I bite my bottom lip.
“But this is the way we should’ve begun. With me proposing. With me proving myself to you.” He opens the box and shows me a beautiful ring, the center stone glittering and surrounded by a band of diamonds. “Lucretia Milani, will you marry me?”
Tears are already flowing as I look at him, at the monster who stole me away. “We began the way we were always meant to. I wouldn’t have it any other way. And yes, I will marry you, husband!”
He plucks the ring from the box, slides the old ring off my finger, and puts the new one on. I hold it up to the light.
“It’s so beautiful. I love it.”
He pulls another ring from his front pocket, this one a wider band engraved with leaves and swirling vines.
I take it from him and swap it for the one on his finger, then I get on my tiptoes to kiss him. He grips my waist, lifting me and kissing me deeply, his tongue stealing my breath as he angles my head and takes all of me. In this moment, we belong to each other, married in a cathedral but also wed in our hearts.
I wind my arms around his neck, holding onto him as the light fades and we’re left just the two of us, hopelessly in love despite our past.
We’re still kissing when the first gunshots go off.
31
MATEO
We meet Lito in the hallway. “Stay with her at all times. Don’t leave her side. Get her to the safe room just like we talked about.”
Lito nods and takes her arm, then pulls out a gun. “Upstairs. We’ll be safe there.”
“Everything will be all right.” I squeeze her hand.
She grabs me and pulls me down for one more kiss, her sweet taste on my lips. Soldiers run past us, their guns at the ready and my command on their minds. They know what to do.
I break the kiss and stare into her eyes. “Be safe. I’ll come for you when it’s over.”
She nods, and then Lito is hustling her away, though she turns to look back at me as she heads up the stairs.
I give her a nod, watching her until she’s out of sight, then I turn and sprint to my office and grab my loadout: two pistols, several knives, a shotgun, and a long rifle over my shoulder.
“We’re good. They shot up the guards at the gate,” Red calls from the hallway.
“Check in with Benny on the back wall.”
I hear Red’s radio click, and Benny’s voice comes through. “They’re creeping up on us back here. Acting like we can’t see their dumb asses through the trees. We’ve picked a few off, but there are a lot of them.”
Sonny’s been working for the past 24 hours to call off the other families with news of Vincenzo’s treachery, but it seems it hasn’t worked. At least, not completely. Sarita doesn’t have numbers for this sort of assault on her own. It has to be her, Vincenzo’s forces, and at least one more family—if I had to guess, it’s the Fontanas with a small army of mercenaries likely financed with Lucretia’s bride price. Fuck.
“Tell him to keep picking them off and to let us know if they breach the wall,” I tell Red and stride past him to the front of the house.
My thoughts drift upward to Lucretia, but I have to remind myself she’s safe. Lito would die before he let anyone hurt her. So would I, for that matter.
“No prisoners. They came to our house to kill us. We don’t let any of them walk away from this,” I yell.
“Yes sir!” my soldiers respond in unison.
Some of them funnel out the front door while others head out the back to reinforce Benny. Red lingers only a few paces behind me, no doubt put there by Sonny.
“Front gate guards?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “Not a peep.”
I peer out one of the front windows. The grounds are quiet, but I know there are men in the trees. We haven’t heard from the front gate in five minutes. That’s five minutes too long.
We’re on our own. None of our allies have come to our aid. I’ll remember that when I’m head of the council, but I suppose they don’t think I’ll make it out of here alive. How wrong they are.
More gunshots ring out from the trees, and then the sound grows. The armies are engaging beyond my line of sight, though I can see muzzle flares here and there. Sarita is coming. She’s true to her word on that part, at least.
Red’s radio buzzes to life with someone yelling. “There are too many!”
“It’s Carlo.” He jerks his chin toward the trees out front.
I take the radio. “Carlo, fall back to the house. Everyone, run like hell!”