Page 23 of Forced Mafia Bride

Divorce could not be considered. If I dared, either Ronan or Tristan himself would have my head for it before signing the papers.

“Quit wasting time,mi amor.” His tone held no affection, no love, no care.

I was choking, suffocating, drowning. I clutched my chest, barely being able to breathe when I formed the first words.

“I cherish to hold....”

The gigantic double doors at the entrance flew open, creaking on their hinges as they parted wide, allowing a sudden bright light to pour in. Before Ronan and I marched in, I might have just sworn that there was no sunlight, but judging from the golden glow ushering in men in black suits with guns, I wasn’t sure.

With guns.

Hushed whispers broke out from amongst the wedding guests. My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach, thevows dried on my tongue like withered leaves, and I barely remembered a line when the strange men cleared a path for….

“Yezhov?”

Ronan angrily thundered, rising to his feet and marching toward the taller man with folded fists. I cringed because, against the Russian who arrived fully prepared, Ronan was defenseless. We all were. The weapons were left in the trunks of the carsoutsidethe church. It was unheard of to use guns inside. But the Russians had no respect for rules. How could they when they had played God from the beginning?

Ronan swung a fist. “What the hell!”

But he wasn’t fast enough. Two of Nikolai’s men accosted him, snatching his wrist and holding him in a deadlock while their boss strolled past. He struggled against them, and they forced him to his knees. I had a gut feeling that was only a mild part of this new plan to humiliate Ronan.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing here?” he yelled from behind him.

Nikolai did not answer. He kept his eyes on me the entire time, dusting a lint off his plain black jacket as he walked up to the podium. Despite my seething anger, my gaze lingered on his impeccable grooming, which seemed to be his trademark. His brown hair was sleek and perfectly styled, every strand falling in place with precision. The lines on his dress pants were razor-sharp, and the fabric seemed to drape elegantly on his frame. His shoes, polished to a high shine, reflected the light with a subtle gleam, adding to the overall impression of fastidious attention to detail. It was as if he had stepped out of a high-end fashion spread.

He prepared for this.

“Hello again, Tristan.” He smiled at my husband-to-be. “Pleasure seeing you again, and at this time. Guess what? It turned out I didn’t need an invite.”

Tristan, who had been frozen in shock beside me during the interruption, jolted to his senses. “How dare you?”

Like us, he lacked the necessary tools for a defense. Although, it was never heard that Tristan Gomez backed off from a fight. He began growling orders when a big man emerged from behind Nikolai and swiftly knocked him out with the butt of a gun to his forehead. I watched Tristan crumple like a sack of bones to the feet of the priest who had his eyes tightly closed while he muttered prayers of protection.

“Come on, let’s go.”

My head snapped back to him, my heart galloping in my chest at the sight of his palm stretched out. Was he crazy? Did he seriously expect me to just take his hand and strut out of the church like nothing happened?

The proposal was a kidnapping. A kidnapping beforethe day of the wedding. The Russians were to play it smartly to not look like suspects. But now…nowthere were guns and more men than I could count with my fingers, and it didn’t help that he was dressed more smartly than the groom.

I shook my head.

“Nikolai, what are you…what are you doing?” I whispered harshly. “Thiswas not the plan.”

He wasn’t fazed. He didn’t even bat an eyelash. If anything, he seemed annoyed. “No, it wasn’t. Let’s just say I needed a bit more convincing. I mean, you say you couldn’t stand him, but you’re dressed, and I’m guessing you had your vows perfectly memorized. And by the way, you make a beautiful bride, but this dress is hideous.”

I knew what it looked like—a trap. He thought I’d played him and decided to do things his own way. The plan still did not add up. He was here, and Ronan was present as well. He didn’t have to take me with him. One accurate shot to my brother’s head would have ended the feud between them.

“Niko, why are you doing this?”

His eyes hardened like ice rocks in the Arctic. A chill ran down my spine at the harshness of his tone. “No time for explanations, princess. You decide what it’s going to be. Come with me or stay here.”

I looked at him,reallylooked at him, and it felt like a fantasy veil had been peeled off my eyes because the man standing in front of me was not the same man I’d encountered at the Bercyna. He wasn’t the one who was all over me in the bathroom like I was oxygen, and he couldn’t get enough.

Whoever this was, I didn’t recognize him.

Since Sean’s death, I believed that Tristan and Ronan were the monsters. My desire for freedom had so blinded me that I ran into the arms of the enemy, who had turned out to be the real beast.

With the tears falling freely now, I spared a glance at Tristan lying unconscious on the floor and to Ronan, who glared at me with more hate than he had from the first day Father brought me to the house and introduced me to my brothers. I’d betrayed my family. I’d betrayed Hannah. But if I stayed, Ronan would use his last breath to make me miserable, and sealing the marriage to Tristan was the first thing he’d make me do.