“Are you ready? We’ve got a wedding to crash,” I said, grinning. Excitement sizzled under my skin, a low fire that burned brighter with every second I got closer to my goal.
Fabiano sighed, checking his gun and shoving it back into his holster. “As ready I as I’ll ever be for this insanity.”
“Genius and insanity are often interchangeable. Both have fueled the greatest events in human history.”
“I think you annoy me the most when you sound like Nino with your own brand of crazy,” Fabiano said. “I can’t believe I’m only a few miles from my father and can’t rip him to shreds.”
“You will get him. My plan will bring him to you eventually.”
“I don’t like the eventually part. I have a feeling this plan is about more than killing my father and punishing the Outfit.”
I leaned back against the car seat. “And what would that be?”
Fabiano met my gaze. “About you getting your hands on Dante’s niece for whatever insane reason.”
My mouth pulled into a dark smile. “You know exactly why I want her.”
Fabiano leaned back in his own seat, expression tightening. “I don’t think even you know exactly why you want her. But I do know the girl will pay for something she wasn’t responsible for.”
“She’s part of our world. Born and bred to be a mother to more Outfit bastards. Born and bred to obey like a mindless sheep. She was brought up to follow her shepherd without hesitation. He led her toward a pack of wolves. It’s his mistake, but she will be torn apart.”
Fabiano shook his head. “Fuck, Remo. You are a crazy fucker.”
I wrapped my fingers tightly around his forearm, over his Camorra tattoo—the blade and the eye. “You are one of us. We bleed and we die together. We maim and kill together. Don’t forget your oath.”
“I won’t,” he said simply.
I released him. My eyes moved to the front of the hotel where Serafina’s parents, Ines and Pietro Mione, had just walked out the door with a young dark-haired girl between them. Dressed in evening wear for the wedding of the year, Ines looked remarkably like her brother. Tall and blond and proud. So fucking proud and controlled.
“It won’t be long now,” I said, glancing down the street where the car with my two soldiers was waiting.
Fabiano put the keys in the ignition as we watched the Miones drive off. “Her twin will stay with her,” he said. “And then there’s the bodyguard.”
My eyes sought out the middle-aged guy behind the wheel of a Bentley limousine parked in the driveway of the hotel. A fucking flower arrangement on the hood. White flowers. I wanted to squash them under my boots.
“They’re making it too easy figuring out the car of the bride,” I said with a laugh.
“Because they don’t expect an attack. It’s never been done before. Funerals and weddings are sacred.”
“There have been bloody weddings before. They should know better.”
“But those weddings became bloody because the guests got into fights with each other. I don’t think anyone has ever attacked a wedding, especially the bride, on purpose. Honor forbids it.”
I chuckled. “We are the Camorra. We have our own set of rules, our own idea of honor.”
“I think they will realize that today,” he said tightly.
My eyes scanned the front of the hotel. Somewhere behind its windows, Serafina was getting ready for her wedding. She’d be groomed to perfection, an apparition in white. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her, stain the perfectly white fabric blood-red.
SERAFINA
“You don’t have to be scared, sweetheart,” Mom said quietly so Sofia wouldn’t hear her. My little sister was busy tugging at the pins keeping her hair in place on top of her head, grimacing.
“I’m not,” I said quickly, which was a lie. It wasn’t that I was overly scared of sleeping with Danilo, but I was nervous and worried about embarrassing myself. I didn’t like to be bad at things, and I would be bad given I had no experience.
She gave me a knowing look. “It’s okay to be nervous. But he’s a decent man. Dante always talks in glowing terms about Danilo.” Mom tried to sound casual but failed miserably. She stroked my hair like she used to do when I was little.
We both knew that there was a difference between being a decent man and a loyal soldier to the Outfit. Uncle Dante was probably basing his judgment of Danilo on the latter. Not that it mattered. Danilo had always been a gentleman, and he would be my husband in a few hours. It was my duty to submit to him, and I would do it.
My hairdresser took Mom’s place and began pinning up my blond hair, arranging pearls and strings of white gold in it. Mom noticed Sofia fighting with her hairdo and quickly moved over to her. “Stop it, Sofia. You’ve already untangled a few strands.”
Sofia dropped her hands with a resigned look. Then her blue eyes found mine. I smiled at her. Avoiding Mom’s tugging hands, she came to my side and peered up at me. “I can’t wait to be a bride.”
“First, you will finish school,” I teased her. She was only eleven and hadn’t been promised to anyone yet. For her weddings were about looking pretty and the chivalrous knight she would marry. I envied her the ignorance.
“Done,” the hairdresser announced and stepped back.
“Thank you,” I said. She nodded and quickly slipped out, giving us a moment.
The dress was absolutely stunning. I couldn’t stop admiring myself in the mirror, turning left and right. The pearls and silver embroidered threadwork caught the light beautifully, and the skirt was a dream consisting of several layers of the finest tulle. Mom shook her head, tears blurring her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Mom,” I warned her. “You’ll ruin your makeup. And if you start crying, I will cry too and then my makeup will be ruined as well.”
Mom nodded, blinking. “You are right, Fina.” She dabbed her eyes with the corner of a tissue. Mom wasn’t the emotional type. She was like her brother, my Uncle Dante. Sofia beamed up at me.
A knock sounded and Dad poked in his head. He froze and slowly stepped inside. He took me in without saying a word. I could see the emotion swimming in his eyes, but he would never show it openly. He came toward me and touched two fingers to my cheeks. “Dove, you’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
Mom raised her eyebrows in mock shock. Dad laughed and took her hand, kissing her knuckles. “You were, of course, a breathtaking bride, Ines.”
“What about me?” Sofia asked. “Maybe I will be even more beautiful?”
Dad lifted a finger. “I will keep you as my little daughter forever. No marriage for you.”
Sofia pouted and Dad shook his head. “We need to go to church now.” He kissed my cheek then took Sofia’s hand. The three of them walked out. Mom turned once more and gave me a proud smile.
Samuel appeared in the doorway, dressed in a black suit and blue tie. “You look dapper,” I told him and felt a wave of wistfulness. He would be hundreds of miles from me once I moved into Danilo’s villa in Indianapolis.
“And you look beautiful,” he said quietly, his eyes taking me in head to toe.
He pushed off the doorframe and moved toward me, his hands in his pockets. “It’ll be strange without you.”
“I’ll tell Sofia she needs to keep you on your toes.”
“It won’t be the same.”
“You will marry in a few years. And soon you’ll be even busier with mob business. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Samuel sighed then glanced down at his Rolex that Dad had given him for his initiation five years ago. “We need to go too. The ceremony is supposed to start in forty-five minutes. It’ll take at least thirty minutes to reach the church.”
The church was outside city limits. I wanted the celebration to take place in a renovated barn in the countryside, surrounded by forest, not in the city.
I nodded then checked my reflection once more before I took his outstretched hand. With linked arms we walked out of the suite and down into the hotel lobby. People kept glancing my way, and I had to admit I enjoyed their attention. The dress had cost a small fortune. It was only fair, since as many people as possible would see me in it. This wedding was the biggest social event in the Outfit in years.
Samuel opened the door of the black Bentley for me, and I slipped onto the backseat, trying to gather the skirt of my dress around me. Samuel closed the door and got in the front beside the driver, my bodyguard.
We pulled away and my stomach burst with butterflies. In less than one hour I’d be Danilo’s wife. It still seemed impossible. Soon, the tall buildings gave way to the occasional field and trees.
Samuel shifted in the front seat, pulling his gun.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
We sped up. Samuel glanced over his shoulder but not at me. I turned as well and saw a car close behind us with two men. Samuel took his phone out and lifted it to his ear. Before he could say anything, another car came from the side and collided with our trunk. We spun around. I cried out, gripping the seat as the belt bit into my skin.
“Down!” Samuel shouted. I unbuckled and threw myself forward, my arms over my head. We collided with something else then came to a stop. What was going on?
Samuel shoved open the door and began firing. My bodyguard followed him. The windows burst, and I screamed as shards of glass rained down on my skin. A man cried out, and my head flew up. “Samuel?” I screamed.
“Run, Fina!”
I pushed through the gap between the front seats and found Samuel leaning against the side of the car, blood spilling out over the hand he pressed to his side. I struggled out of the door and sank to the ground beside him, touching him. “Sam?”
He gave me a strained smile. “I’ll be fine. Run, Fina. They want you. Run.”
“Who wants me?” I blinked at him, uncomprehending. He fired at our attackers again. “Run!”
I bolted to my feet. If they wanted me, they’d follow me if I ran and leave Samuel alone. “Call reinforcement.”
I kicked off my heels and gripped my dress and began running as fast as I could. White petals from the destroyed flower arrangement stuck to my toes. Nobody shot at me. That meant they wanted me alive, and I knew that couldn’t be a good thing. I turned to the right, where a forest spread out in front of me. It was my only chance to lose them. My breath came in short gasps. I was fit and a good runner, but the heavy fabric of my dress slowed me down. Twigs tugged at the dress, tearing it, making me stumble.
Heavier steps sounded behind me. I didn’t dare look over my shoulder to see who was chasing me. The steps closed in on me. Oh God. This dress was making me too slow.
Had Samuel called reinforcement yet?
And then a worse thought banished my last. What if Samuel didn’t make it? I turned to the right, deciding to run back to the car. Another set of steps joined the first. Two pursuers.
Fear pounded in my veins, but I didn’t slow. A shadow appeared in the corner of my eye, and suddenly a tall shape came from my side. I screamed out a second before an arm slung around my waist. The force of it made me lose my balance, and I fell to the ground. A heavy body crushed mine. The air rushed out of my lungs and my vision turned black from the impact of landing hard on the forest floor.
I started kicking, thrashing, clawing and screamed at the top of my lungs. But a few layers of tulle covered my face and made movement difficult. If Dad and Dante had arrived with reinforcement, they needed to hear me to be able to find me.
A hand clamped down on my mouth, and I bit down.
“Fuck!”
The hand pulled back and the voice was distantly familiar, but I couldn’t place it in my panic. The tulle still obstructed my view. I made out two shapes above me. Tall. One dark, one blond.
“We need to hurry,” someone snarled. I shivered at the stark brutality of the voice.
A heavy weight settled on my hips, and two strong hands gripped my wrists, shoving them down on the ground. I tried bucking away, but a hand came toward my face. I tried to bite again, but I didn’t reach it. My range of motion was limited with my arms above my head. The tulle was removed from my face, and finally I could see my assailants. The man sitting on my hips had black hair and black eyes and a scar on his face. The look he gave me sent a wave of terror through my body.
I’d seen him before but wasn’t sure where. My eyes darted to the other man holding my hands down, and I froze. I knew the blond man and those blue eyes. Fabiano Scuderi, the boy I’d played with when I was younger. The boy who had run off and joined the Camorra.
Finally, it clicked. My gaze darted back to the black-haired man. Remo Falcone, Capo of the Camorra. I jerked violently, a new wave of panic giving me strength. I arched up but Remo didn’t budge.
“Calm down,” Fabiano said. One of his hands bled from where I’d bitten him. Calm down? Calm down? The Camorra was trying to kidnap me!
Opening my mouth, I tried to scream again. This time Remo covered my mouth before I got the chance to hurt him. “Give her the tranquilizer,” he ordered.
I shook my head frantically but something pricked the inside of my elbow and pierced my skin. My muscles became heavy, but I didn’t black out completely. I was released and Remo Falcone slid his hands under me, straightening up with me in his arms. My limbs hung limply down at my sides, but my eyes remained open and on my captor. His dark eyes settled on me briefly before he started running. Trees and sky rushed by as I peered up.
“Fina!” I heard Samuel in the distance.
“Sam,” I wheezed, barely a sound.
Then Dad. “Fina? Fina, where are you?”
More male voices rang out, coming to save me.
“Faster!” Fabiano shouted. “To the right!” Twigs snapped under foot. Remo breathed heavier, but his grip on me remained firm. We burst out of the forest and onto a street.
Suddenly, tires screeched and hope filled me, but it crashed when I was put inside a vehicle in the backseat, and Remo slipped in beside me.
“Drive!”
I stared up at the gray ceiling of the car, my breathing ragged.
“My, what a beautiful bride you are,” Remo said. I raised my eyes and met his, wishing I hadn’t because the twisted smile on his face burned through me like a thunderstorm of terror. Then I passed out.
REMO
Serafina passed out beside me. I regarded her closely. Now that she wasn’t thrashing or screaming, I could admire her like a bride deserved. Dots of blood splattered her dress like rubies and marred the creamy skin of her neckline. Pure perfection.
“We seem to have shaken them off,” Fabiano muttered.
My eyes were drawn to the back window, but nobody was following us for the moment. We had injured, not killed Serafina’s two companions, so part of the forces would waste time tending to their injuries.
“She is a nice piece of ass,” Simeone commented from behind the steering wheel.
I leaned forward. “And you will never look at her again unless you want me to rip your eyeballs out and shove them up your ass. One more fucking disrespectful word from you and your tongue will keep your eyeballs company, understood?”
Simeone gave a jerky nod.
Fabiano caught my gaze with a curious expression. I leaned back and returned my gaze to the woman curled up beside me on the seat. Her hair was pinned tightly to her head as if even that part of her needed to be tamed and under control, but one wayward strand had freed itself and curled wildly over her temple. I wrapped it around my finger. I couldn’t wait to find out how tame Serafina really was.
I carried a limp Serafina into the motel room and set her down on one of the two beds. Reaching for a twig that had tangled itself in her hair, I removed it before undoing her updo, letting her hair spill out on the pillow. I straightened.
Fabiano sighed. “Cavallaro will seek retribution.”
“He won’t attack us as long as we have her. She’s vulnerable and he knows he can’t get her out of Vegas alive.”
Fabiano nodded, his eyes moving to Serafina who lay limply on the bed, her face tilted to the side, her long elegant neck on display. My gaze lowered to the fine lace above the soft swell of her breast. A high-collared dress. Modest and elegant, nothing vulgar or overly sexy about Dante’s niece, and yet she would have brought many men to their knees. She looked like a fucking angel with her blond hair and pale skin, and the white dress only emphasized that impression. The epitome of innocence and purity. I had to bite back a laugh.
“What are you thinking?” Fabiano asked warily as he followed my gaze toward the bride.
“That they couldn’t have emphasized her innocence more if they’d tried.” I moved closer, my gaze trailing over her narrow hips. “I prefer the blood stains on her dress.”
“It was her wedding. Of course they would emphasize her purity. You know how it is. Girls in our circles are kept protected until they enter marriage. They must lose their innocence on their wedding night. Cavallaro and her fiancé will probably do anything to make sure she returns to them untouched. Danilo is Underboss. Her father is Underboss. Dante fucking Cavallaro is her uncle. No matter what you ask of them, they will deliver. If you ask them to hand over my father now, they will do it and we will be rid of her.”
I shook my head. “I won’t ask for anything yet. I won’t make it that easy for them. They attacked Las Vegas. They tried killing my brothers, tried killing you and me. They brought war into my city, and I will bring war into their midst. I will destroy them from the inside. I will break them.”
Fabiano frowned. “How?”
I regarded him. The hint of wariness in his voice was barely noticeable, but I knew him well. “By breaking someone they are supposed to protect. If there’s one thing I know, then it’s that even men like us rarely forgive themselves for letting people they are supposed to protect get hurt. Her family will go crazy with worry over her. Every day they’re going to wonder what’s happening to her. They’re going to imagine how she’s suffering. Her mother will blame her husband and brother. And they will blame themselves. Their guilt will spread like cancer among them. And I will fuel their worry. I will tear them apart.”
Fabiano lowered his gaze to Serafina, who started stirring slightly. The rip in her wedding dress shifted, exposing her long bare leg. She was wearing a white lace garter. Fabiano reached for the skirt of her dress and covered her leg. I tilted my head at him.
“She’s an innocent,” he said neutrally.
“She won’t return to them innocent,” I said darkly.
Fabiano met my gaze. “Hurting her won’t break the Outfit. They will come closer together to bring you down.”
“We will see,” I murmured. “Let’s call Nino and see which route to choose next.” Fabiano and I moved toward the desk and put the phone on loudspeaker.
We had just finished our call when Serafina moaned. We turned to her. She woke with a start, disoriented. She blinked slowly at the wall then up at the ceiling. Her movements were slow, sluggish. Her breathing picked up, and she looked down at her body, her hands feeling her ribs then lower, coming to rest on her abdomen—as if she thought we’d fucked her while she was passed out. I supposed it made sense. She would have been sore.
“If you keep touching yourself like that, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Her gaze darted to us, her body stiffening.
“We didn’t touch you while you were unconscious,” Fabiano told her.
Her eyes darted between him and me. It was obvious she wasn’t sure if she could believe him.
“You would know if Fabiano or I had fucked you, trust me, Serafina.”
She pressed her lips together, fear and disgust swirling in her blue eyes. She began squirming and wiggling as if she was trying to get off the bed but couldn’t control her body. Eventually she closed her eyes, her chest heaving, her fingers trembling against the blanket.
“She’s still drugged,” Fabiano said.
“I’ll get her a coke. Maybe the caffeine will sober her up. I don’t like her this weak and unresponsive. It’s no challenge.”
SERAFINA
I watched Remo leave the room and forced myself into a sitting position. “Fabiano,” I whispered.
He came closer and knelt before me. “Fina,” he said simply. Only my brother called me by that name, but Fabiano had always played with us when we were little and knew me by the nickname.
My mother hadn’t raised me to beg, but I was desperate. I touched his hand. “Please help me. You were part of the Outfit. You can’t allow this.”
He pulled his hand away, his eyes hard. “I am part of the Camorra.”
He stood and looked down at me without a hint of emotion.
“What will happen to me? What does your Capo want with me?” I asked hoarsely.
For a second his eyes softened, and that was the most terrifying answer he could have given me. “The Outfit attacked us on our own territory. Remo is out for retribution.”
Icy terror clawed at my insides. “But I have nothing to do with your business.”
“You don’t, but Dante is your uncle and your father and fiancé are high-ranking Outfit members.”
I looked down at my hands. My knuckles were chalk white from clutching the fabric of my dress. Then I noticed the red stains and quickly released the tulle. “So he’s going to make them pay by hurting me?” My voice broke. I cleared my throat, trying hard and failing to hold on to my composure.
“Remo didn’t divulge his plan to me,” he said, but I didn’t believe him for one second. “He might use you to bribe your uncle into handing over parts of his territory … or his Consigliere.”
Uncle Dante would never give up part of his territory, not even for family, no matter how much my mother begged him to, nor would he hand over one of his men, his Consigliere. He couldn’t, not for one girl. I was lost.
My vision swam again and I slumped back down onto the mattress.
Through the fogginess I heard Remo’s voice. “Change of plans. Let her sleep the drugs out of her system while we drive. We’ve spent too much time at this place. Nino called again. He suggests we head out now. He sent our helicopter to pick us up in Kansas. He heard from Grigory that Cavallaro has called upon every soldier to search for his niece and we are still on the fringes of his territory.”
Dante was trying to save me. Dad and Danilo would be searching for me as well. And Samuel, my Samuel, would look for me. If we were still on Outfit territory not all hope was lost.
