Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife (The Harder They Fall, #2)(87)
Still, I softened at her reasoning. Saoirse understood the importance of family in the same way I did. Her willingness to go above and beyond to help Clara simply because she was my sister affected me on a visceral level. It made me want to take this woman in my arms and hold her and tell her not to worry about anything. That she could keep her secrets and continue with her lies without explanation.
But that would never happen.
I could let a lot of things slide, but lying wasn’t one of them.
“I appreciate you’re trying to protect and help Clara, but she was out of line to ask you to keep something from me. You don’t come between a husband and wife. Clara was wrong to do that. I need you to talk to me, Saoirse. No more lies.”
For a second, I thought she wasn’t going to tell me. Her teeth clamped down hard on her bottom lip, and her gaze shifted to the side, to the ceiling, to my balled hands, until finally, it landed on me.
“Clara asked me to talk to Miller. I had lunch with him today. I really did eat a terrible curry chicken sandwich.”
Closing my eyes, I released a slow exhale so I didn’t allow my anger to get the better of me before deciding just how pissed to be and where to aim it.
“Why did you have lunch with Miller?”
Her fingers flexed on her arms. “She is afraid he’s cheating on her, but of course you know that. But something else happened. Miller opened a secret credit card in his assistant’s name and used it to send flowers and a book to this woman in Tennessee. Clara didn’t want you to know. She was afraid you would kill him.”
“He’s fucking someone in Tennessee?”
I would kill him. I absolutely would. If not with my bare hands, then I would make use of one of Elliot’s shadowy contacts. I didn’t know for a fact that he knew hit men, but I would be surprised if he didn’t know how to hire one.
And Miller would fucking die if he hurt Clara. If he stepped out on her, he would wake up with his shriveled dick in his mouth. He should have known better than to fuck with a Rossi. Clara might have wanted peace and a nonviolent resolution, but we weren’t the same in that regard.
Saoirse quickly shook her head. “No. I don’t believe he is. I think—” She sucked in a deep breath. “Obviously, I’m not a mental health professional, but I left our lunch with the impression Miller is stressed to the point that he’s unwell. And I don’t really know how to pinpoint why I think this, except something was off. More than his worries over Clara leaving him.”
I gnashed my molars down, clenching my jaw. This wasn’t the time for me to say all the filth running through my mind. Saoirse had a tender heart. She was worried about his mental health. All I cared about was my family—and as far as I was concerned, from here on out, that did not include Miller.
“Do you have the name of the woman in Tennessee?”
She nodded. “I’m scared to give it to you. I know you want to burn it all down, but you can’t.”
I knew she was right. All the fantasies of hiring a hit man and drawing Miller’s blood were just that: fantasies. There was too much at stake. My hands were tied by my responsibilities.
Just because I couldn’t kill him didn’t mean I couldn't ruin him in all other ways.
“Give me the name and I’ll send it to my PI.” Uncrossing her arms, I tugged her toward me. She came the rest of the way on her own, curling up in my lap.
“Don’t touch him,” she whispered.
“The only promise I can make is not to touch him until I have all the facts.” I dusted my knuckle along her cheek and stroked a lock of her hair away from her face. “I’m going to take care of this. It isn’t your problem anymore.”
Her palm was warm and soft on my jaw. “I wanted to be the one to take care of it. I thought I could.”
“You did good, pretty girl.” I dropped a peck on her forehead. “You helped my sister and did what you were able to. I’m thankful for that. But you have to understand you can’t do this again. We don’t lie to each other. It fucks me up knowing you’re capable of it.”
“I’m obviously not capable of it.” Her nose crinkled the way it always did when she was uncomfortable…or lied. “You found me out right away.”
I tapped her lips with my fingertip. “It was your intention, though. I have to admit, that hurts.”
She flew into motion, banding her arms around me and burying her face in my throat. Her lips moved against my skin.
“I feel like shit, Luca. I’m sick over this.” Her fingers gripped my shirt as she dug in closer. “I’m sorry I hurt you. It doesn’t matter if I meant to or not. I did, and I’m so sorry.”
Her fierce reaction to my pain took me aback. She’d taken my anger in stride, but the second I’d said I was hurt, she was holding me, apologizing to me, trembling in my arms.
“Saoirse. Look at me.”
Her head came up, revealing a flushed face and watery eyes. “I’m sorry, Luca.”
I took her quivering chin in my hand. “Promise never to hide anything from me again and I’ll forgive you.”
Her lashes lowered, and one lone tear tracked down her cheek. “I promise. I hate this so much. There is absolutely no way I want to repeat this. We don’t keep things from each other.”