Chapter 9
JUDE
The sun in my face woke me the following morning.
Hungry, I showered, dressed, and walked into my mother’s kitchen and stopped at the threshold.
The scent of fresh espresso hit me as my eyes fell on Sofia.
To my surprise, my chest squeezed at the sight of her.
We’d enjoyed a solid conversation the night before over chores, which I’d appreciated; hell, it’d been fascinating talking to her.
Now, she stood by the stove, the sleeves of her denim jacket rolled up to her elbows.
Bowls of semolina flour, whisked eggs, and a block of fresh ricotta she must have found in the back of mum’s fridge covered the counter.
‘Hey,’ I rasped, leaning on the doorframe and crossing arms over my chest as the rich scent of olive oil and fried dough filled my nostrils. ‘What’d we do to deserve this?’
Sofia glanced up from the cooktop, her eyes steady. ‘You’re helping me. It’s the least I can do to give back.’
She gave a shy, hesitant smile.
The expression transformed her face, lighting up her natural beauty.
My heart lurched as it hit me just how stunning she was.
‘I made panzerotti,’ she continued, gesturing to the sizzling skillet.
‘It’s a specialty from down south, fried dough pockets stuffed with melted cheese and tomatoes.
And over here is frittata di pasta; it’s how we use the leftover spaghetti from the night before, whisked with eggs, cheese, and herbs, then pan-fried until golden and crispy. ’
‘Sounds good,’ I grunted. ‘Can’t wait to dig in.’
I poured an espresso and sat at the table, my eyes on Sofia as she moved with grace and ease, finishing up the plating.
Minutes later, Kian and Maggie appeared.
‘What’s this?’ Maggie cried out in delight.
‘Seems the birthday treats just keep on coming,’ Kian chimed in with a grin. ‘Thanks Sofia, you shouldn’t have.’
She shot him a shy smile as she placed plates before us.
In no time, we were chowing down in appreciation as Sofia explained where she learned to cook.
‘Like I told Jude last night, after my parents passed, I lived with my cousin Anya and her mother Maria; they run a small food stall in Calabria. I helped them prepare every morning, and I loved it. You had all the right ingredients in your fridge and larder. I hope you don’t mind that I raided them. ’
‘Not at all, the breakfast is incredible, honey,’ my mum crowed, squeezing Sofia’s arm. ‘What a lovely gesture.’
It was clear Maggie was enamored with our unexpected guest.
While still wary, I, however, found myself intrigued by Sofia’s selflessness.
It was refreshing to be around a woman who didn’t play victim or mope about her circumstances.
Instead, she was feeding us, which was ace in my book.
We chatted, and somehow the story of how I met Sofia came up.
‘She ran into me in the terminal, and I had to claim she was my wife so that the guards would leave her alone.’
Maggie’s eyes lit up at the revelation.
‘How exciting, maybe Sofia is the one who’ll complete you.’
‘Mum, will you stop trying to marry me off? She does this with every woman who comes near me these days,’ I groaned to Sofia, rolling my eyes.
Kian guffawed at the aghast expression on my face, even as Sofia chuckled.
‘Your stepdad agrees,’ Maggie added.
‘I do?’ Kian rasped with an arched brow.
Maggie dug him in the ribs. ‘You said yourself last night that Sofia is perfect for Jude.’
I cursed under my breath. ‘Fuck, will you two stop?’
‘No, we won’t,’ Maggie went on. ‘Remember it’s Kian who knew putting a guitar in your hands would save your soul. He also was on your butt for years, as was I, to keep you from becoming the world’s most grumpy delinquent.’
‘Delinquent?’ Sofia asked, her eyes falling on me.
I shrugged.
‘I may or may not have taken drugs, and ridden with the worst crew on the Northern Beaches in Sydney. I even broke into Kian’s house and stole his shit before he chased me down and almost beat my shit up.’
Sofia’s eyes danced. Is that right?’
‘I straightened him. It took a few attempts over the years, but he’s living proof his mother and I kicked his ass into success,’ Kian rasped, his eyes glinting.
Maggie nodded. ‘See? We know what’s best for you, honey.’
Their smugness was almost too much to bear.
I shot my mother a glare and lost myself in the flavors of the golden dough, crisp on the outside with molten cheese and savory pasta within.
Choosing brooding silence, I ignored the trio as Sofia asked Kian a question.
‘I noticed you’ve got surfboards displayed in your hallway and photos of you in the water; is that really you?
Kian grinned and set off talking about his favorite topic, his love for the water.
When I was too full for another bite, I eased my plate away.
Pulling up my laptop, scrolling through Delta’s departure schedules, I glanced across the table at Sofia.
‘I need to book my flight back to Nashville, and we have to figure out where you’ll stay now.’
‘Of course,’ Sofia murmured.
Just then, her cracked phone, which Kian had let her keep, buzzed on the table beside her.
Sofia picked it up, read the screen, and dropped the device as if the plastic burned her fingers.
Her face drained of all color.
‘Here, let me see,’ I growled, reaching across the table to snag the phone.
The text message was brief, cold, and explicit:
D: We know the Sheriff in Vermont has you. His badge won’t stop us from finding you wherever he stashes you. If you get freed or deported and go back to Milan, we have capos at the bus stations and borders with orders to pick you up. Don’t try us.
Sofia shuddered as she drew a breath, her face a study in fear.
Without a second thought, I extended my arm across her shoulder.
‘Hey, don’t panic, we’ve got you.’
She nodded, her hands wringing on her lap.
With a sigh, I passed the device to my stepdad.
Kian read the text, his mouth twisting into a grim line, before he glanced over at my mother, then at Sofia.
‘Let’s be real, stay here, and you’re a sitting duck,’ Kian stated, setting the phone down flat.
‘The Feds’ red tape moves at a snail’s pace while these syndicates move fast. Even if you remained here with Maggie and me, which we’re open to, they might find you in our home, given that they know you’re with the Sheriff.
We need you out of state. If you linger in Vermont, this weasel Dario will track you down as he threatens to. ’
‘No two ways about it; we have to protect you,’ I muttered, locking gazes with Kian. ‘Question is how?’
Maggie raised an eyebrow, her gaze switching between Sofia and me as her mouth quirked.
‘There’s a way to make your mother happy and see to Sofia’s security, Judah. It goes back to you claiming her at the airport.’
She waited in a dramatic pause, clapping her hands together as if she’d just solved the world’s biggest problem.
‘You can wife her.’
Sofia gasped, her head snapping up as she wrapped her head around the words.
‘Wife?’ she repeated.
I reared my head back, my chest heaving, shock coursing through me.
I shook my head at my mother.
What archaic, freaky shit, out-of-this-world idea was she proposing?
‘Who, me? No flipping way, Maggie. That’s wild. I’m always touring, and I’m scarcely in one place. She can go into federal protection, can’t she? There have to be other safe houses she can stay in.’
‘Safe houses this Dario and his fellow mobsters could get to.’
I glared at Kian; he wasn’t helping.
‘Why not you?’ Maggie countered, in a fierce, protective cadence.
‘At least until the law enforcement’s investigation is over.
If Sofia’s your wife, she gets full-time private security at your Nashville home.
She also receives the muscle of your legal team.
If the feds play up, you can use your lawyers and your marriage contract to protect her.
Safety that she wouldn’t have as a tourist being hunted by ruthless gangsters.
You can even sign a prenup. If it doesn’t work out between you two down the track, the two of you will be free to part ways. ’
I threw up my arms in frustration.
The hell?
‘No,’ Sofia interjected, her chin lifting as she sat up straight, her eyes flashing with a sudden, defensive pride. ‘No, I won’t do this.’
‘Chill, both of you,’ Kian ordered, his voice cutting through the rising arguments with authority.
His eyes pinned down Sofia, his expression turning grave.
‘Sofia, listen to me very carefully. You don’t understand the people you’re dealing with.
If you walk out that door alone, you’re a target for that mob.
I’ve spent thirty years in law enforcement, and I’ve seen how these syndicate threats go south.
I’ve come across dozens of key witnesses who thought they could hide on their own, or in safe houses, and too many of them ended up dead on the streets.
This isn’t a game, and it’s not about your pride. It’s about keeping you breathing.’
Sofia shook her head so hard that her hair whipped around her head.
‘I can’t take advantage of or trap Jude in a fake marriage just because I’m in trouble. I’ll take my chances on a bus to another state.’
I turned back to Kian, trying one last time to find an escape hatch.
‘Is what you’re proposing even legal?’
‘It’s the right thing to do, and yes, it’s legit,’ Kian confirmed, leaning forward on his elbows. ‘Once you’re married, it’ll make her your immediate family, and so the Feds will let you take her back to Nashville where she’s safer.’
Kian pointed at the phone. ‘Given she’s under severe duress because of that text, a marriage contract creates an ironclad licensed barrier.
We can demonstrate that she would suffer extreme hardship without your estate’s resources.
We can show that with this death threat and the series of other messages you’ve received from this Syndicate.
We can also insist she stays in your protection and by extension mine because she’s now a material witness to uncover the Syndicate’s illegal activities. ’
The room felt too small all of a sudden.
‘I need some air,’ I growled.
I stood up, slammed the screen door behind me, and paced across the gravel courtyard under the swaying valley oaks.
What a total freakin’ train wreck.
How was I supposed to take on a wife right now?
This was beyond inconvenient.
I had zero time for a spouse, no mental bandwidth, and I sure as hell never planned to get hitched.
I liked planning.
Hell, I plotted every single pivot of my life down to the millimeter.
I was also a textbook introvert who valued my solitude as my religion.
The mere thought of some stranger invading my personal space, moving her shit into my house, and messing with my routine made my skin crawl.
Then there was the Abby situationship.
I tilted my chin back, peering up into the clear blue morning, demanding an answer from the heavens.
None came.
The sky didn’t drop a road map on how to proceed, and no booming voice descended from the clouds to bail me out.
It was then that an unshakable calm settled in my chest.
I took a deep breath of the crisp valley air as my frustration started to level out.
When I walked out of jail years ago, I made a non-negotiable vow: always pursue peace, no matter the cost.
Sofia was in Dario’s crosshairs, and this temporary marriage was probably the only shield sufficient to keep her protected.
If safeguarding an innocent woman meant sacrificing my privacy for a little while, then I just had to suck it up and play the hand I was being dealt.
I turned on my heel, strode back into the kitchen, and came to a stop as three sets of eyes swiveled to me.
‘OK. I’ll do it.’
I prowled toward Sofia, staring down at her.
‘I’m not offering you romance; this is purely a deal, a professional agreement.’
Sofia went still, silenced by my stark, unyielding approach.
She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to her hands on the table, and gave a slow, reluctant nod.
‘A marriage of inconvenience, I get it. Nevertheless, if that’s what needs to happen, then let it be so. However, when I can, I’ll work and pay you back for everything, signore.’
I rubbed the back of my neck as I studied her, then at my parents, the load of the preposterous responsibility settling on my shoulders.
‘For the love of heaven, call me Jude and let’s get on with it,’ I gritted.
‘We’ll get married. Legally. You’ll move to Nashville with me.
I’ll try to secure you an admin role at The Sanctuary to keep you busy and earning money.
I’ll provide all you’ll need, clothes, a safe home, and protection, but it’s a temporary arrangement.
Clear? We maintain our distance. I protect you, you get your life back.
Once you’re out of the weeds, we part ways. Understood?’
Sofia glanced up at me, her dark eyes steady as she weighed the pros and cons of the bargain.
She wasn’t looking for a fairytale, and she didn’t expect a rough, tattooed musician to love her.
She just recognized a lifeline thrown into her deep, churning waters.
‘I understand,’ she said, her voice firm despite the slight tremor in her hands. ‘I accept.’