Chapter 30
The morning had barely shaken off the fog when Mia’s sharp voice rang out from the driveway.
“Raffe!”
He was halfway down the stairs, his thoughts still on the night before, the way she’d snuggled up against him this morning before slipping out of bed before Evangeline or Freddy woke up.
So, it startled him to hear Mia’s scream, the terrified edge in her tone, the kind that made his gut clench.
He shoved open the front door and found her standing stiffly beside her sedan, tote bag hanging off one shoulder like she’d forgotten it was even there.
He didn’t need her to point. He saw the look of shock in her eyes as his gaze moved over her before scanning the area for danger, all the while cursing himself for not grabbing his weapon before coming downstairs.
However, his weapon was upstairs, tucked safely in the back of his temporary closet with the finger lock protecting it from curious eyes.
After a moment to reassure himself that she wasn’t hurt or in imminent danger, he looked where she was pointing. All four tires had been slashed, the wheels practically resting on the stone driveway.
Trying to control his panic at the possibility that she’d been hurt, Raffe walked over slowly, then crouched down by the front wheel. The cuts were deep, deliberate, straight through the sidewall. Somebody hadn’t been in a hurry. They’d taken their time, making sure to fully destroy each tire.
“It’s him,” Mia hissed behind him. “My father. Who else could it be?”
He stood up, blinking down at her. This was the first time she’d mentioned her father. For a moment, he stood very still. “Why would your father do this?” he asked.
She swallowed, looked down at the slashed tires, then back up at him. This was it. Was she going to tell him? Or keep that secret. The secret that was keeping them apart. She made her decision.
“You probably don’t know, but my father is Vito Calvino,” she whispered, sounding ashamed.
“He’s the reason I fled to Europe. To escape from him.
” She blinked back tears, fighting for control.
“He’s a horrible person, Raffe,” she continued in a hushed whisper.
“I couldn’t tell you because…he’s dangerous. ”
This was the perfect moment to tell Mia who he was. But before he could say a word, Evangeline stepped out of the house.
“Mia?” she called out, panicked.
Mia hurried to her grandmother’s side. “I’m fine,” she assured her nonna.
“Besides, Raffe is here. Nothing bad is going to happen when he’s around.
” She leaned over and hugged her grandmother.
Then Freddy when he stepped out, his balance tentative, which meant he’d probably rushed to the door as well, pushing his healing leg harder than he should.
“You should both go back inside and finish your breakfasts. I’m off to the grocery store and,” she held up a hand when her grandmother opened her mouth to speak. “Yes, I’ll get popcorn and more ice cream.”
Evangeline and Freddy shared a look, one that implied that they were scheming together for treats.
The whole time, Raffe stood there, stunned, taking it all in.
Mia’s words echoed through his head, “Raffe is here. Nothing bad is going to happen while he’s around.
” For a guy who was literally sworn to protect and serve, those were powerful words.
It soothed the monster that had been growling ever since he’d laid eyes on her tires.
Last night, she’d given him her body. And this morning, she’d given him her trust.
Heady stuff, he thought.
And what had he given her? Not the truth. Not even the protection she deserved.
But that was going to change. He had to make a phone call first, but yeah, things were going to change.
Evangeline and Freddy went back inside. Mia turned, walking back to stand in front of him.
“I should have told you sooner,” she whispered, staring at her toes. “I just…I wanted to keep that bastard as far away from me, from us, as possible.” Then she looked down at her car. “I guess I was na?ve to think I could keep him away.”
Raffe shook his head. “I don’t think this was done by your father.”
She blinked. “Of course it’s him—”
“No,” he insisted, his tone firm. He turned, brushing grit off his palms, meeting her eyes squarely.
“Vito doesn’t do petty. He wouldn’t waste time sending his soldiers to just slash someone tires.
If he wanted to send you a message, he’d have someone waiting out here to snatch you the moment you bent down to look. ”
Her lips parted, but no argument came. Anger still burned in her gaze, but underneath it, he saw it—the unease, the dawning realization that she didn’t know who else might be lurking.
That unsettled her more than the tires.
“I’ll find out who did this,” he promised, his voice low and reassuring. “Take my truck for your errands. I’ll handle this.” He pulled the keys out of his pocket, pressing them into her hand.
“Are you sure?” she asked, staring at the keys, then up at him.
“Absolutely. Take your time.” Then he leaned in and kissed her. It was just a light kiss, but for some reason, it meant more. More than just a kiss. It was…a promise.
The second her taillights vanished at the end of the drive, he had his phone to his ear.
“Diane.”
“You’re late,” she snapped, but he heard the underlying edge of fatigue. “You were supposed to check in last night.”
Raffe ignored her admonishment and got right to the point. “Calvino didn’t leave his house last night, right?”
He heard her typing, multitasking as always. “No. Two sets of eyes had him boxed in.”
“Then it wasn’t him,” Raffe muttered, then exhaled, muttering epithets. “Someone slashed Mia’s tires. I didn’t really think it was her father. The vandalism was too obvious. Not Calvino’s style. He’d grab her, not just vandalize her car.”
Silence crackled down the line for a beat. “So, we’ve got another player.”
“That’s my read.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll check the footage from the security cameras I installed. Call you back.”
Raffe hung up, then leaned against the wall to contemplate what he’d just learned. Mia was afraid of her father. That was a good thing, right?
Well, ‘good’ wasn’t the right word. But it was good for him. Good for what he hoped was growing between them. Especially after last night.
Pushing the future aside for now, he logged into the security system he’d installed the day after he and Freddy had moved in to Evangeline’s house.
He flipped through several videos that captured a racoon, a fox, and two rabbits before he came to the video that showed a man in dark clothes walking down the driveway.
The night vision sensors had kicked on, showing the man with angry eyes, a dirty hoodie and frumpy jeans.
As soon as the man pulled out the knife, the idiot looked directly into the hidden camera.
“Got ya,” Raffe muttered, then pulled out his phone to call Diane back. “Jim Fuller slashed Mia’s tires last night. Think you could send this video over to the police for me?”
He heard Diane clicking on the file he’d just emailed to her.
A moment later, she laughed. “Ya gotta love stupid criminals, right?” There was more clicking, then his boss said, “Done. I’ll follow up once the case is assigned to an officer or detective and let you know when they’re going to pick him up. ”
“Thanks,” he replied, about to log out of the security system. But movement caught his eye. Something sparkled in the woods. But in the end, he dismissed the movement as an animal urinating behind Evangeline’s house.