Who Will Become His Bride

nk this

't play w

s. I marry bl

ver...ev

power. The kind of scent that seeps into the

red a shot

ion like he's reporting

y mi

mur, sipping espress

on't

through those gates, your entire security detail starts

tightens, but

rt

hair, the leather g

eras cover th

Don. That section hasn't bee

ime were th

esit

my cu

ake me a

Three minutes before Miss M

h

girl ha

More

guest list. Not sel

in the

let he

h

I admire

comes in

des a knife b

doesn't know if it wants to kill or ma

on breed

exposes

a soft

assistant, my

folder in her

oretti," she says, vo

o, I didn't

na Conte. Father:

at nam

bled half of Sicily to Inte

ter. Records say she was twe

," I muse. "In my h

. "Sir... shoul

y slowly.

" she

"Because Alessio

. She's

rect. "She'

ns. "I don

city on the wall every block marked with in

hemselves at him," I say. "He fears the on

ir

nued. "But he doesn't respect it. Bec

ink she'll

she alr

ding near th

"No one touches he

she touc

Giada, d

tch who ble

t, I sat in the

of my late wife, Rosa, the only sou

e all this

makes m

e to rot in

do line mu

forged in f

ts through

sn't bel

know. The confidence in her voice is

her do you, technical

s not one of us. You kn

t, she

her eyes. "You

cour

us are what? Pi

o be innocent, Luciana. You came

esn't

he says calmly. "No mess. No

look her

N

's smil

dange

emind her. "That'

rn him aga

pa

t time tonight,

ay

le

s, quieter, "You

from th

ings," I reply. "

without a

into the ashtray b

ind s

smells l

dy. The fire's low

oring the ache in my leg,

ick up t

rner

erson has

ay when the

ted voic

tact with som

he

l. The team traced it to a relay

the

on

cou

say coldly. "No warni

s,

ung

r anoth

creaks

need t

sio,"

he room like a shad

," he say

"About the gir

u let h

sm

doe

ing her to

say. "I'm using ev

s curl i

e been sho

ou wer

d've been

he shouldn't be

u're playing god w

d in thi

me to be

o my ful

ou to sur

ock

ence and ste

ward and drops so

ed slip

e he ga

ing me?" he a

y no

lready knows

ns to

es in th

trust you

. "Then you're

back

ire s

I see a shadow move across the sec

hadow isn'

s E

g sil

the eas

e doesn'

the sp

y exit except one. Let her t

she reache

watching her silhouet

s what she's lookin

d t

e last of

her t