5

Rita

"Orin, this is my new wife, Rita Hunters. Rita, darling, say hello."

What the hell?

Did he just say new wife? As in, I'm his wife, and we're married?

Like, husband, wife, loving relationship, sharing a marital bed, all that stuff?

My brain's slow to process. I'm still in panic mode because of the fire back at my apartment, but now my fight-or-flight response is also severely triggered by the four massive thugs with the guns they're clearly itching to point at my face.

Now I understand why Scar wanted me to stay behind.

These guys are monsters.

No, it's worse than that. I overheard a little of what they were saying as I came into the room.

These guys are drug dealers. They're organized crime. They're probably freaking mafia.

I knew Scar had some shady clients. Most lawyers do, especially at a certain level. But I had no clue he was actively courting criminals.

Everyone's staring at me. The older man sitting in the center narrows his gaze like he's looking for a weakness. Like he's