Chapter 5
Chapter Five
W edding day. She’s dressed in white, I’m in a tuxedo. I feel like a fool. I look like a fool. But what I do know is that my gun sits heavily in the holster under my jacket, ready to fire at any moment.
Cybil is escorted down the aisle to me, and I must admit that she looks gorgeous in the dress my father picked out for her. The thought alone makes me internally cringe, thinking about why he chose that one for her.
Her hand is placed in mine, and before we can even turn to the pastor, my father steps up.
“There’s a change in plans,” he announces, pulling his gun and aiming it at her father. Cybil’s mouth falls open as she looks between me and him.
“Which is?” I ask now.
“Who she’ll be marrying. When I thought this over, I knew you weren’t the best choice, Luciano. You’re … well, you’re you. You’re unhinged and would probably end up killing her before your honeymoon.” My jaw ticks as I look at him now.
“Who should she marry then?” I ask him. He turns his head and locks eyes with me for a brief second, but when he turns back to her father, I move. I pull my gun, aiming it at my father as the small crowd grows silent.
“What is going on?” her father yells as he looks between the two of us.
“Yes, what is going on? I knew you were plotting something, Father. I just didn’t know what. Now that you think you can have what’s rightfully mine, we have a situation,” I tell him.
“You didn’t want her! I need another son, Luciano. You’re a loose cannon. We can’t have that,” he shouts as I laugh.
“This isn’t going to end well for one of us then, is it?”
“Put the gun down, son. That’s all you need to do. We’ll find you a woman you actually like, not loathe.”
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind about her. Maybe I don’t see her as the enemy any longer.”
“But she is. She’s your enemy,” he roars as I laugh harder, darker. I move my hand, point the gun at her father, and pull the trigger before aiming it back at my father. He turns, stunned by what I’ve just done, and looks at me. His gun is now aimed at her, a twinkle in his eyes.
“You’re my enemy. You’re the reason we were out that day. The day she died,” I tell him. I remember it. The day we were sent out to the market and then it all makes sense. He wanted it to happen. He set her up. “You … you set it up, didn’t you?” I ask him.
“And if I did? She was no longer useful to me after Patty. She didn’t want more children, and you were so odd I knew you wouldn’t work out to take my place.”
“Work out to take your place? It’s ironic now, isn’t it? I’m going to kill you both and have it all,” I tell him. His gun moves quickly, aiming at me before we pull the trigger at the same time. Cybil moves so fast I barely see her coming when she knocks me to the ground. My father falls across from me, and when I look down at Cybil, I see the blood blooming on the front of her white dress.
“Fuck. What did you do, Kitten?” I hiss as I move around and lay her on the floor.
“I’m okay,” she says as I rip the bottom of her dress off and hike up the rest. I glance down and see that she’s right; it just grazed her.
“You’re going to be the death of me, aren’t you, Kitten?”