The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(153)

“Beat the ever-loving f*ck out of him.” Tino gave her that handsome smile that made every single woman at this wedding giggly. “’Cause you’re special, Alaine. I mean that.”

She hugged him, because Tino was one of those men who was just so easy to hug. “Thank you, Tino. You’re special too. Very special.”

“Don’t.” Tino shook his head, the guilt shining in his eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened. I haven’t told you I’m sorry, and you were the first one I should’ve said it to.”

“Today is my wedding day. No one’s allowed to be sad at my wedding. Yesterday is over. Today is perfect.”

“Okay.” He nodded, as if he understood better than most. “I’m gonna try really hard to make sure your tomorrow is perfect too. I owe you that. I owe both of you.”

“I believe you.” Alaine gave him another smile, because she could tell how genuine the vow was. It wasn’t a guarantee, but it was a promise to try and that mattered, especially from a man like Tino who, they’d learned firsthand, was a force to be reckoned with when he was protecting someone. She hugged Tino again and reminded him, “It’s because of you we’re having a wedding. So let’s enjoy it.”

And they did.

Everyone.

For the moment, they just stopped worrying about tomorrow and made the day beautiful.





Chapter Forty-Nine


There had been a time in the foreclosure house when Alaine had wondered why anyone would choose crime over security. Then she got married into the mafia and saw the other side of the coin.

It was more than wealth.

There was this entire undercurrent of society that had a hierarchy. One that Nova was clearly at the top of, or at least close enough to be something akin to a king.

Or a god.

Alaine still had rice in her hair, and she sat in the limousine Nova had rented, trying to get it out. The ride hadn’t been long enough, because neither Alaine nor Chuito felt comfortable going too far for a honeymoon, but they did both feel like they had earned some alone time.

The car was beautiful, but she hadn’t appreciated it like she should.

The second they were alone, Chuito had kissed her, and the two of them got sidetracked, because the driver in the front couldn’t see them. Chuito looked a little too handsome in that tuxedo to resist. When they pulled to a stop, Alaine was flat on her back on the long bench, with Chuito’s big body over hers. The top three buttons to his shirt were undone, and his tie was abandoned somewhere on the floorboards.

So Alaine sat there, straightening her hair, rice falling into her lap while someone knocked on the window.

Chuito stuffed the tie into his pocket and opened the door faster than Alaine was ready for.

“Mr. Garcia.” A man in a suit looked past Chuito to Alaine. “Mrs. Garcia. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Alaine said with a smile as she kept running her fingers through her hair that had been up but was now a tangle of curls, bobby pins, and flowers. She worked faster at taking it out.

“My name is Raul. I’m your personal concierge assigned by the management. They also send their congratulations.”

“Gracias,” Chuito said and then went on in Spanish as if sensing Alaine needed the break.

The two of them had a conversation while Alaine did the best she could with making herself presentable. Then she leaned forward and rubbed at Chuito’s neck, because there was lipstick there.

At least she hoped it was lipstick.

The two of them really needed to work on that bad habit.

She thought she heard the name Moretti in there a few times, but then Raul said to her, “Anything you need, I’m here to help.”

“Do we need help with anything?” Alaine asked Chuito.

“No,” Chuito said with a smile but reached into his pocket. “This is gonna be the easiest gig you’ve had all year. We’re not leaving the room.”

Alaine hit him, but Raul just laughed.

“Well, if you do, I’m giving you my personal number. My assistant will be available during the late-night hours.” He held up a hand when Chuito pulled out cash. “Mr. Moretti already took care of it.”

“Take it, bro.” Chuito put the cash in his hand. “Mr. Moretti won’t know.”

Raul looked behind him, and Alaine noticed for the first time some of the Italians who had been watching the house had followed them to the hotel.

“They’re not gonna tell,” Chuito assured him and then grabbed Alaine’s hand. “I think they got my back.”

“It’s between us.” An Italian Alaine knew as Tony gave Chuito a smile. He’d been working guard duty a lot, and he was very intense about it. “You’re sorta causing a scene, though. We should probably get upstairs.”

Alaine saw what he meant when she got out. People were standing around, taking pictures and filming with their phones. At first she just thought it was the spectacle of their mafia entourage. It was surely what tipped everyone off, but that wasn’t why they stayed around. The real reason didn’t hit her until someone called out, “Slayer, one picture?”

“Not today.” Tony held up his hand, giving the man a harsh glare. “He just got married.”

“Oh my God,” Alaine whispered, staring, because after five years, this was the first time she got to see Chuito’s celebrity status in person.