Page 99 of Cardinal

Turning his head around, he looked at some of the guards approaching us. "String them to the back of my car, and make sure they're secure and won't fall off midway. I'm going to need a small team to follow me to the docks as well." He told them, earning nods and 'yes, sir' in response from them before the beaten men were dragged away.

"Well, folks, I hope you enjoyed tonight's events, and I hope to see some of your faces at the next event. If not, then, well, you probably deserved it." The emcee's twisted laugh blared at the speakers, sending worried murmurs over the crowd who remained rooted in their seats as Luciano and I took our leave along with the other Syndicate members.

And much to my slight surprise, the men were chained to the back of Luciano's car when we approached it. "Hey, since we're going on a honeymoon and like wedding presents and stuff, can I—"

Luciano tersely cut me off with a flat glare. "No, you cannot get another car."

"Wha!? Why? And I wasn't even going to ask for a car!" Okay, I totally was, but I didn't want to admit to him that he read me like an open book.

"Principessa, I've seen your browsing history, and you're not exactly secretive about keeping your computer screen covered. So, no car, no motorcycle." Luciano deadpanned as he opened the car door for me.

"Ugh." Rolling my eyes, I grumbled my displeasure under my breath with my arms crossed while plopping into the passenger seat.

"Keep rolling your eyes, and I'll really give you a reason to roll them tonight." He sneered with a soft glare, shutting the door right as I stuck my tongue out at him.

A whoosh of cold air filled the car with his door opening, and the car bounced slightly with his heavy body climbing in. "Keep acting like a little brat, and you won't be able to enjoy this honeymoon because you'll be too delirious in bed and unable to move from it because of how sore I'm gonna make you. And the only time you'll feel the sun and get some fresh air is when I tie you to the deck or railing to fuck and fill you before throwing you back in bed with a dildo shoved so far up your ass and cunt that you'll come from just being filled."

Oh shit.

A fantasy come true? Fuck yeah, but also kinda terrifying because, holy shit, I would be driven insane if he was remotely serious about any of what he said. Not gonna lie, a big part of me wanted to push his buttons to see how serious he'd go with his words, but the reasonable side of me knew better than to test him because he would probably end up doing much worse than what he threatened.

Without warning, his hand shot across to my side, grabbing me by my neck and making me flinch. "So, are you going to behave? Or am I going to have to unpack the ropes and cuffs first thing when we get on the boat?" His playfully narrowed eyes and smug smirk dared me to challenge him, and maybe if this were some other time, then I might've taken the bait. Too bad for him; I actually wanted to enjoy a little vacation time before university started.

Smirking in return, I reached out and patted his cheek mockingly. "Try harder next time, babe." I teased through gritted teeth before prying his hand off my neck with an exaggerated smile to goad him.

As I turned around to put my seat belt on, I squealed and laughed when I felt the back of my neck being grabbed and squeezed. A harsh jerk spun my body back around, and my lips crashed against Luciano's growling ones that sent heated waves of arousal throughout my body. "Oh, something is harder, alright." He muttered against my lips with a smirk.

"Luca!" I gasped in mock surprise, playfully slapping his chest. "We have people to kill, and the night's not young still. So, drive." I chuckled softly while turning the car on. "And drive fast."

"Whatever my wife wants."

In a hair of a second, the car roared to life the moment Luciano stomped down on the pedal. A squeal of excitement erupted from me as I slammed back against my seat from the car's sudden acceleration that sent it flying down the streets.

"Best husband ever!"

Chapter 48

Luciano

"Sweetheart, that's enough chum in the water."

We were also out of chum.

"It's a feeding frenzy already." I pointed out the violent waters to her as dorsal fins broke the churning surface. "The men are nicely skinned and ready to be shredded, too," I informed her, looking back at the huddled men who were bleeding from the skinned part of their bodies.

They looked crude, if I had to say so myself. The anatomical pictures in college textbooks were how they looked right now, the ones that would show all the muscles. Well, they didn't look that naked, but close enough. Pretty sure Juliet was a little disappointed that I couldn't make them look textbook perfect, but she got over it rather quickly once I handed her the chum bucket and told her to bring the sharks in.

Squealing with delight, she clapped her hands together. "I know, it's gonna be so fun!" Fear raced at my heart when she bounced around giddily. I feared her slipping and somehow falling over the rails into the shark-infested water. "Throw them in already." She demanded, pulling impatiently at my arm.

Fairly amused by her enthusiasm, I wrapped my arms around her and trapped her energetic body against mine. "Patience, principessa, they're not going anywhere but the water in a second." The bastards could beg and plead all they wanted, but their fate wouldn't change.

Dragging her over to a chair, I forced her to sit down with me, holding her firm in my lap as I signaled for my men to start chucking the men overboard to their watery graves.

Shifting around in my lap, Juliet sat herself sideways on me with her arms around my neck. "Best marriage present ever." She giggled, grinning happily up at me. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Cracking a mindless smile of my own, I leaned down and kissed her longingly. "You don't have to, sweetheart. I see it every time you look at me." Words would never fully express our love for each other either way.

I meant my words, though, Juliet never has to say anything because every time I looked into her eyes, I could see the depth of her immense affection for me. And she might say otherwise at times, but there's no hiding the truth from her eyes. I'd never tire of the way her eyes light up in my presence, the way they'd sparkle and shine with such amazement and adoration. Then, the goofy smile that always made its way to her face before she'd forcefully hide it once she caught herself. Everything about Juliet was a wonder and blessing to me.

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