Kidnapping His Bride (17 page)

“She said we were the better match. That she wished our fathers had put us together and not you and I. She thought you were too young and silly for me.”

Pain lanced at her with every word Rafe said. “She couldn’t have said that,” she said feebly.

“She did.” His gaze met hers and he frowned, standing so he could pull her into his arms and comfort her, but she withdrew from his embrace, needing the distance to understand everything he told her.

“I don’t understand why she would say such horrible things about you when supposedly she wants you. It makes no sense.”

“Maybe she’s trying to turn you against me so she could go after me instead? Not that I’d ever be interested.” He reached for her again and she sidestepped him, thankful she was clad in his T-shirt versus naked. Naked would’ve left her feeling vulnerable.

Not that he seemed vulnerable in his nude state. The man was so comfortable in his own skin.

“I don’t know what to think about this. Why didn’t you tell me before?” She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her chilled skin. She didn’t like the implications behind his words. What if Annalisa really was interested in Rafe? What if her constantly bad talking about him was her way of trying to get him to be hers? It made no sense.

Yet, it also did…

“I didn’t want to hurt you or upset you. She’s not important to me. The more memorable moment of that night is when I kissed you.” He grabbed her, and she let him this time, going into his arms easily. “Once I had a taste of you, I knew I’d never let you go.”

“But you did. When I asked for time.” She’d asked for it only after Annalisa’s encouragement that night. She hadn’t thought of asking for any time—she’d always been so eager to be Rafe’s wife. But Annalisa had convinced her it was the right thing to do…
 

Now she wondered if Annalisa had started in on her before or after she tried to make a play on Rafe.

“You shocked me. I had the kiss of a lifetime and then the only woman who could make my head spin with the brush of her lips asks me if we could have some time? I was so dumbstruck I said yes.”

She rested her head against his chest, weary of rehashing the past. “I’m tired of talking about it. I just want to focus on our future.”

He rubbed a hand over her hair, his fingers tangling in the strands. “I agree.”

“I won’t let Annalisa get in our way,” she promised.

“I believe you.” He kissed the top of her head. “The two of us together, we’re an unstoppable force, aren’t we?”

“We are,” she agreed, her stomach twisting with nerves.

She certainly hoped they were.

The plane had been stuck on the tarmac at JFK airport, weather inhibiting their takeoff. The flight finally left nearly two hours late, Rafe encouraging Cat to slip into the tiny bedroom and catch some sleep.

He’d joined her, because he couldn’t get enough of her and wanted just a few more hours of quiet intimacy with this woman before they had to face the harsh realities of her family, her business. He’d rather pretend nothing else existed but the two of them.

But that wasn’t very realistic or smart. So he needed to face their problems head on and solve them.

First one up? Annalisa.

The plane finally landed, Cat a little groggy from waking up not even twenty minutes prior and a lot nervous. Her mood agitated him, made him anxious and jumpy, and when they finally departed from the plane, he held her hand as they made their way toward the car he’d hired to take them to her family home.

“Are you okay?” she asked under her breath, clutching his hand tight.

Uneasiness washed over him, and he tried to ignore it. “I’ll be good once we get out of here,” he answered truthfully, releasing her hand so he could rest it at the small of her back. Something didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I don’t want to see Annalisa,” she admitted, her voice small. “I’m afraid of how she might react.”

“I feel the same way,” he agreed. “But the two of us together should be able to handle her, don’t you think?”

“Yes.” She sounded relieved as she sagged a little bit against him. “You don’t know how much I appreciate your support. I’ve been dealing with her alone for so long, I don’t know what it’s like to be able to rely on someone else.”

“You can always rely on me, Cat. I can assure you that,” he said, turning his head to the right when he heard a strange, loud banging noise.

And noticed the fleet of uniformed police officers headed in their direction.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, earning Cat’s attention.

“What? What’s wrong?” She turned to see what he was looking at and a sharp gasp escaped her. “Oh my God, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” he murmured, stopping just in front of the car. Unease slipped down his spine and he breathed deep, wondering what the hell could they want.

The police neared, their leader stepping out in front, a big hulk of a man with biceps the size of his head and dark sunglasses shading his eyes, expression unreasonable. “Are you Rafael Renaldi?”

Rafe stepped away from Cat, wariness settling over him. “I am.”

The policeman nodded. “I’m afraid we’re here to arrest you, Mr. Renaldi. I do hope you’ll be cooperative and not make a scene.”

“Of course.” He stepped forward, filled with regret at having to leave Cat’s side. “May I ask what I’m under arrest for?”

“Kidnapping.” He glanced at Cat. “Are you Catalina Campioni?”

“I am.” She moved so she stood beside Rafe once again, her voice firm. “And I left the country with Mr. Renaldi of my own free will. There’s no reason you need to arrest him, sir. There’s no kidnapping involved in this situation whatsoever.”

“According to your sister, a Ms. Annalisa Campioni, you haven’t been in the right mental state for years. She’s afraid for your safety. Both at your own hands and at Mr. Renaldi’s.”

“That is the biggest pile of garbage I’ve ever heard.” Cat stepped in between the two men, her posture stiff, her expression wildly defiant. “I refuse to let you arrest him.”

“That’s not up for you to decide, little lady,” the cop said, clearly irritated.

But Rafe’s Kitty Cat was enraged on his behalf. Pride filled him at seeing her like this, despite the fact that she might be hurting his chances at making bail any time soon. “My sister is making all of this up, sir. I swear to you, she’s lying. There’s nothing wrong with me or my mental state. I
wanted
to leave with him. He’s my fiancé. We’re going to be married soon.”

“I understand you’re upset, Miss Campioni, but I have legal documents in my car that declare you mentally unfit and that your sister is your temporary guardian.” The cop’s brow’s rose. “Do you want me to get them so I can show you?”

“What? Yes!” Cat threw her arms up in the air. “This is ridiculous.”

“Cat,” Rafe warned as the officer turned to one of his cohorts and asked him to grab the documents from his car. “Stop making a scene. Please.”

She turned on him, her eyes blazing with fury. “She’s making everything up, Rafe. You know this. Now she’s somehow had documents drawn up that claim my mental state is
unstable?
Next thing we know, she’ll have me locked up in an institution and I’ll never be able to see you again!”

“Calm down.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into him, giving her a brief, tight hug. “You keep this up and they really will think you’re mentally unstable. I need you to remain calm and quiet. Don’t get in the policeman’s face. He doesn’t like it. You’ll only prove Annalisa right. And you don’t want to do that, do you?” He gave her shoulders a little shake. “Can you do that for me?”

“Absolutely.” A shaky breath escaped her and she nodded once. “I’ll be calm. I promise.”

“I need you to, love. This is important. I’m about to be arrested for
kidnapping
you, though this charge won’t stand. You’re a grown woman who left on your own accord.” Whose sister somehow had declared her sister mentally incompetent. Who did she know to make that happen? Why would she go to such lengths to ruin everything between him and Cat? He didn’t understand it. He’d hardly paid attention to Annalisa over the years. Since the moment he knew Cat was meant for him, he’d focused on her.

Maybe that was where the problem lay. Had Annalisa secretly wanted him? He’d never been given that indication until that one moment over a year ago. And it had been so non-momentous, he’d promptly forgotten all about it.

Funny, that. From everything Cat had told him, Annalisa received most of the attention from family, business associates, friends. Not that she’d had many men in her life—both women were the typical, sheltered Italian daughters. The only one who seemed to pay any attention to Cat was him.

Seemed that Annalisa didn’t like that. She wanted all the limelight. She wanted everything, even what little Cat could lay claim to.

That the woman would go so far as to have him arrested for kidnapping displayed how far over the edge she’d fallen. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

Especially when he saw the legal documents regarding Cat. The devastation and anger when she read said documents, how she kissed him one last time before they handcuffed him and led him to a car. She’d cried for him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and the sight of those tears had nearly done him in.

But he remained calm. He couldn’t believe how damn calm he felt. Maybe because he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. Or maybe because he knew he was dealing with a crazy woman.

And her name wasn’t Catalina Campioni. She was the best thing that ever happened to him.

No, the crazy woman he referred to was Annalisa.

Chapter Twelve

“Why?” Cat strode into the living room where her sister sat with her mother and walked right up to her, towering over her big sister with her finger pointed in Annalisa’s face. “Why did you do this to us?”

Annalisa remained poised while, beside her, their mother silently wept as usual. “I warned you not to leave with him.”

“So you have him arrested for kidnapping me? And make up lies that I’m a mental case and that you’re now my temporary legal guardian? How dare you take it this far?”

“How dare you leave us with that good-for-nothing jerk who’ll do nothing but hurt you? I already warned you about him. I’ve been warning you for years!” Annalisa’s eyes grew wild, her mouth tight.

Cat backed away from her and started pacing. Her mind raced with everything that had happened in the last few hours. She’d followed Rafe and the police cars down to the local station, but they refused to let her see him while he was in the booking process. Frustrated, she’d left, demanded that the car take her to her home so she could confront her sister and find out exactly how and why she put together this elaborate scheme.

But of course, her sister reacted as if she’d done nothing wrong, which frustrated Cat further. She refused to reveal her irritation, though. That would only be giving Annalisa the upper hand, and that was the last thing Cat wanted to do.

She needed to remember Rafe’s advice and remain calm. It was the only way she could figure out exactly what happened. And how she could make this all right.

Cat needed to make this right. She needed to get her fiancé out of jail and the charges dropped so they could move on with their lives and marry quickly, just as they’d planned.

“After spending these last few days with Rafe, I believe I know what sort of man he is,” Cat finally said as she continued to pace the wide living room. “He has no plans on hurting me. He’s grown to care for me just as much as I care for him.”

Annalisa burst out laughing, the sound harsh. Ugly. “If you believe that sort of drivel, then maybe you do need me as your guardian.”

Cat stopped, glaring at her sister as her heart cracked in two. Who was this person who sat before her? She’d had her trials with her sister since she could remember, but nothing as cruel and malicious as this. “What happened to you? When did you become so…callous and mean?”

“I’m not mean. I’m trying my best to protect you. Can’t you see that? Can’t you see how he’s charming you now, convincing you that marrying him is the right thing to do? Once he traps you, he’ll treat you like dirt. Just like our father treats our mother.” Annalisa waved a hand in their mother’s direction as the poor woman used a tissue to dry the tears that stained her cheeks. “He’s worthless, Cat. Run now while you still can. I bought you time, having him tossed in jail. You should be thanking me, not yelling at me.”

Clearly, trying to rationalize with her sister was like talking to a crazy person. Totally ironic…

“Listen, I understand you’re upset.” Annalisa stood, a serene smile on her face. But something about that smile, about Annalisa’s demeanor, was off. “Why don’t we have something to eat and we can discuss the matter more thoroughly? Perhaps you can help me better understand what happened between you and Rafe.”

Wariness crept over Cat. “You want to help us? Why?”

“I didn’t say I wanted to help you. More like I want to know why you ran away with him when you’d already decided you didn’t want to be with him. Of course, if you want to marry him, who am I to stop you?” The smile remained frozen in place as Annalisa waved at their mother. “Let’s all three go to the kitchen and have a little snack. Food always helps me think better. Don’t you agree, Mama?”