CHAPTER TEN
LUCA
My timing could have been better.
Eden had just taken another drink of her tea when I dropped the news of our impending nuptials, causing her to spit it out and cough to clear her throat.
“What… did you… say?” she gasps, holding a hand to her mouth as her shoulders shake with the force of her coughing fit.
Placing a hand on her back, I rub circles over the smooth expanse in an attempt to soothe her nerves. “You will be my wife in seventeen days.” That’s the official date for the Marino-D’Amora wedding, even if it’s a different D’Amora standing in as the groom.
“No, that’s not right. The don—your father—told my dad that Fabian wanted to marry me. Not you.”
“Fabian thought he could play games, but he lost. A match with me is far more profitable for our father, since it leaves Fabian open to a future arrangement that might provide a stronger alliance.”
“I don’t understand.” Beanie nestled in Eden’s lap, and immediately, she scooped the feline up to her chest, burying her face in the orange fur.
I knew it was the right decision to bring the cat to the manor.
Once Dr. Bellamy assured me that Eden would be fine, I left my brothers to look after her while I fetched her cat.
Beanie may be self-sufficient enough to survive a few days at home by herself, but I don’t plan on letting Eden leave Blackchapel now that she’s here.
The only reason I stayed away for so long was to keep her safe.
A flimsy excuse that was shot to hell since she was hurt while I was pissing the time away at Delaney’s.
That’s not going to happen again.
Eden will remain safe and secure in the manor, where our security is top-notch, and I can personally keep an eye on her at all times.
Which necessitated a move for Beanie.
Packages of food, toys, and cat beds already littered my closet, hidden away from my brothers’ prying eyes, in preparation for the day I could bring Eden to Blackchapel, so it was easy enough to transport the cat.
Plus, Allie already designated a room to her cat, Pretty Kitty. One full of scratch towers, elaborate shelving on the walls to sleep on, and dozens of toys. Beanie is still wary of Pretty Kitty, but she definitely enjoys the room.
Our timeline may have escalated, but I’ve been ready to have Eden by my side twenty-four-seven since the first moment I caught her reading at Enzo’s birthday party.
She’d been so beautiful sitting alone at a table hunched over her phone.
I’d ambled behind her a couple of times to see what had captured her attention so thoroughly and found her deep in the middle of a book.
Beautiful and lonely.
Because even though her mind was occupied, an air of melancholy surrounded her in the midst of the party guests’ revelry.
“My brothers and I run two organizations—Blackchapel Incorporated, which is a legitimate Fortune 500 company, and Blackthorn, an underground criminal organization. The don wants to call Blackthorn an ally, and a marriage between us solidifies the connection. Fabian will probably end up marrying some cartel princess or a Bratva daughter to cement those ties, instead.”
Eden’s brows lift dramatically above her amber eyes. “Brothers? Enzo has more illegitimate children?”
Of all the details she could latch on to, she chooses that one. Not the fact that I just admitted to being part of a criminal organization. But I guess that’s to be expected from a woman raised within The Family .
“Not that I know of.” A chuckle rumbles free.
I hope I don’t have any secret siblings running around the world.
One asshole half-brother is enough. “These are brothers-in-arms. We’re bonded by something deeper than blood—revenge against our bastard fathers.
But you don’t need to worry about that right now. All that matters is your healing.”
I set the tray with tea and breakfast muffins on the nightstand as Eden readjusts on the bed. It’s been an eventful twenty-four hours for her between her kidnapping and learning about our upcoming marriage, but my girl has taken it all in stride.
Because she’s fucking amazing.
“I’d heal better in my own bed,” she says hopefully, and while my intention is to give her anything her heart desires, I won’t give her this. Eden is staying with me.
For good.
“Nice try, but you need to be monitored. The doctor said so.”
“My mom can monitor me at home.”
“Not gonna happen, Butterfly.” Standing, I tuck the blankets around her, ignoring the stiffening of her muscles at my close proximity. “Get some rest. I’ll be back in a few hours with lunch.”
Eden stares skeptically at me, but I resist the urge to stay longer. She needs time to process.
“Do we know the names of the men who brought Eden to Delaney’s?” I ask upon entering the den a few minutes later. It’s a catch-all room with a huge television and fireplace on one wall, bay windows and bench seat on another, and a long wooden table that we use for planning a lot of our next steps.
“It’s in your email.” Rafe is our tech guy and is a pro at finding information, even if it means hacking into someone else’s secured system. “They’re low-level grunts, Tony Caparelli and Aldo Rossi. Tony and Fabian are gambling buddies. Bluewave Casino is their home away from home.”
I scroll through the names, committing them to memory, then meet Jonah, Rafe, Mathias, and Hugo’s serious gazes one by one.
“Who wants to join me on a scavenger hunt?”
***
We found Tony at Bluewave Casino just like Rafe suggested. Aldo was busy fucking a prostitute in a low-rent motel. Both men failed to put up much of a fight against five of the Blackchapel Bastards.
After combing through street camera footage from the night Eden was taken, we decided to recreate a few things for our unlucky hostages. Punches to the face and gut in a parking lot. Zip ties to the wrists. Tossed into the back of a van for transport.
Tony and Aldo probably thought they’d be dumped somewhere in D’Amora territory as a warning, but I’m not playing games with Fabian. This isn’t a tit for tat. This is You mess with my woman, death will follow .
No mercy.
No excuses.
The trek through the woods surrounding Blackchapel Manor is chilly with the promise of winter right around the corner.
Dead leaves crunch under our boots, attempting to overpower the garbled pleas from Tony and Aldo.
My brothers and I have walked this path numerous times.
First, as boys charged with following Conrad for one of his bloody lessons, and now as men who have accepted the crumbling chapel ahead as the home of our violent deeds.
Cracked stone litters the grounds, but we carefully navigate the labyrinth until we’re at the front of the chapel near the altar. Hugo and Jonah toss Tony and Aldo onto the split steps and whip off the hoods covering their heads.
“Do you know why you’re here?” I ask, withdrawing the blade from my belt. It’s a simple pocket knife, not much to look at, but it gets the job done. I like that it’s portable, no-nonsense. Just a good, old-fashioned tool always at my disposal.
Tony speaks first. “We’re sorry about the girl, but come on, man. She’s not worth all this.” He raises his arms, his hands fisted tightly together against the bounds of the zip ties.
Mathias chuckles and relaxes on the front pew, prepared for the ensuing show. “He apologized then insulted your woman within the same breath. What an idiot.”
“He works for Fabian. What do you expect?” An apathetic shrug lifts my shoulders. Squatting low, I address the two bound men. “Tell me, what did Fabian promise you in return for harming my girl? Money? Promotions within the organization?”
Aldo’s gaze slices toward his buddy then back to me. “He paid off our gambling debts.”
“Ah, you like hanging out at the Bluewave Casino, too? What was the amount? How much was Eden's sense of safety and perfect health worth?”
“A hundred grand,” Tony mumbles.
“That’s it?” My knife swings out to draw a thin line across each man’s throat.
Not deep enough to kill them… yet.
They cry out in fear, the gravity of their situation finally sinking in. They won’t be leaving this chapel alive.
Eden is priceless.
Worth more than one hundred grand. More than these two sniveling thugs.
She’s mine to protect, and I already failed her once. I won’t fail again. Starting with ridding the world of these lowlifes who dared to touch my woman.