Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“Vito isn’t taking my calls,” he says. “But I have other friends who move in the right circles, and a little bird told me there’s a big wedding planned for today.”
“So?” Is Minerva a guest, or what?
Dante runs one finger over his already flawless tie. “So, the groom is Luca Bianchi.”
“Oh.” My hand flies to my chest. “Holy shit, no.”
“Who’s Luca Bianchi?” Violet asks.
“An asshole,” I growl. “Who can’t take a hint.”
“Minerva’s former fiancé by force. She refused to marry him, and Vito cut her off.” Dante stalks over to his desk. Volet’s eyes bulge, but he doesn’t seem to register her shock. “And wouldn’t you know it, this wedding they’re keeping under wraps? It’s to one of the Marino girls.”
I drop into one of the empty chairs and grip my head in my hands. “No, no, this is my fault. Luca was harassing her the other day, and I egged him on.”
“Did you hold a gun to his head and tell him to abduct Minnie? No? Then stop making this about you, when you were just trying to stake your claim. I’ve called around to get more information, and I want you involved. Of course, if you don’t intend to come with me…”
“I’m coming.” That’s not even a question.
“Guys, this is… this is insane.” Violet finally sets down the prototype on the corner of Dante’s desk. “Are you saying that Minerva was kidnapped and is being forced into an abusive marriage by her parents?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” is all Dante replies.
Violet clearly has more questions, but she’s cut off by the ringing of Dante’s phone.
It’s not his cell, but one of the landlines on his desk.
There are two, and I wonder if perhaps he’s got different numbers to differentiate between Venom business and, uh, his personal life.
Dante snaps up the receiver. “This better be good.”
I can hear a voice through the speaker, though I can’t make out words.
“Ah.” Dante sits back. “One moment, Alessandra.” He waves to Violet and me, gesturing for us to remain silent before tapping a button to set the phone to speaker. “Alright. What can I do for you?”
Violet catches my eye and tilts her head to the phone, clearly asking if I know who Alessandra is. I just shake my head.
“Vito doesn’t know I’m calling,” says a woman’s voice. It’s high and thin. She’s clearly terrified. “I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he is.”
“Stubborn and petty,” Dante supplies.
“You have to stop this. It’s not a wedding—it’s a prison sentence.”
I sit forward in the chair. Min never told me her mother’s name, but I can connect the dots.
Dante lifts one hand to me in warning. “Whose wedding?” he asks, as if we don’t already know.
“Minnie’s. Luca has Kepler. He’s using the ferret to force Minerva’s hand. If she doesn’t marry him, he’ll… he’ll kill it. Give it to her in pieces.”
My vision tunnels. Nobody touches what’s mine—not the girl, not the ferret, not the life she’s finally building.
Violet claps a hand over her mouth. Every vein in my body fires. I’m molten. Incandescent. If I had Luca at my mercy right now, I don’t know what I’d do. All I know is that I’d end his reign of terror.
“Where are they?” Dante asks.
“St. Bernadette’s. The chapel on the south side. It starts at eight. You have to hurry.”
I’m ready to sprint out the door. It’s past seven, and I know Vegas traffic.
But for some reason, Dante hesitates. “You don’t usually interfere with Vito’s decisions. Why are you telling me now?”
Alessandra hiccups. “Because… because she still calls me Mama. And I don’t deserve it.
And when I saw her at the gala, I knew. For the first time, my little girl was happy.
So I can do this. I can go against Vito one time.
But you need to help my family, Dante. Please.
If you care about your goddaughter at all… don’t let her end up like me.”
If she really wanted to go against her husband, she would have taken matters into her own hands.
I’m furious at her for letting this go so far.
Although if Vito’s the kind of man who would force his daughter to marry someone as sick as Luca Bianchi, who knows what he’s like with his wife?
Clearly, he uses women as pawns. And as a man who has a mom and sisters who love him, that doesn’t work for me.
“Make sure she gets away. Please.” Alessandra’s voice is thick. “Please.”
Dante slams the phone down in answer.
Violet grips the edge of the desk for support. “I can’t believe this is really happening. It’s like we’ve drifted back into the dark ages.”
A detached sense of calm steals over me.
I don’t know what rescuing her is going to entail.
I do know that I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.
“It makes sense. Min isn’t used to being able to count on anyone.
And Kepler is her baby. He’s her emotional support animal, all she had to help her through life with her family.
At least now, we know where she is, and I can prove she no longer has to go through life hyper-independent. I’ll be there for her.”
Dante opens a drawer of his desk and slips something into his pocket. “Me too, kid. Let’s go crash a wedding.”