by Bethany-Kris
The low hum that came from somewhere in the back of his throat felt almost dismissive. “So what? I’m Jewish. You’re Catholic. I don’t go to the temple, and given the reports I’ve had on you these last three years, you haven’t been going to church either.”
“Dad wasn’t around to make me go.”
“And we never quite followed the rules,” Anton added gently. “Sex before marriage. Catholics don’t believe in contraceptive methods. Living together and sharing a bed. My profession. I already told you I wasn’t buying my way into heaven and I don’t much care to pretend like I would. Wear ivory if it makes you feel better. Have some Christian readings in the service if it suits your needs. I don’t want to be married in a church, or a temple, Vine. Does it really matter?”
• • •
Anton waited for Viviana’s response with silent worry. Looking down at her distant gaze, he wondered if his refusal of her religion was going to be a hard limit for them. Over the last three weeks since her arrival, he hadn’t found many things between them that could cause either one of them to kick up a fuss. Almost seamlessly, their lives seemed to intertwine, as if they were always meant to.
He would swear they were extensions of one another. Viviana was his perfect half, and sometimes it scared the living shit out of him. Break someone’s jaw, no problem. Step in between drawn guns, not an issue. Sadden a woman who could bring him to his knees and suddenly Anton was a worried, anxious mess.
And damn, Viviana had done so well with everything he threw at her. The interviews with the police and fire marshal went just fine. There wasn’t a flicker of hesitation or fear in her voice as she perched up on his lap and spoke to those men over the phone. The bulls who accompanied her on the walks with Rocco didn’t have a bad thing to say, and if anything, they were worried her niceness to them would concern Anton. More often than not, she spent her days in the upstairs apartment with his parents until he was due home. Especially after that scene with her aunt and cousin a couple of days ago.
It was obvious a touch of cabin fever was beginning to settle in, though. Viviana had been going to school, she had friends and a life just starting to build in Toronto, and now he had her locked up tight with only the daily walk to the dog park and back with their pup. He sincerely hoped his gift in the black gift bag would help her with that issue.
“Viviana?”
“No … actually, that makes it easier.”
Anton didn’t know what to say. “Does it?”
“Yeah. We’d have to do those stupid classes, and it’s a six month thing that we don’t have the time for, or somehow buy our way out of them. I hate the big services for a Catholic wedding. It’s always long, the attendance is huge. I didn’t want to be in the spotlight like that. Really, it seemed like a hell of a lot of work for us to do in just two months.”
Oh, thank fuck, he thought. Relief whisked the sudden weight right off his shoulders. “It would be a lot of work. A smaller service would be nice, given your family isn’t exactly on the invite list.”
Viviana’s lips pursed. “None?”
“I could see about a few, but it probably wouldn’t be smart on our end. More like throwing it in their faces.”
“But we could send out the invitations to some of them anyway, right?”
“Uh…”
“He should know,” she insisted quietly, a finger tracing the line of the model on the page. “I want him to know, Anton.”
“Who?” he asked, confused at her statements and pensive expression.
“Sonny. He needs to understand that what he did doesn’t matter. The arrangement is being upheld like they wanted. Their deaths were for nothing. His hands are stained red. I still want you.”
Without giving her any warning, he turned her chair with a loud screech on the tiled floor. Down on his knees between her spread thighs, Anton found his hands trailing up under that flimsy, flowery skirt she wore.
“If you want, that’s exactly what we’ll do. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I can understand your motives behind it. Just be sure of the choice because it could very well backfire.”
The look on her face told him she didn’t think it would. “And as far as this wedding crap, well, it’s not all that important. Don’t worry yourself into a mess about it. I don’t follow my religion like my mother thinks I should, and you haven’t been following yours, so why even bother? We can do it however we please this way. Get married somewhere beautiful. Outside if you want, or inside. Have fun with it if we want.”
“Have fun …”
“Mmhmm,” he hummed.
Anton brushed the raven locks of her hair out of Viviana’s face. His hand swept over the magazine, opening it up to a new page just as the lawyer made his entrance back into the kitchen with a bag of chips in hand. He’d forgotten about leaving those in his office.
“Black and gold …”
“Excuse me?”
A chuckle rocked his chest as she turned to look at what he had found in the magazine. Actually, the colors had little to do with the flower girl dresses staring back at them.
“I quite like those colors. Hence the gift bag I tossed to the table. So go from there.”
“Classy, elegant,” Ivan intoned from the doorway.
“That and I simply like them. Also, this …” he added, reaching across the table to grab the gift bag that had toppled over, “… is something that might make your days a little easier, or just better.”
The bag was overturned and a set of car keys fell to the granite table top. The emblem on the keychain was hard to miss, not to mention Anton knew Viviana would know the brand from anywhere. A few days earlier he’d purchased the car and it had only just arrived with his specifications that morning. A bull had picked it up that afternoon, and once it was safe, it’d be in their driveway before the night was out.
“Is that …?”
“A Bentley,” Anton murmured. “Sporty little two door thing, all black with chrome wheels and bulletproof glass all the way around. Don’t say a word about the cost, just drive it. That’s what I bought it for.”
For a second, he swore a flicker of fear flit through her eyes. “Vine, what is it?”
“So, you want me to go out, then?”
“Obviously. I didn’t mean for you to drive it up and down the street here.”
“They’ll know where we are.”
Anton hadn’t wanted to worry her, but the feds already did. It took them a shorter time than he thought it would. If they knew, it was likely her uncle did as well. “That’s not the point. You’re not going to hide out in fear here. You have bulls for a reason, just like Ivan’s wife does. Go out, visit someone. Check out a school. Visit me. It doesn’t matter, baby.”
Apparently Ivan felt the need to speak up, too. “It’s about time you show your face, Vine. And what a way to do it, huh?”
“Show my face?”
“Yes. Don’t you think it’s important for them to know you’re not afraid, you’re not hiding, and you’re planning your future?” Anton asked with a wink. “Like I said, Sonny might very well be a lot less brazen if we’re right out in the open, not to mention this place is on total lockdown at night. You trust me, right?”
She looked exasperated. “You know I damn well do.”
“Well, then show it.”
“A Bentley, really?” she asked. “Could you give me a little more to go on?”
“Continental GT Speed. Automatic. Five-hundred horse power. Zero to sixty before you could blink. What else do you want to know?”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Anton. That car is nearly a quarter of a million dollars!”
Closer to three hundred grand once he was done with it. How in the hell did she even know the price of it, anyway? “What’d I say about the cost?”
Her pretty lips drew a thin, mulish line. “That’s not fair.”
“Consider it an early birthday gift, then.”
“A Bentley,” she repeated.
> “Yes, and I quite liked it when I test drove one a few months back. It should be in the driveway before you wake up in the morning. I thought it’d be your kind of car.”
“Bentleys are my favorite cars.”
Ivan snorted. “Figures.”
Anton flipped him off with a middle finger behind his back. “So, you’re not all that mad about the price, really, huh?”
“Maybe … no. Ugh, you’re horrible.”
The smile that curved his lips was wicked. Breaking her down about the car and price hadn’t been so hard after all. Now, he just had to get her to his nightclub one afternoon so she could pick out her engagement ring. Maybe he should have picked it out himself, but Anton assumed having her there while his personal jeweler made a special trip into his office would work all the same.
That and he wanted to get her into one of his workplaces just to gauge her reaction.
“I knew you were starting to get cabin fever, that’s all. This might fix that right up.”
“It might,” Viviana echoed.
“And next week …”
Her head jerked up, eyes meeting his immediately. “What about it?”
“My birthday. The men had some nonsense planned at the club, so they expect me to bring you there as well.”
“Which club?”
Ouch. He didn’t miss the warning in her tone for a second. “Not either of those clubs, Vine. Seven Lights, actually. Dance, drink, smoke, and eat. They just want a night off, I bet. But, I wanted you there earlier for a little surprise, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“A surprise like this?”
“Nah, a better one.”
With a heavy sigh, Viviana rolled her eyes dramatically and said, “I suppose.”
Dropping a kiss down to her forehead, Anton smiled once more. Again, it almost seemed too easy between them. He wasn’t about to complain.
“And I say the twentieth of December, by the way.”
Viviana coughed, loudly. “For the wedding?”
“Well, it’s not for anything else. Sasha called me four times today about your refusal to pick a date and stick to it because I haven’t given you a clear answer yet. I swear, if I have to get another frantic call like that from my mother again, I’ll change my fucking number.”
“That’s a day before my birthday.”
“That’s right. Gives us one day to get it done the way the arrangement was meant to be. No cancellations; we have no do over.”
Being it was the middle of October, they certainly had enough time to get the minor details sorted out.
There was no hesitation when Viviana shrugged and said, “The twentieth it is.”
Chapter Nine
It was relatively warm for an October day. Warm enough that Viviana didn’t need her coat, but she did steal one of the hoodies that Anton liked to jog in so she wouldn’t get too cold on her trip to the dog park with Rocco.
While her pup frolicked along with someone’s black Labrador, Viviana opened the romance novel she brought along and began reading. It wasn’t long before she relaxed, settling further into the bench and losing herself in the words of the book.
Quite a bit of time passed before Viviana thought to look up and seek out Rocco. The German shepherd had forgone the company of the other dog and was back to playing his usual game of fetch the stick all by himself. It wasn’t uncommon for their daily trip to the dog park to last a couple of hours, since she liked to get her pup out of the house as much as she could.
With her attention drawn back to her book, Viviana almost missed the shadow of a form that walked behind her. She didn’t pay the person any mind as they stopped beside the bench, but she did glance over out of curiosity.
A hood was pulled up over the man’s face, blocking it from view. Viviana was quick to notice the dog leash and collar he rested to the ground as he bent down to tie an undone lace on his running shoe.
Unbothered by the presence, she continued to read.
When the man grabbed up the leash and collar and stood, Viviana felt her back straighten against the bench. She wasn’t quite sure why she felt off, but something had settled like a dead weight in her stomach.
Perhaps it was because the man didn’t walk away. Maybe it was because he didn’t look towards the animals, but instead back to where the vehicles were parked. Or, it could have been because he had a collar attached to that black, leather leash that appeared as if it hadn’t been used even one time.
All dogs had to have their collars on in the park. She’d been here enough in the last three weeks to know the dog owners here were pretty particular about that rule. Even Rocco, her perfectly trained, always obedient pup, had to wear his identifier inside the gates.
The collar the man held had no tags and it too looked like it was brand new.
Alarm bells began ringing in Viviana’s mind as dread washed through her nervous system. Instinctively, she flipped another page in her book, hoping the odd man still standing beside the bench wouldn’t notice she had noticed him as his head turned in her direction.
Rocco was accustomed to people being near Viviana in the dog park, and this was his free time, so he wouldn’t come unless she seemed frightened or called for him. In fact, the dog was now paddling into the pond with his back turned and his hearing clouded by the surrounding noise.
The parking lot was a good thirty yards away. While there was a car with one or two of her bulls, she knew another one was on foot, somewhere. They rarely showed themselves, actually. Looking around for them or making some move to gain their attention would only serve to alert the man she was fearful of him.
The gun in her purse was useless in public. She wouldn’t take the risk of using it.
The cell phone in the pocket of Anton’s sweater she wore, however, was a different story.
Viviana slid her free hand into her pocket. Feeling around, she found and held onto the number one button. The device vibrated in her palm to signal it was dialing Anton’s pre-programmed number. She covered the speaker with her thumb, and three rings later, she felt the vibrations of his voice coming through the speaker. Not knowing what else to do, she hit random numbers on the keyboard.
Not a pocket dial, Anton, she thought. Please don’t think that. Please.
Even her thoughts were panicked.
Like the stuttering beats of her heart, her hands had started to shake, too.
The man sat down on the edge of the bench and Viviana caught just enough of his profile to know she was in trouble. Viviana would never forget the face of a boy who had once been a lowly soldier for her father. No one too important, as he wasn’t made then, but it had been three years and a lot could change.
Vito Cavallo.
Definitely Italian. Definitely mafia.
Viviana was definitely in trouble.
It was only then that she realized she could faintly hear the dial tone of the ended call inside her pocket. Viviana fumbled frantically to hit the end button, but Vito was already looking straight at her.
“Stop moving and get your hand out of your pocket, right now.”
She froze. His voice was cold and calculating. The stare he leveled on Viviana felt like it belonged to a predator.
“Don’t fucking look at me,” he hissed.
“Vi—”
“Don’t say my name, either. Don’t beg. I want you to get up, Viviana, and begin walking down the path. Keep walking. Call your stupid mutt and make sure he follows close by. Do you have a weapon?”
Viviana knew better than to lie. “Yeah, it’s in my purse.”
“Toss the bag when you’re inside the pathway and hidden from view. Do you understand?”
“There are three—”
“I know,” he snapped quietly, his brown eyes flashing with warning. “I’m not a fucking idiot and this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been watching you for a couple of days. The two in the car will stay while the one on foot will give you a three to five minute head start. You haven’t walked the mutt t
oday, so let’s take him for one.”
“They’ll see you follow behind.”
A quick movement from behind the bench caught her gaze momentarily, but Vito didn’t seem to take notice of her distraction.
“I just need a head start to get this done. By the time they realize I got up to follow you, it’s already going to be too late. One is at the other side of the pond, the other two are—”
“Right behind you,” Viviana whispered.
Thank you, Anton, she thought as the barrel of a gun was pressed into the back of Vito’s neck.
“Get up and walk, you piece of shit,” Rory ordered.
• • •
The metal door banged open under Anton’s hand. From his head to his feet, the Bratva prince shook. Anyone who looked him in the eye wouldn’t like the sight that stared back.
Blackness, like his eyes had drained of color and life.
Coldness, because his emotions had checked out of the equation an hour ago.
Readiness, as his fingers were already fisting tight before he was close enough to hit.
Death, blood, rage, and hunger.
He was so fucking hungry for those things, now.
“Boss,” Boris greeted quietly.
Anton nodded his hello, eyeing the squirming man tied to the metal chair. In two quick steps he was in front of Vito. Without warning, Anton slammed his white knuckle fist into the already bloody face of the Italian scum that had failed to hurt his Viviana earlier. Just as quickly, he ripped the gag out of the man’s mouth and watched the blood pour as teeth were coughed out.
“Scream,” Anton said coldly. “No one will hear you. No one will care. These men want to hear your pain. They like it. This is going to hurt, but it’ll be quicker if you talk.”
“Like fuck.”
Anton landed a solid punch to the man’s abdomen. More red spewed from Vito’s mouth at the hit as the man fell into a groaning, coughing fit. “Oh, you’ll talk before I’m done. And then I’m going to cut out your tongue and let you drown in your own blood.”
The three other men in the room said nothing as Anton tugged off the T-shirt he wore and tossed it to the side. Shaking the ache out of his fist, he noticed Vito’s flinch at the thought of being hit again.