Chapter 149
149
An hour later, totally spent, we were lying in each other’s arms when she murmured, “È stato il miglior sesso di tutta la mia vita p>
That was the best sex of my entire life.
I grinned. I knew she was expecting me to ask what she’d said, as we’d done many times in the past –
But I thought I would surprise her instead.
“Ogni volta con te è il miglior sesso di tutta la mia vita,” I replied.
Every time with you is the best sex of my entire life.
Her eyes got huge as she looked at me in shock. “You speak Italian now p>
I laughed. “Three and a half years in an Italian prison was good for something, at least p>
“I guess so. Your accent, though… it doesn’t sound like my mother’s p>
“It’s Tuscan. My cellmate – and also my friend – was from Tuscany. He’s the one who taught me p>
“Is that how you started working for the mafia?” she asked. I knew she was trying hard to keep the judgment out of her voice. “You met somebody in prison p>
“As a matter of fact, my cellmate is the guy I work for now.” I smiled wryly. “The guy you took a shot at p>
Rachel winced, then glanced down at the diamond ring on her finger. “Um… is that going to be a problem p>
I actually wasn’t sure how Dario would react… although I was pretty damn sure how his brothers would.
“I don’t know,” I said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it p>
“Can’t you just quit p>
“I don’t want to quit p>
She stared at me. “Are you serious p>
“They’re my family now p>
Rachel’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
“They’re not what you think,” I said. “At least, not the guys I work for. They’re different p>
“Is that so,” she said sardonically. Now she was definitely letting judgment creep into her voice.
It pissed me off me. “You actually worked for one of the worst assholes in the Cosa Nostra when you accepted that job p>
“I told you, I didn’t know,” she snapped. Then she closed her eyes in pain. “Can we just – not? Everything was so perfect – please – ”
That last ‘please’ sounded like she was begging me.
I pulled her closer to me. She didn’t resist.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“I’m sorry, too,” she murmured as she held onto me. “A lot of bad shit happened since you left. I’m not in any position to be throwing stones p>
“You’re really out of MI6 p>
“Yeah p>
I could hear in her voice that there was a lot of pain behind that answer.
“Well,” I said, trying to find the silver lining, “the good thing about you being out is there don’t have to be any more secrets p>
“What secrets? Like where I live p>
“No. I was working for MI6 when I was busted in Italy p>
Her reaction was not what I expected.
She jerked away from me like I was a scalding hot stove.
“WHAT?!” she shrieked.
“Rachel – ” I said, trying to calm her down.
“That’s a LIE!” she cried out, her eyes wild with panic. “That can’t be true p>
“It is!” I insisted. “Alistair hired me p>
As soon as I said it, all the blood drained from her face.
“…what?” she whispered in horror.
“Alistair – that guy we met my first week in London,” I said. “He was the one who got me out of the Swedish military p>
Rachel shook her head frantically. “No – he told me he looked for you! He told me he couldn’t find you p>
Now I was the shocked one –
And I quickly became enraged.
“He knew exactly where I was,” I seethed.
“Why didn’t you TELL ME you were in MI6?!” she cried out in desperation.
“I was in prison – ”
“NO – before you LEFT! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME p>
Her reaction was almost unhinged. Something was deadly wrong, but I didn’t know what it was – other than Alistair had betrayed me and lied about my whereabouts the last four years.
“He said if I ever told you I was working for him, you’d be forced out of your job,” I explained. “That’s why I never told y– ”
She threw up.
She literally doubled over, got her head over the side of the bed at the last second, and vomited on the floor.
“RACHEL!” I shouted in shock.
When she wiped off her mouth and finally looked back at me, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“When you came to see me at my house, I was wearing a ring,” she said, her voice trembling. “You asked if I was engaged, and I said you didn’t know him – remember p>
Of course I remembered.
I’d asked her who the guy was, and she’d said –
She’d…
No.
Oh GOD, NO –
“I lied,” she whispered, “because he told me to p>
I knew what she was about to say next, and it felt like the earth would open up and swallow me whole.
Tears ran down Rachel’s face as she whispered, “Alistair was my fiancé p>