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The entire time, I sneak glances at Theo, who remains against the wall, keeping an eye on me. We’re going to get through this. I have to believe it.
As the night nears the end, Salvatore stands up and announces he and I will be leaving now. “It’s our wedding night,” he says in a suggestive tone. A lot of the men in the room whistle and cheer. I want to die of embarrassment. All my older sisters give me sympathetic looks, which only somehow makes me feel worse.
Because the reception hall is in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel, Salvatore and I don’t have to go far to reach our room for the night. He takes my hand and leads me upstairs to a fancy suite almost as large as my living room and kitchen combined.
“Wow,” I say, looking around. I need to stall for time. Theo has to come save me. As Salvatore shuts the door behind me,I notice a man standing out in the hall—one of Salvatore’s men keeping watch. Theo has to be careful. How will he get me out of this?
Salvatore stalks over to me, grabs my waist, and tries kissing me again. I fight it.
“No,” I say, pushing him away but he shoves me down onto the bed. “No!”
“Listen here, Cecilia,” he says into my ear, his breath hot and smelly from the alcohol he drank all night long, “you’re my wife now. You will perform your duty for me. Now, open your legs.” He forces my legs apart, but I kick him in the face before he can touch me again.
He jerks back. “You little bitch.” He throws himself on top of me, and we wrestle for dominance. I refuse to let him touch me. I’d rather die before that happens.
The door the suite bursts open …
… and there he is. Theo.
He runs over to Salvatore, throws him on the ground, and starts beating him up. The door is slightly open, and I can see Salvatore’s man lying on the ground. I run over to close the door, so no one else can come in.
“You can’t win,” Salvatore says, his voice muffled from Theo breaking his nose.
“Cecilia isn’t a trophy to win,” Theo snarls back, hitting Salvatore square in the face. The old man’s head snaps back. “There’s only one way you’re not going to follow us.” Theo stands up and grabs his gun from his jacket pocket.
“Theo?” I say, rushing over. “Are you really going to …”
“I am. It’s the only way.”
We share a look, and I nod, letting him know it’s okay.
Salvatore’s eyes widen when Theo points the gun at him. “What the fuck are you doing? If you kill me, my men will kill you. Think about what you’re doing.”
“I am,” Theo seethes. He has a silencer on his gun. When he pulls the trigger, only a muffled sound comes out.
Salvatore’s head jerks back as he slumps over, dead.
“Oh my god,” I whisper.
Theo puts his gun away. “We have to hurry. When his men see him, they won’t go to the police with this. They’ll come after us. Salvatore wasn’t wrong. They’ll try to kill us.”
“Then we need to get out of here.” I grab Theo’s hand. He’s shaking slightly. “Hey. It’s okay. You had to do what you had to do. I don’t blame you. In fact, I love you for it.”
Theo sucks in a breath, his head whipping toward me. “You love me?”
“Of course, I do. I’ve loved you for years.”
He pulls me into a rough hug and kisses the top of my head. “I love you, too. So fucking much.” He lets me go. “Now, we need to get out of here. Salvatore only had one man stationed outside the door, but this hotel is crawling with his men. We need to be careful.”
“I’m not exactly subtle with my dress.”
“It will have to do. I couldn’t bring clothes for you without looking suspicious. We need to gonow.”
We hold hands and leave, both of us facing an uncertain future. But one thing I know is—we’ll do it together.
CHAPTER 15
Theo
