I frown. Why does Leo want to rush this? Today is a magical day. It should be savored.
The priest begins the ceremony, talking about love and devotion. Leo keeps my hands tightly in his, like he’s afraid I might run away. But I don’t want to run away. I’m right where I want to be.
“Do you, Leo Detti, take Emma Greco, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do,” Leo announces.
Rocco shoots to his feet. “Her name is Emma Greco? Leo, what game are you playing at?”
“Continue,” Leo says to the priest after he hesitates. I don’t understand at all what’s happening.
“Do you, Emma Greco, take Leo Detti to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do,” I say without any hesitation.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
“Leo,” Rocco snaps. “What are you doing? This is Alessandro’s daughter isn’t it?”
Alessandro? I have never heard that name in my entire life.
“You can tell Gabriel but it’s too late,” Leo says. “Emma is mine now. We can use her as we please. You can’t stop this, Rocco. Get the word back to Alessandro. This will prevent a war.”
“Or you just made it worse,” Rocco hisses. “You’ve always been impulsive. You are going to drag us into a war.”
“Or prevent one. Alessandro won’t attack us when he knows we have his daughter.”
“What are you talking about?” I whisper.
Leo’s kind face morphs into a dark sneer. “You are the daughter of Alessandro Greco and niece of Giovanni Greco. You are our enemy, Emma. And now that you’re mine, you will give us the information we need on Alessandro. You will be the card we can use against him. You cannot run now. You’re married to me. You belong to me.”
Horror settles in my stomach. The kindness that Leo once showed me is gone. My mother was right. I shouldn’t have trusted any man.
My naiveite got me into this and now I’m stuck, no longer in a dream, but a nightmare.
Chapter Five
Emma
Leo grabs my arm, tugging me down the aisle. My wedding dress flows behind me. I thought I was getting my dream wedding. Finding safety. How naïve I was.
“Leo,” Rocco scolds. “You did this without even telling Gabriel. It’s why I’m the only one here. Not him.”
“Gabriel will understand,” Leo snaps back. “We have to stop Alessandro and this is the way.”
“Marrying his daughter was the way?”
I drag my feet into the floor, stopping Leo. “His daughter? What are you talking about?”
“You can drop the act,” Leo says to me in a harsh tone. I flinch back. “We know you’re Alessandro Greco’s daughter. If you haveany information on him that can help us take him down, now would be a good time to share it. Or I’ll have to resort to more drastic measures of getting information out of you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I whisper.
“Fine. You’re going to make this hard. On both of us. One way or another, Emma, you are going to get your father to back off.”
“My father?” I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”
“Clearly the girl is telling the truth,” Rocco says. “Don’t do this, Leo. Don’t use an innocent girl against her father.”
