by J. J. McAvoy
“Sedric?” I asked her and one met my gaze. “Why is Sedric waiting? Where is my father?”
LIAM
“So what happened on the boat, Lamb?” Neal asked me for the billionth time as we waited in St. Peter’s Cathedral.
“Mind your own fucking business. And if you call me Lamb again, Neal, I will kill you, then bury you under the church.”
He smirked. “You’re excited. You didn’t even describe how you would kill me. That boat ride must have—”
Before he finished, I punched him in the fucking nose.
“For the love of motherfucking fuck!”
“Last chance brother or you’re going to piss me off,” I replied, fixing my tie.
“Liam, calm down before you get blood on your suit. I’m sure Melody wouldn’t mind, but the press . . .” Declan sighed, throwing a cold beer at Neal who held it on his nose.
Neal mumbled something under his breath and left.
“One day you two will have to work out your issues,” Declan said to me.
One day maybe, but not fucking today.
Saying nothing, I took a deep breath and walked out the door that lead to the front of the Cathedral. Looking outside, I noticed my mother had made sure to invite every last motherfucker with a net worth over a hundred million. They all looked like tourists, excited to be on the guest list. My eyes met Vance’s, and I could feel the blood in my veins begin to run hotter. He smirked, nodding at me as though he was fucking proud, the bastard. Next to him sat Amory. The golden-locks-wannabe was all but sucking on Natasha’s neck. It had seemed Deep Throat had switched ships. She winked at me, and I wanted to puke.
“How is security?”
Declan snickered. “They would have a better chance getting to the president than any one of us today.”
“If this doesn’t go off perfectly, shoot him for good measure.” I wanted to be the one to take Vance’s life, but if it needed to be done today, then I didn’t care who did it.
“Just worry about Melody and pray she doesn’t run away.”
“No, she wouldn’t run.” Running wasn’t in her nature. “She would come if only to kill me.”
Before he could reply, music rang throughout the church and the door opened slowly making my heart rate quicken. A vision in white stood beside my father with a bouquet of blood-red roses in her hands. She didn’t bother with a veil to cover her face, and for that, I was fucking glad. She was beautiful, deadly, stunning, and all mine.
When she reached me, she stopped and kissed my father on the cheek before taking my hand. However, when I looked in her eyes I saw a twinge of sadness, and it pained me to my core. I squeezed her hand, not to hurt her, but to tell her I saw and I didn’t like it. I wanted her to be happy. I would let her pick anyone in the church and kill them if it made her smile.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the face of not only God, but the world, to join together Liam Alec Callahan and Melody Nicci Giovanni in holy matrimony.”
Everything he said after that faded when she squeezed my hand back.
She glanced up at me, and the lioness in her eyes wasn’t gone, but simply asleep. Something was wrong, and I hated that I couldn’t figure it out.
“Liam Alec Callahan, do you take Melody Nicci Giovanni to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish? Do you promise to be faithful to her until death do you part?”
“I do, always,” I said without any hesitation, and she snickered at me, shaking her head as I placed the wedding band on her finger.
“Melody Nicci Giovanni, do you take Liam Alec Callahan to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish? Do you promise to be faithful to him until death do you part?”
“I do, always,” she replied, and I felt overflowing relief and joy as she slid my ring into place.
“May these rings be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace and continue in love until life’s end,” he said as we stared at each other. “You may now seal the promises you have made to each other with a kiss.”
In that moment it didn’t feel like our lips met. It was though our souls did.
Mel, my Mel, wiped the lipstick from my lips.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you the loving couple, Mr. and Mrs. Liam Callahan,” the priest said while Mel rolled her eyes at me. Apparently, Mrs. Liam Callahan didn’t sit well with her, but too fucking bad.
Everyone rose from his or her seat, clapping and cheering as we walked down the aisle hand in hand. We stopped at the top of the stairs to take photos for every damn magazine in the world, when my father leaned in beside me.
“I believed both of your emotions, so will the world,” he whispered with a smirk as we smiled. “But was it true. Do you believe it? Did it take only Russian blood and a boat ride?”
I said nothing before stepping into the Rolls Royce.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Sighing, I leaned in and held the side of her face so she would have to look me in the eye. “Wife, what is wrong?”
She stared before sighing as well. “Husband, my father refused to walk me down the aisle. He’s gotten worse.”
With that she ripped her head from my hand and glared out the window. I felt like a bloody moron. I was so focused on her, I didn’t even think about the person walking her down the aisle. Melody Gio . . . Callahan had the ability to make me forget anyone else existed when she was near.
“After we do our time at the reception, if you want, we could sneak out and go see him.”
She looked at me, and her eyes narrowed. “Is this you trying to be sweet? Because I’m fine and would prefer to deal with asshole Callahan. You know, the son of a bitch I fought in my basement who thought his balls were bigger than they actually are?”
And there was the lioness again.
“I’m putting in effort, maybe you should fucking try it, Melody. I’m planning on going to war with the entire world. I don’t need one with the woman sleeping beside me.”
Neither of us spoke after that, she knew just how to fucking kill the mood.
Not looking at me she took my hand into hers and squeezing it before letting go. “I’ve never been . . . nice. I’m not used to being anything other than a Giovanni. Affection and tenderness are not our strong suits. So I do not know how to reciprocate that. Bitch is standard mode for me, and I will work on it.”
“I don’t mind you being a bitch to anyone else, as long as it is not me,” I whispered, taking her hand and kissing it quickly. Part of me was starting to enjoy her ripping out other people’s hearts. It was her thing, and she was good at it.
She laughed, and I enjoyed the sound. “You do know that we have known each other for only seventy-two hours.”
“Holy fuck, I feel like I’ve known you for decades.” If not longer.
“Really?” she asked. “What is my favorite color?”
Fuck.
MELODY
When we got to the reception, which was being held outside at Callahan Manor, there were more photographers, who Evelyn allowed to take photos from a distance. My face felt as though it would break from all the forced smiling.
“Call them off, or I’m calling snipers,” I said to Liam.
He leaned down to kiss my cheek. “I would, gladly, but my mother and father want good press.”
I glared at him, pinching his arm until he pulled me away from the cameras and headed toward the sea of guests. There were more damn photos and fake congratulations there, until I saw Vance and Amory making their way through all the drinking and celebrating in the courtyard. Our guests danced underneath the steams of lights, blissfully unaware that two of the most deadly men in the country were about to collide with another deadly pair.
Both Vance and
Amory were as slick as eels with their dark eyes and oily skin. Amory stood at the same stunted height as his father, even though Vance was rather stout and Amory was sickly thin. They shared many of the same traits—blond hair, though Vance’s was graying, a strong chin, and small ears.
“Remember, the Valero do not know I took over for my father,” I whispered, making sure it seemed as though I was nothing more than an excited bride. Behind Liam, I saw Neal and Declan step closer to us. Monte and Fedel were near the entrance focused on me. With a glance, Fedel let me know Antonio and three other snipers were in the windows of the manor, waiting.
“Oh, and you should know, Vance tried to arrange a marriage with Amory and me, years ago.” His eyes widened before narrowing into dangerous slits of green.
“Mr. and Mrs. Callahan!” Vance said as he reached us. “Congratulations. I must say this was a huge surprise. Melody what a fine young woman you have become, hasn’t she Amory?”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked innocently, squeezing Liam’s hand. He needed to step up and be calm. Amory looked at me with pure lust, however, making me want to cut his eyes out, and doing nothing to help Liam calm down.
He sneered, shaking Vance’s hand, which had been extended for me. “This is Vance Valero, love. The owner of the company that keeps stealing many of our products.”
Vance glared dangerously, as did Amory before he smiled at me. “I do not wish to bore your beautiful little head with such youthful fiction. Your father and I were quite close. I was hoping to speak with him, however, he seems to be absent from this joyful occasion.”
I tried not gag. “Liam and I wanted to get married. My father spoke of some new huge business venture in Austria that he needed to get a jumpstart on. I will let him know you spoke of him.”
Amory’s eyes widened before he grinned and reached out for my hand, but Liam took it instead. “I’m sorry gentlemen, but my wife and I must be making the rounds. Please enjoy yourselves.”
“Yes, please do,” I added, smiling as though I was naïve to the tension between them. “Evelyn has worked so hard on this day. We are lucky to afford such a lifestyle. One day you could be sitting on the top of the world, then the next it could be sitting on you, my father says.”
“Your father has always been wise.” Amory winked at me before glaring at Liam. “But we are all human and make mistakes.”
Fuck you, you no good motherfucking asshole.
When we walked away, Liam pulled us onto the dance floor under the purple and red fabric draping.
“What the fuck is going on in Austria? I know that is the last place your father is.”
“Calm the fuck down. Nothing is in Austria, but Amory doesn’t know that. He is a leech, and I have no doubt he will be on the next plane tonight trying to steal from us.” Plus, if we divided him and Vance, it would be easier to break them.
His hands wandered down my spine. “You want them to think you don’t know anything.”
“It’s easier to kill a deer if they think you are a rabbit rather than a wolf. Amory was so busy staring at my breasts, he couldn’t even speak.”
“I noticed. I should just kill the motherfucker now and save myself the annoyance. He is lucky I didn’t rip his eyes out, and believe me I would have.”
The darkness in his voice made me shiver in pleasure. I allowed him to spin me before bringing me in close. “You need to clear your mind and take a deep breath. We were able to flip Ryan Ross. He reports directly to Monte now, then to me. It’s how I knew Vance knew about the plane. He wants to do something bigger. He wants us to relax before he attacks. But mostly, he wants to hurt you.”
“And how the fuck is Vance going to hurt me?”
“Me,” I answered. “He will want to use Amory as a way to gain intel. Amory will probably flirt with me and try to gain my trust. It wouldn’t be the first time he went after a married woman.”
“You aren’t making my desire to kill the fool lessen.” He stopped to look me in the eyes. “In fact, I want to kill him more.”
“Then I get to kill Vance.” He wasn’t going to get to kill them both.
“I kill Vance. You get the brothers and Amory.”
“Deal. But the only way for that to happen is to give Amory a little wiggle room and some rope to hang himself with.”
“So more parties and balls. My mother will like it. However, I will cut off the motherfuckers’ fingers if they touch you. But until then, Valero has a shipment of prized cars coming in two weeks to Italy. Vance loves his cars.”
The bastard was getting excited just thinking about it.
“You hit his drugs, and now you want to take his toys? Husband, that is quite cruel.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Do you have any other ideas?”
“No.” I grinned. “But after we steal them, we should set them on fire.”
“And I’m cruel?” He kissed my cheek, and I froze for a moment, realizing that we had once again just worked together with ease. It was like our minds fed off each other.
“We will talk about this later. Apparently, it’s time to cut the cake,” I told him, noticing Evelyn waving. I had almost forgotten that this was our wedding with thoughts of theft and blood in the air.
“Yes. Later,” he replied, looking at me with lust once again.
LIAM
It felt like hours after we cut the cake that we were able to sneak off. Orlando was in one of the rooms in the eastern part of the manor. The moment we arrived, Mel went to sit beside him. He was breathing only through tubes and machines, which all looked painful.
“Ciao, mi bambino dolce.”13
Mel kissed his hands. “Ciao, mio dolce padre.”14
“Sei bellissima, Melody. Mi dispiace che non ero abbastanza forte per voi.”15
“Tu sei, e sarai sempre abbastanza forte.”16
I felt bad for intruding on their moment. I wasn’t sure what they were saying but it seemed to be too personal for me to just be standing there. However, I couldn’t bring myself to leave Mel’s side.
Orlando looked up to me breathing heavily, waiting for me to take his hand. When I did, he squeezed it.
“Sii buona con lei,17 Liam,” he said to me before turning to Mel. “Sii buono con lui,18 Mel.”
“Lo farò,”19 she said, and I repeated it, even though I didn’t know what it was she said. It just felt right. When I did, he kissed both our hands before giving them back to each other.
Mel closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and standing up. I watched as she pulled a needle from the nightstand, and realized what she was about to do. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand, and for the first time I saw the true depths of her strength and how much she hated it. She would put her father to sleep to give him peace, and it would kill her slowly every day of forever. Yet, she would still do it.
“I have to do this,” she whispered to me, as I tried to pull the needle from her.
Shaking my head, I snatched it from her hand. “You will hate yourself, and I would rather you hate me.”
In her eyes there was a fight, because she was Mel, and my Mel would always fight me. But I would win this battle. Stepping in front of her, I pulled the cap off with my teeth before going for his arm. Mel wrapped her hands around my waist and placed her head on my back, not watching.
Good. I didn’t want her to see this.
I did it as quickly as possible and turned off the machines, before turning and holding her.
MELODY
I just listened in Liam’s arms, not crying or depressed but somewhat relieved that someone else had fulfilled my father’s wish. Something I had dreaded since he first asked. We stood there holding each other for God knows how long before Liam spoke.
“Wife, Mel, my Melody. Let’s go to bed,” he whispered, and I nodded. He lifted me up bridal style, and a part of me wanted to fight him but not now. Not tonight. Not our wedding night. Not my father’s last night. I knew I would fight him on a million things soon, but not tonig
ht.
TWELVE
“Cruel with guilt, and daring with despair,
the midnight murderer bursts the faithless bar;
Invades the sacred hour of silent rest
and leaves, unseen, a dagger in your breast.”
~ Samuel Johnson
LIAM
“Is that all, sir?” Dylan questioned softly, placing the tray of food and the files I requested on the top of my desk. He knew just as well as anyone that if he woke my wife, I would snap his neck.
“Tell Patrick I want to know of Amory’s whereabouts in the next few hours.”
The moment the door closed I turned to Mel, only to find her sitting up and staring back at me. Her face was void and her eyes clear as day. It was almost haunting.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said, leaving distance between us as I tried to read her mood.
She frowned, noticing that she was still in her dress, before standing up and turning around. “Help me out of it.”
Without saying a word, I unhooked the tiny part at the top and unzipped it slowly, trying my best not to get excited, but it didn’t work.
Her fucking father just died, calm down.
Seeing her in nothing but white lace almost killed me.
Fuck it all to hell.
“Let me get you—” She stopped me with her lips, and I gave in, gladly pulling her body to mine and gripping her ass. I loved her ass. I loved how it felt like it was made for my hands only.
When her tiny hands pulled away my tie and ripped at my shirt, I had to push her away.
“Mel, we can wait. I can wait.” I gasped, breathing deeply to control my raging cock.
“Well, this isn’t about you. This is about me, and I can’t wait. I don’t want to think. I just want you inside me now.”
Fuck.
This time when she kissed me, I picked her up and laid her back down on the bed kissing a path from her lips to her neck. She moaned, pushing up against me with her hands in my hair while I worked my way down to her breast.