Keeping his bride

Verona

COME TO gradually. My head is throbbing painfully, and it’s difficult to even open my eyes. My throat is dry

as I try to speak and fail miserably.

“Shh,” Dante whispers from beside me. “You’re all right,

V. I had to knock you out, but we’re here now.”

I

Where is here?

I force my eyes to open as wide as they will go. The old cabin is open and decorated sparsely. A few kerosene lamps are scattered throughout the place, illuminating the old wood and rickety furniture.

I look down and realize I’m tied to a chair in the middle of the living room. I instantly struggle against my bonds, but Dante hushes me.

“You’ll only hurt yourself, V,” he instructs. “Don’t waste your energy. I tied you up pretty tight. You’re not getting out any time soon.” Then he adds, “Even if you do…we’re surrounded by water. And last I checked, you don’t swim.”

Despite his words, I continue to struggle until I’m too tired to do so. Then, I simply slump into the chair and begin to think about what happened just before I was knocked out. I made a phone call to Luca. Hopefully he was able to trace it and can find me before it’s too late.

If he’s alive, a little voice in the back of my head says.

Tears fill my eyes as I think about my life without Luca. Even though we had a horrible beginning to our marriage, I grew to love him with all of my heart and soul. He’s the father of the baby growing inside of me, and I have no doubt that he would love his little boy or little girl more fiercely than anyone in this world.

“Are you thirsty?” Dante asks me. He’s in the kitchen now, several feet away from me.

I shake my head. I’m not thirsty or hungry. I just want to be freed and able to return home. “Let me go, Dante. Please,” I beg him, my voice raw.

He turns towards me with an angry look on his face. “This is our chance to be together now, V, and I’m not going to let anyone or anything ruin it.”

I hang my head. Luca was right all along. Dante was obsessing over me, and I just couldn’t see it. I should have listened to him. I should have told my father I didn’t need Dante to watch over me. Luca was protecting me, keeping me safe. And, of course, once I’m away from my husband, I’m in more danger than I’ve ever been in my entire life.

I hear Dante approaching, and I look up just as he lifts a bottle of water to my lips. I turn my head, but he grabs the back of my neck, forcing me to drink. I sputter and try to swallow, coughing when he finally releases me.

“I can’t have you getting dehydrated,” he explains.

My hands curl into fists against the wooden arms as I glare at him. “Oh, you care about me now?” I practically scream. “You killed my mother! You obviously don’t give a shit about me!”

“On the contrary, V,” he says, sitting down in a chair across from me. “I love you. I’ve never loved another human being in my life…other than my own mother. But she was taken away from me by your asshole father.” He leans over to me, and I flinch away from his touch. Frowning, he drops his hand. “I want to be with you. I won’t get another chance like this. With Luca dead -.” “He’s not dead!” I yell, interrupting him.

“Oh, he’s most definitely dead. I set off several bombs in that mansion. It would be a miracle if anyone survived.”

I shake my head at his admission. He’s underestimating Luca and his team. Dante isn’t a trained killer. Sure, he’s probably killed in the past, but he’s not an expert in homemade bombs. He could have messed something up.

Maybe they weren’t as strong as he thought they would be.

Or maybe they were stronger.

I grimace against the horrible thought in my head. I can’t think like that right now. I need to believe that Luca is alive and is coming to save me. He’s the only hope I have left. And if I let that go…I’ll have absolutely nothing.

Luca

“F ASTER,” I TELL Benito from the front seat. The

SUV is almost to the gas station, and Aldo still hasn’t provided me any more information. “What is taking him so long?” I hiss in anger.

“I’m sure he’s trying his best,” Benito says in an attempt to calm me down.

My phone rings, and I answer it on the first ring. “Where is she?” I demand.

“I’m not sure, sir,” Aldo says. “They stopped on a back road. There is nothing for miles. The only thing I can see on the satellite images is an old fishing cabin in the middle of a huge lake.”

“Send me the location.”

“But, sir, it’s abandoned. I don’t think -.”

“He took her there. I know it,” I tell him, trusting my gut. “Now, give me the coordinates,” I demand.

Aldo rattles off some directions, and I relay them quickly to Benito before ending the call.

“You really think they’re in the middle of a lake?” he asks me.

“He knows she can’t escape from there. It’s surrounded by water,” I say grimly. Verona must be terrified out of her mind. And the moment I get my hands on Dante, I’m going to watch the life drain from his eyes as I squeeze my hands around his fucking neck.

“Hurry, Benito.” Before it’s too late. I don’t say the last words out loud, but I feel them deep down in my soul. Something bad is going to happen. I just don’t know what yet.

THE WATER IS cold as we slowly and silently swim across it. I have a team of ten men including Benito and me. Who knows what the dark water is teeming with, but I don’t care. All I care about is seeing Verona and making sure she’s safe. And I won’t stop until she’s back home, with me, and in my arms.

When we reach the shore of the small island, all of us work on a system of hand gestures and signals. Tall trees and overgrown shrubbery line the perimeter. We slowly move through the brush and towards the cabin that sits in the middle of the land.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Benito stops suddenly beside me. “Solar trail cams,” he whispers, motioning to small cameras and solar panels mounted on nearby trees.

“Motion activated?” I ask even though I already know the answer.

Benito nods in agreement. “Definitely.”

“The son of a bitch had this all planned out for a while.” And the thought of him planning on kidnapping my wife right from under my nose and taking her here to do god only knows what makes my fucking blood boil. The urge to kill him is what keeps my feet moving. “The element of surprise is gone, my friends,” I announce to the group. “We need to get to that fucking cabin. Now!”