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“No.” I wrench away from him. “I’m not going to let you die. Don’t tell me you’re just going to stand there and let Antonio kill you?”
“Of course not. But we need to talk about this.” He turns to Antonio. “Is there anything else you can do?”
“Would you be willing to divorce?” Antonio asks.
“No,” comes Theo’s immediate reply. “I love Cecilia. I have no shame for what we’ve done. For the things I’ve done.”
“You don’t feel bad for killing Salvatore?”
“Not one bit,” Theo hisses. “He wanted to abuse your sister. I couldn’t stand back and let that happen.”
“So, you just decided to fuck my sister instead.”
I gasp. “Antonio, stop. Theo loves me. I love him. Salvatore wasn’t a good man. We were planning to escape before the wedding. Salvatore wasn’t supposed to die. But he moved the wedding day up. We were out of options. Theo had to kill him to save me.”
“How convenient,” he retorts.
“Just stop!” I shout. “We are bickering like we’re kids again. We have to stop this. You are not going to kill Theo. He and I are going to run away together, and you will not stop it.”
“You don’t get to boss me around, Cecilia,” Antonio says. “What I say goes. And right now, I have a lot of things to fix because of your fuck-up. Now, we’re going back to New York. Both of you. Let’s go.” He turns and heads for the front door.
“We could run,” I say to Theo. “Right now.”
Theo shakes his head. I notice the grim determination in his eyes, and I don’t like it one bit. “No more running, Cecilia. Antonio will make sure you’re safe from Salvatore’s men. And I’ll own up to my crimes.”
“But you’ll die.”
He holds me close to him. “If it means I got to spend even an amazing day with you, I’d die a thousand times over. And I got that. If dying is what protects you … I have to do it.”
“But if you’re dead, nothing will stop Antonio from marrying me to someone else.”
“You heard what he said. Not many Mafia men will want you after this. And that’s a good thing. You can just live your life for yourself.”
I grip his arms. “But I don’t want to live by myself. I want you with me.”
“Let’s just get to New York.”
“Promise me you’ll try to find a way out of this.”
“I promise.” He kisses my head before stepping away. “Antonio is waiting.”
Antonio takes us to his private plane. The three of us are the only ones on board except for the pilot and co-pilot.
“Our family is waiting to see you when we get back,” Antonio tells me. Theo and I are on one side with Antonio across from us. “They all offered their opinions. Most are not happy with me, if that makes you feel any better. Even Nina isn’t happy with me.”
I snort. “I’m glad. Our sisters always knew how to put you in your place. It’s a good thing your wife knows how to as well.”
“One thing I don’t get,” Theo says. “How did Salvatore’s men know where to find us?”
“I tracked your phone,” Antonio explains, looking at me. “It was easy to do. Marco didn’t tell me anything until I confronted him about it because I could tell it was one of his properties. As for Salvatore’s men … I had to give them something. They weren’t going to stop. So, I said you were in Italy, and that was all I knew. I wanted to come get you before they tried to kill you.”
“Too late on that,” I say, my tone snarky.
Antonio sighs, shaking his head. “Yes, well … I really didn’t want them coming after you. I swear. But I think some of mymen are trying to go against me. There’s one man in particular I think wants my spot. Oliver Martin. He’s hated me from the beginning, ever since I hit him upside the head with my pendant.” His hands close around our father’s pendant. “I’m guessing he told Salvatore’s men where to find you.”
“You need to get your men in line,” I say.
His eyes flash. “That’s what I was trying to do with your marriage to Salvatore. But you had to go and ruin it.”
