Dangerous Love Affair

Monalise and Rafael

My first reaction was to run to the window and check if Santiago's black suburban was still there. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it sitting there still parked behind my car.

"Hello? Mona, are you there?"

I wanted to hang up, in fact I knew I should have but my curiosity had other plans. "Yes. I'm still here. What about Rafael?"

The loud chatter in her background made it hard for me to hear what she was saying, almost like she was working as a telemarketer.

"We just had a few questions in regard to your husbands whereabouts last night. We believe he was a key witness in a murder." A murder? Not that the idea was farfetched after what Ana revealed to me but there was no way that could have happened while I slept. "Alejandro Colombo's murder."

"Excuse me?"

It couldn't be. Rafael couldn't have killed him. When would he even have had the time?

"Alejandro Colombo, ma'am. His body was found full with bullet holes this morning in his home. We have reason to believe your husband is involved." She cleared her throat after which told me she was nervous. Something wasn't adding up.

I rushed to throw on my clothes while holding the phone between my shoulder and my ear. "Has he been arrested?"

"No, ma'am bu-"

"Then I have nothing to say." I hang up the phone and threw it on my bed so that I could properly dress myself. When I was all done, I grabbed my purse and my phone and slipped on my shoes before heading downstairs. Santiago was lounging on the couch watching and episode of property brothers while eating an apple. He turned when he heard me coming down the stairs.

"Santi, I need to go to Rafael."

His relaxed posture tensed at the sight of distress on my face. He stood from the couch and grabbed his phone. "He's at the office. I can take you."

"Please."

I was happy when Santiago led me to the suburban rather than offering to tail my car since I wasn't in the right state of mind to be driving. I didn't bother calling Rafael just in case my phone was somehow compromised, instead, I resumed my usual texts to my mother and Sophia as if nothing changed.

When we pulled up the warehouse, Rafe's car was the only one in the parking lot. Santi barely had time to put the car in park before I was jumping out of it and rushing inside the building. I ran through the building all the way to the office my husband and I shared. I could hear his deep voice coming from the other side of the door, easing my stress a little.

He was pacing back and forth when I pushed the door open. He was speaking Italian, fast and uninterrupted, like he was angry. If the situation were different, I would have been turned on.

He turned to face me when he heard the door open but didn't stop his conversation. He waved me over to him and I didn't hesitate to step into his arms. I took a deep breath in, letting his scent engulf me. There was nowhere I felt safer than in his arms. What would I do if he weren't here with me right now?

"Assicurati di segnalarmi tutto. Conto su di te. Ciao. (Make sure you report everything back to me. I'm counting on you. Bye)."

He hung up the phone and set it on his desk. He wrapped his arms around me and let out a big sigh. He was stressing, that was clear.

"What are you doing here? I told Santiago to drive you to your mom's." He pulled me back so he could look at me while I answered his question.

"I went to my mom's, but he brought me here because I got a call." I cleared my throat and tried to compose myself before I asked this next question. "Did you kill Alejandro?"