His men are everywhere, standing sentinel around the walls, semi-automatics pointed at the gathered wedding guests. I have no idea how they managed to get past the heavy security my father personally oversaw, but they have. Then again, I’ve heard all the stories about Vincenzo Argenti, how he can walk through walls and turn invisible at will, so who knows? Perhaps he and his men did exactly that.
A deafening silence has fallen as he strolls calmly towards me, ignoring Carlo, the priest and the rest of the gathered guests as if they don’t exist.
‘Caterina Salvatore,’ he drawls, my name rolling off his tongue like fine wine. There’s a rough timbre to his voice and a chill that ices my blood. ‘A pretty name. But I think Caterina Argenti is even prettier.’
Caterina Argenti? What is he even talking about?
My thoughts reel about drunkenly then reality slowly adjusts itself. Vincenzo Argenti, the demon in the dark from the night Mama and Alessio died, is here, at my wedding. I remember him. He was with all the men with guns who came into our house, and he shoved me into a closet and locked the door. Then I heard the gunshots outside that killed my family. I was five.
To this day I don’t know why he didn’t kill me along with Mama and Alessio, but I was shut in that closet for a long time until someone found me. For years afterwards, I used to have nightmares about that closet, about him, and now he’s here, holding up my wedding at gunpoint. Is he back to finish the job? To wipe out the Salvatores once and for all? Gun me down in front of the altar and then kill all the guests too?
Beside me Carlos makes a soft sound, then backs away rapidly. The priest begins to say something, but the Wolf lifts one long-fingered, commanding hand and the priest decides not to say something after all.
My bouquet of calla lilies falls out of my nerveless fingers and onto the stone floor, scattering petals everywhere.
The Wolf doesn’t hesitate, walking straight up to me. Then he extends a hand. ‘Shall we?’ His silver eyes glitter and even the dusting of white at his temples doesn’t detract from the impact of his physical presence. He’s more frightening than anyone I have ever met, and I want to close my eyes, shut him out of my field of vision, pretend he’s not there.
But he is there. He most definitely is.
‘To be clear,’ he goes on, steel in the words. ‘That was not a request. That was an order.’
I’m too shocked to move, but this is happening, and slowly it penetrates what exactly ‘this’ is. His men are merely standing guard, not firing into the crowd, and he himself looks to be unarmed. He’s certainly not pointing a weapon in my direction. Which means…
It’s not a hit. It’s a kidnapping. And he’s kidnapping me.
When I don’t move immediately, he makes a gesture and abruptly two gunmen appear beside me as Carlo and the priest back frantically away. My father is on his feet and so are his allies and they’re all beginning to shout.
‘Silence!’ the Wolf thunders and a deathly quiet falls in the cathedral. He’s still looking directly at me.
And deep down inside me, a small flicker of anger ignites.
I already didn’t want to be here, and now the man of my nightmares is standing right there, making this terrible day even more terrible, and ordering me to do his bidding at gunpoint.
I’ve been ordered around by men my entire life and right now, right here, is the last straw. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of being my father’s pawn in his relentless quest for allies. I’m tired of having my duty explained to me every goddamn day. I’m tired of having the deaths of Mama and Alessio flung in my face and used to manipulate me.
Tired of never having choices of my own.
So I don’t move, merely lifting my chin instead, because at this point, I have nothing left to lose. ‘So you’re kidnapping me? Is that it?’
‘You catch on quick.’
‘Well,’ I say, scraping together the dregs of my courage and lifting my chin even higher. ‘Respectfully, I decline.’
His eyes glitter, and one side of his cruel mouth curves. ‘Respectfully or otherwise, your consent is not required.’ He lifts his hand again and the man beside me shoulders his gun, puts his hands on my waist.
I tense, cold with fear but unwilling to let the Wolf see that. ‘I see,’ I say, forcing as much disdain as I can into my voice. ‘Not strong enough to lift me yourself? Or are you not man enough? Which is it?’ Either way, I’m going to be some man’s property, so I might as well make it as hard for this particular man as possible.
Vincenzo Argenti’s smile doesn’t waver, but something leaps in his sharp silver eyes and it looks like amusement. ‘Interesting,’ he murmurs. ‘Well, I’ve never been one to resist a challenge.’
Then before I can move, he motions his soldier aside, puts his own hands on my waist, before hauling me up and over his shoulder. Then he turns around and stalks out of the church, with me screaming obscenities in his ear.
Chapter Two
Vincenzo
SHE’S A FIRECRACKER, I’ll give her that, squirming and wriggling about on my shoulder while she screams in my ear. I have to tighten my grip on her to stop her from falling, which would very much ruin the performance I’ve just given back there in the cathedral.
Kidnapping isn’t normally something I take a personal hand in—I leave that to my men—but this one was a special case and it required my presence.
