Andreas’s face twists in hatred as he glares up at Damiano. “Lucy deserves everything she got. That twisted bitch is frigid, and she’s a conniving little spy as well. Don’t you dare touch me. I’m a Montoni. My cousin is going to kill—”
Damiano’s expression darkened the moment he heard,Lucy deserves everything she got. He aims between Andreas’s eyes and pulls the trigger. At point-blank range, Andreas’s blood spatters all over Damiano’s face, hands, and chest. My bridegroom slumps to the ground, dead. Blood pools around his head and drips slowly from the altar steps.
People scream. Some of them try to get a better look, while others rush for the doors at the back of the church.
Damiano pulls me into his arms. His handsome face is spattered with blood. He kisses me hard—desperate, possessive kisses that devour me.
Four years ago, Damiano pulled away from me in horror when he realized that a roomful of people were watching him kiss me. Today, in front of this congregation, his only purpose is me.
He speaks his vows with more ferocious intent than any groom has at the altar of this church. “No one is ever taking you from me, Lucy. You’re mine, now and forever.”
Even if we only survive for another few minutes, at least I’ll die belonging to the man I love.
Damiano Barone is everything I’ve ever wanted, and now he’s mine.
“I love you,” I confess, desperately holding him back.
“I love you, too. I always have.” Damiano kisses me one more time, thrilling me down to my toes. “Come on. I’m getting you out of here.”
Before I flee with Damiano, I turn to Andreas’s corpse. I feel vindictive spark or pleasure as I meet my would-be rapist’s dead, staring eyes. I pull the engagement ring off my finger and toss it toward his body. “You can have this back. I never wanted it in the first place.”
Damiano seizes my hand, and we dash through the mayhem toward a side exit. I stumble in my heavy, cumbersome dress, so Damiano lifts me up in his arms and carries me out of the church into the sunshine.
He looks around for a moment, and then Antonio appears and holds out a set of keys. “Take my car. Don’t get killed.”
I seize the keys gratefully from Damiano’s soldier and thank him. Damiano swiftly carries me to Antonio’s Mercedes and bundles me into the back seat.
As soon as he gets into the driver’s seat, he guns the engine, and we shoot off down the street.
My heart is pounding with exhilaration over what we just did, but my tight dress is choking the life out of me.
“Screw this dress.” I fight to get it off as we drive, but Mom’s horrible choice is tormenting me even now. The corset laces are trying to strangle me. Finally, I manage to undo the laces and pull the bodice down, and I sit there, semi-free and panting. After taking a moment to recover my strength, I wriggle out of the skirt and kick the whole monstrosity into the corner.
Damiano has been watching my struggles in the rearview mirror, and when he sees me in just my lingerie, he shrugs out of his suit jacket and passes it back to me. I drape it over my shoulders and clamber into the passenger seat beside him.
I push my hair out of my slightly sweaty face, and pant, “Where are we going? Are we going on the lam?”
Damiano’s fingers flex on the wheel, and his eyes narrow. “Why should we run? This is our city, and we haven’t done anything wrong. It felt pretty fucking great to fight for you, my love. Now I have you, I want to keep fighting.”
Trepidation floods my chest. “You want to stay in Malus?”
“I do.”
“We could die.”
“Not if I kill all our enemies first.” He reaches for my hand and holds my palm to his lips, pressing a kiss there. “I was cautious before, and I almost lost you. I won’t hide you away like I’m ashamed of us, and I won’t run and be hunted down like an animal. We stand andfight.”
My heart flutters with excitement. Damiano’s strength inspires me, but I’m not ready to throw caution to the wind. “Dad is going to come to his senses and be so angry with us. Cristiano Montoni is probably going to demand revenge.”
“Dad has been publicly shamed for trying to marry his daughter to a rapist. You saw to that, Lucy. I hate that I didn’t know until today what that piece of shit tried to do to you, but I understand why you waited until you were standing at the altar. Cristiano can choose to start a war with the Barones over a traitorous cousin if he wishes, but I don’t think he will, at least not once he’s had the chance to calm down. What you did today was brilliant.”
My heart swells with gratitude and pride. No one but Damiano ever has any words of love and praise for me. I squeeze his hand and whisper, “Thank you for believing me. Thank you for defending me.”
He glances at me while he drives. “Are you crazy? Of course I believed you. Of course I defended you.” He hesitates, and then asks, “I have to know. What did Andreas do to you?”
I hold his hand in my lap and caress his fingers. “It was awful, but he didn’t manage to do much to me. I was scared and panicking, and that was the worst of it, to feel so helpless. Until I remembered some self-defense my kickboxing trainer taught me. Then I managed to fling him off me and run away.”
“All by yourself?” he asks. When I nod, he groans and squeezes my hand. “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there to kill him on the spot, but I’m so proud of my magnificent Lucy.”
