Page 52 of Red Retaliation
The assembled crowd laughs, except for the hack. He doesn’t laugh, and neither will he after this.
Ever.
I glance at my brothers, their faces like thunder. For once, their ire is not aimed at Arianna. Whatever their thoughts and opinions are of my marriage, they areBatemansand don’t like anyone causing problems like Taylor is.
Pulling them up for their inexcusable stunt of putting Bristoni’s body in my office will happen later, but nowthistakes priority.
I give them a slight nod. It isn’t to anyone else, but they see it and knowexactlywhat it means.
Beaming, I pull Arianna even closer. “Now, ladies and gents, unless there’s anything else, my wife and I will take our leave to begin our celebrations.”
“A photograph of you both first, please, Mr Bateman?”
“Over here, Mr Bateman?”
“Mrs Bateman? Can you move forward so we can get the full effect of your beautiful dress?”
“Mr Bateman?”
I keep my smile fixed as the cameras flash and hope Arianna is doing likewise. Without waiting longer than needs be and with flashbulbs still going strong, I pull her in the direction of the door. I ignore the continuing questions as I won’t be answering another thing.
The story of our wedding, accompanying photographs, my comments and subsequent denouncement of Edoardo Bristoni’s statement, will hit the front page of the papers by tomorrow. Some might even make it into tonight’s late edition.
It will then be known that Bristoni lied about everything.
I stifle a chuckle, wondering if he’s yet worked out how he’ll conceal the lack of his son’s body to bury.
Either way, within twenty-four hours, Bristoni and Galvatore will get the news I need them to hear. Except it will now be an even better version than I’d hoped. Arianna is mine; everyone knows about the lies, and I havejust upped my game.
My face remains genial until the double doors close behind us, and it is then that I allow my abject fury to show.
Yep, the papers will be full of this by tomorrow, aside from the rag Harry Taylor works for. His attempt to throw the cat amongst the pigeons, along with his version of the story, will not see the light of day. His stunt has even pushed Tom Slater’s greedy hands further down the list.
All in all, Taylor has done me a favor, but that’s irrelevant. Unfortunately for him, his last sunrise has already occurred, and he won’t live to see another one.
CHAPTER
36
Arianna
MY LEGS ARE STILL SHAKING by the time we reach Red’s bedroom. I should rightly call it “ours” now, but that thought freaks me out. However, it doesn’t freak me out quite as much as what was said to the reporters.
Red unlocks the bedroom door and enters, not giving me a second look. Not that I expect him to.
Or do I?
I follow him into the room. “Why did you say all of that stuff about me and Roberto being separated? Edoardo will go crazy, as will Papà! You all but called Edoardo Bristoni a liar!”
Red turns, his eyes filled with rage. “I told you I’d expose them as the liars they are.”
“Yes, but saying me and Roberto had split! We could never have separated! You know it doesn’t work like that in our families. That’s why I had to...” My words tail off. I can’t bring myself to actually voice,“that’s why I had to kill him.”
Well, I didn’thaveto kill him. But then again, I did, unless I wanted to spend the rest of my days being treated like a slave and a whore.
“It’s done now, and it’ll garner the required effect.” Red pulls his hands from his pockets and glances at his watch as he paces the room.
I can’t figure him out. He turns hot and cold at a moment’s notice and I don’t know how to deal with it. On our way to the press conference, he was amiable - jovial even - but now he’s like a caged tiger: restless and coiled like a spring. It worries me. “What happens now?”
