Keeping his bride

Verona

WO PINK LINES.

I stare down at the tests. Benito ended up buying me three just in case, and I’m glad that he did…although all of them read the same results.

I’m pregnant.

I have spent the entire morning and afternoon in our bedroom, pacing and freaking out. Luca hasn’t appeared even once, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I want to tell him about the baby, our baby, but I have no idea what his reaction is going to be.

Wiping away the stray tears from my cheeks, I gather the tests and hide them in the counter under the sink. There’s a time and place for everything, but Luca being stressed out and trying to combat a cyber-attack is definitely bad timing.

After a nice, hot shower, I go to the closet and put on some comfy clothes – a pair of black yoga pants and an oversized tie-dye hooded sweatshirt.

There’s a small pocket on the yoga pants, and it’s the perfect size for the cellphone Luca insists I have on me at all times. When I pull the sweatshirt down, it hides the pocket and the phone. Even though I usually feel silly having the phone on me, I feel safer having the phone with me today, especially since someone is trying to breach my husband’s security.

I dry my hair, blowing it straight, and put on a little makeup – some mascara, blush and a pink glossy lipstick. I don’t need much to enhance my natural features, but I want to look pretty since I’ve felt sick, bloated and gross for most of the day.

I slip on a pair of socks and sneakers and make my way downstairs. The house is eerily quiet.

“Verona,” someone says my name, and I nearly jump out of my skin.

I turn to see Dante, and I instantly sigh in relief. “You scared me.”

His eyes skate over my body, perusing me so openly that I suddenly feel shy. Dante never lets his true feelings show, but I know he’s attracted to me. I don’t know why I’m just noticing it now. Maybe it’s because of everything Luca has been telling me…

“Where’s Luca?” I ask, and that seems to break him out of his trance.

“They’re all in his office trying to figure out who’s behind the cyber-attack.”

I turn to go in the direction of the office, but Dante grabs my arm, hauling me back to him. “You really

shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.”

I stare up into his familiar, dark eyes. “I’m sure Luca can make that decision.” Then, I shrug out of his hold and continue on my way to his office.

The door isn’t locked. And when I walk into the room, Luca and his team, including Benny, are gathered around numerous computers and laptops. Luca looks up when I enter, and I can almost see the look of relief on his face.

He glances at the expensive watch on his wrist and frowns. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone all this time. Have you eaten?”

I nod even though it’s a lie. My stomach has been in knots all day, and I was barely able to keep down a piece of toast earlier.

I walk over to him and stare at the laptop in front of him. The code running across the screen hurts my eyes, and I don’t know how he’s analyzing anything in that mess.

Luca pulls me into his lap and places a soft but chaste kiss to my lips. In my ear, he whispers, “I can’t wait to be done with this, so I can take you to our bedroom and get lost for hours in your sweet, tight pussy.”

I wriggle on his lap, instantly turned on even though we’re in a room packed full of people. His teeth nip at my neck before his arm wraps around me possessively. My stomach does a flip knowing he’s holding me…and our baby…even though he has no idea.

Suddenly, the lights in the room go out, and then there’s a loud explosion coming from the other end of the property.

“Fuck,” Luca hisses, holding me so tightly to him that it scares me.

Benito is the first to speak in the darkness. “Hector reported an explosion just went off near the guard tower on the western side of the property. One of the guards was hurt, but he’s going to be okay.” He flips on the light on his phone, as so do several others, illuminating the dark room.

“This has to be Constantine,” Luca says, slamming his fist down on his desk and causing me to jump. “I should have killed that motherfucker when I had the chance!”

Constantine Carbone. The man I foolishly danced with at the ball, and the man Luca almost killed for touching me at the art gallery. Little did I know how deep their rivalry went. And now he’s attacking our home, putting us in danger.

Is this all my fault? I can’t help but wonder that question even as Luca squeezes me tighter to him as if he’s afraid of letting go.

“Benito, I want you to take Verona to the safehouse.” He gently pushes me off his lap as we both stand. “It’s not safe for her here right now, and I can’t concentrate on what needs to be done with her in danger.”

“I’m not leaving,” I say at the same time Benito says, “I’m staying.”

Luca narrows his eyes at his first-in-command. “You will do what I say!” he demands.

“My place is here, with you,” Benito answers, standing his ground. If Luca’s first in command is anything, it’s loyal. And his loyalty to his best friend knows no bounds.

“I’ll take her,” Dante says, having suddenly appeared in the room at some point.

Luca stares at him, and I can feel the apprehension rolling off of him in waves. I turn to Luca and say, “I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here with you.”

He closes his eyes and nods as if making an internal decision. “Dante will take you to the safehouse. He knows where it is.” Then, he turns his attention to Dante. “Take one of the SUVs. Call us as soon as you arrive and if any problems arise along the way,” Luca rambles off the instructions.

“No!” I exclaim, clinging to Luca. “Please, Luca! I’m safe here. With you!”

He shakes his head as he stares down at me. “You’re safer where I’m not,” he tells me. Leaning down, he places a kiss on my lips. “I will come get you the moment it’s clear. We’ll be together again soon,” he says before kissing me again.

This kiss feels like the last, for some god-awful reason, and I cling to him for dear life, kissing him like our plane is going down.

Luca is the first to pull away before saying, “Now, go.” Then, to Dante, he says, “You’re responsible for her. Don’t make me regret this decision,” he threatens.

Dante gives him a nod before turning his attention to me. “Come on, Verona. We have to go quickly.”

Tears fill my eyes as he rips me away from my husband. I stare back at Luca, trying not to cry and failing miserably before Dante drags me out of the room and towards the garage that houses all the vehicles.

Opening the back door to a black SUV, Dante impatiently waits for me to climb into the backseat before slamming the door and running to climb into the front seat. He revs the engine, hits a button for the garage door to open and peels out of the garage.

I fasten my seatbelt, my hands going protectively over my stomach. “Please, Dante, slow down! I don’t want to die on the way to the safehouse!” I cry out.

“Sorry,” he says.

We make it past the front gate, and he seems to slow down a little as we venture down the road. I turn in my seat and watch the dark house in the distance. And then that’s when the darkness lights up with fireballs as explosion after explosion erupts within the house.

I scream at what I just witnessed and reach for my seatbelt, unfastening it quickly. I reach for the door handle and pull, but it’s locked.

“Please! Dante, we have to go back!” I scream at him. I hit the unlock button, but it locks before I can reach the handle.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

“We can’t go back, Verona!” he yells. “We have to go to the safehouse, just like Luca wanted.”

“What if Luca’s hurt? He could be hurt! He could be…” No, I won’t even let myself think like that. Luca can’t be dead. He is not dead.

Tears stream down my cheeks as I desperately try for the handle again, but I know Dante is holding down the lock button.

“We’re going to the safehouse, Verona, and that is final,” he tells me, his voice devoid of emotion as he stares straight ahead.

I stare back at the fire engulfing the house as Dante speeds up, driving us away from it.

Sobs tear from me as I assume the worst. And what makes me cry the hardest is that I never got the chance to tell Luca that I’m pregnant with his child.