Blood Wedding: A Mafia Romance

AL

n't s

opening, the shadow, Rafael's body jerking on top of mine. Seven t

ything perfect and untouched. It felt wrong. Rafael was dead down the hall and I

I couldn't help but stare at the manicured gardens and security lights. Guards were everywhere now, way more than earlier. They

t out of the way while she cleaned me up, and I was wearing some borrowed nightgown t

the door ma

" Rosa sa

me

y. Tea, from the smell of

he window. "Is there news?

were still red and swollen. She'd been crying. Of course she had. Her son was

d screwed up the one job he'd ever asked me to do. Marry Rafael. Ma

u in the morning," Rosa co

ld Marco ever

w." She handed me a cup of te

hook holding the cup. Tea sloshed over the rim, bu

at me, studying my face like she was trying to figure someth

guard. "To end the feud. Sa

hands in her lap. "But Salvatore als

ha

atore refused, of course. The Torrisi legacy is everything to him. So Rafael offered a compromise. He'd stay, he'd do his duty, he'd mar

r engagement Rafael had mentioned wanting to do things differently ev

told me an

words still stung. "I'm telling you because I want you to understand something. Rafael chose you. Not because he loved

tect it wit

nervous habit maybe. "Which is why Salvatore is going to want answers. His son died p

ueless about all of it. We'd had dinner three times during our engagement, talked on the phone maybe twice. Awkward conversatio

ng an exit strategy and I w

the compound, orange and red bleeding across the sk

them on feeling like I was playing dress-up in someone else's tragedy. Except this was my tragedy too

to get me

o good morning, no how are you hol

bedroom where it happened. The door was closed now,

e back gardens. He was standing at the window when we ente

s," he t

d. "Boss, mayb

ve.

alone with my father-in-law. Former father

re still wasn'

office was furnished with dark wood and expensive art,

that probably had been handsome before age and grief carved lines into it. He'd aged ten y

on is

w. I'm

he was tasting something bitter

at to say to tha

otage from last night. Or what little we have of it. Someone disabled cameras in the bedr

veillance images. Hallways, stairwells, the garden where

lvatore continued. "Knew exactly which cameras

in your family he

the Corsinis destroyed. Possibly both." He leaned agai

ng himself in front of me. The shots. All seven of them. The blood. The waiting. The

w tightened. "

me time but I heard Mar

ents. Someone should have reached you in under two mi

n't k

und the desk, stood over me. Not threatening exactly but definitely intimidating. "My son died i

a slap. I was a widow before I'd

was screaming for help. I wanted som

d y

king if I'd wanted my husband dead. If this whole

ely knew each other. But I didn't want him dead.

o's t

s lying on the bed, where Rafael was s

s expression at all. Finally he nodded, just barely. "You'

what he meant. When I did, my stom

s next in line. You will marry him to pre

that's insane

e discussing business contracts instead of my life. "The wedding will take place in t

e hat

ng something, effectively dismissing me. "You're a Torrisi no

like water but I made the

son died for nothing, and I'll make sure your father understands exactly who's res

to marry Dante, who looked at me li

epeated. "Marco will esco

aiting right outside. He put a hand on

ly as we walked. "He doesn't mean

ch h

dn't ans

married Dante Torrisi, the most violent enforcer in the family. The man who'd barely looked

ing to be a

om my brother Nico: Dad'

Just what

I'd been getting ready for my wedding, nervous but hopeful. Now I was a

hing though. Rafael's sacr

d no idea