Dangerous Conceit by Ali Lee
Chapter 34
Looking straight ahead, Rafa pushed passed the staff and through the lobby of the Royal Flush. He wanted to speed up the dread of what Lexi was about to endure and was already smoothing it over with her even though it had not happened yet. When they got inside the conference room, he would not look her in the eye. He pointed at the sofa and walked off to the office with Brett and Vin, leaving her to sit there alone.
Lexi looked at the floor where oversized tiles were splashed with tones of brown. It matched the beige sofas and softer shaded walls. Being the only one in the room, she was not sure why she came. Lexi clicked on her phone to check any messages from Abby. There was one message and a video of Rafa's speech. Abby's message said, “I can’t be sure, but I think your mother came.”
Lexi put the video on silent and pressed play. She barely watched fifteen seconds when she heard the sound of the door handle turn. Inside walked Angelo and several members, more than she cared to stay around at once. In the middle of the four men was a woman—a brunette with medium length hair and a pleated suit.
Lexi looked at her. She could tell from the green blouse underneath her vest that it was the same woman who questioned Rafa about his former marriage. It made sense that she and the ex-wife of eight hours were probably the same. Considering her stiffened composure, this would not be a business meeting. It would be an acknowledgement of power—or judgment. Lexi shook her head as the situation became clear. They were making her privy to a lesson that she did not need to learn.
Lexi started to push herself off the sofa to walk out when Angelo grabbed a sitting chair and slammed it on the floor, snapping at Vin to bring over Sofia. Vin pushed her to sit; her expression showed she regretted her earlier questions. Sofia started begging but Lexi knew it was too late for remorse.
“I promise to never say another word. I'm sorry. I was mad when he said he was engaged. It came out. None of that was planned.”
Rafa exited the office, not bothering to look Lexi's way through any of this. He forced himself to block her out and handed Sofia a sheet of paper. “Do you recognize that signature?” he asked.
Sofia looked at the words staring at her, at the bold black letters and her signature that sealed her fate. “I didn't mean to break it,” she mumbled, letting the paper fall to the floor.
“You didn't mean to?” he repeated. “You make it sound like you spilled water on yourself. How do you not mean to show up at my campaign and ask me questions for the entire city to hear?”
“I don't know why I went. Maybe because I used to work for you and wanted to see if you were really entering the race.”
“That was your first mistake.” Rafa shook his head. “I paid you a two hundred grand severance pay when I let you go…way more than I should have.” He handed her another signed document. “And you agreed not to step foot within a hundred yards of me again. Isn’t that your signature?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you put yourself in this situation when you clearly signed the terms?”
Silence lingered. While the other men stood alert, Vin waited for his next order. Lexi listened and did not speak. She had witnessed this type of confrontation before. In a way, it was different from her other experiences; Tomassi men were calm and took it in stride. There were no shouts or obscene outbursts. They showed no emotion at all. That alone made her leery of the men. God forbid they were ever in a rage for outright retaliation. She imagined what they were truly capable of doing.
“I don't know,” said Sofia. “I used to go with you everywhere. Then you just threw me out.”
“I told you that our relationship was casual, that it would never be anything serious. I made sure you understood that. Then you played me. Of course I dismissed you after that botched marriage. You read the exit papers. You signed the terms. You took the money. Don’t play innocent.”
“I'm sorry. You can't blame me for being jealous.”
“Of what?” Rafa raised his voice, exhausted and in pain. “It’s not like you love me. You’re jealous because someone else has the rights to my money. Money and status were the only things you ever wanted from me, so cut the jealousy bullshit. We both know better.”
“And what? You think she’s in it for love? What makes her such a saint? At least I could tolerate your arrogance and commitment issues. She won’t understand when she finds you in another woman's bed.”
Rafa placed his hand over his aching chest and bent forward, looking directly in her eyes. “Sofia…she had nothing to do with what you blasted at the town meeting. You’re right though. You didn’t know that I was engaged, but your questions were also rehearsed. You were going to ask your questions no matter what.”
Angelo nodded at Vin, erasing any last hopeful thought Sofia had they might let her live. She fell weighted on the floor as Vin reached his hand under her arm. “I said I'm sorry,” she begged.
“Too late.” Angelo shook his head.
“But you won't ever see me again. I’ll leave the city. Please—”
“We’re done here.” Angelo waved his hand through the air, turning his head away as Vin dragged her to the joining room and closed the door behind. Angelo sat on the sofa opposite of Lexi while Rafa went inside the room with Vin.
“Consider who I am, Lexi. I ask for loyalty. Sofia was given a fat settlement. She took the money and then she lost her mind. I can’t afford to take chances like that. I’m tired of putting my group at risk for greedy people.”
Lexi flinched when she heard a thud to the floor from the other room. She pushed it out of her mind. Dwelling on the cause would make her lose her nerve…that cause sitting across from her. “What does she have to do with me?”
Angelo glanced back, holding out his hand as Brett handed him a sheet of paper and a pen. “Sign it.” He set the sheet in front of her. “A code of silence.”
“What?” Lexi stared at the sheet in front of her.
“You’re not leaving this room until you do,” he added.
“Why? I’m not a threat to you.”
Leaning back with his arms crossed, Angelo set the pen overtop. “Rafa’s going to marry you. You know more than most of my men, much less a wife.”
“What the hell does that mean? I came into this knowing what I know.”
“Yeah, but we weren’t involved. It’s different now.”
“So you need me to sign this so you have an excuse not to feel guilty if you put a hit on my head?”
Angelo stared at her, thinking before giving an answer. “All I want is a signature.”
Mimicking Angelo’s action, Lexi sat back and crossed her own arms at the paper sitting in front of her. If she was anything at all, it was loyal. Besides, she would not put Maura at risk like that? Angelo did not understand her at all.
“Sign the damn paper, Alexis.”
She had not noticed Rafa come out of the room when he sat on the sofa beside Angelo. His chest rose and fell with his rapid breaths. She did not like how pale he had become.
“This is like something Moretti would do.” She grabbed the pen, Rafa’s eyes closing as she opened her mouth to say more. She paused in her thoughts. Was her anger worth the consequences of provoking Angelo? Lexi bit down on her tongue to keep from saying more. The ease at which Angelo had sat back lost with her accusation. The cool look in his eyes faded to a piercing glare as he sat forward, pointing at her.
“Excuse me? Where the fuck do you get off saying I’m anything like him? If I were Moretti, I would’ve put a bullet in your head. But what did I do?” he asked, Lexi following Rafa’s response and closing her eyes with his rant. “I gave you and your friends a safe place to stay. I used a dozen men to keep you safe when we set up Kenneth. I made sure he couldn’t bother you anymore, so don’t you tell me that I’m anything like that bastard again.”
When he was done, Lexi opened her eyes. She caught Rafa's tired stare as he looked at her and then the paper, wanting her to sign. She finally scribbled her signature and glanced around the room, at the dozen eyes watching her. In the end, it did not matter if she signed or not. None of these men would have a reason to kill her anyway.
“Rafa,” Angelo said. “Take her home and explain our rules. Ray—go with them; I need Jim here with me. And Brett, you’re going too. Get Abby and come straight back.”
Nothing more was said. As Ray and Brett waited at the door, Rafa pushed himself off the sofa, hooking his finger for Lexi to follow him out. She was glad to be leaving the nightmare scene behind.
***
Rafa tossed some pills in his mouth as he entered his office and powered his computer. There was bound to be something on the internet about his introduction. He waited until everything turned on. Then he typed, clicked and read. He repeated the motions, getting everyone's opinions and staring at the comments. There were a few negative replies, but he did well. Then he checked on Pearson’s statistics. The people held many concerns for Pearson. Even better than the controversy that surrounded Pearson was the video that he watched. Pearson said he did not feel threatened by Rafa, but Rafa focused on his expression when he said it. His eyes told a different story.
He leaned back and placed his hands under his neck. Not even Sofia's remarks made much of an impact against his odds. What happened to her was a given. She did it to herself. She was a dangerous woman with too much information. At some point, she was going to get one of them killed.
Rafa closed his eyes, comfortable with his position in the chair when he heard a gentle tap at the door. He told Lexi to see him in his office when she finished downstairs and opened one eye at her. After the chaos that Angelo included her in, he needed to smooth things out.
“Come sit for a minute,” he said and minimized the screens on the computer to rid the distractions. Lexi sat in the recliner, Rafa swiveling around in his desk chair to face her. At first, he could not speak. All he could do was look at her, imagining what went through her mind in the conference room. All of them must have looked heartless to her.
“How are you feeling?” she asked and stroked a finger on the outside of his shirt. The nerve of her to be concerned when he was thinking of something to say; instead of letting her comfort him, he grabbed her hand away and set it in her lap.
“Look, it’s not going to be as hard as you think to be with me, but I’m also a package deal. I can’t always control what you see. Angelo had his reasons.”
“Like today?” Lexi asked.
Rafa did not bother to answer. “I need to know if you can handle this life with me. If you can’t, tell me now. Once we’re married, we’re married—no backing out. I will get married once. I will have one wife. I won’t let you leave. That’s the end of it.”
Lexi looked away in the silent room. She thought about the conference room and about Sofia. There was no point in Lexi being there…or was there? Angelo must have had a specific reason for it. Lexi was sure he would not make her sit through that for nothing.
“Well,” Rafa turned her chin back to face him.
Lexi let out a breath and stared at him. She knew he did what he had to do. He did not have a choice. A person like Sofia would have gotten people killed. “Rafa, you and Angelo must both know that I would never say or do anything to put Maura at risk.”
Rafa rolled his chair closer to her, until his knees wrapped around both of hers. He pulled her forward until he felt her warm breaths on his chin. “No, you wouldn’t. Keeping you silent was not the reason you signed that form.”
“I figured as much.” Lexi tried to smile though she still did not know the point. “I know you have work, so I’m going to make dinner.”
Rafa frowned but rolled back to his original position behind the desk. He did have work, but that did not mean he wanted her to leave. “You’re right,” he gave a reluctant reply.
She nodded and started to stand when Rafa snatched her hand and yanked her against the chair. “Just so you know…there will be no other woman in my life besides you. I know what you heard earlier but I already owned up to my past.”
To this, Lexi shrugged. “I know there won’t be another woman, Rafa. I know where I fit in your scene. I know how to use a gun, and I don’t like to share.”
She kissed him on the lips. It was more a kiss of ownership than the affectionate gesture he would have expected. As she walked out, Rafa chuckled and shook his head.