Page 71 of Brutal Vows

I can relate to the mutt. I don’t want to wait anymore either.

Loretta stiff-arms me and drops to a knee. Scraps plops to his haunches and drops his head onto her shoulder as she wraps her arms around him. They reunite as though they’ve known each other for ages and need to catch up on years’ worth of gossip.

Jealousy sparks in my chest, but the joy on Loretta’s face douses it. I squat beside her and join in on the puppy love.

My father coughs with his mouth closed and begins a strenuous inhale through his nostrils. I rise and reach for Loretta, but she’s two steps ahead of me. With the oversized bunny’s leash in one hand and her bouquet in the other, she glides over to my father and loops her arm into his. As she ushers him into the hall, she looks over her shoulder at me and gives a tight smile before lifting her chin toward my family.

I nod and turn toward them as the doors close behind the trio.

Nico stands behind Serenity with his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from standing. She gives him an annoyed glance before turning her shimmery orbs at me.

Fuck. All the ladies are crying. No wondermia gattinamade a beeline for the exit.

Serenity breaks into sobs. Nico scoops her up and heads toward the back of the banquet hall.

“Not that there’ll be a next time, but take notes, consigliere,” Natalie chuckles as she dabs her eyes with a tissue. “Don’t look at the door longingly when your bride just walked through it. You’ll make everyone lose their shit.”

Dante saves me with a wry scoff as he tugs Kara’s chair closer to him and drapes his arm over the back.

“Don’t blame him, Natalie. You cry at every wedding.”

“Geeze,papà, you don’t have to rat me out all the time. I think you have too much time on your hands and need a better hobby,” she snarks.

“Ah, maybe so. How about a drink while we discuss which new-age crap fits me best?”

His smooth tone and wry humor are a balm to my soul. I’ve been in the field for too long. I’m ready to return home.

I need to identify Ralf and annihilate all the men working with him. If finding the Russian man Loretta escaped from is the only way, then I will.

But I can’t put her in danger. Maybe if I hide her away with my family in the Russo tower, then I can use her twin as bait to lure the Russian underboss into my trap.

Once the thought forms in my mind, it replays in an incessant loop. But Loretta will never forgive me if anything happens to her sister, even though the bitch has already proven to be cruel and unworthy of her love.

As Dante stands and offers his hand to his wife, gunshots ring in the hall.

Icy purpose rushes through me, and I snap to high alert without pause.

I scoop Natalie off her feet and push Bella in front of me.

“Go! Behind the bar,” I snarl.

Nico already has Serenity sitting on the floor behind the solid wood barrier. Natalie’s prosthetic foot bounces against my hip as I stay on Bella’s heels all the way to the back of the hall.

Dante pushes them down to huddle with Kara and Serenity.

“Let’s go,” Nico demands as he pulls his pistol from his chest holster.

I step in front of him. One look into my eyes, and he nods before stepping back to stand shoulder to shoulder with his father.

My father, Romo, would never forgive me if anything happened to the Russo family because of my neglect. He was Dante’s consigliere before I could even walk. He can protect my wife, even though she can hold her own if necessary.

Serenity, Kara, Natalie, and Bella need both Russo men to keep them safe.

I turn and yank my handgun from my holster as I dart back to the front of the banquet hall. Fresh gunshots ring out. I burst into the hall.

Two bulky bodies lie in a heap near the restrooms. As I run past them, I note my father’s accuracy despite his illness as brain matter and blood puddle around their lifeless bodies.

Halfway down the hall, another man lies on his side at an odd angle. Unconscious with blood leaking from his mouth, one empty eye socket, and scratches across his face, I know he’s the work of my viciousgattina.

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