Page 47 of The Mafia's Captive

He flashes a smile. “By the way, before I forget, you need to put a date on your calendar.”

“For what?”

“You and I will be going on a trip next week. I don’t trust you to leave you alone and after what happened yesterday, I don’t trust my men to stay with you.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“I know that.”

His response surprises me. I was sure he placed some blame on me for what happened. It was all Bruno acting out. I wonder where he's gone. Even though we spent all night in erotic bliss, it didn’t escape my notice that we were alone the entire time and none of his men came back yesterday. “What will happen to him,” I ask.

“You mean Bruno? What he deserves.”

“You’re not going to harm him are you?”

“I want to kill him.”

“What! Don’t!”

“No one touches what’s mine Corina. I made that plain to all my men and he should have known.”

I hear nothing else beyond those first five words. “Yours?”

“You are in fact my captive aren’t you.”

The flickering little flame dies instantly. I don’t even understand why or what I was hoping for. That ‘mine’ meant anything more beyond being under his yoke? I am his little plaything, nothing more. And shouldn’t forget that when he acts nice. To assert that position I say, “More like thrall. Shouldn’t I also add being your escort to the deal?”

His eyes narrow as a cryptic emotion flickers across his face for a millisecond and then it’s gone. “Don’t count on it. You should have thought of that when we made the deal.”

“Where are we going anyway?”

“A wedding.”

“Wedding?” I find it hard to associate Dante and weddings. Funerals maybe. But not weddings.

“Who’s getting married?”

“Gio.”

“Really? Who’s the unlucky woman?”

He chuckles.

“Where’s the wedding?”

“Tuscany.” Another overseas trip. I remember the last one we took that basically ended with a gun fight. Will this one be the same? Or is there a worse ending waiting for me in Italy?

He smirks when he sees my worried face. “Don’t worry. I won’t dispose of you out of the country.” He grasps my chin. “Not after the night we had. I still have use of you yet.”

16

“Stop doing that.” I turn my gaze away from the scenic view of the Italian fields through the car window to Dante. He’s looking down at my fingers tapping the seat. I clench my hand and place it on my lap. “I’m nervous.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Why? You’re not the one who’s getting married.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never been to a Mafia wedding.”

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry, we won’t be bathing the bride in the blood of her enemies as part of the ceremony.”

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