He smirked. “I got racked in the balls by my girl.”
“No,” I pouted and traced where he had the remnants of a black eye. “You look like you had it just as bad as me.”
He looked pained and shook his head no. He pulled me tight into his arms again, but noticed me cringe. “What’s the matter?”
“My ribs are still healing. I’m fine, though, otherwise. Just a little bruised like you.”
He kissed one of the cuts on my wrist. “No, not just bruised.” I could tell he was getting worked up again.
“Hey, I’ve got you now.”
“I got here as fast as I could.”
Ann Marie started to fill in the blanks. “We got word that Dino and Dante got their hands on him, doing a number on him, before they locked him in their trunk. From the way Marcello tells it, Anthony didn’t want Daniel to interfere and knew short of killing him that nothing would keep him away as long as he was alive.
“The twins worked him over, and yet he was still fighting. Marcello convinced Anthony to let Joey sedate him. They were going to break his legs,” Ann Marie cringed. “That gave us the chance to know where he’d be going. Victor and Joey took care of all the paperwork.”
Daniel took over. “Victor set it all up, so a nurse would bring me notes, and I could send them back as well.” He pulled me up on the bed with him, and I carefully curled around him, not sure if he had any other injuries.
“Marcello let me know he thought the twins might have you. He wasn’t sure and went looking for you. I’m going to kill those bastards. No one is stopping me this time, not even my mother,” he growled.
“Jesus, the twins did this to little Gabby?” Santino sounded shocked.
“That’s what Marcello said,” Ann Marie spat. “They really did a number on Daniel, too. He looked like a raving lunatic, and they had him committed to a mental hospital. I’m not sure how it worked out that they had her at the same time, though. Something doesn’t add up,” she frowned, looking more worried than before.
“I swear I would’ve gotten here sooner if I could. They were giving me injections.” Daniel tucked his face into my neck. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sure Anthony was greasing a few palms to keep him on the injected sedatives instead of the pills. I can’t see how that’d normally be acceptable,” Ann added distractedly. You could see she was still trying to piece things together in her head.
“The regular doctor got sick, so a different one was called in. He put me on pills, and it was easy for me to hide them in my mouth and keep them from sedating me. I stole a door keycard and broke into the staff locker room. I was able to find clothes and car keys. I swear I got here as fast as I could,” Daniel said. He kept running his fingers through my hair, kissing my face all over softly.
My hand ran down his chest, and I smirked. He was wearing a sweater with a reindeer on it. “Nice duds.”
He looked down at it and started laughing. “You know, I didn’t even think to look at it.” He looked down at his pants. They were made of an odd green polyester material with a weird texture, and they had a permanently stitched crease down the front to keep them looking freshly pressed.
They were a bit short and looked to have an elastic waistband when he pulled at them, trying to get a better look. He started laughing even harder. “I think I stole an old lady’s clothes.”
“No doubt about it. Those are granny pants,” I teased.
“I got hit by a grandma?” Santino sounded so appalled and amused at the same time.
“Shut up,” Daniel groused.
“Did you grab her underwear, too?” Santino teased.
“No, that’s the one thing they let you keep in the nut house. Though I could’ve sworn I saw boxer briefs in the locker,” he pulled at his reindeer shirt again.
“They were probably compression shorts,” Ann Marie said, like it was totally normal for Daniel to be wearing old lady clothes. “I’ll make sure Victor brings you some clothes. You can’t get married in that,” Ann Marie insisted.
I didn’t blame her. I would marry Daniel, no matter what he was wearing, but I think he would prefer not to be wearing some granny’s pilfered polyester. Despite his grandma clothes, I still snuggled with him on the bed. I realized the sweater held a hint of rose-scented perfume. It was pretty, but weird to smell on my man. It didn’t matter, though. After so much excitement, and then finally being in Daniel’s arms again, I fell fast asleep.
I woke to Daniel’s voice saying, “Just give me a minute.”
I stretched across him and settled down on his chest, not wanting to get out of bed. I heard chuckling from across the room and peeked one eye open to see who it was.
“Hey there, little Knox, I see your eye open. Time to get up. I got Daniel’s clothes, and Ann has a few dresses for you to look at in the bathroom. “
I pressed my nose into Daniel’s chest, hiding my eyes. I felt his chest rumble with his laughter. His hands rubbed down my back. I knew he meant it to be comforting, but I flinched when he reached my stitched gash. He picked up on it right away and pulled up my shirt. I squirmed, trying to keep it down, but it was too late. “Jesus.” His arms tightened around my shoulders, and his face pressed into my hair. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”
“You see why we call her ‘Fort Knox’ now?” Victor spoke solemnly.
“Christ, Victor, you knew about this?” Ann Marie accused. I just now realized she hadn’t seen that gash or the others covered by my clothes. Joey had always shut the curtain, when he had checked them out. She had only seen my bruised face and burned ear, and the cuts from the bindings on my wrists. Everything else was covered.
“I didn’t know anything. I only knew Marcello hoped Anthony would show his hand, if Daniel was out of the way. When Joey gave me the report of her injuries…the damage…” He swallowed hard. “I knew she looked bad when I got her, but I thought the Feds would’ve looked after her better. At this point, they’ll be lucky if I don’t bankrupt the whole damn department and shut it down. As for Anthony, I have traces out on his car. He’s still in the area. Marcello is trying to steady things, so once he takes him out, there won’t be a full-blown war amongst the brothers.”
Santino was holding Ann Marie. I could tell she was upset. Daniel distracted me, when he ran his fingers through my hair and tipped my chin up, so I would look at his face. “Do you want to get married? You don’t have to say yes. If you’re not ready, we can wait.”
I climbed up his body and kissed him like there was no one in the room with us. “I want to marry you.”
His smile was brilliant. He pulled me down for another kiss.
“Hey, the honeymoon comes after,” Santino razzed.
“Wait, I thought I was married to Santino? Doesn’t that take a while to fix?”
“I didn’t file my piece at the courthouse yet. It’s not been recorded, so there’s no reason to file for an annulment. Sorry, Santino, you’re still a bachelor,” Victor grinned.
“That’s too bad, I was gonna ask for spousal support, you know, alimony, only in the form of sandwiches. You can’t leave me hungry, doll.”
“I’ll make you some sandwiches, to thank you for looking after me,” I promised.
He blushed a little and shrugged. “Yeah, well, you know.”
Joey knocked lightly and called through the door that it was grandma’s sister. “Your great-great aunt,” he clarified. The code was just getting better. He poked his head in and smiled. “It looks like your meds are wearing off. I talked to the hospital chaplain, and he said he’d be happy to do the wedding. He’s ready when you are.”
“You hear that, babe? If you want to back out, now’s the time,” Daniel warned with a too-big grin. He knew for damn sure I wasn’t backing out.
I sat up slowly, minding my sore body. “Do you mind helping me get ready?” I asked Ann Marie.
She answered with clapping hands and arm waving. “Come on, baby girl, let’s get you dressed!”
You would have thought I would’ve been a nervous mess, but after everything I had gone through, one thing remained the same. I loved Daniel more than anything, and I was going to marry him, come hell, high water, or insane fathers. He was mine.
Chapter 38 – Wedding Crashers
Ann Marie helped me pick a dress. She had one that was loose-fitting, and she confessed it was a maternity dress. When she had originally heard Daniel and I were getting married, she wanted to be sure to cover all the bases, just in case. Then, all hell had broken loose, and I had gotten kidnapped. Now I was glad she had thought I was pregnant, because all of the other gowns were fitted and would have hit in all the wrong, painful places.
She told me to wait in the bathroom, while she grabbed some stuff for my hair. I peeked out the door and saw all the men adjusting their suit coats, flashing their double gun holsters as they moved. I leaned back against the bathroom wall, trying to calm myself. You would have thought the guns would calm my nerves, but they had had them at the church during Marky’s wedding, and it hadn’t stopped whoever had taken me. It hadn’t stopped Anthony, either. He was still out there, and I knew he would come after me.
I jumped and squeaked, when I felt Ann Marie’s hand on my face. “Sweetheart, are you alright? You don’t have to do this.”
“No…yes…I mean, I’m fine, I want to, I just…” I took in a deep breath and finally met her eyes. “I’m scared to leave the room,” I confessed.
She carefully pulled me into her arms. “We’ve got you, baby girl. We’re ready for him. We weren’t before, but we are now. No one is going to hurt you.” She held my chin in her hand and looked me right in the eyes when she said it.
“I didn’t realize I was scared to leave,” I whispered.
“Sometimes, bad things happen in life, and they scare the shit out of us. It’ll take a while to get over this, but you’ll have us to help you. I promise it’ll get better.” I fought back my tears and gave her a hopeful smile. “Now, I’ve got plans for that hair of yours.”
I looked in the mirror and noted the gauze still on my ear. “I should probably keep it down,” I pulled a little at it.
“I know just how to do this. You leave it to me. My god, it’s so crazy to think you’re gonna be my sister-in-law. Is that messed up or what?” she giggled, making me smile. I needed the mood lightened.
She pinned my hair up on one side and had it come cascading down on my bad side, covering the gauze completely. She had stolen some of the get-well flowers from my bouquets and was tucking them into my hair. She powdered my face lightly, covering the bruises. I was so glad all my swelling had gone down. She stood me in front of the little bathroom mirror, smiling over my shoulder. “Beautiful, right? I know what I’m doing,” she kissed my cheek. She peeked out of the bathroom door and asked, “Is it safe?”
“Yeah, Victor took the groom to the chapel. Me and Joey are taking the bride,” Santino said with a smile. “I get to walk her down the aisle.” I noticed he had a flower tucked into his lapel, and so did Joey.
Santino spun around and grabbed something from the hospital room windowsill. When he turned around, I saw it was a makeshift bouquet from one of my flower arrangements, and by the looks of it, it was from the larger one he had given me. He really was a sweetheart. “You ready, baby girl?”
I nodded my head and barely managed a thank you, as I was so choked up. I leaned into him, giving him a one-armed hug, careful not to crush either of our flowers.
“Are you sure you’re gonna be alright here, Ann Marie?” Joey sounded worried.
“It won’t be for long, and I’m gonna kill anyone who isn’t my great-great aunt. You remember that,” she pointed at the three of us smiling.
I crossed the room and hugged her to me. “I wish you could be there.” I saw her glance at Marky, and I squeezed her arm. “I understand why you can’t. Thank you, for everything.”
I gave her one last hug, before I took Santino’s hand. Joey stepped out of the door first, and then Santino moved me, so I was in front of him and behind Joey.
Santino must have noticed my nerves, because he stepped closer and put his hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got you, little Knox.”
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Victor brought us vests, and not the tux kind. We were gonna put one on you, but Ann Marie didn’t think it went with the dress. It probably wouldn’t help with your…you know…” he ran his hand down my back, stopping above my stitched gash.
“Yeah, thanks for thinking of me.”
“Ah, little Knox, we all are always thinking of you.”
Santino’s talking distracted me long enough to get me to the chapel. Surprisingly enough, Victor was behind the organ and started the wedding march. I had no idea he played. I guess you learned something new every day.
Joey had me walk past him, so he was behind Santino, before Santino came up to my side, taking my arm. He walked me to the front and kissed the top of my head.
“Who gives this woman?” the priest asked.
“Her ex-husband.” The priest looked downright startled. “We had it annulled, she’s good to go.” Santino kissed my hand and passed it to Daniel.
Santino didn’t back away. He just joined Joey, who was standing behind Daniel and me. The two of them blocked us from the view of the exit. “Keep it short and sweet, Father, we ain’t got time for the good stuff.”
“I’m Father O’Malley,” the priest greeted me.
“I’m Gabriella Sabrina Salvecchio, and I’m here of my own accord.”
He nodded, knowing I was getting right down to business. He read a few short bible verses, but I was so nervous, I didn’t hear a word of it.
“This is a much shorter version, but still just as binding. You both must promise to take your holy covenants seriously, and promise to remain faithful, along with any children you may be blessed with.”
Daniel and I both answered affirmatively and then glanced to the doorway nervously. I think the Father got the idea that we needed to get a move on. He gave a short spiel on how Eve was made from Adam’s rib, so she could walk beside him and under his arm for his protection. The bits I was able to focus on were beautiful.
I was relieved, when he finally asked if we had vows, because I knew we were nearly done.
“I’m sorry, Father, we don’t have time for vows here, but we’ll express them when we’re safe,” Daniel promised.
We finally got towards the end, and I realized we didn’t have any rings, when Father O’Malley mentioned them.
Victor surprised us by popping up from behind the priest and passing some rings to us. He gave me a wink, as Daniel placed the ring on my finger, and my hands shook badly, as I slipped the ring on his. The priest blessed our marriage, and then Daniel kissed me in a way that wasn’t proper in front of a priest, even if we were married.
“Come on, let’s get you two back to the room.”
I startled the priest, when I hugged him and thanked him. We we’re finally married, and there was nothing Anthony could do about it. We all signed our names on the license and passed it to Victor. “You be sure to file that one,” Santino threatened.
Joey took a couple of pictures of us. I was so happy he had thought of that. “Are you kidding me? Ann Marie would kill me if I didn’t have something for her. I recorded the whole ceremony, though I don’t know how good the quality is, since it’s on my phone, and I was aiming it from behind my back, not really looking at the shot I was getting.”
I hugged Joey. “Thank you so much. I’d really love to listen to it, when I’m not such a nervous wreck.”
“I know what you mean. I didn’t hear a word of my vows, until after I got home,” Victor teased.
“We need to get out of here. I’ve got a bad feeling, and my feelings are never wrong,” Santino said. He moved toward the exit and peeked around the corner, before he quickly jumped back. “Get down!”
Daniel pulled me behind the pulpit and told the p
riest to run. “No matter what’s going on, no matter what you hear, don’t move from behind this spot. You hear me, Gabriella? Stay behind here, out of sight. I’ll come get you when it’s safe to come out.”
I nodded, unable to breathe in deep enough to form words. He kissed me lightly on my lips. “I love you, Mrs. Bartoli, more than words.”
“I love you, too,” I squeaked out, and his answering smile was huge.
The first blast of a gun went off, jolting us out of our moment. I heard Santino swear, and I glanced toward the organ, when another blast popped off from behind it. I saw Victor with his gun at the ready. I watched him take two shots and then drop back, as wood splintered right by where he had been.
This was it, Anthony was here, and no one but Daniel would be getting out of this alive if he had anything to say about it.
Victor popped off three more shots, making me jump each time.
The wood split by where he was hiding, and he cursed. He had been shot in the leg, up high in the thigh. I could see from my position how bad it was bleeding. It had to have hit an artery.
I saw Daniel step back between me and Victor. I looked up at Daniel, just in time to see a bullet hit his vest. He was jolted back, and I heard Anthony scream, “NO, you stupid bastards!” he shouted, but in a different direction. I crawled out and pulled Daniel into my lap.
“I’m fine,” he said, pushing away from me.
He saw me look over at Victor and nodded, giving me permission to go. I dove behind the organ and glanced back just in time to see Daniel get up.
ANN MARIE
“Grandma’s aunt’s sisters…shit, baby, it’s me!” Marcello shouted, as he rushed into the room. I was so relieved to see him. I was a wicked mess inside, knowing he had been out there, tailing that psycho of a father of his, while I had been stuck hiding in this room like he had ordered.
I had never minded this life much. We had our stress and our fair share of threats, but we had always made it through unscathed. My baby being shot was nearly a deal breaker, though. It was only Marcello’s vow to kill his father that made me rethink leaving him. Anthony had pulled a gun on Marcello more than once in the past, and it was only little Danny’s stepping in that had saved my husband. We owed him so much.
Straight Up Interfererence Page 27
