5. Devina
Sitting at my vanity, I twist a curl between my fingers. Staring back at me is a woman I don’t recognize. Soft Copper curls frame my face. I’m wearing more makeup than usual, but Declan let me hire an artist, so it’s tastefully done. I look innocent. Pure. It’s perfect. No one would ever suspect me as someone who wants to drive a blade through a man’s throat and set him on fire.
I run my fingers along my sleeves.
My dress arrived yesterday in a box with a personalized note:
What my wife wants, my wife gets.
My initial reaction was to call the store and tell Penny she made a mistake, but I knew there wouldn’t be enough time to find another dress. How did he know this was the dress I wanted? God, I hope he’s not a stalker creep. The independent woman in me wanted to bitch about the audacity of this man. There was one single task I had control over – this dress, and he took control over that too. One more thing I didn’t get to choose for myself. I want to be annoyed, but I’m also in a perfect dress with perfect sleeves that make me feel like a beautiful woman who wasn’t maimed by flames.
A text comes through from Taylor.
Taylor: Break a leg today
Me: Will do
Taylor: Not another person’s. I just feel like I have to say that.
Me: haha. I know what you meant. Broken legs will come later.
Taylor: I assume you’ll be … busy … tonight. Touch base with me tomorrow so we can make some decisions.
Me: Gotcha
I can hear people bustle outside my door, but I know they aren’t here for me. Only Declan is here for me. While he believes these nuptials are the cure to maintaining the family business, most of our “family” isn’t too keen on being in the same building with who they believe is the enemy. They have no idea that I want more than anything to bring them down and plan to do just that.
Before revenge can be tasted, I need to confirm which Capo is at fault and win him over. It is easier to attack an opponent whose guard is down. And with my timeline, I have to put on the show of my life. It will be my last one, after all.
My lungs contract as the weight of today becomes heavy on me. The thought of walking into that room with everyone silently judging me brings on a wave of nerves I wasn’t expecting.
I wish Scarlet were here. She would be fixing my veil and giving me advice about pleasing my man. She was always more experienced than I was and after the fire, I had little to no desire or opportunity to meet a man. I didn’t just lose a sister that night. I lost a piece of my heart and right now, I am not mourning the girl who was taken under the cover of night, I am mourning the future that she will never have, the future I have to endure without her.
My mother died when I was three. Scarlet and I only knew her from photos. My father died the night of the fire. He was an abrasive man, just as evil as the man I am hunting, but I can’t help but imagine how different today would be if he were preparing to walk me down the aisle. If we were able to share in a dance.
But I quickly bat those images away, knowing I’m doing this for one reason. I have to stay focused. We have one shot, and I can’t afford to miss the target.
I place my hand on my chest breathing in, one, two three four… out one, two, three, four…
Not a moment later my door swings open and a man hurries inside. He keeps one hand on the knob and uses the other to close it swiftly but quietly. My eyes snap up and when he turns to face me, our eyes connect like magnets through the reflection in front of me. Eyes so dark, I could fall in and never hit bottom. He’s in a dark gray suit and white shirt. I can see the outline of something drawn on his chest and creeping out from the base of his right sleeve. Instinctively, I pull down on mine. His black straight hair, slightly longer in the front, falls over his forehead, perfectly framing his chiseled jaw. He’s about a foot taller than me, which makes him well over six feet. He is muscular, but not bulky. His gaze quickly shifts from uncertainty to pure desire as he seems to peer straight into my soul with intensity.
Fuck.