15

Cara
Eros puts a cup of coffee in front of me and folds himself into the opposite chair. We’re in an upscale cafe a couple blocks from the apartment while his guys clean up the mess and repair the door. I accept it wordlessly and take a long sip, letting the heat and caffeine sit in my stomach and start to wake me up.
“Tell me about him.” Eros stares at me with that intense focus like he’s raking over my skin with scalpel, peeling me apart and studying what he finds. I squirm uncomfortably, and I don’t want to tell him anything, but at this point I can’t keep on hiding the truth from him.
Because he’s more like my ex-husband than I ever dreamed.
“We met when I was eighteen.” I close my eyes and think back to those early, heady days. Christopher was a guy from the neighborhood, a friendly guy that everyone liked. He was handsome, and he had money, and my parents were always encouraging me to go out with him. They said he’d be good for me. They said I needed a decent man in my life.
We went on dates at first. Movies, dinner, a couple concerts. He bought me presents, flows, chocolates, even brought some good Italian takeout home for my mom and dad. He won me over, and he won them over, and when he got down on one knee and proposed to me six months into us dating, my mother practically forced me to say yes, even though there was a big voice in my head screaming for me to run and run fast.
You’ll never get a guy half that good again in your life, Cara, Mom said. And Dad didn’t disagree.
“It happened so fast,” I say and stare into the coffee, unwilling and unable to return Eros’s gaze. “Things didn’t turn bad right away, but when they did-”
“Was he violent at first?” Eros asked.
“No, not at first. Mostly he started coming home later and later. He’d say work kept him, and honestly, I didn’t understand what he did for a living back then. I knew it was something only borderline legal, but-” I shake my head and suppress a shiver. “He started hitting me about a year into things.”
I go silent and Eros doesn’t press me. A rush of memories floods my head: Christopher drunk and shouting, Christopher begging me to forgive him, Christopher slamming my face against the headboard of our bed, Christopher rubbing my feet and telling me how much he loved me. A chipped tooth, a broken wrist, countless bruises, myriad indignities, and then suddenly we were moving to Chicago.
“His work brought us out here,” I say and sit hunched over the coffee like I might fall into it. “I didn’t know anyone in Chicago and when we first showed up in the city, it was like coming to a foreign country. All I had was Christopher. I was totally isolated, and sometimes I wonder if he did that on purpose, so I couldn’t tell anyone what he was doing to me. But I also realized something.”
“What’s that?” he asks gently.
“I had an opportunity. Christopher was too busy with work and dealing with the move to pay much attention to me, and if I was going to escape him, I figured that first week would be the time. He also didn’t know the city, and it would be hard for him to follow me since he didn’t have such a big network of friends out here. Or at least that’s what I assumed.” I shake my head, still not sure how he managed to track me down, but things are slowly clicking into place.
“And here we are.” Eros’s still studying me. “What does he do for work, Cara?” His voice is forceful now.
“He never really said, not straight out. He told me it was better if I didn’t know, in case-” I leave the last bit out.
“In case the law got involved?”
I nod miserably.
Eros’s face twists briefly, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking. I sit up straighter, trying to hold myself together, but the rotting wounds of my past are still there, still speckling my skin. I don’t know when I’ll heal, or if I ever will, but I’m not going to let it drag me into a grave if I can help it.
“Cara, asteraki mu, I need you to be honest with me now. Is your husband a man like me? Does he do work like mine?”
I take a deep breath and slowly nod. “Yes. I think so.”
“You think so?”
“Yes,” I say and let some of my frustration spill out. “Okay, yes, Christopher is a low-life gangster, a freaking mafia asshole, okay? I didn’t know it when I married him, but I think my parents did. And they pushed me into it anyway. Can you imagine selling your eighteen-year-old daughter to a freaking mobster? Knowingly giving her away?”
Eros rubs his temple and holds up a hand. “One thing at a time. This is very, very important. Is Hellington your married name?”
I hesitate only for a moment, but I can’t hold anything back right now, and shake my head. “No, it’s my maiden name. I figured-”
“What was your married name?”
“Conti,” I whisper.
Eros groans and tilts his head back. He stares at the ceiling as he releases a rapid string of Greek, none of which I understand, but I get the feeling he’s cursing the world and his rotten luck.
“Your ex-husband is Chris Conti,” he says finally, looking back at me.
“He insisted that I call him Christopher. You can guess how many times he had to slap me before I got that through my head, but yeah, everyone else calls him Chris.”
Eros leans forward. “Your ex-husband is Chris Conti, Capo in the Pavone Famiglia. Your ex-husband is one of the most violent and dangerous men on the street right now, and my family is at war with him.”
I sit there blinking rapidly.
Earlier today, I was under the impression that Eros was a wealthy and important businessman-I had no clue that he ran a Greek crime family.
Now I’m finding out that not only is he the boss, but he’s at war with the Italians.
And my ex-husband.
It’s like my world is cracking apart. My old life is colliding with my new one, and everything’s crumbling like two cars slamming headfirst on the highway. Eros’s staring at me still, but his eyes brim with hate, and I don’t know what to do. I want to get up and run-but that didn’t work out too great for me last time.
“I didn’t know,” I say finally and I hate the pleading tone in my voice. “I didn’t have any clue who you were until a few hours ago.”
He waves that away. “I’m not blaming you. I’m only marveling at this massive fucking piece of shit coincidence we’re both dealing with right now.” He takes a slow breath and lets it out. “I need you to do something for me.”
“If you want me to leave, then I’ll leave. I’ve been enough trouble for you already. I’ll rent a car with what I saved from the diner and-”
“No, asteraki mu,” he says and the nickname sends a shiver of pleasure down my spine. Despite everything, he’s still calling me his little star, and I don’t understand why. “I need you to do something else.”
“What?” I ask, and I know that if it’s within my power, I’ll do it. I owe Eros a lot more.
“Take me to your husband.”
I sit back and stare at him like he just slammed a knife into his own hand.
Take him to my husband? Take him to Christopher?
Why in the ever-loving hell would I do something so magnificently stupid?
“I can’t,” I say and try to left my chin, try to seem like I’m in control here, even though I am so clearly not.
“This is going to get very messy very quickly unless I end it this instant.” Eros’s gaze burns into mine. “Take me to Conti and let me deal with this unfortunate situation. I promise, I will make sure he never bothers you again, and you can go on with your life as it is now. But if you don’t, he will keep coming. You know he will.”
I let out a strangled groan. Eros’s right-Christopher will never stop, not until he gets me back. As much as Christopher says he loves me, what he really loves is owning me. He’ll keep on coming until I’m locked up in that house again, living in fear every day of my miserable existence.
Or until I’m dead.
“I can’t,” I whisper, not because I’m afraid for Eros or for Christopher, but because I’m terrified for myself.
I don’t want to see my ex-husband ever again.
And I sure as hell don’t want Eros getting anywhere near that psychopath.
“You can and you will. Stand up, Cara, and put yourself together. We are going to deal with your ex together.”
I meet his gaze and the determination there sends a wave of strength into me.
Eros’s right-there’s no running or hiding anymore.
I left Christopher and our marriage is over. He has to know that, and the sooner I face him and make it clear, the sooner we can all move on.
Even though I know it won’t be that simple.
I slide out of the booth and look at him. “Even though this is the last thing in the world I want to do right now-let’s do it anyway. I’ll show you where I used to live.”