Page 35 of The Arrangement

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.”