Chapter 7 Vows And Revenge

RAFE POV

Rafe was invested in Selene Costa. Not because of the marriage contract. No, he was interested in this woman.

Rafe prides himself on the fact that he can read people, be they men or women, law-abiding individuals, or gangsters, he could read them like their emotions were spread before him like a buffet.

But not this woman.

He has been studying her all evening and the only emotion she has shown was irritation. Irritation at his company. That amused him deeply.

He was not a pleasant man. He didn't smile and tried to make conversation. He oozed danger and trouble. But people had tried to mask their discomfort in front of him. Some even enjoyed his company.

But not this woman. She wore her irritation on her face like a damn mask. And that was new. Rafe appreciated new things.

And so just because he wanted to arouse an emotion from this woman, he kissed her knuckles, maintaining eye contact. It was nothing, just a brush on his lips, the act of a gentleman.

Selene stiffened, her cat-like eyes narrowing slightly, her jaw clenched. She looked... annoyed. Rafe wanted to laugh. Women threw themselves on him like bees, begging for his attention.

But this woman was annoyed because he dared kiss her knuckles. This was a first for him.

He straightened and released her hand, smiled softly, and said, "Have a lovely day, Selene."

And then he turned and walked to where his car was packed, eyes burning holes into his back all the way, the smirk still on his face. He was enjoying this far more than he should.

Alexie opened the door before he got to the car, his eyes narrowed at him. Rafe got to the back seat, while Alexie entered the driver's seat.

"The penthouse?" he asked, looking at Rafe from the rear mirror.

"Sì." He found working in his home office more appealing than at his club. "Have you found anything on her?"

From the mirror, he could see Alexie frown. "Niente," he gritted out. "The only record I found of her was from five years ago. Five years ago, Rafe. Before then there is no information whatsoever on her."

Alexie started the car and drove out of the street, taking the lane towards his penthouse.

Rafe rubbed his jaw, thinking. "She started working at Harrison & Blake four years ago, sì?" Alexie nodded. "So they gave her a job when she didn't have a record," he said, more to himself than Alexie.

"And that was when I knew something was off," Alexie said. "Harrison & Blake does not just give out work to just anybody. A paralegal is no small work in the law firm."

It wasn't indeed. Who was this woman? Someone who worked in the law firm during the day and worked with criminals at night.

"I think this marriage is a really bad idea, Rafe," Alexie expressed, his hands tight around the steering wheel.

Rafe suppressed a sigh. "Yes, Alexie, I've heard you say that enough. My mind's made up."

"She's bad news," he pressed.

"That's why you're going to be keeping an eye on her every move. Everything she does I want it reported to me. Everybody she sees. Do it discreetly. And I mean discreet, Alexie. The woman is sharp."

"Annotato, capo."

A woman like Selene was exactly the kind of person Rafe needed as a wife for this one year. Someone who wouldn't be scared off when she saw his world. He needed this marriage to work. He needed the people to think he wasn't as ruthless as the world thought he was. Which was a damn lie, of course. But he just needed his reputation to soften a bit.

What better way to soften it if not by marriage? If the people thought Rafe could fall in love and get married then he had a heart after all. Yet, another lie.

So Selene was perfect to play the smitten woman with him. She was desperate, he could see that in her eyes.

Whatever she was investigating was really important to her. He had tried to dig up information to see if he could get an idea of what she was investigating. But his men found nothing. And that was something that hadn't happened before.

He always got the information he wanted. If he wanted the government's secret pin he would get it today.

So if his men couldn't find anything on this woman it meant she was good and careful. So goddamned careful.

Was she a spy for the government? That was the only thing that made sense at the moment. She was too guarded, too rigid. He had noticed from his men watching her that she had a natural routine: she wore the same type of clothes-suits, long skirts, and blouses-the same color-black, white, grey-six-inch high heels that could make a model sweat, her lips always painted red.

She had a pattern, carried herself like she was the First Lady of Italy. No, the First Lady wouldn't hold a candle near Selene Costa.

Rafe found himself wanting to unravel that pattern, corrupt her even though she was already corrupted. He loved a challenge. His mama-bless her soul-used to tell him that his love for things greater than him might kill him one day, that he couldn't always turn everything into a challenge and win. He had proved her wrong countless times.

He won every challenge life has thrown at him and the ones he gave himself. He wouldn't be a Mortetti otherwise.

Since when he could walk his father had taught him to be ruthless and cunning, bite before you get bitten, kill before you get killed, and challenge before you get challenged.

And that was the case with Selene Costa. He was going to challenge her before she challenged him, and he would win like he had won countless times before.

First, he just had to break those walls, peel those many layers she had wrapped herself with, infuse himself deeply into her blood so that she wouldn't be able to flush him out, and then he would break her, leaving nothing left of her composed self.

He felt a smile tug on his lips and he let it come out. The thought of any challenge sent a thrill through his blood, heating his veins.

It had been years since he'd gotten a worthy challenge. And Selene was one hell of a worthy challenge.

When they arrived at his penthouse he immediately dug himself into his work, answering calls and signing paperwork.

When he finally raised his head from the paperwork it was already ten in the night. He was about to leave his office when a knock came at the door and Alexie entered a moment later.

Rafe raised an eyebrow at him.

"I have a report on Ms. Costa," Alexie informed him.

"I'm listening."

"She was attacked," he announced, his voice and expression calm.