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Besides, Elliot never backed down from a fight. Tobias Ariti had called him out. He had left a threatening message on Elliot’s phone, detailing how he was going to make the Knight women pay for their men’s arrogance. That he was going to have them raped and then sold into slavery.
Elliot’s blood had turned ice-cold when Tobias had mentioned his brothers’ wives by name. He then added how he was going to enjoy slitting Elliot’s throat for being the one who had killed their father after he quartered Parker and Silas and destroyed their wives. All while Elliot watched his family take their last breaths.
He had sounded like someone with power. So after a little bribery and some physical threats, Elliot discovered Tobias’ plans to marry into the Antonelli family, and his sense of security, at making threats that would see his head on a spike otherwise became clearer. Elliot liked playing with his enemies as much as he liked killing them off.
He could understand the man needed vengeance. After all, that was the same thing they had wanted when Cristo had their father killed. But no one fucked with the Knight brothers and the women they loved and lived to talk about it.
No. Killing Tobias was too easy. He wanted to decimate the man bit by bit for daring to even utter Everleigh and Arabelle’s names. So the first thing Elliot did was steal his prized bride for himself.
He hadn’t known he was going to marry her as a way to mess with Tobias until he found his arm wrapped around the neck of one of Tobias’ men, wringing information out of him.
He hadn’t acknowledged it to himself either when he and his brothers boarded their private jet and headed from Athens to Washington DC where the wedding was meant to take place.
But the image of Tobias touching the girl in the picture he had held in his hand penetrated levels offeelingElliot hadn’t yet discovered.
He was a master at disguising his true thoughts and emotions, he had learned that from the best, both Parker and Silas but in that instance, he had barely been able to control the murderous rage pummeling through his veins. Worse, he couldn’t explain why Tobias’ hands on her body created such fury in him.
The Antonellis fortune, worth billions in gold, diamonds, and bonds were kept in a secret tomb. But once the Antonelli daughter married, that whole fortune would go to her husband. But money wasn’t the issue. Cristo had left his sons more than enough. It was the power that went with being associated with the Antonelli family that Cristo and now Tobias wanted.
As the husband of the Antonelli daughter, all Tobias had to do was put out a call for men.
Italian loyalty ran deeper than most mafia units out there. It wouldn’t be long before Tobias would have accrued a trustworthy army ready to follow his instructions no matter what they were.
Without Anna Antonelli carrying his name, Tobias couldn’t claim the Antonelli mafia as his own. He needed that kind of manpower, clout, and protection if he had a minuscule chance of succeeding in taking the Knight brothers down. Without that and his two brothers gone he was nothing but a man who’d had his future bride stolen right from under his nose.
Elliot had worked strategically and alone in taking down Tobias’ ten bodyguards. Scaring the priest into marrying them had been an easy task and changing the marriage license to reflect his name had cost him nothing but a couple of thousand dollars to achieve.
“They started this war,” Elliot said soberly.
The Antonelli bride was just collateral damage. Short term. Once he was done playing with Tobias and the man took his last breath, he’d let her go.
But for now, she was his wife in every sense of the word and he expected her to behave accordingly whether she liked it or not.
He assured himself it had nothing to do with her reaction when they discussed killing Tobias. That was something she had to accept as well.
He was going to kill the man she was supposed to marry and to whom she clearly seemed to have some sort of an attachment.
Chapter Four
Vivian had never been more embarrassed in all her life.
Elliot whatever his surname was, had bundled her up over his shoulder once more then transported her from the jet to his sports car.
He did have the kindness of bringing her bound hands to the front on her lap instead of her behind her back. She supposed she should be grateful for his generosity toward her comfort.
She resisted pleading silently with his brothers to help her because she knew nothing would come from that.
They all three were colossally insane if they thought their brother’s actions of marrying and then kidnapping a strange woman was nothing to raise their eyebrows about. It was obviously something they were familiar with. She should have known better.
Kidnappings were an everyday occurrence when she had lived on the Antonelli compound. But she had put that life so far behind her she had deliberately forgotten what it could be like. These men were not average human beings. They were dangerous. Just how dangerous remained to be seen.
She struggled for dear life, but restrained with his tie and the garter silencing her, she was rendered helpless and it infuriated her tenfold.
She could safely say he was a coward for gagging her. Instead of listening to her and answering her questions like a normal decent person, he had removed her ability to be heard like an arrogant entitled ass.
Her frustration mounted against her. So did her anxiety. How was she going to get herself out of this? The idea that maybe their marriage was fake gave her hope. Whatever issue he and his family had with Tobias was not her concern but maybe their marriage was just a ruse to lure Tobias out? Could that be it?
Yes, she had to believe that once he removed the garter from her mouth, she would be able to talk to him calmly and civilly, and maybe they could come to some sort of an agreement like grown-ups.
