Wife (Betrothed 1)

In the center of the room was one of my cooks.

He was dead.

A deep mark was around his throat where the noose had been tied, and his face was blue because he’d died of suffocation. His body was rigid since he’d been hanging by the rope for several hours after he was gone.

At least he hadn’t been tortured.

Damien stood next to the body, his arms over his chest. “Found him hanging from the main bell of the cathedral this morning.”

I already knew who was responsible.

Damien lifted his gaze and looked at me. “He’s one of our best cooks. Now production will be halted.” He waited for me to stay something. When I didn’t, he pressed forward. “This was Maddox. Sending a message.”

“Message received. He wants to be murdered.” I lifted my gaze and looked at Damien. “I have alternate cooks in mind. They’ve been vetted. So we don’t fall behind, I’ll step in and finish the last batch.”

Damien nodded. “Alright. What do we do about Maddox?”

“Not sure yet. But I’ll think of something…and it’ll be good.”

I went to the Tuscan Rose to see Gustavo.

We had a lot to talk about.

I did my best to avoid Sofia. That woman was stealing all my nights, so she also was stealing all my days. I was always tired, always running on empty. But I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing.

If I saw her in a tight skirt with a low-cut blouse, my professionalism would go to shit.

Thankfully, I got into his office without seeing her.

“Hades, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Gustavo stopped working on his computer and gave me all his attention. “Sorry about canceling a couple of weeks ago. That cold I had—”

“We have a problem with Sofia.”

“Sofia?” He may not be related to her, but it was obvious he had affection for her just by how he said her name. He adored her. There was a picture of her on his desk, along with her mother.

“Yeah. She saw the mafia in the lounge.”

He sighed. “Yeah, she told me about that. I told her that her eyes were playing tricks on her.”

“If she’s gonna work here, she needs to know what she’s dealing with.” I didn’t want Sofia walking around oblivious to the true operations of this hotel. She had a big mouth, and that might land her in hot water.

He sighed loudly. “Sofia is never going to have a serious position here—”

“She’s determined to change that. You aren’t going to be able to shake her unless she knows the truth. Even if she never does have a part in the business, she’s going to have to know the truth someday. She can’t be naïve forever.”

“It’s not my place to tell her.”

“Then you need to talk to her mother about it. Because Sofia is going to do something that’s will put her in danger. She’s got a moral compass and a strong sense of integrity. She’s not going to like the truth. But she needs to hear it—and deal with it.”

Gustavo listened to me and shook his head slightly. Then he lifted his gaze and looked at me again, this time with suspicion in his eyes. “How do you know all of this about Sofia?”

“Because she told me. We had a long conversation when you were ill. She’s a very ambitious woman who wants to run this hotel someday. She needs to understand what she’s working for. Maybe she’ll want to walk away and pursue something else. That’s her right.”

“I understand, Hades.”

“Or you need to fire her.”

He chuckled. “Like that would work. How can you fire someone who doesn’t have a real position?”

Nothing about this was funny. “You need to tell her. Next time I see you…it better be done.”

He nodded in agreement. “Since I agree with you, I’ll talk to her mother. Sofia is old enough now. She should know the truth. But you’re right…she’s probably not going to like it.”

I shook his hand before I walked out. I headed down the hallway and entered the main lobby of the hotel. But luck wasn’t on my side because Sofia must have just returned from lunch. In a tight black dress with matching pumps and a red blazer, she looked fuckable as always.

All I could do was look at her…since touching her was off-limits. My hands slid into the pockets of my slacks as we came closer together.

She stopped in front of me, holding a paper bag. “Just had lunch.”

“What did you have?” We were in public, people walking around everywhere.

“A panini.”

I’d spent the night last night, and it was so hard to leave. Now, it was hard to stay…to stay and act like she meant nothing to me. My hand wanted to slide into her hair so I could pull her in for a kiss.

“Did you talk to Gustavo?”

“I did. He said he’s going to look into it.”