Page 146 of Handsome Devil

“Really.” He sat back. “I evened the score after the Ferrari incident, so as far as I’m concerned, we’re squared away.”

“What did you do now?” Dread filled my lungs like a toxic fume.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Spill it.” I jerked my chair forward, the sound of its legs scratching the floor startling everyone in the room. All heads spun to us. “You dragged me into your mess, Tate. The least you can do is keep me in the loop.”

“Burned down his underground fight club.”

“Enzo mentioned it was huge. A UFC feeder.” I frowned. “It must be an important source of income for them.”

“Their main financial pipeline, yeah.”

“Jesus, Tate,” I whisper-shouted, drawing more curious glances. “I get it. Conflict is your favorite hobby. But I haven’t asked for any of this. Tiernan is going to do terrible things to me if he catches me.”

A spark of wrath flickered in his eyes. “Ifis the operative word. I won’t let it happen.”

“Yeah. Me either. Because I’ll divorce you.” I stood up abruptly.

He followed suit. “Don’t be a hypocrite. You and I are cut from the same cloth, little Apricity.” He caught my wrist like a thief in the dark, his fingers wrapping around my own. “The only difference is that I don’t want to change to appease the world.Youdo.”

“I’m not like you.” I tugged my hand away, every nerve ending in my body on fire. “Yes, I don’t care when bad people die, but I’d never put you at risk to solve my own problems. If you want this to work, you need to break bread with the Callaghans. Iwillleave you,” I warned. “I love you, Tate. But I love me too.”

Tate closed his eyes, releasing a ragged breath. He gripped the edges of the table between us, his knuckles bone-white. A storm was brewing inside him. Between the man he was—cruel, careless, vindictive, bloodthirsty—and the man he needed to be to have me. I waited for a full minute, maybe two, before my husband spoke again.

“Very well. For you, Apricity, I’ll stop this war.”

When we returned to Mum’s room, Lina looked like she’d seen a ghost. Which probablywasthe case, considering her line of work. I stiffly moved toward the blue couch that had become an integral part of my life. Alix and Sadie muttered their quick goodbyes and scurried along, giving me privacy.

Lina took the recliner opposite me, and Tate sat beside me.

“I’ve spoken with your mother, Gia. Not with her spirit guide but directly withher.”

I blinked, not really sure what that meant.

“This is rare,” she explained. “I didn’t expect it.”

“How come?” I tucked my hands under my bum.

“I can usually make a connection directly with people only after they are deceased. This means your mother’s soul is almost fully detached from her body. The two are barely integratedanymore. Because her soul is no longer trapped inside her body, I was able to speak directly to it.”

“Does this mean she’s dead?”

“Almost.” Lina glanced over her shoulder at Mum as if contemplating something. “Our line of connection was very strong. Probably the strongest I’ve had in my entire career.”

“Mum has always been chatty.”

“We spoke in Spanish,” Lina said. “I told her I speak it. I spent a few summers in Spain. She missed speaking Spanish.”

I smiled softly. Mum spoke Spanish whenever she could. Elliott and I spoke it with her.

“She told me you lost your father and your brother a few years ago. It was why she struggled with letting go and leaving Earth. She was very worried about you.”

My gaze snapped to Tate in shock. Did he tell her the details of my family’s tragedy? He shook his head, understanding my unspoken question.

If he didn’t tell her, how did she know? This information wasn’t readily available. Still, I was skeptical. She must’ve found out somehow. Maybe Alix and Sadie said something while I was gone.

“She said you’ve always taken care of everyone around you,” Lina continued. “That you stayed in this job so you could take care of her and send money to her sister, who is struggling financially.”