Taken - A Gangster Stepbrother Romance (14 page)

Chapter Twenty Seven

              Although she had tried to take as many small steps as possible, Emma found herself before the altar before she could blink.

              Behind her were two hundred illustrious guests ranging from actors to politicians. And to her left, she knew Antonio sat in front, watching.

              What could she do? Her mind raced as Frank firmly put her hand in David’s grasp. The priest asked for everyone to be seated. Emma watched herself step up to the altar as if viewing the whole wedding from an alternate reality.

              Should she cause a commotion? Just run towards Antonio and beg him to leave? Although her body was desperate to take some measure of action, she knew it wasn’t the safest route. How could she prove her accusations after she said them publicly? The Cavallis would be sure to call off their men and it would only serve to stir more bad blood between the two families, leaving Antonio still in danger.

              Emma watched as David’s mouth repeated the vows set by the priest. She could hardly hear him though. His voice was overwhelmed by the sound of her racing pulse as it beat against her whole body.

              No, she would just have to wait a little longer. The reception. She would have to corner him at the reception. Or corner Steven.
Someone, anyone,
who would help her.

              She looked at David’s calm, smiling face, dutifully playing the happy groom. How much did David know? Had he been lulling her into a false sense of security behind his open smiles and warm gestures?

              She heard the priest ask her to repeat after him. Without having any other choice, she swallowed as she repeated hollowly, “I, Emma Del Marco, take you David to be my husband in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death do us part.”

              She heard the priest announce them husband and wife through numb ears. David’s lips briefly touched hers. Applause rang through the cathedral.

              It had actually happened. She was now married to David Cavalli.

              She wasn’t sure she could look at Antonio without breaking down in fear and tears. But at such a desperate moment, all she wanted was
him
.

              Taking her heart into her own hands, she turned her gaze to her left and saw her whole world looking back.

Chapter Twenty Eight

              Holding hands, David and Emma had raced towards a vintage Rolls Royce that had been decorated in white crepe paper and lilies. David pulled her in for one more kiss at the crowd’s request before helping her into the car.

              It was the kind of old car that left no room for a driver. So it was only the two of them. David slid into the driver’s seat.

              With a wave, he pulled away from the church, heading towards his new sprawling LA home where the reception would be held.

              Unbelievably grateful for whatever twists of fate had given them the luxury of a private car, Emma turned in her seat, her movements hampered by her heavy skirts.

              “David,” she said softly.

              David turned towards her, his eyes light and dancing. “Hi there, wife,” he said in a low, suggestive voice.

              Emma swallowed. She wasn’t sure how much David knew or how far he was in involved. She couldn’t risk revealing her knowledge of the murder lest he ratted her out.

              “David, if I asked you to do something for me, would you do it?”

              David smiled. “I would do anything for my new wife,” he said with a sincerity that felt quite convincing.

              Emma took in a deep breath. “Is it possible to drive Antonio back home after the reception? He’d be on our way to the airport anyway. It wouldn’t be too much of a detour.” She hoped she had kept her voice sounding as natural as possible.

              David’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Drive Antonio back? What happened to his car?” He gave her a quick bewildered glance. “Couldn’t he call for a driver to come pick him up?”

              Emma nodded. “But it’d mean something to me if we could drive Antonio back,” she said, her hands nearly trembling with the immediacy of her request. “He’s my stepbrother, after all. I want to spend a little time with him away from the guests before we leave on our honeymoon.”

              David’s frown of confusion slowly deepened. His warm eyes suddenly flattened into a look Emma had never seen before. “We’ve been told to head straight to the reception and then straight to the airfield. Those were our orders, Emma.”

              Her heart quickly began to sink. She had really banked on David’s good nature to come through for her. “But, David—”

              David shook his head. “No. Dad said reception then airfield. You can have your moment with Antonio at the reception. But we’ll follow the orders given.”

              Emma sat in silence, feeling the world spin out from around her. What was she going to do? Would she be able to find Antonio among the two hundred guests? And even if she did, would they be able to have a moment of privacy long enough for her to warn him?

              David’s eyes slowly began to brighten, returning to their usual carefree lightness. He reached over and squeezed Emma’s cold fingers. “Our honeymoon will be great,” he assured her. “You’ll be able to relax once we get on that plane.”

***

              “Mr. Cavalli, the guests will be arriving shortly but your father would like a word with you first in his office,” a tidily dressed woman said.

              She looked like a secretary by her efficient manner. Her suspicions were confirmed when the woman looked towards her and smiled. “And Mrs. Cavalli, we have a room prepared upstairs for you to change into a more comfortable dress for the party. We will send up someone to help you change.”

              David had already left towards the office as soon as he had heard the summons. Feeling rattled at hearing herself be called “Mrs. Cavalli,” Emma climbed the stairs the woman gestured to.

              Finding the master bedroom, Emma closed the door behind her and leaned against it. “Oh god,” she whispered. “Oh fuck.”

             
Alright, let’s get it together, Harper. What’s the first thing we have to do?

              She needed to get to Antonio and fast. She had to let him know what was happening before he left the reception.

              But once he knew, Emma couldn’t possibly envision herself hopping on a plane for her sham honeymoon. She wanted to be close and to be available for Antonio.

              Before driving to the reception, Emma would’ve tried to figure out a way to convince David to postpone their honeymoon. But now she had seen how stubbornly obedient he was. David saw himself as a Cavalli first and knew to follow orders. It didn’t matter now how much he knew or not of Frank’s plans. David clearly wasn’t going to help her if it meant going against his father.

              Emma nearly screamed when someone knocked on the door. Throwing herself away from the door, she squeaked, “Who is it?”

              A woman in a plain black dress opened the door, peaking her head through. “Mrs. Cavalli? My name is Jane. I’m the weekend maid. I’m here to help you undress.” The woman gave a small, pleasant smile.

              “Uh, yes, of course,” Emma said nodding. “Come in.”

              Jane entered and crossed towards the large walk in closet. She came out with a long white beaded silk dress that had an open back. “I think you’ll find this dress a lot more comfortable to wear,” Jane said with a smile.

              Emma turned around as Jane began to unbutton the long string of satin covered buttons.

              Swallowing dryly, Emma asked casually, “And have the guests arrived yet? I think my stepbrother wanted to stop by and say hello to me before the party got too crazy.”

              Jane’s nimble fingers worked through the many buttons. “Oh, Mr. Del Marco? He already stopped by. He spoke with Mr. Cavalli Sr. before he left.”

              Emma froze. “He left?”

              She couldn’t see her but Emma could feel Jane nod. “Yes, ma’am. He left about fifteen minutes ago.”

             
No!
Her mind racing, Emma suddenly turned around, surprising Jane mid-button. Emma smiled warmly. “You know, I’m feeling really gross right now. This dress is so heavy and the church was pretty hot. I’m a sweaty mess! Do you think I could have a moment to shower first before I change?” Emma wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to smell in front of my guests.”

              Jane looked over Emma. Emma knew her temples were damp with her sweat. But it wasn’t from heat; it was from adrenaline. Emma gave a helpless shrug as if to say, what can you do?

              Jane pointed to a door behind Emma. “The master bath is through there. Just let anyone around know when you need me to help you change. Would you like me to finish the rest of the buttons?”

              Emma felt the denim tight around her legs. “Oh no,” she said, holding the top of her gown to herself as if trying to modestly hide her body. “I think I can do the rest. Thank you so much.”

              Jane smiled and nodded before leaving the room.

              As soon as the door closed, Emma nearly tore her gown off. She had to take action
now.

Chapter Twenty Nine

              Keeping her jeans on, Emma rifled through the closet. Most of David’s clothes hadn’t been brought in yet. She skimmed through the hangers, trying to find anything that might offer inspiration.

              At the end of the closet, she found a slim cut white button down. It would still be large on her, drowning really, but it was tighter than the other shirts.

              Emma quickly threw this on and tucked the ends into her jeans. She rolled up the sleeves and straightened the front. If she moved fast, perhaps she would look like part of the catering team at a quick glance.

              From the corner of her eye, Emma spotted an old baseball cap. Rolling her hair up, she neatly tucked it under the hat.

              Looking in the mirror, the large shirt and hat made her look like a young man or boy. She just had to move fast so no one looked at her for too long.

***

              Opening the bedroom door, Emma felt a trickle of sweat roll down her spine. She looked down both ends of the hallway before quickly stepping out.

              She waited against the hall until the foyer was mostly clear of staff and guests before she hustled down the stairs. Following the main hall, she could hear the sounds of the kitchen and waitstaff calling out orders and refills.

              Following the noise, she found herself near the back gardens. Emma took a deep breath, lowered her head, and forced herself to walk
calmly
out the doors into the garden.

              She peered up to find several vans with their back doors open, completely stocked with food for the party.

              Emma mentally crossed her fingers. Would she get lucky?

              She sidled towards one van and looked through the driver’s window. No keys.

              She quickly moved towards the next one, pushing herself against the van as a waiter with a large tray passed by.

              No keys.

              Emma began to feel her chest sinking. Behind her a gruff guffaw echoed through the garden. “That’s right! A good day it is!” Frank’s gravelly voice crowed.

              Her heart painfully beating, Emma rushed to the third and last van.

              Keys!

              Wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans, she looked around before quickly opening the door and sliding in.

              Emma turned the ignition and nearly cried tears of relief when the engine roared to life.

              “Hey! Hey!” a muffled voice behind shouted. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Mike?”

              Lowering the cap a little further, Emma turned the wheel sharply and slid out of the long, winding back driveway of David’s palatial new home.

              From her mirrors, she could see a man running after her, his arms waving above his head.

              It would only be a matter of time before people found out she was missing. Emma stepped on the gas. She had to get to Antonio before the news broke.