it?

“What just happened?” Lucia asked.

Boone wasn’t answering. She looked toward him, but he was not panicking. He looked so very calm as he pulled out his cell phone. He wasn’t even shaking. Someone had tried to kill them. Someone had been intent on blowing them up, and he was not reacting.

He pocketed his cell phone and spoke to the man in front, informing him to take them home.

She wanted to ask so many questions and couldn’t help but look behind her. It was pointless, the burning car was no longer in view. Someone was trying to kill them. Were they after her or Boone? If Boone’s men had been there, why hadn’t they stopped it?

She had no idea what was going on, or what game was at play.

Who was her husband?

There were no answers right now. She had no choice but to press her lips together, fold her arms, sit down, and wait. She hated this.

Someone had tried to kill them, and Boone was acting like it was nothing. What if they had been killed? What if ... Boone had been killed?

Lucia tried to make sense of her feelings. Was this a hit by her family? By Bonaldi? Their marriage was supposed to create peace, so she didn’t know why someone had attempted to blow up their car.

They arrived back at his apartment building, and there were men to escort them to their apartment. She felt her heart racing.

Stepping inside the apartment, she expected someone to inspect the place in case there was another bomb, only that did not happen. Boone closed the door after talking with his men, and that was it.

“Are you hungry?” Boone asked.

Food—that was what he wanted to talk about?

In the back of her mind, she was telling herself she shouldn’t ask questions.

It wasn’t her place. Boone was her husband, he was the one in charge, and she should trust him completely.

Only, they had both nearly been blown up.

All of her training went right out the window as she followed him into the kitchen.

“Are you not ... upset?” she asked.

“About what?”

“Your car was blown up.”

“And?”

“We were in it moments before it was blown up,” Lucia said.

“I’m aware.”

“We could have died.”

“There was a chance of that, but trust me, I know a bomb when I hear one.”

This made her frown. “You heard it?”

“Yes, it was the ticking. I’ve heard it many times. I’ve used them many times myself.” He smiled.

“I don’t know how you can be so calm.”

“It’s not the first time someone has tried to blow me up, and it is not going to be the last.” He pulled out a bottle of water and unscrewed the cap. “Here, have a drink.”

She looked at the bottle of water and frowned. “How?”

“What?”

“You’re so calm and you just lost your car.”

“Cars are easily replaced and we’re both still alive. Besides, it just got a lot more interesting.”

This just made her frown even more.

He reached out and cupped her cheek. “You need to stop worrying. Trust me, I have everything under control.”

Boone got straight to cooking and for a few seconds all she could do was look at him and wonder what the hell was going on.

They were nearly killed. This was not the first time she’d been around someone who had nearly been maimed.

Her family had been on the hit list for a long time.

She’d been near her father when someone attempted to shoot him.

It hadn’t ended well. A soldier had lost his life, and she was shoved into a car and driven home.

It was one of the few times she considered her father even caring about her, which was crazy.

Her father didn’t love her, yet he didn’t let a madman kill her. She later came to realize it would have been bad if he had allowed his daughter to be killed. She heard him say that, but if he needed a shield, she would be the first one he used. It was said in drink, but even still that had hurt.

Why were things about to get a whole lot more interesting?

Who was her husband?

What was truly going on?

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