My stomach rolls, and without thinking twice, I run for the front door.
I don’t even hear Adriano move, but when I glance over my shoulder, his arm hooks around me. Yanked sideways, my feet leave the floor, and somehow in this frightening moment, I notice how the fabric of the wedding dress wooshes through the air.
My mouth opens, but no sound comes out as he carries me effortlessly to the couches where I’m slammed down on the soft cushions.
When Adriano crouches over me like a predator and his hand clamps around my throat, I cry, “Oh God! Please! Shit. Don’t kill me.”
“Stop!” he snaps, his voice harsh and commanding.
A shaky sound slips from me as I stare into his dark eyes.
He leans closer, his expression unreadable, and when his lips ghost over my jaw and up to my temple, my heart all but stops dead in my chest.
“I’m not going to hurt or kill you. That’s the last thing I’ll ever do,mia piccola farfalla. But you need to calm down so I can explain a couple of things to you.” His mouth moves to my ear, and goosebumps erupt over my body. “Shh… settle down.” I feel his breath on the sensitive skin of my neck. “I don’t want to destroy you.” Lifting his head, he takes my wide eyes captive.“I’m fucking obsessed with you, Laurie. I want to own every single part of you.”
He’s giving me the same vibes as Joe fromYou.The psychopath who stalked women, became obsessed with them, then ended up killing them.
I guess I should take some comfort in the fact that Adriano married me, because he’ll be the main suspect by default if the police find chopped up pieces of me scattered all over Long Island.
My voice is scratchy when I say, “Y-you sound a little insane right now.”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “That’s because I can’t think rationally when it comes to you. There’s this overwhelming need to keep you close, to consume every part of you, to own all your smiles and tears…” He shakes his head slowly, looking at me like I’m something sacred he wants to ruin and worship at the same time. “You’ve possessed me, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to take you from me.”
For a woman who’s spent her whole life being ignored and walked over, I have no idea how to deal with this volatile situation.
No one has ever looked at me as if their world would end if I disappeared.
Okay, Laurie. Panicking, begging, and running aren’t cutting it. Change tactics.
My hand trembles as I lift it to place my palm against his jaw, and feeling the rough bristles makes unwanted tingles shoot up my arm.
“Okay.” I catch my breath and force a smile to my face, hoping he buys I’m done fighting him.
Set him at ease.
Lifting my head, I hesitate for a split second before I press a kiss to his mouth. When I pull back, Adriano’s features soften and the crazy-dangerous look in his eyes retreats.
“Let’s talk.” He hauls me into a sitting position before slumping against the back of the couch and letting out a sigh.
I move slowly, scooting an inch away while my eyes remain glued to him.
Adriano sits still for a moment before he gets up and walks to a black marble-topped liquor cabinet on the far right side of the living room.
My gaze latches onto the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants, and it makes a shiver crawl up my spine.
He pours two tumblers of amber liquid before returning and handing one to me.
“Drink. It will help settle your emotions,” he orders, and instead of sitting down, he goes to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the view of the garden exquisite.
I take a sip, but the alcohol is way too potent, and I set the tumbler down on the coffee table.
“I’m one of five capos in the Cosa Nostra.” His voice rumbles like thunder, and turning around to look at me, he asks, “Do you know anything about mafia or organized crime?”
Swallowing hard, I shake my head. “Only what I’ve seen in documentaries and movies.”
“The Cosa Nostra consists of five families. Rizzo, Falco, La Rosa, Torrisi, and Vitale. I’m the head of my family.”
That doesn’t explain much to me except that there are more people like him I might have to worry about.
