“Let me get the salad I prepared so we can have lunch,” Kiara said when we arrived on the ground floor. I made a move to follow her into the kitchen but Nino grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “You’ll stay here.”
I wrenched my wrist out of his grip, narrowing my eyes at him. “Don’t touch me.”
Nino didn’t as much as twitch. “If you think about trying something, don’t. I don’t want to hurt you, but if you hurt Kiara, I’ll make it very painful for you.”
“It’s not her I want to hurt. She can’t help being married to you.”
“Indeed,” Nino agreed.
Kiara returned with what looked like a Cesar’s salad, her gaze flitting between her husband and me. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” I said, because even if I hated the Falcones, Nino’s protectiveness was something I could respect.
Soon we were seated around the garden table, eating salad. My eyes began wandering the premises once more, but I knew there was no easy way to escape. To my surprise, Nino gave us more space. He settled on a chair in the shadows with a laptop he’d grabbed on the way out.
“I can’t imagine how horrified you must have been when you were told Nino Falcone was going to be your husband,” I said.
Kiara chewed slowly then swallowed. “It’s was a shock at first. The Camorra doesn’t have the best reputation.”
I huffed. “They are monsters.”
“The monsters in my family hurt me. I haven’t experienced any kind of humiliation or pain in Las Vegas,” she said firmly.
“Still. I was already nervous on my wedding day. I can’t imagine how it must have been for you.”
Kiara shrugged. “What about your fiancé? What kind of man is he?”
“He’s Underboss of Indianapolis.”
“That doesn’t answer my question ... or maybe it does.”
“I didn’t know him very well,” I said when Remo stepped outside. “But I have every intention of getting to know Danilo better once I’m finally married to him.”
Remo gave me a hard look. “I’m sure he’ll be a delight.”
I narrowed my eyes. “He is.”
“I’m taking Serafina for a walk around the property,” he said to Kiara. She nodded and he turned to me. “Come on.”
Despite my annoyance at his commanding tone, I stood, glad to move my legs. Remo’s eyes scanned me from head to toe as he led me past the pool. “Kiara got you clothes.”
“I need to workout,” I said, ignoring his comment. “I can’t sit around all day. I’m going crazy. Unless that’s what you want, you need to let me run on a treadmill.”
Remo shook his head. “No need for a treadmill. I run every morning at seven. You can join me.”
I allowed myself a quick scan of his body. Of course he worked out. His body was all muscle. I knew he and his brothers were into cage fighting and running was a good way to improve your stamina. “That sounds reasonable.”
Remo’s mouth twitched. “I’m glad you think so.”
“What did you demand of my uncle for my freedom?” I asked him after a while.
“Minneapolis.”
I jerked to a stop. “That’s ridiculous. My uncle won’t give you any part of his territory. Even my father wouldn’t give up his city to save me.”
Remo’s smile darkened. “I think your father would gladly give me his city if it were up to him.”
I swallowed. I didn’t want to think of my family. Not when Remo was watching me closely. I’d cried enough in front of him yesterday. “You know Dante won’t meet your demands.”
Remo nodded.
“Then why make them?”
“This is a game of chess, Angel, like you said. I need to bring my pieces in position before I strike.”
Remo sounded so awfully sure of himself, it made me worry that maybe he’d really win in the end.
I turned away from him and continued walking. “I’m surprised Luca Vitiello agreed to your plan. I used to think the Famiglia was honorable, but apparently they are stooping as low as the Camorra now.”
Remo touched my shoulder and pulled me to a stop. “Tell me, Serafina, what’s the difference between an arranged marriage with Danilo and being my captive?”
I stared at him incredulously, but before I could deliver a reply, he spoke again.
“You didn’t choose Danilo. You will be given to him like an unwilling captive and the ring around your finger will be your shackle, the marriage your cage.” His dark eyes held triumph as if I couldn’t possibly argue my defense. My eyes darted to the ring around my finger. Its sight didn’t hold the same pride and excitement it used to.
“You will have to surrender to his body, whether you desire him or not, and your body and soul are at his mercy. Tell me again, how is your arranged marriage different to being my captive?”
Remo leaned down, holding my gaze the entire time, and I didn’t step back. His lips grazed my chin, then my cheek, and finally my mouth. “Your ‘no’ means nothing in a marriage. Do you call that freedom?”
Pressing my lips together, I glared at him, too proud to admit his words made sense. Remo had a way to twist things the way he wanted them until you believed they were the truth.
“Did you ever fantasize about Danilo? Do you desire him?”
I glared. “That’s none of your business.”
Remo shook his head as he stroked my throat, then my collarbone with his rough fingertips. “You didn’t. Your mind said yes to him, and you hoped your body would follow.” His fingers on my skin made thinking straight difficult, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of pulling back. “I wonder how long it’ll take for your mind to say yes to me because your body has been screaming yes from the very first moment.”
I ripped away from him. “You are insane. Neither my body nor my mind say yes to any part of you, Remo. I think being the undisputed ruler of Las Vegas has made you a megalomaniac.”
Remo’s dark eyes sent another shiver down my spine, and I stalked off, running as much from his terrifying expression as the weight of the truth. Despite my hate for the Camorra’s Capo, his kisses and closeness wreaked havoc within me.
I suspected it was due to my captivity, a form of Stockholm Syndrome. I made sure to keep my distance as Remo led me back to my room, and he didn’t try to touch me again. Before he locked me in, I asked, “What do you really want, Remo?”
He regarded me with unsettling intensity. “You know what I want.”
“Body and soul,” I muttered.
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Body and soul.”
He closed the door and I was left with the whirlwind of thoughts in my head. I needed to figure out a way to get away. Maybe my family was already planning some insane hostage rescue. Samuel surely was. If not openly then definitely in his head. There was no way anyone would survive an attack on Camorra territory. And I didn’t kid myself into thinking that Remo would release me any time soon. He was making demands, but he didn’t want them to be fulfilled. Yet.
REMO
As promised, I picked Serafina up at seven so she could run with me. Usually I preferred to do my morning run alone, but I couldn’t resist her presence.
Serafina had put on shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers.
She followed me quietly through the house but stopped when I led her toward the driveway. “Where are we going?”
“We’re going running, like I said. Did you think I do my laps in the garden?”
I opened the door to my Bugatti SUV for her, and she got in without another word. I got behind the wheel and pulled down the driveway, feeling her eyes on me. I enjoyed her confusion.
I took us to a trail in a nearby canyon where I’d run before. Soon it would be too warm, but this early in the morning the temperature was perfect for running. Serafina followed me out of the car and looked around the gravel parking lot. We were the only people around. Her eyes were assessing and attentive. She’d try something, and I had to admit I couldn’t wait for it.
We jogged beside each other for a while before she spoke up. “Aren’t you worried I’ll run?”
“I caught you once before.”
“I was stuck in my wedding dress, so I was too slow.”
“I’ll always catch you, Angel.”
After thirty minutes, we stopped for a drinking break. I could tell that Serafina was scouting the terrain. Taking a deep gulp of water, I watched as she got down on her haunches and laced up her sneakers again. When she straightened, I knew from the tension in her limbs that she was about to do something. She threw sand at my face and actually managed to get some of it into my eyes. Through blurry vision, I saw her dashing off. Chuckling, despite my burning eyes, I took chase. I’d dealt with worse.
Serafina was quicker than last time, and she didn’t stay on the trail, which was a huge risk on her part. If she got lost around here, she’d die of dehydration before she found her way back to civilization. I picked up my own pace. Serafina jumped to avoid rocks and practically flew over the ground. It was a beautiful sight. So much more beautiful than having her locked in a room.
Eventually, I caught up with her. Her legs were much shorter, and she was less muscular. When I was close enough, I slung my arm around her waist like last time. We both lost our balance from the impact and fell. I landed on my back with Serafina on top of me. She rammed her knee into my stomach and kicked to get out my hold. Before she could do real damage, I rolled over and pressed her into the ground with my weight, her wrists pushed up above her head.