So when Gabriel tugs on my hand once more, I follow him out of the church and into our new lives together.
Luca
It takes hours of research and having my men dig around but we eventually figure out which church Gabriel is taking Susanna to.
To be married. To screw me over. To win.
I cannot stand for that.
Alek and Dimitri are with me as we storm inside the church. The priest is on the dais, rearranging things on the altar.
“Where is she?” Alek demands, storming forward. Susanna is like his daughter. The last thing he wants is to lose her to Gabriel of all people.
The priest startles. “Where is who?’
“Susanna Petrov,” Alek snarls. “Where is she? And where is Gabriel Amato?”
“They’re not here so there’s no point in trying to hurt me. I don’t know where they went.”
“So they were here?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Does that mean they got…married?” I spit the word out.
The priest looks me dead in the eye. “Yes. They did.”
“Fuck!” My shout echoes through the large cathedral.
“They already got married,” Alek says, running his hand over his face. “She’s gone. Susanna is gone.”
“No,” I growl. “We can still get her back. We can kill Gabriel and save Susanna. Simple as that.”
“But he can hold Susanna over our heads. Threaten to hurt her if we go after him.”
“So? Gabriel needs to die.”
Alek stares at me for a long moment. Dimitri stays out of it, since he knows this problem is between Alek and me.
“Susanna is like a daughter to me,” Alek says. “I care if she’s hurt.”
“Are you saying I don’t care?”
“I’m saying that I think you love Nina. Which I like since Nina is like a daughter to me as well. I think you want to protect her. But it also means that you don’t fully care what happens to Susanna as long as Nina is safe. You will do what you have to do to end Gabriel, even if it means Susanna is hurt in the process but Susanna is someone I love. And I will fight to get her back but I will also not do anything to risk her safety.”
“Gabriel needs to die. I will not let him use Susanna over us. I will not let him win.”
“And I will not let you put Susanna in harm’s way to make it happen.”
“Then I guess we’ll see what happens.”
Alek scoffs. “If you do this, Luca, then our alliance is over.”
“I am married to your daughter.”
“I will not let you harm either of my daughters. We will work through this together to find them. To find Gabriel and kill him without harming Susanna. It’s fair. Before we do anything rash. You know this, Luca. Let’s think things through first. Ok?”
I inhale and exhale slowly, knowing Alek is right. I can’t risk breaking up our alliance because Gabriel is getting under my skin. “Let’s just go. They’re not here anyway.”
