Page 130 of Vicious Vows

She practically bounced off the bed.

“Sweetheart, we can plan the most spectacular wedding you’ve ever imagined, but we have to make this official in the next few days. After that, you can have whatever you want. I’ll spare no expense.”

“Hmm…” She tapped her finger against her jaw. “Okay.”

“What just happened?” I sat down next to her. “That was entirely too easy.”

“It’s not about the wedding. Although, it’s going to be a big wedding.” She kissed my cheek. “It’s about us being together. I want to get married as soon as possible. We can plan the rest after.”

“That’s my girl.” I leaned in and gently kissed her lips. “I’ll work out the details in the morning.”

“My mom!” She squealed. “I have to call her and tell her we’re engaged.”

“She’s seven hours ahead of us.” I glanced at my watch. “It’s the middle of the night in Greece.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her ring, and I wondered if she thought about telling her father. He’d find out soon enough. “Do you think I should wait to tell Ricardo? I should probably tell my mom first.”

“That’s a good idea.” I caressed her cheek. “Why don’t you take a bath and then we’ll finish the cheesecake.”

“In bed?”

Before I could respond, my phone rang. I didn’t want to answer it, but when I saw Milo’s name on the screen, I couldn’t ignore it.

“It’s my brother.”

“Take it.” She reached for her phone on the nightstand. “I have wedding research to do.”

“Hello,” I answered.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Where you left me. Why?” I smiled when Lissia’s lips curved into a magical smile. Whatever she saw on her phone brought her immense joy. Planning our wedding was going to be the highlight of her life for the next few months.

“Gian was taken out tonight.” Milo’s statement caught me off guard. “He’s dead.”

“Hold on, Milo.” I pointed to the hallway and told Lissia, “I need to address this.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

I wouldn’t say that.I kissed her head before hurrying out of the room and closing the door behind me.

“What the hell, Milo?” I stopped when I reached the top of the staircase. “What happened?”

“Gian was leaving a restaurant about thirty minutes ago. He was being escorted to his car when a shooter stepped out of a side street. One bullet between his eyes was all it took.”

“That’s ah…” The details of the hit seemed familiar, but it couldn’t be. “Did his guards fire back?”

“No.”

“They were paid off,” I said. “How else could someone get so close to Gian?”

“The shooter was calm, steady, and quick.” Milo paused for a moment. “One shot between the eyes at point-blank range is pretty daring.”

“The gunman wanted Gian to see him coming.”

That’s what I would have done. The apple doesn’t fall…

“I think we both know whose eyes Gian looked into before he died.”