Chapter 27
JUDE
The pixelated view of my parents’ living room in Vermont flickered into clarity on my laptop screen.
I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees as I rubbed my palms across my face.
My mom sat on the edge of her sofa, her eyes locked onto me with concern.
Kian reclined next to her, his arms crossed over his chest as I provided them with the update.
‘The forensic results came back from Bishop’s security contact,’ I muttered.
‘The photos are fake. Some high-end photo manipulation software superimposed her features onto an image of another woman. Sofia was telling the truth. I called her a liar to her face and gave her a verbal lashing so vicious she left me. I’m disgusted with myself. ’
Mom leaned closer to the camera lens, a soft, pained expression softening her countenance.
‘Oh, Judah. I’m so sorry to hear, honey.’
I grimaced.
‘I let my ego dictate how to treat the person I promised to protect. I threw away the best part of my life because my stupid pride took a hit, Mom,’ I muttered, shaking my head as my failure burned in my chest. ‘I was so terrified of looking like a fool that I became a monster instead.’
‘Have you tried calling her?’ Maggie asked.
‘I did, but she’s blocked me so the calls didn’t go through. I also sent her texts, but they’ve been left on unread. How do I even begin to fix a catastrophe like this? I don’t even know where she is.’
Kian moved closer in the frame, his deep voice cutting through my spiraling thoughts.
‘Start by behaving like a husband who needs to earn back his right to walk beside her. Let’s hope your lawyer’s investigators find her, and when they do, you’ll stand in front of her, beg her forgiveness, and accept whatever terms she sets down.
True love is about having the humility to kneel in the dirt and take responsibility for what you tore apart. ’
‘She won’t even answer Bishop or Deacon’s calls when I asked them to check in on her, Dad,’ I said. ‘I’ve no clue where she’s at.’
‘Then you use your clout to search for her until you get answers,’ Kian said, his eyes locked onto mine through the screen. ‘Get out there, grinding to find her. Meantime, I’ve handled the trash that targeted you.’
I tilted my head, tuning in to his shift in tone. ‘What did you do?’
‘I used a few old department connections and put some bureaucratic pressure on the prison Dario rots in,’ Kian said.
‘His warden has moved him into solitary confinement. No phone privileges, no yard time, just hours of endless reflection. Same thing for Luisa. The feds will also be reviewing their indictments and sentencing. As for Ignazio, Interpol will be extraditing him to the US in a few weeks.’
‘Will the charges stick?’ I asked.
‘They’re all going away for a very long time, Judah,’ Kian stated, his nod firm and decisive.
‘All these idiots had already passed their three-strike felony limit. The prosecutor is considering thirty-year mandatory minimum sentences with zero chance of early parole for all of them. They’re neutralized. ’
The news brought a grim satisfaction, but it did nothing to ease the hollow ache in my gut.
The criminals were locked away behind iron bars.
However, the innocent woman who almost ripped out my heart was still out there in the cold, running from the man who should’ve been her sanctuary.
We crossed the finish line of the European tour under a cascade of flashing strobe beams and thunderous applause in Valencia.
We wrapped up our extensive run, and a few days later, I was back home.
I pushed through the oak front door.
The silence hit me hard, my steps echoing through the five-thousand-square-foot house.
With an inhale, I marched toward Sofia’s guest suite.
I turned the brass handle and stepped inside, sensing at once that she had cleared out of the room.
The silk dresses I bought her still hung in the cedar closet, but her old denim jackets, her worn canvas sneakers, and her beat-up backpack were all missing.
With a frustrated growl, I swiveled around and walked into my primary.
Sitting on my bed, I lifted my phone to try her number.
My thumb hovered over the screen, freezing as my gaze locked onto the small velvet cube on my nightstand.
My wedding band, which Sofia bought for me.
I reached out and flipped the hinge open.
The ebony-brushed titanium ring caught the overhead light.
Foolish pride had made me refuse it.
I even claimed I disliked metal on my skin during performances, a pathetic excuse to maintain my emotional distance.
Now, the stupidity of my arrogance choked me as I yearned for her.
For her scent, the softness of her skin, for how her touch shattered me, and for her quiet, resilient strength.
I slid the ring over my knuckle.
It fit perfectly, which sent a jolt straight through my chest.
You’re an idiot, Jude, I thought. You wanted a flawless life with a perfect fantasy wife, and you broke the only real relationship you’ve ever experienced.
I squeezed my fist, the metal edge biting into my finger, welcoming the pain as I forced my hand into a tight clench.
Wearing the ring she bought me felt like a shield against my own failures.
I had another thought and, reaching for my suitcase, removed her diamond wedding band, the one she left behind in Rome, from my toiletry bag.
I slid it on the silver chain around my neck, so it rested on my heart next to my Aquila pendant.
I didn’t give a fuck whether it was a female band; it was my motivation, a physical reminder to get her back to me.
I stood up, staring at my hand with a newfound, gritty determination.
I’m coming for you, Sofia. I’m going to earn both these rings, or I’m going to die trying.
Brian and his investigator Amos called me a day later.
‘Amos caught a hit on her Social Security number at a high-turnover women’s shelter,’ Brian intoned.
‘It’s located deep within the city’s industrial district, adjacent to the CSX freight tracks.
It also seems she’s taken a night-shift job cleaning at a Greyhound bus depot about ten stops away.
I’ve spotted her scrub-washing the bays from midnight until dawn.
Most likely to pay for a cot in that dilapidated boarding house,’ Amos rasped over the line.
My heart lurched at the mental image he painted as guilt flooded me.
‘Send me the address,’ I growled. ‘Of the shelter and her new workplace.’
He did, and I stared at both locations, mapping out my plan to win my wife back.