Page 129 of Cassio (Belles & Mobsters 3)

Seeing my wife endanger herself took years off my life. I meant what I said though. From now on, wewoulddo everything together. The best way to protect her was to keep her informed. I should have offered her the information I had and she wouldn’t have made the decision to go after Marco alone.

I would give her my all, and I’d demand her all.

“Do we know where we’re going?” she asked me, leaning her head against my shoulder. She looked tired, exhausted in fact. Luca and Alessio kept throwing glances my way wondering if she was alright. The blood on her made it seem she was injured but she wasn’t. It was all Marco’s.

I nodded, assuring them she was fine.

Otherwise, I’d be staying behind on that compound, making every single one of those men scream for days. Áine’s torture method to Marco would be nothing compared to mine.

She was all that mattered to me.

“So which way is somewhere safe?” Her soft voice was like a velvet, caressing my skin and pulling me out of my dark thoughts.

“I have a house an hour or so from here,” I told her. “We’ll be safe there. And we can get the women to a shelter from there.”

She darted her eyes to Alessio and Luca. “Thank you for helping.”

“Always,” they both uttered in unison. “You are family.”

My hand was wrapped around her shoulder and I pulled her tighter into me.

She washome.

ChapterForty-Four

ÁINE

Three months later

The Cathedral of Cefalù was the oldest church in Sicily. The church was beautiful; the town even more so. We’ve been here for a week, and I could see myself staying forever. Much to Nonno’s happiness. He’d already hinted for grandchildren and built us a villa on his vast property.

So Cassio and I can have privacy, he said.

Privacy and Italian people did not go hand-in-hand. I didn’t mind. I loved their wholehearted laughter, their wine and many siestas. Beautiful red roses were everywhere on this island, the warm breeze mixing their scent with the sea. It made me feel at home. Terracotta-capped, whitewashed houses of this town down the cobbled streets and white sandy beaches made it a perfect place to raise a family. And it didn’t hurt that DiMauro mafiosos were part of my family. It made it even safer.

Nonno DiMauro sat in front of the church, his eyes on me as I walked down the aisle covered in red rose petals towards my husband.

My husband.

We’ve been married for three months now and each day brought more happiness. More memories to replace the old ones. As far as I was concerned, there wasn’t a single man on this planet worth more than Cassio Hunter King. He was his mother’s son, Nonno’s grandson.

I glanced down at my wedding gown that moved with my body. It was perfect, form-fitting to my slim body, sleeveless and with a low-cut back. My hair was pulled up in a bun, leaving my neck and birthmark open.

Forhim.

My hands trembled with all the emotions. It felt overwhelmingly scary to have so much to lose. Life without him would be just empty living. We lived together, fought the enemies hard, and loved each other even harder.

His closest friends helped with The Rose Rescue. In truth, they have been saving the victims right alongside us for years. We just didn’t know it. We welcomed the help. After all, we were stronger together. With Benito and Marco gone, the threats to the innocents weren’t gone.

Different day; different villain.

The one thing we all agreed on was we keep The Rose Rescue a secret. Nobody would know; not even my own parents.

Mom sat in the front too, smiling with watery eyes. Everyone was here. Everyone we loved and cared about.

My family and friends.

His family and friends.

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