Page 35 of Vendetta

“Rosie, it’s going to be okay.”

Gripping the neck of my silk robe closed, I turned to her. She couldn’t save me from this. She was trying to offer support, but I needed a moment to breathe. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go get my dress.”

“Your dress is…” Claudia’s words trailed off as I rushed out of the room.

It was a stupid excuse. My dress was probably hanging in the changing area that I’d just left behind. Which was almost certainly what Claudia was trying to tell me when I so rudely ducked out on her.

I pushed through the double doors into the hallway. Cruz was standing, head cocked, and eyebrow raised in question.

“Ugh!” Was there nowhere private in this whole place? I grumbled and marched away, holding my robe closed.

I stopped abruptly and spun around. Cruz was following close behind and just barely avoided running into me. “Bodyguard. Where’s my room?”

I prayed someone had been considerate enough to book a hotel room for me, even if I did spend the entire day at the spa. I didn’t want to think about the honeymoon suite where I’d be expected to spend the night. It was probably in one of those beautiful bungalows down on the water. Which would’ve been perfect if I wasn’t expected to share it with the dirty laundry pack.

“Right this way,” he smirked, leading me through the quiet halls.

Thank god for small favors. My shoulders sagged with relief. I just needed a moment of quiet solitude.

Cruz unlocked the door and handed me the key card when I brushed past him. His sandalwood and amber scent wafted over me, calming my racing heart a fraction.

Fucking fuck.

Where does he get off affecting me like that?

Everything in the room glowed a mellow pink in the fading light from the huge windows. The corner of my bag peeked out from behind the bed, but it was moving. A rustling of fabric drew me further into the hall where I found Lorenzo hunched over in his polyester tuxedo, rummaging through my luggage.

“Isn’t it bad luck to see a bride before the wedding?” I asked with exactly as much venom as intended.

He paused his pillaging, eyes trailing over my body in a sickeningly slow perusal, leaving a greasy trail of filth in its wake. I didn’t want him looking at me in this tiny robe any more than I wanted him going through my things.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t think you’d be here, but now I’m glad I came,” he said, straightening from his position bent over my suitcase.

“What are you doing in my room, Lorenzo?” My eyes darted around, trying to figure out what nefarious scheme he was hatching.

The bathroom light was on, and my bottles of suppressants and scent-blockers were on the counter. My eyes narrowed, and I leaned in through the door for a closer look. The bottles were empty, and the toilet was running like it’d been recently flushed.

“What did you do?” I snarled, running back into the bedroom.

A smile danced in Lorenzo’s skid mark colored eyes. “You won’t need any of that garbage anymore. Not when you’re mine. Quite the opposite, actually. I was just making sure it was all disposed of before your luggage was moved to the honeymoon suite.”

“What right do you have to take that choice from me?” I squared up to him, puffing my chest out in rebellion.

“I’ll be your husband and pack alpha. That’s what right I have. You need to check your attitude. Or maybe you need some manners beaten into your entitled ass.” The back of his hand came flying through the air, smacking me in the face.

My vision blurred, and for a moment, I was stunned, but I wasn’t going to take that shit from him, or anyone. I lunged for the ceramic lamp on the nightstand, curling my fist over the neck and swinging it around, smashing it against his head. He never saw it coming and didn’t even attempt to block it, but his arm was in motion, and before I had a chance to react, his palm made contact with my cheek again, harder this time, knocking my head sideways. I crumpled to the floor, my ears ringing and black spots flecking my vision.

A crash splintered the air behind me, and a blur of movement caught me off guard. There was no time to react. Cruz had Lorenzo pinned by the throat against the wall. His beady little eyes bugged out as he gasped for air.

“Did you think my position as her bodyguard was an empty title? I don’t mind showing you your error, in excruciating detail,” Cruz snarled in Lorenzo’s face.

That was the last thing I heard before I dragged myself off the floor. Clutching the front of my robe, I dashed out of the room, my ears still ringing from the impact. That little fuck hit me. There was no way I was marrying him or joining his pack.

Fuck my dad. He’d have to find another way to deal with the Morenos because this was not happening.

How dare he fuck with my bodily autonomy? I blinked back the unwelcome pooling of tears in my eyes.

What the fuck?