Page 128 of The Mafia's Broken Vows

Benjamin’s hand forces me into the room when I hesitate on the threshold. This time I let him. I’m too busy craning my neck to see the person at the other end of the aisle.

But there’s no groom waiting for me. The altar stands empty.

What I do see behind the last giant pillar at the very end of the aisle nearly makes my heart stop. Standing there, next to a stone-faced guard is Kira, her unseeing eyes wide with fear.

The pieces snap into place—Benjamin must have used her to get to Aydin and then me. A wave of guilt and fear washes over me, making my knees weak. Kira’s here because of me, in danger because of me.

But when I see what she’s wearing, hysterical laughter bubbles up in my throat, much to Benjamin’s chagrin. The dress is an abomination—a sickly green and brown thing that looks like it was dragged through a swamp. It’s ill-fitting and made of a material that’s clearly driving Kira mad. As if on cue, she scratches her arms furiously.

Looks like I wasn’t the only one left half-naked and freezing with no choice but to put on a revolting dress.

My snicker echoes in the room, and Kira’s head snaps up.

“Addy? Is that you? Oh my God! They’re smarter than I gave them credit for! I swear, when I talked, I didn’t think they’d actually be able to break you out of the Fortress. I’m so sorry—”

Her words cut off as the beefy man beside her shoves a gun against her temple, a nudge for her to be quiet.

“Asshole,” Kira hisses.

My laughter dies instantly, replaced by a cold dread settling in my stomach. Seeing Kira in danger because of me makes the reality of our situation hit home with brutal force.

And then the doors open. I whip my head around, my pulse a staccato rhythm in my ears.

A paunchy priest enters first, followed by a man who seems to have crawled out of someone’s nightmare. He stalks down the aisle, leisurely, trailing far behind the priest, his gaze locked onto mine with sniper-like precision. Finally, he reaches me, planting himself directly in front of me.

Is the universe playing a cosmic joke on me?

He’s tall. Almost as tall as Dante, but that’s where the similarities end. He’s wearing a suit with the shirt half unbuttoned to reveal heavy gold necklaces. His lean, sinewy chest is covered in tattoos that creep up his neck and onto half his face. One entire eyeball is tattooed black. Stringy black hair is braided at his nape, and his thin lips part in a sinister smile to reveal chipped and missing teeth.

A violent shudder runs through me, and I have to force myself not to run from the room.

“Who’s there, Addy?” Kira asks, her nose wrinkling. “They reek of tobacco and garlic.”

I can’t speak, too horrified by what I’m seeing.

“Shut up,” her captor growls, shoving the barrel of the gun harder against her temple.

“Oww! In case you haven’t noticed, jerk, I can’t see. I need people to make sounds or talk to me.”

A part of me admires Kira for taking this remarkably well, but then again, it’s Kira. I’m not really surprised. I draw more strength from that and force myself to stay calm.

The man before me speaks, his raspy voice just as repulsive as his appearance. “Your daughter’s gonna fit in nicely here, Ben O’Shea. Such a sweet little thing.”

Benjamin nods tightly and steps away.

He says to me. “Listen, little dove, the name’s Sean Hall. But around here, you call me your King.”

Sean Hall? I think, barely suppressing a snort even as my stomach turns. It is such a mundane, normal name for a man who looks like he clawed his way out of a back alley fight club.

He doesn’t look or sound like a Sean Hall. He looks like a Krull the Destroyer or Gorlock the Defiler. Something that matches his grotesque appearance and the malevolence oozing from his every pore. Sean Hall sounds like he should be selling insurance, not leading a gang of criminals.

Kira makes a sound that’s a cross between a shocked gasp and a disgusted gag.

My sentiments exactly, I think, fighting to keep my expression perfect: Terrified but not repulsed. Reluctant but not resistant.

I remind myself of those very first mindset lessons with Dante. I thought they were boring and useless, and had been all too eager to move on to the juicy part of trying out the lethal moves. But now I see how Sean’s initial impression of me could make or break my plan.

He must not see me as a threat.

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