Page 82 of Brutal Legacy

Georgia’s gaze was a punch to the gut.

“I do,” I murmured, never taking my eyes from hers.

“And do you, Georgia Conti, take this man, Elio Santori?—”

“She does,” I interrupted and waved the gun. “Hurry this along, Father.”

“Very well, I now pronounce you man and wife,” he hurriedly spit out.

He stepped back, and I reached for Georgia. Her eyes were red from crying. I brought her close and stroked away a line of tears dotting her cheek like jewels.

“Elio?” she whispered as I leaned in.

“You may kiss the bride.”

The priest’s words were the last I heard before I kissed her. Hard and unforgiving; my loss of control couldn’t do gentle right now. I didn’t know if I was capable of gentle at all, and yet, when I kissed her, I remembered for a moment — the boy I’d been. The man I’d dreamed of being one day… the family I’d longed to have.

Beneath the frozen river, currents still run.

Then sharp teeth sank into my lip, biting hard. Pain lanced through my mouth, and I released Georgia.

She stumbled back. Her hand came for my face, a hard arc. I let her hit me. The slap echoed across the church.

“You — you liar! I can’t believe you!” she cried.

I swallowed my response. I’d just kicked a hornet’s nest, and it was time to battle through the inevitable attack. But I didn’t have to do it here, with an audience.

“Come outside, we’ll talk,” I told her.

She shook her head, her incredulous eyes narrowing.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re — you’re an unfeeling, soulless… monster,” she spit at me.

“Maybe so, but now, I’m your God-given owner, and when I say we talk, we talk.” I bent at the waist and threw her over my shoulder. Ignoring her protests, I turned and carried her up the aisle.

“Auguri!” Renato called after me. Congratulations.

23

GEORGIA

We got around the side of the chapel before the maniac set me down.

My mercenary.

My husband.

The boy who broke my heart.

Elio Santori.

I knew it. I’d known it was him all along. Despite his denials, despite his damn eyes, I’d fucking known it, and I’d allowed him to lie to me to keep my sanity. Hell, wasn’t that why I’d lied to myself? Now, there was nowhere to hide.

I pushed his hands away as soon as he lowered me to the ground.

“Don’t touch me. You don’t have permission to touch me ever again!” I hissed at him, trying to inject cool, hard vitriol into my tone to mask the hurt and shock I was feeling.

He stared at me, a muscle clenching in his tight jaw.

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