Page 94 of Ruined in Vows

“Breathe,” Mamma soothes.

I inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Then repeat again. And again. Never stopping, until I finally feel a little calmer.

Sucking in a breath, I rush out. “I don’t think I can do this.”

Mamma nods, like she expected this. “Then we go back to the hotel. Your brother will have to find another way.”

My blood turns to ice at the reminder of why I am doing this. I open my mouth to tell her that no, I have to go through with this, when I notice Gio driving straight past the church and turning down a side street.

“Where are you going? You missed the church,” I point out, though I am sure he is fully aware.

“We aren’t going to the church,” Dario answers coolly.

“What? What the hell is going on? We need to go back,” I snap, releasing my seatbelt and wriggling forward in my seat, only to be pulled back by Alessio and the seatbelt reattached. My glare snaps to him, annoyance slithering through my veins. “Take me to that church. Nico is there. If I don’t show up, there will be a war,” I seethe.

“No,” Alessio states simply.

“What is going on Alessio?” Mamma demands, confusion lacing her tone and I’m glad to know she is just as bewildered as I am.

He turns to Mamma, his face a cool, blank, mask. I would be scared had his eyes not softened slightly when he looked at her. It’s at that moment I know he won’t hurt us. But still. Something is going on, and I want to know what it is.

“Nothing sweetheart. Just relax and trust me.”

She scoffs. “Trust you? That’s kind of hard to do when you three have all but abducted me and my daughter. Is my son aware of what is going on? Or are you all traitors?”

Hurt flashes in Alessio’s eyes but he blinks it away.

Without giving us answers, he faces the front.

A cell phone rings.

My eyes snap to Dario when he fishes his phone out of his pocket and brings it to his ear.

Fear ices my veins at his cold tone when he speaks, and I freeze.

“Yes sir. We have the package.”

Chapter 54

Dante

Sitting in the back of the blacked-out SUV, I listen to Nico’s low rumble through the earpiece as he welcomes guests at the front of the church. There is an army of guards checking for weapons and even a metal detector set up at the entrance to ensure no one brings in anything they shouldn’t.

Leo and Enzo sit up front, arguing about some shit that I can’t even bring myself to fake interest in, so I ignore them, keeping my focus on my brother-in-law instead.

Tuning the assholes in the front out, I listen intently when Nico speaks a name that has the rage in my veins surging.

“Riccardo,” he greets tightly. And even though I can’t see him, I know he is clenching his jaw.

“Nico,” Riccardo responds coolly. “You know, I have been looking forward to this day. Counting down the minutes even.” His tone is smug with a hint of amusement, as if he is baiting him. From his next words, I know that is exactly his intention. He lowers his voice, but I hear it clearly. “I am going to fucking take every inch of your sister until I own her fully. And when she has no more left to give, I am going to take even more. I will mold her into my perfect little fuck doll, to speak only when spoken to, to spread her legs when I demand.” My fists ball,chest heaves, with every vile word out of his mouth. “She will be nothing but a womb to carry my heirs. A pussy to serve only me. And I will take her over and over no matter how much she begs me to stop. By the time I am done with your little sister, you won’t fucking recognize her,” he finishes sardonically.

My body shakes with the effort it takes to stay in this SUV and not go put a bullet in the mother fucker’s head right now.

“You’re a fucking piece of shit, Romano. And I promise you now, you will get everything you deserve coming to you,” Nico growls out.

A bark of laughter filters through the earpiece and from the mocking sound of it, it’s Riccardo. The asshole speaks again, a cruel lilt in his tone. “Not before your sister gets everything that is coming toher. She will be nothing but a broken whore by the time I’m done with her.”

The sound of a scuffle hits my ears, then a voice I know to be Matteo barks out.

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