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I snort because I can’t help myself, shoulders shaking slightly as I try to stifle my amusement. “I’m sure he’s aware it’s happening. That was the whole point, right? But no, I didn’t invite him.”
“Alright. So I have some bad news.” Luciano uses his chin to gesture to the entrance of the banquet hall. “I think we’ve got wedding crashers.”
Our heads turn in unison as Giovanni and Marco stroll into the room, dressed to impress in their finest attire. Gio’s hair has been freshly cut and dyed, adding to his polished appearance. Their presence commands attention, drawing all eyes towards them.
“Congratulations, Chrissy!” Giovanni announces, his face erupting with a wide, beaming grin. With a confident stride, he weaves through the parting crowd with a bottle in hand. The glass glints in the light as he shakes it, the liquid inside preparing for an explosion. “My niece just got married! It’s time to party everyone!” He removes the cork with a satisfying pop, sending a spray of bubbles and liquid into the air.
My heart sinks as I realize Adalina wasn’t the worst thing to happen on my wedding day. It is my uncle arriving uninvited and wreaking havoc by showering our guests in champagne.
The celebratory atmosphere quickly turns chaotic as Giovanni tosses the bottle, and glass shatters across the dance floor.
Chapter 50
Niccolo
Ishould have seen this coming; the Lucatellos have been quiet for weeks now. Ever since Rocco put Christine in the hospital, I’ve been waiting for a second attack, but it never came.
I was beginning to think we were out of danger because we said our vows and made a promise to one another, but I was wrong.
I wrap my arm around my wife’s waist and pull her close. “Don’t worry,” I reassure her, “it’s going to be okay.”
But terror sparks in Christine’s eyes as she flashes back to the last time she saw Giovanni. In a desperate attempt to ground herself, she reaches out and tightly grasps my hand, her fingers trembling as her nails dig into my skin. “You have to make them leave, Nic,” she whispers, her voice full of fright.
Salvatore cracks his knuckles. “Let me be the one, Nicci. It’s your wedding. You don’t want to get blood on your suit.”
“No!” Christine hesitates. “I don’t want you to hurt them.”
I keep my eyes trained on my bride, not daring to look at Giovanni and Marco. “Do you trust me,dolcezza?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Giovanni pouting on the dance floor. “No one wants to party?” He tosses the champagne bottle into the air, and it lands on the ground behind him with a sickening display of glass shards. “I think my invite got lost in the mail, Chrissy.”
She leans in closer to me, almost hiding behind my frame. “Yes,” she whispers. “I trust you, Niccolo.”
That’s all I need to hear. I bring her hand to my lips and place the gentlest of kisses on the back of it. “Lucia, take care of her.”
My sister reaches out to grab Christine’s other hand. “Let’s go freshen up,” she announces with a smile. “They’ll have it all taken care of by the time we return.”
Hotel employees arrive to clean up the mess, and our Event Coordinator tries to politely explain to Giovanni that his behavior is grounds for removal. Marco bullies his way between the two of them as if silently demanding an explanation. Guests are in an uproar, shouting at the staff and the uninvited guests for ruining the party.
I wait until Lucia has dragged Christine to the bathroom before I take action. Salvatore, Luciano, and I step forward to mitigate the fight brewing between the Lucatello brothers and the Event Coordinator. She’s a tiny, docile little thing, and they’re ganging up on her.
“Enough, Gio.” I am as cordial as I can be, but there’s venom coursing through my veins. “If you want to talk, we can go outside. These people are not responsible for?—”
“Allof you are responsible,” Giovanni cuts me off. “Responsible for upending an arranged marriage you hadno businessdallying in.”
We planned for a fight. Dante and I knew that no matter what happened between the Terlizzis and the Castigliones as a result of this marriage, Giovanni would come for me.
Our hope was to strike first in the quiet hours of dawn when the dust had settled, and I had formally claimed Christine as my wife. But these are the unpredictable events Dante wanted to prepare for.
“We can discuss it outside,” I suggest again, more forceful this time. “This is between you and me, not you and any of my guests.” I turn to the brother on my left, hissing at Luciano to find Dante.
Giovanni’s laugh echoes off the walls of the reception hall. “You scared of me, Nic? Afraid I’m going to rip you limb from limb in front of all your family and friends?” He takes a menacing step closer, his eyes narrowing in the process. “Because I am.”
“This has been a delight,” Salvatore booms, interrupting us with a boisterous laugh. “Marco, buddy, why don’t we chat?” When he steps forward and slams his fist right into the larger man’s chest, the wedding party goes nuts. Women scream, babies cry, and men start rolling up their sleeves for a fight. Giovanni walked into a lion’s den when he decided to show up here; he’ll be lucky to make it out alive.
Thankfully, Luciano returns with Dante a few moments later. The four of us are enough to bully the Lucatellos out of the banquet hall and into the parking lot. The Hotel Managerfollows behind, threatening to call the police if we ever step foot in the hotel again.
“You think marrying Christine was smart?” Giovanni shouts, his voice echoing through the parking lot. “She’s going to get you killed. You signed your death certificate today, Terlizzi. As for her,” he shoves a finger at the hotel building, gesturing wildly at his niece within, “she’ll be crippled before the week is up. You’ll be lucky if Rocco doesn’t kill her. When he finds out that she married you, he’ll make sure she never walks again.”
