Page 13 of ‘I Do’ for Revenge

‘You never know, you might have found me easy to live with and decided not to get divorced.’

Flora smiled sweetly. ‘The same goes for you—you might have found me too irresistible to let go.’

Neither said anything for a moment and then Vito saw some colour come back into Flora’s cheeks. He took advantage of what he knew. ‘What if the inspectors turn up tomorrow? You don’t want to be the cause of getting the centre shut down.’

Now she looked stricken. ‘Of course not.’

‘Then if you leave with me tonight, you’ll be ensuring their safety.’

She looked tortured. It was almost insulting. But then from the moment she’d stormed into his office in the wedding dress,no, from the moment they’d met, she’d never shown much of an inclination to spend time with him. He couldn’t remember a time when a woman had been so uninterested. From the age of puberty, Vito had known that he possessed a rare power. He’d never taken it for granted but he’d used it to his advantage when he’d had to.

She looked at him and Vito was struck again by her huge eyes. Her hair curled wildly, falling over her shoulders.

‘Okay, but just for one night, and then I’ll sort something out. Okay?’

Vito shrugged. ‘Sure.’

‘I’ll go in and get my things. I won’t be long. I have a carrier for Benji.’

‘Do you need help?’ Vito stood up straight.

She shook her head. ‘No, it’s better if you don’t come in. Strangers, especially male strangers, aren’t exactly...welcome.’

Vito put his hands in his pockets. He was rarely in a situation where he was ineffectual. It was eye-opening.

Approximately ten minutes later, Flora reappeared with a wheelie case in one hand and a pet carrier in the other. She handed Vito the wheelie case and said, ‘I’ll sit in the back with Benji so he doesn’t get scared.’

Vito stowed the case. ‘I’ve put in a call to my housekeeper to ensure there are provisions for a dog, and some food.’

‘Thank you.’

Driving back into the city, Vito glanced in the rear-view mirror and caught Flora’s eye. For the first time since seeing her again he noticed shadows under her eyes like delicate bruises. He felt a clutch of something unfamiliar in his gut. Unfamiliar but not unknown.

Concern.

For a Gavia of all people.

Conflicting emotions tangled together, and the suspicion that he was being monumentally naive not to suspect that this woman was up to something. He needed to find out what was going on. ‘So how did you end up in the women’s aid centre?’

He glanced at her in the rear-view mirror again and she was avoiding his eye, biting her lip. Then their eyes met again and he felt it like an electric shock. His hands gripped the wheel tighter.

With almost palpable reluctance she said, ‘I, er...was in a hostel in the city and someone mentioned the aid centre, that they were looking for a volunteer to help out and that there was a place to stay, if you did.’

Vito frowned. ‘Hostel...what kind of hostel?’

‘A homeless hostel.’

It took a second for that to sink in and when it did, Vito almost crashed the car. He swerved and a driver shouted expletives at him. He pulled into a layby and turned to face Flora.

He said one word. ‘Explain.’

‘Do we have to do this here? It might be better when you’re not driving.’

‘I’m not driving,’ he pointed out. And then, ‘Are you saying you were homeless?’

‘Only for a couple of days.’

Vito couldn’t sit there. He got out of the car, pulling his jacket off and throwing it aside. He felt constricted. He opened the passenger door and pulled the seat forward and said, ‘We need to talk.’