Page 139 of Jude

He nodded, his jaw trembling.

I turned my back on him, prowled out of the office, climbed back into the black Ram, and drove to her shelter.

I caught up to her bus and followed it all the way to the shelter, pulling into an alleyway when it got to her stop.

I tracked her as she trudged into the lobby of the refuge.

I killed my engine, stepped out of the cab, and prowled straight into the foyer.

It was empty apart from her.

Sofia stood by the sign-in desk, handing over cash to a person in a security room behind reception, which I assumed was for her rent.

She slid it into the mail slot, then froze as my shadow cut across the counter.

Her eyes turned to me in shock, and our eyes locked.

‘Babe.’

I stared at her, drinking her up, heart aching so much for her.

Even with exhaustion bruising the skin beneath her eyes and her thick hair pulled into a hasty knot, she took my breath away.

The certainty hit me like a physical blow: I was in love with this woman.

I was also on the brink of losing her forever if I didn’t get my shit right.

‘Babe,’ I repeated in a rough rasp. ‘I got to the truth, and you weren’t lying to me. I’m fuckin’ sorry for not believing you. I went to Milan; the club Ignazio claimed you stripped at got shut down years ago. Bishop’s tech contact also ran the pixel layers on those prints. They’re computer-generated. You’re innocent, and I’m the fool who let my temper and my demons close my eyes to the truth.’

She stared back at me, without saying a word.

I showed her my finger, forcing her gaze to the black-and-gold band on my finger, then to her diamond hanging off my neck.

‘Babe, I’m wearing both your rings. You belong to me, and I to you.’

I took a breath and took my shot.

‘I love you, Sofia.’

She blinked and tilted her head.

‘Where was that love when I told you the truth, and you threw it in my face?’ she murmured.

Damn.

With a sigh, I reached into my leather jacket, pulled out a thick manila envelope stuffed with ten thousand dollars in cash, and dropped it onto the counter.

‘Take this. It’s a fraction of what I owe you for the hell I put you through.’

She scoffed.

With a pursing of her lips, she picked up the envelope with two fingers, turned, and shoved it straight through the narrow metal slot of the shelter’s donation bin.

The thick package hit the bottom with a hollow thud.

She turned to leave, and I grabbed her wrist before she could retreat, my grip firm, yet careful not to hurt her.

‘Hey, don’t walk away from me, babe. Listen to me.’