This is a destination wedding for us. We celebrated for two nights, and the wedding was on the third day. We figured after all the partying, a reception wasn’t necessary.
“Toni, you smell that?”
“Hell yeah. Smells fucking amazing.” Toni inhales deeply, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. His sharp nose and sculpted lips move in sync, and then he drops his head. “I swear if I lived here I’d be as fat as a pig,” he chuckles.
“You?” I laugh with him. “After working my ass off to try and stay fit enough for this damn dress, all I want are carbs. I’d take an entire torta stand with me if I had the choice.”
“I bet you would, baby.” He runs his eyes up and down my frame again. He hasn’t been able to stop staring since I walked down the aisle. “Hey, come here. Give me another one of those sweet kisses.”
I blush hard as I lean in, but then Kevin stomps on the brakes, causing me to gasp and slide forward. I hear tires skid and Kevin jerks the wheel to get out of the way of the black SUV in front of us.
He swerves to the right in haste, but what stops us from still driving is the fire hydrant that he crashes right into.
“Shit!” Toni barks. His cigar has fallen, burning the carpet, but it’s the least of his worries right now. He looks at me, grabbing my arm, checking me for damage. “You all right, Gia?”
“Yes,” I breathe, but my heart is pounding. Kevin looks back at us, and for a second I think he is going to apologize for his lack of attention, but I am completely wrong.
Kevin, Toni’s driver of four years, pulls out a handgun and points it directly at my face.
I scream as he cocks an eyebrow, and Toni looks up, only to be faced with the gun now. “Kevin, what the fuck is your problem! Put that fucking gun down or I’ll shove it down your fucking throat!”
I hear stomping, guns cocking, as Toni rants on, threatening a man with a gun when he has all of his weapons in the trunk…and that’s when I see them.
Three large, bulky men with handguns. They have on black gloves, and all black clothing. Really tan skin and beady black eyes. They are stomping quickly, careless of their surroundings.
The people around are avoiding them like the plague, as if they know these men are trouble and shouldn’t be fucked with.
“Toni!” I scream, pointing at the men as Kevin pushes out of the car.
One of the men lifts his gun and points it at us. Toni looks back just in time, grabs me by the back of the neck, and forces my body down as he ducks.
Bullets fly everywhere. Glass shatters and my body crumples even more as Toni looks me right in the eyes. His are glossy now. An apology has formed, but I am confused by it. This isn’t his fault. He didn’t know this would happen…did he?
One bullet lands at Toni’s ribs and he grunts loudly, clutching his side with one hand.
“Toni,” I whimper when the bullets stop. I want to ask him what this may be about, but I can’t. The words are lodged in my throat. I’m too afraid to speak.
I tremble, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“Gia…baby, I—” The door behind Toni is snatched open. Before he can finish, he’s yanked out by the back of his tuxedo, and a silver gun is pointed at the base of his skull.
I watch in absolute horror as my husband—my beautiful, adoring husband—stares right at me with blue eyes so big and full of remorse.
And with no hesitation at all—as if my husband means nothing to anyone in this world—he is taken right away from me.
In the blink of an eye.
In a flash.
A bullet fires through his left eye, his face blanks, and then his body collapses on the seat.
For a moment, I can’t think.
I can’t breathe.
All I see is blood. Toni’s blood. It has soaked my $34,000 dress. It’s on my face, on my hands as I reach for him. It puddles around my feet, but not for long.
His body is snatched right away from me again and dragged off.
“No!” I scream. “No! Stop! Leave him alone!” I’m begging, but I don’t even know what for. He’s gone. Toni is gone and every part of my brain is in denial about it. “Why are you doing this?!” I shout at the men, watching as one of them drags him off. “STOP!”
Before I know it, they are coming for me too. One of them has a sly grin on his face and it disgusts me. I know he is a pig—they are all pigs—but this particular one has a look in his eye. One that scares the living shit out of me.