Chapter 10
The restaurant of the hotel where Kaz is staying is set up for our wedding luncheon. I’d been so preoccupied with enjoying one last night of freedom, the hotel name hadn’t registered when we pulled up.
Guests from his side and mine mingle through the room, finding their assigned seats at one of the ten round tables.
It occurs to me as I sit at the head table, alone since my ‘husband’ has yet to show up, that I don’t know the majority of these people. I’m not entirely sure who belongs to which family.
Unless of course they speak. Most of my uncle’s associates don’t speak much English and have thick accents. I recognize a cousin or two, but they don’t bother approaching me.
Growing up, it was impressed upon me at an inappropriately young age that the only purpose for a woman in our family was to cook meals and produce male offspring.
I’m not sure if it’s because I can barely boil water or because any offspring I have will now be tainted with Russian blood, that the family I do recognize looks at me with such condemnation.
“Sienna!” Kara steps onto the platform the main table has been placed on and rounds the table, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Are you all right?” Rosa comes at me from the other side, pulling me into another hug, which mashes my face into her bosom.
“You’re going to suffocate her in those things.” Kara gently pushes Rosa’s shoulder.
“Shut up, she can breathe.” Rosa pulls out the empty chair next to me and plops down. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, you know. Fine.” I force a smile as I push away the tulle of the stupid veil I’m still wearing.
“Didn’t you have a different dress for the reception?” Kara questions, tugging on the beaded half sleeve of my gown.
The only part of this farce of an event I was able to give any input on is the dress I have for the reception. My gown was chosen by one of my cousin’s wife— I think. I wasn’t actually listening when I was being fitted for this tulle and beaded balloon I’m wearing.
“I do. It’s in the little room they gave me.”
“Then let’s get you changed. You look miserable in this thing.” Kara tugs on my arm.
“It’s not fair to put all the blame for that on the dress.” I scoot my chair back and push up to my feet, acutely aware of the eyes darting in my direction with my movement.
Not only do I have my uncle staring me down, but the men who stashed me in the back of Kaz’s SUV and dumped me here keep checking to be sure I haven’t run away.
As though there is anywhere in this country, or any other, I could run to that one of these men from either of these families couldn’t find me.
Once we’re alone in the ‘bridal room,’ Kara throws her arms around me again and squeezes until I have to tap her shoulder to make her stop.
“It’s okay, Kara. I’m okay.”
“You are not.” She frowns. “You’ve been thrown over enemy lines as some sort of peace offering. And to that man! He had to have known who you were last night! And those vows!” Her lips get thinner with each declaration of his atrocities.
“I thought for a second you were going to refuse to say them,” Rosa says as she lounges on the love seat.
The room has been set up for my every need.
The dress I’m changing into hangs on the back of the door.
A crystal vase with the bridal bouquet I chose not to use for the ceremony sits on the end table beside where Rosa sits.
A bottle of champagne chills in the silver ice bucket along with several flutes.
Everything a bride might need.
Except a secluded exit by which she might escape into the void.
“Here, let’s get you out of this monstrosity.” Kara spins me around and searches for the zipper.
“It’s hooks. All hooks.” I drop my shoulders.
“Great.” She finds the top and makes her way down until I’m able to peel the itchy bodice from my skin.
“You should have insisted on getting your own gown,” Kara says as she maneuvers the fifteen-pound dress onto a wooden hanger.
“And do you think my uncle would have listened?” I sink onto the chair at the vanity set in my bra and panties, letting the cool air calm my irritated skin.
“It’s not like you to just go along with this sort of thing,” Rosa remarks.
“She’s not exactly in a position to fight,” Kara reminds her.
“I know. What I meant is, all of this is so frustrating. And having to say those vows. I think he did that on purpose.”
“What? Humiliate me in front of the entire congregation? Of course he did it on purpose.” I drop my head into my hands. “Can you get this veil off, please.”
“I’m on it.” Rosa jumps from the loveseat and gets to work on finding all the bobby pins used to secure the band to my head.
“They might as well have used staples,” Kara remarks, standing next to me watching Rosa work. “We should have spoken up when they brought this thing out of the box. It’s like something from the eighties.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered.” I lean back, feeling like a bowling ball has been lifted off my head now that the veil is gone.
“So what are you going to do now?” Rosa stuffs the veil in the box someone left in the room.
“Nothing.” I sigh. “I’m going get dressed, go out there and eat whatever meal my uncle and his cohorts have put together for this thing, then I’m going to do whatever I can to be sure I see Tommy.
Uncle Vicente assured me he hasn’t moved Tommy.
I should be able to have access to him as soon as I get to Chicago. ”
“Do the Volkovs know about him?” Kara pulls the dress from the hanger on the door.
It’s a simple cream, ankle-length gown. No beading or frills. Just satin material with a light overlay of lace that flares at my hips. Best part, it’s comfortable.
“About Tommy? Not that I know of. Seeing how things have turned out, Tony being the asshole that he was and hiding away his own son was probably a saving grace.”
Tommy’s mother died last year from an aggressive form of breast cancer, too far along to treat as it had already metastasized.
My brother’s first instinct was to let the government take over and put his son in the foster care system.
I’d never been so relieved when he finally caved and agreed to let his full-time aide remain with him in the house he’d been living in with his mother.
All Tony had to do was pay the bills and be on call if there was an emergency that required parental involvement.
“Do you think you’ll still be leaving on Wednesday?” Rosa tucks a loose curl back into place and pins it down with a bobby-pin.
“That’s what Uncle Vicente said this morning. They’re supposed to be meeting tomorrow for something.”
“Okay, so while he’s off doing whatever he’s doing, we’ll come over. We can get lunch, charge it to his room, or we can go shopping. I’m sure you’ll have access to his credit cards now, right?” Kara’s eyes glimmer at the idea of uncontrolled shopping.
I laugh. “That sounds amazing. This place has a whole salon. We’ll get facials and massages. The whole nine yards.” I grin at her through the mirror.
“It’s a date. Now, let’s get this pretty thing on you so we can go eat. I’m starved. I was so nervous this morning I didn’t eat anything.” Kara waves the dress at me.
“You were nervous?” Rosa deadpans. “You’re not the one going to bed with the enemy tonight.”
“She already went to bed with the enemy, and at least that’s one thing going for him, right. You said he knew his way around—”
“Okay, that’s enough.” I put my hands up in the air. “I know what I said, but that was before I knew who he was, before he knew who I was. When I tell you the devil himself overtook that man’s body when he saw me walking down that aisle toward him, I’m not exaggerating.”
“He was probably just shocked.” Rosa uncorks the champagne and pours three glasses.
“You said he had to have known,” Kara reminds me.
“Well, maybe he didn’t, if he looked surprised.”
“He sounded surprised. And angry.” A shiver drags down my back at the memory of the darkness swirling in his eyes when he realized it was me. “So angry.”
“Well, maybe he’s had time to cool off. Seeing as he’s already abandoned you.” Kara zips up the dress and puts the final hook in place. “This dress is amazing on you. He’s gonna wish he’d been here for the whole night.”
I check the mirror and run my hands over my hips. It’s my wedding day. Shouldn’t it be filled with love and excitement?
All I feel is dread.
Did he know who I was last night? Have I made a complete fool out of myself?
And those vows. Does he actually believe I’m going to subjugate myself to him for the rest of my life?
It may be a necessary evil until I find a way to get Tommy under my permanent care, but once that happens, marriage contracts be dammed. I’ll find a way out of this mess.
A harsh knock on the door makes me jump. Kara rolls her eyes at me, then opens it a crack.
“Is she in here?” Uncle Vicente’s question sets my nerve endings on fire.
I’ve done what he demanded, and yet he still holds me in the least regard imaginable. If having to marry Kaz lets me move thousands of miles away from him and the rest of this ‘family,’ I can handle his cold demeanor.
“I’m here.” I gently nudge Kara away from the door and open it more.
His gaze scrapes over me with pointed scrutiny.
“They’re serving the food. You need to get back into your position.” His bushy eyebrows spasm. “It’s bad enough the groom isn’t here; the bride should at least be present.”
“You say that like it’s my fault he isn’t here.” I roll my shoulders back.
“Isn’t it?” His lips pucker like he’s just eaten something sour. “You must have done something, said something to make him ignore his own wedding reception.”
“I didn’t say anything to him. We barely had a chance to have a conversation before he dumped me on his men and walked off.” I don’t know why I try to defend myself. No one ever takes what I say as truth.
Me, a mere woman, could never be trusted with anything so important as the truth.
“You better not mess things up, Sienna. Marco told me, often, of your brazen behavior, how you would fight him at every turn. If you ruin this peace it’s not only me who will be disappointed.”
“Who else do I have to answer to?” I ask.
“Don’t be smart.”
“It’s an honest question.” Not entirely. I’m not as obtuse as the men in this family would like to believe.
Our family is not the most powerful, a fact which caused more than one bruise to Marco’s already infected and inflamed ego.
Before he goes back to Italy, my uncle must put someone in Marco’s place and make not only peace with the Volkovs but with others in the Italian mafia that this whole debacle has caused trouble for.
“Get to the table and don’t fuck this up.” He works his jaw from one side to the other, then disappears from the doorway.
“Well, isn’t he a joy,” Rosa says from behind us.
“You’ve told us what a jerk he is, but wow, he’s on an entirely different level. Marco must have learned his good manners from him.” Kara shuts the door.
I sigh, letting my shoulders drop. “If my father had lived, Marco might have been a different man.”
“If Marco had been given a soul at birth, he might have been a different man. But he wasn’t.” Kara rubs my back. “What do you need? How can we make today better?”
I laugh. “Better? You mean getting married to a man who obviously hates me isn’t the best way to spend the day?”
“Now, there’s that smartass thing your uncle just warned about.” Kara puts her hands on her hips and flashes me a mock motherly look, which only makes me laugh harder.
“Okay, okay. Let’s just get back out there. The sooner we get this part over with, the sooner I can crawl under the covers and dream about being anywhere but here.”
On the way back to the platform where my table for two awaits, Kara stops a waitress and asks her to bring a third chair and place setting.
“I’m not letting you sit up there all alone. If his attempt was to humiliate you, he’s not going to win.” Kara links arms with me on one side and Rosa grabs the other and three of us squeeze up to the intimate table together.
“Your uncle keeps looking at us,” Rosa says as the last of the dinner dishes are cleared away from our table.
“Let him.” Kara pours the last of the champagne into her glass. “We need more. I’ll be back.”
“She’s the only one drinking it.” Rosa shakes her head as we watch her jump down from the platform and wave the empty bottle at a bartender.
A hush spreads across the room.
“What’s going on?” Rosa leans over me to follow the glances of the guests who are turning toward the double doors.
“Look who decided to show up.”