Fine in Lingerie (Lingerie 11)

Now that I knew their story, the button made complete sense. “Yes?”

She walked with me to the truck, her perfume potent the second she was close to me. “You said you can guarantee my husband’s safety… Could you elaborate on that?” She was normally confident when she spoke to me, but talking about Crow shook the foundation beneath her feet.

I stopped at the truck, the waning afternoon sunshine starting to become less bright. “I know a lot of people, Mrs. Barsetti. I’ve been hired by the most powerful men in the world. I’ve done favors in exchange for loyalty instead of money. I know everyone in the underworld. My boys and I have made men indebted to us forever. If I ever need help, they’ll be there. At the Underground, I’ll be surrounded by men who will intervene if it comes to that. And I’ve done favors for the Skull Kings myself, harbored secrets I’ve vowed to take to the grave. I’m the last person they want to cross—and I’m willing to cash all that in if necessary.”

Relief flashed across her eyes as she took in a deep breath. She placed her hands over her face, covering her expression for a second so I couldn’t see her reaction. In front of her husband and children, she was always poised and strong, but the second they were gone, she showed her true anguish. Vanessa was the same way, only dropping her mask when we were alone together.

“I’m the silent king. I rule with both loyalty and fear. The Skull Kings respect me, and if I ask them to drop this, they will. But it’ll make it a lot easier if Crow presents some peace offering, like the money that should have been theirs. Then their egos are left intact, and they won’t feel like they lost anything. I don’t cash in my favors very often, but I will do it this time. It’s in my best interest to make sure your husband gets back here in one piece.”

She dropped her hands, showing her wet eyes and trembling lips. “I’m so sorry for what I did to you, Griffin…”

I wasn’t expecting an apology. I was expecting gratitude, especially since she’d already said these words to me.

“I’m so sorry that I took my daughter away. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I’m sorry I hurt you so much…” She wiped her fingers underneath her eyes to remove the tears and fix her smeared makeup. “You’re so wonderful, and I should have loved you from the beginning, not banished you. I judged you for the sins of your father instead of getting to know the man you truly are. I was unfair and cruel. You’ve done so much for my family when you didn’t have to. You love my daughter as much as I do…as much as Crow does…and that makes me so happy.” She moved into my chest and hugged me, her tears smearing against my t-shirt.

I let her hold on to me for a moment before I rested my hand against her back. I felt strange touching her, felt strange touching someone other than Vanessa. Once Vanessa was mine, I didn’t even shake hands with another woman. My body was hers and hers alone.

When she pulled away, her eyes were no longer swelling with tears. “I don’t expect you to forgive me—”

“I do.”

Her eyes moved to mine, heavy with surprise.

I didn’t know why I blurted out those words, not when I’d been harboring anger for so long. But something about Pearl softened me. Maybe it was the similarities she shared with Vanessa. Maybe it was because she was a woman. Or maybe it was because she reminded me of my mother. I’d always had a soft spot for strong women, for women who only broke down into tears out of love for someone else, not because of self-pity.

“Will you have dinner with me? There’s a cute little place just down the road.” She looked at me with hesitation, like she wasn’t sure if I would agree to something so unorthodox.

“Just you and me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to make Crow angry.” There had never been a time when he’d allowed me to be alone with his wife. When I first came to the winery, he made sure I never had direct access to her. He was always around, watching over her like a guard watching a prisoner.

“You won’t,” she said. “He trusts you, Griffin.”

I drove us to a little restaurant ten minutes away. It was in a small village, a village so small I wasn’t sure what the name was. We sat inside the small building constructed of cobblestone and had a small table in the corner. The chair was a little small for my size, and I hoped the legs wouldn’t give out on me.