Chapter 8
“Idon’t understand how you’re not at least a little curious.” Ivan stands at the window of the church this farce of a wedding is taking place. “You don’t want to see her?”
He holds the curtain back from the window, tempting me to watch my bride enter the back of the church.
I yawn.
“Leave him alone.” Vee pulls the curtain from her husband’s hand.
“I’m just saying, if she’s repulsive better to get your reaction over with now instead of at the altar when she shows up.” Ivan continues his attempt to get a rise out of me.
“What reaction do you want me to have if she’s repulsive?” I ask shoving out of the chair.
“We just want you to remember this girl is innocent, is all,” Vee says softly. “She’s being pushed into this, too.”
“She’s Tony’s sister.” I adjust my tie.
I might as well be wearing a prison uniform while I recite the unholy vows.
“Kaz.” Megan grabs my arm. “You can’t go into this marriage with so much anger and hatred. I have more guilt in this than she does.”
“No, Megan. You didn’t do anything wrong. Marco, Michael, and Tony. They are the guilty, not you.” I try to force a smile for her benefit.
She’d held onto unearned guilt since the very beginning of this war with the DeAngelos.
“Right, and this girl is the same.” Megan pushes.
I pull out my phone and take the call coming through. I only have an hour left of freedom, spending it hearing my own family defend any member of the DeAngelo family isn’t how I plan on spending it.
“Kaz. I have the coat,” Mikhail informs me.
“Is there anything in it?”
“A five-dollar bill in the pocket, nothing else.” Mikhail answers.
“The coat check didn’t know her name?”
“No. To be honest, even if she did, I don’t think she was going to give to me. She wasn’t all that happy about giving me the coat.”
“You had the ticket.”
“Yeah, but I’m me, and this coat doesn’t really look like something I’d be wearing. I told her it was my girlfriend’s coat, but she still looked suspicious.”
“It’s just a fucking coat.” I grind my teeth. “Did you ask anyone else?”
He laughs. “Ask who? You don’t even know the girl’s first name. Should I have walked around Lush and asked everyone if they recognized the coat? Or the brown-haired girl wearing it?”
He’s right, of course. The coat isn’t enough to find her.
“Fine.”
“What do you want me to do with the coat?”
“Hang on to it for now.”
“You gonna give it to your bride? You’re getting married in an hour, in case you forgot.”
“Sometimes I wonder why I don’t kill you.”
He laughs again. “Because if you did, who’d put some common sense in that head of yours?”
“Just hold on to it for now.” I end the call, taking a deep breath to settle my frustration.
I shouldn’t have let her leave last night. After Alexander dropped the marriage papers off at my room, I’d been annoyed with the reminder of what today was bringing me. I’d headed to the shower to cool off.
After I got the water going, I realized having her in the shower with me would be a much more enjoyable way to vent my frustration. When I entered the living room, the door to the suite was just closing.
She was gone.
Her dress was gone and so were her shoes.
I could have caught her, dragged her back, but the realistic part of me took over. One night wouldn’t change today.
She’d done me a favor by sneaking out. We’d said one evening only, but there I’d been wondering if I could keep her at least until morning. Maybe even longer.
I’d let her go.
But then I’d found the coat room ticket on the couch. It must have fallen out of her purse.
“Hey.” Alexander nudges me. “Twenty minutes, then we have to get in place.”
“Yeah.” I nod, stuffing my phone into my pocket.
“You understand, Kaz. If you go through with this, there’s no divorce.”
“I get it.” Always the overbearing older brother. “I read the contracts. I’ve already agreed to all this.”
“Do you think Elana will come home because you’ve martyred yourself on her behalf?”
My hand clenches. I’m getting dangerously close to punching my oldest brother.
“You shouldn’t have let her go in the first place.” I bite out.
“You know damn well no one lets our sister do anything. She needs time to get over what happened.”
“She thinks she betrayed us and we’ll never forgive her.”
“Yeah, she does. Do you think punishing this woman is going to make it better?”
“I think the DeAngelo family is still alive and well. While our little sister is grieving and hurt.”
He studies me a long moment, then gives me a nod. “Whatever you’re thinking to do, make sure it doesn’t blow up in our faces.”
“I’m not thinking to do anything. I’m getting married.”
Ivan snorts. “Right.”
“Are you going to start in on me now, too?”
“No.” He shrugs. “But I hope you got your fill of the single life last night.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I square off with him. Ivan’s always giving me shit.
“Ivan.” Alexander warns, but in true Ivan fashion he just continues bulldozing his way.
“When Vee was on her way back to our room last night from Max’s room, she saw a woman leaving your suite. No—not leaving, fleeing.”
“Ivan!” Vee glares at her husband. “Leave it alone. I’m sure Kaz was just having one last fun night of bachelorhood.”
“Listen to your wife,” I warn my older brother.
“Are you sure? Just one last hurrah?” Ivan’s steely gaze settles on me.
“Why do you care so much about this? I’m getting married, making a true peace with the Italians that’s going to make us even richer and expand our territory.
It puts the war to rest, makes our mother happy so she stays tucked away in Russia, and gets the Italians off our backs completely.
I’m doing the responsible thing here, so why are you being such a dick? ”
“Because Kaz, it’s not like you to do the responsible thing,” he says simply.
“Uh, guys.” Megan interrupts. “They’re ready for you to take your place, Kaz.”
I check my watch. “Already?”
“Everyone’s here, they want to get started.” She gives a wobbly smile. “You’re gonna be fine.”
I roll my shoulders back. “Let’s get this over with.”
Like the small army my family is, we make our way out of the back room of the building and into the church.
Half the pews are empty, and I barely recognize those who are in attendance. Mostly her family. Some of our associates are seated on my side. Lev sits in second row with his wife, Maxine. She looks away when she catches my eye. Another woman thinking I’m sacrificing myself because of her actions.
This isn’t her fault. It’s not Megan’s or Elana’s. The blame for this entire disaster rests at the feet of the DeAngelo brothers.
Unfortunately, you can only kill a man once.
As I move into position at the altar, a blonde woman catches my attention. She looks familiar, and the woman sitting beside her with the short, chopped black hair does as well. The blonde catches me looking and frowns at me, then turns to her friend, and they get into a conversation.
I don’t have time to dwell on them. Maybe I met one of them on a visit to New York in the past. I don’t go to bed with every woman I spend time with; maybe I didn’t take them home and they’re resentful.
It doesn’t matter.
The music starts, and the guests all move to their feet as the doors at the back of the church open.
“Kaz!” Vee’s whisper is laced with urgency.
I glance in her direction. She’s mouthing something to me, but I can’t make it out.
I shake my head to indicate I can’t understand her, but she just keeps going. Ivan’s watching her with concern, then leans out into the aisle where my bride is making her way toward me.
Vincente DeAngelo walks beside her, his grip on her arm giving more hostage exchange than giving away of his beloved niece. Her veil covers her face, so I can’t make her out.
When I glance back at my brothers, Ivan’s got a shit-eating grin living on his face while his wife is still trying to convey something to me.
These damn cathedrals make it impossible for her to get her message to me. Whatever she’s trying to quietly say is lost in the abyss that is the old church air.
When my bride passes the blonde and the dark-haired woman, she pauses. I move over a step on the altar to the center, ready to greet my new wife.
My body reacts, tightens.
Vicente gets her moving again. They’re just passing the front pew when I’m able to make out her features through the veil.
My heart skids into the wall of my ribs.
It’s her.
Christiana.
She doesn’t wait for her uncle; she pulls her veil off her face and shoves it back over her head. When her eyes meet mine, a smile pulls her lips wide.
It’s her.
It’s fucking Christiana.
No.
It’s Sienna.
It’s Sienna DefuckingAngelo.
I turn away from her, facing the priest now walking across the altar for the ceremony.
Like a band aid being ripped from an open wound, I want this over with.
“Dmitri?” Her gentle voice hits me.
The priest looks to me with some confusion.
“No. Kaz.” I don’t look at her as she makes her way up the step to stand beside me, my vision is completely focused on the priest. “Get it over with.”