Page 122 of Savage Union
Father Alessandro beams with professional satisfaction, unaware of the undercurrents between us or the security concern developing by the entrance. "If anyone can show just cause why this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony," Father Alessandro continues with traditional formality, "speak now or forever hold your peace."
The standard phrasing—a ceremonial relic with no expected response.
Until a voice rings out from the back of the cathedral.
"I object!"
The shout echoes through the vaulted space, freezing the assembly in shock. Beside me, Caterina stiffens, her face draining of color as she turns toward the source.
I pivot, hand already reaching for the weapon concealed beneath my jacket, eyes searching for the intruder who dares interrupt the ceremony. Marco and Dante move in synchronized precision, weapons drawn, positioning themselves between us and the threat.
Standing in the center aisle, halfway to the altar, is a man I recognize instantly.
Liam Costello.
And he's looking at my wife with possession equal to my own.
CHAPTER 40
Rina
I know that voice.Even before I turn, I know.
Liam Costello stands in the center aisle, his tall frame impossibly out of place amid the sacred ceremony. His blue eyes burn with righteous fury, his face flushed with the particular rage of a man watching what he considers his property being claimed by another.
The cathedral erupts in controlled chaos—security personnel moving with practiced efficiency, weapons appearing from beneath jackets, Commission members ducking into pews. Beside me, Vito transforms instantly from bridegroom to predator, his body coiling with lethal intent.
"You dare," Vito says, the words soft yet carrying through the sudden silence. His hand moves beneath his jacket, emerging with a matte black pistol that looks obscenely wrong against his wedding attire.
Liam ignores him, his gaze fixed on me. "Tell them, Caterina," he calls, taking another step forward despite the half-dozen weapons now trained on him. "Tell them about our arrangement."
Time seems to slow as horror washes over me. My mother pulls Sofia behind her, Elena moves to shield them both, and Marco positions himself partly in front of Vito. But no one is protecting Liam from his own recklessness.
"This isn't the way," I manage, my voice sounding distant to my own ears. "Please go."
"Not without what's mine." Liam's expression hardens as he addresses the assembled crowd. "She promised herself to me. We had a deal—her hand in marriage in exchange for her father's death."
Murmurs ripple through the cathedral, Commission members exchanging glances, capos whispering urgently. The private arrangement Vito discovered last night is now explosively public.
"A deal made null when I killed her father," Vito states coldly. "When I claimed her as mine."
"You stole what wasn't yours to take," Liam counters, his Irish lilt more pronounced with emotion. "She belongs to me by her own word."
"She belongs to no one," I interject, finding my voice despite the terror coursing through me. "Least of all you."
Liam's expression shifts, hurt flashing briefly before hardening back to anger. "You came to me, Caterina. You asked for my help. And I would have given you everything."
"You would have given me another cage," I retort, the truth of it crystallizing as I speak. "Different bars, same prison."
Vito moves slightly, positioning himself more fully between me and Liam. The gesture is so instinctively protective it catches me off guard.
"You've said your piece, Costello," Vito states, his voice deadly calm. "Now leave while you still can."
"I'm not finished." Liam takes another step forward, reckless confidence in every movement.
"Liam, stop," I plead, seeing the growing danger in Vito's stance, in the hardening of his expression.
"Your promises to him mean nothing," Liam continues, addressing me directly now. "They were made under duress, after he murdered your father and took you captive."
