Page 8 of Stolen Bride

I shake my head with a smirk. “Damn. It still amazes me how someone so large can move so silently.” Neither Gabe nor I are small by any means, but Adriano is a tank.

“Glad he’s on our side,” he says.

“That’s for sure. Let’s get this shit over with.” I take a seat behind my desk while Gabriele grabs a plastic wrap from a locked cabinet and sets it under the rug so Gus isn’t spooked by its presence. Can’t get what I want if he sees his death imminent. I will have to replace my nice area rug. At least I ordered several over the years for just such an event.

A knock at the door brings my nervous guest. “Hello, Gustavo. Take a seat.” I glance at the bloodied lip and busted eye and know he chose to put up a fight. It might have been the smart thing to do because he’s more than likely not walking out of here.

“No, I’ll stand.” The defiance rankles me, but I don’t show it.

“I’m sure that wasn’t a fucking request.” He sits quickly. Gabriele stands behind him while Adriano and Vito wait by the door just in case he decides to get bold. No one is getting past them, so I’m more than at ease.

“So, we have a problem. I’ve been waiting a long time, Salazar. Where is my money?” It’s the determining factor of whether he lives or dies tonight.

“I paid you.” I chuckle, and so does Gabe because he’s sealed his fate. Salazar gets more and more nervous, body rocking side to side in the chair.

I lean forward in my seat, pressing my hands firmly on my desk before I ask, “Really? In what? Imaginary funds? Monopoly money?”

“No. Maybe your guys didn’t give it to you.” He tilts his head, tweaking. We should have seen it sooner.

“Are you calling one of my men a thief? Be careful on that because if I have to call them on it, I’ll be making sure that everyone pays double for the deceit.” I stare at him, knowing he’s bullshitting me. The motherfucker doesn’t have two nickels to rub together. He’s gotten hooked on his own supply.

“Okay, okay. I don’t have it.”

“So here is what’s going to happen. You’re going to turn over all your property to me, and I’ll let you walk out of here.” It’s a generous offer. One that I wouldn’t make to most people, but he does have some decent properties that I could use to my advantage. Besides, I’m positive he’s not going to take my offer.

He tries to jump out of his chair as he protests. “Wait. Hell, no.” Gabriele grabs his head and slams it back, putting a knife to his throat.

“I wasn’t finished.” I step around my desk and sit on the edge, directly in front of the filth who thought he could scam me. “I’ve given you more than enough time to pay me, so that’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

“I’d rather die than give up my property.” Why are these guys always so damn full of brass balls, as if I’m going to somehow back down?

“Deal,” I say.

Gabriele steps back and pulls the rug as I shoot the fucker between the eyes. “Stupid bastard,” Gabriele chuckles, shaking his head as Gustavo’s lifeless body falls onto the plastic, limiting the mess in my office.

“He should have taken my deal.” Looking at the clean rug makes me smile. “Thanks for saving the rug. I liked that one.”

“Me too.”

Chapter Four

?Stella

“You’re getting married in two days. You need to live a little before you’re tied to that slob for the rest of your life.” I shiver in disgust while she continues to pester me by tugging on my slender and already bruised arm. “Come on. It’s not like we can’t get past your nannies on duty. They’re puppets,” my stepsister Camille says. For her they are easily manipulated, but they watch me like vultures on an easy meal.

My stepsister and I hate each other, and yet, this is something I can’t disagree with. Since I was ten and my mother married her father, I was never once allowed any freedom or fun. When I was younger, friends were limited to the girls at my school, and boys weren’t even an option.

Now that I’ve turned eighteen, I’m being forced to marry a man that nauseates me at the mere sight of him. Hell, just hearing his name makes my stomach roll. The first time I saw him, I nearly vomited on his shoes. I excused myself and ran to the bathroom, blaming it on my breakfast even though my stepfather didn’t believe me. Of course, I was later punished with a severe beating.

“You know you want to go clubbing tonight, girl,” my stepsister’s best friend adds, brushing her long blonde hair in my room. They’ve been in my room since this morning, bugging me. I actually like Gracie, and I’m not actually sure why she’s friends with Camille because they’re nothing alike. She’s totally perfect, beautiful, smart, and her hair shines like a diamond. The only blight on her record is her friendship with my evil stepsister.

“I don’t know,” I say, feeling unsure about this. Camille’s a total cunt and we don’t get along one bit, but a taste of fun for even just one night sounds great—even if I’ll pay for it later. I’ll be spending the rest of my life submitting to a piece-of-shit loser who works for the mob or something like that. One night of fun sounds wonderful. My fiancé is supposed to be someone important, but I met the man. He comes in with his shirts rumbled, clothes less than neat, and gross looking—a total slob.

“You do. Have a little fun before you have to deep throat Tommy’s sausage roll.” I swallow the bile that instantly fills my mouth. Damn it, Camille is such a bitch.

“Ew. Must you be a disgusting bitch?” Gracie says. Even she has the decency not to remind me how horrible my future will be. The internal anguish building every hour feels unbearable, and I can’t tell if my evil stepsister is truly unaware how awful this is for me, or if she honestly relishes the torture. It’s more than likely the latter.

“I’m just saying it’s what he’s going to want.” Death is looking better and better every day, but I don’t want to give them the satisfaction. Still, I’m not sure I can stomach being married to a filthy monster even for just a minute.

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