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I expected no less. I make him wait a beat before I nod my head at one of my men.
Then Gerard and I wait in tense silence as he goes to collect Marissa.
Finally, Gerard speaks. “I knew you were an underhanded snake,” he seethes slowly, “but to kidnap my daughter…”
I clench my jaw together. “The only underhanded snake here is you for stealing territory from my father.” My voice shakes with the rage I still feel at the thought.
“You're a fool,” Gerard spits at me. “I stole nothing from Giovanni. He gave it to me as payment for a favor.”
I scoff, “You're lying.”
“I'm not. I have the documents to prove it.”
I appraise him stoically as he pulls a flash drive out of his pocket and throws it to me.
I catch it, but before I can say anything, Marissa comes into the room. She spots her father and races over to him, flinging herself into his arms with barely a limp.
Her sprain is almost completely gone, but I still frown when I see her running on it. She knows what I told her about that.
It also hurts me to see her flinging herself into another man's arms—even if that man is her father.
“It's okay, baby girl. I'm here.” Gerard soothes her.
The movement happens so fast. I barely see it. Gerard wraps his arms around his daughter and then somehow pulls a gun from the inside flap of his suit.
He holds it up to fire at me, but Marissa sees it and flings herself in front of me, holding her arms out. “Papa, no!” she screams just as the gun goes off.
“Marissa!” Her name tears from my throat just like my heart tears from my body when I see the bullet make contact with her flesh.
I catch her in my arms and lower her to the ground. Gerard is standing there, his face ashen as blood oozes from Marissa’s arm.
“Marissa,cara mia,” I call to her brokenly, panic squeezing my chest. “Look at me.” My eyes search her body, relieved to see that the bullet only seems to have grazed her arm. Still, she’s losing a lot of blood.
Her eyes flutter open, and I nearly pass out in relief. “Cara mia, you stupid, stupid girl. Why the fuck did you do that?”
“I couldn’t let him kill you.” She blinks up at me.
I shake my head mournfully. “I kidnapped you, you little fool.”
She raises her hand up to my cheek and smiles at me weakly. “You're not as bad as you pretend to be,” she insists before her eyes flutter closed.
EPILOGUE
Marissa
Christopher squeezes my hand,and I smile up at my fiancé.
After I took a bullet for him, and he and my father almost lost me, they were able to put aside their differences and come to an agreement. Come to find out their feud was based on false pretenses anyway. Christopher had thought my father stole territory from him, but come to find out, Christopher’s father had bartered it away to cover some of his debts, but he’d lied to Christopher and told him my father had stolen it. He was likely too ashamed of his failure, but his actions could have caused a war.
Fortunately, my father was willing to forgive Christopher for operating on false information, especially when he and Christopher agreed I would marry Christopher and strengthen our family's ties. Of course, Christopher and I want to marry for more than political reasons.
And, of course, we never told my father that Christopher took my virginity. I think of what my papa would do if he knew Christopher took my virginity when he kidnapped me.
“What are you thinking of that has you smiling like that,cara mia?’ Christopher asks me as he softly kisses my knuckles.
“What my papa would do if we told him you took my virginity.”
Christopher's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline as he comments dryly, “I'm glad to hear that thoughts of your father castrating your fiancé make you so happy.”
