Page 11 of Curse of the Bride Assassin

I hate to see him this unsettled and upset. All because of his usurper uncle. Now I’m doubly motivated to kill that bastard. For some crazy reason, the thought of this charismatic, handsome man being betrayed makes me straight upstabby.

“Vincenzo?”

“I’m sorry, beautiful. I’m so angry. How can my own family do this to me? He tried to kill me…to do away everything I worked for —my birthright.Threaten my wife.”

He growls the last part, as if the idea of someone threatening me is the worst of all his uncle’s offenses. If only he knew what I do for a living. Someone simply threatening me would be a light day.

“I’m not your wife yet,” I remind him.

“Doesn’t matter. You’re mine. That’s what counts.”

If someone like Favian said that to me, I would wring their neck. I’m not into the whole alpha male, beat my chest bullshit. But to my surprise, it feels okay coming from him. It feels right.

I must be nervous about having to keep a cover. Or hungry because I haven’t eaten yet. That has to be it. There’s no way I’m developing feelings for this man. Feelings can’t happen right now. I have to get my mother back.

He takes my free hand and holds it while he drives. The rest of the ride is silent, but it’s a different kind of silence—a comfortable one. His house is nothing like I expected. While it’s still ritzy and Hamptons-worthy, it’s more of a beach bungalow than a mansion. The bushes and flowers in the front garden beds give it a homey feel.

He presses a series of numbers on a security pad on the door, then a biometric reader takes his finger print. When he leads me in, he immediately shuts the door, then activates multiple security programs from his phone. The whole process is high tech, but something still feels off.

He turns the lights on, and we conduct a full sweep of the house. I walk behind him as he clears every room, secretly checking every nook and cranny to make sure we’re safe.

The house is elegant, yet understated. Simplistic. Vincenzo leads me to a living room, and sits in an oversized armchair, pulling me into his lap. The move is unexpected. I’ve never been the type to want to sit on a man’s lap. He peers into my eyes, and kisses my forehead—another tender move that throws me off kilter.

Get your shit together, Delilah!

“We’re finally safe,” he exhales. “Want to watch a movie to pass the time? I have a few streaming services to choose from.”

Despite his confidence and ability to relax, I’m not convinced. There’s a deep unsettling in my gut, like before. Like a stomach ache that won’t go away. This mess of feelings inside me has to be my banshee senses kicking in. There’s no other explanation for why I feel so weird.

The best I can do though is stay vigilant. Hopefully we can go back to the city soon and I can find my mom.

“Yeah sure. How about a comedy?”

5

VINCENZO

Ican’t believeUncleMario betrayed me like this. My father passed away when I was twelve—too young and inexperienced to lead a notorious mafia gang. For years, I’ve trusted him to take the helm of the family while I grew, trained, and educated myself on how to become a leader. On how to hold the delicate balance of this city in my hands.

But instead, he plotted against me and bided his time until the right moment came along. Dana being with me puts a target on her back, but it’s too late. They know about her, and now he’s after both of us. This whole situation put my fated mate in danger, and I have to keep her safe.

I can’t lose her now that I’ve finally found her.

But how do I know who’s loyal to me, aside from my inner circle? I’ve been thinking about it since we left the safe house, mulling over all the details and trying to come up with a way I can identify and weed out any traitors.

“Your home is beautiful, Vincenzo,” she compliments me while shifting slightly on my lap.

Her ass rubbing against my groin is pure torture. Knowing my fated mate is so close, with only thin layers of clothingbetween us, yet so far away is so torture. I’d like nothing more than to hike the skirt of her dress up, unbuckle my pants, and take her here and now. Claim her as my own so the whole world knows she’s mine.

But first I have to explain to her what’s happening because I don’t think she knows I’m her fated mate. Or maybe she does, and she hasn’t said anything yet. Maybe she’s waiting for me to broach the topic. I barely know this woman, but I know enough about her to be certain she’s not the type to wait for me to lead.

I saw how she took charge in asking Benito questions. She’s a strong woman, and I can use someone like her in my life. Some men want a doll—but I would rather have a partner. Someone I can lean on, who actually contributes something to this union. And with her brains, beauty, and personality, I have the feeling she’ll keep giving in spades.

But none of that matters if I can’t keep her safe. Once Uncle Mario is in a wooden box six feet underground, I’ll tell her everything. We’ll claim each other as mates, get married and start our new lives together without secrets or drama.

“Vincenzo?” She snaps me out of my thoughts as she rests her head on my chest.

“Thank you, beautiful. I hope you’re ready for summers in the Hamptons.” I use the remote on the table to open the retractable blinds on the glass sliding door, and even though it’s dark out, the moon shimmering on the ocean illuminates the view enough for her. “Days barbequing on our own private beach, soaking up the sun.”

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