“Here’s the last of them,” Guglielmo said, stopping beside me as several of my men hurried the last bridesmaid and groomsman into the final bus. “You’re not worried about their phones recording the event?”
I adjusted my cuff. Dio, these monkey suits were unbearable. How men wore them to do battle in a boardroom was beyond me.
“I have someone to take care of that. They’ve all been remotely cut off for the last ten minutes.” I tied the mask around the back of my head. It narrowed my field of vision, which I hated, but the disguise was still necessary.
The deviant chuckled. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Messina.”
“Likewise.” I clapped the hitman’s shoulders. At five foot nine, he was average height for an American, but a good eight inches shorter than me. I knew better than to take his slighter build for granted, however. “Are you going to take off that fucking stash now?”
“Might need it for a bit longer.” Guglielmo stroked the curled ends. “Maybe I should grow one for real.”
“Don’t.” I began to stalk back through the trees and up to the arch. On cue, Guglielmo changed the music but stayed back as I’d instructed.
From the hotel, an angelic cloud of ivory and sin began to descend the steps, leaning heavily on her father’s arm. I would have to jog to reach the arch before them. I waited, just for a moment.
Amanda’s beauty was captivating.
It would bring the most hardened soldier to his knees. It was a good thing I knew what she really was under that veil of lace. Temptation incarnate. A siren who lured men to their doom.
Not this time.
I didn’t miss the way she trembled.
Why is she shaking?
This was the kind of wedding dreams were made of. This was everything a social climber and high powered woman should want. Frowning, I watched as she paused to fluff her skirt, hiding the shake. No doubt she didn’t want her father to see her nerves. She did everything for that man. Every good grade, every extracurricular—accepting her fiancé’s terms. All of it was to make that slick bastard notice her.
Even now, draping off his arm, Loring didn’t spare her a glance. He would never be the focused, doting father she craved.
“She’s going to pass out,” I muttered. Guglielmo had told me she’d nearly fainted more than once this morning. When I asked if she’d eaten or drunk anything, the mercenary shook his head.
That wasn’t something I could fix right now. But soon….
As she righted herself, she flashed her father a smile. It was movie star classic. Her lips were painted a deviant shade of red. They would look incredible wrapped around my dick, but I doubted we’d reach that point tonight. A quick study of her face had my heart thumping hard. While she painted the picture of the perfect bride, ready to do her father’s bidding, her eyes told the haunting truth.
She wanted out. Not just of the wedding, but life.
Well…she should have been more careful what she wished for.
I hurried to my spot and put my back to the chairs. While I waited, my mind ran through the plan again. There were no weak points. The situation was perfectly crafted to force Loring’s hand.
She’s going to hate me.“She already does.”
I felt more than heard Loring’s shocked inhale as they rounded the bend. A smile spread across my lips. I wished I’d caught this part on camera.
The lawyer’s words were packed with disgust as he barked, “What have you done?”
“I didn’tdo it—” Amanda gasped.
Fear. That bitter, putrid sound was fear. Fuck him for making her sound that way.
I turned around and faced the miserable scum. “She didn’t. I did.”
This was how my enemy’s fall began. I savored the moment, drinking in the shock and horror at the end of the aisle.
Loring spat some nonsense. The man was delusional if he thought he was still in charge. I slid my hands into the pockets of the tailored slacks and watched him.
But it was Amanda who drew my attention.
