Page 6 of Poison and Wine
Cocking my brows at him, I said, “You’ve really done your homework on this one.”
“It was necessary to ensure there were no loose ends.”
While I wanted to argue with him that there were infinite loose ends that could unravel, I kept my mouth shut. Instead, I resigned myself that I was about to be a married man. For better or worse, Caterina Neretti was going to be my wife and the mother of my future children.
After throwing back another shot of whiskey, I asked, “So, what’s the plan?”
“We leave for Palermo in two days.”
My brows shot up. “She’s in Sicily?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No. I just imagined she was in a church somewhere in New York.”
“Caterina joined The Sisters of the Sacred Heart, which is a missionary order. She currently serves in a clinic that doubles in medical aid as well as a food pantry in a remote village outside of Palermo.”
“It sounds like she’s as beautiful on the inside as out,” Kellan remarked.
Dare threw his arm around Kellan’s shoulders. “Sounds like you have a crush.”
Kellan’s face flushed. “I do not.”
“Tis a sin to be coveting your brother’s wife,” Dare teased.
Shoving Dare away, Kellan countered, “I’m not coveting her. I just said she sounded caring.”
I grinned at him. “I’d say I’d need to keep my eye on you, but I know you’re far too honorable to try to put the moves on my wife.”
Kellan glowered at me. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I only said she sounded nice.”
“And beautiful,” I countered.
“Fuck off,” he muttered.
Seamus chuckled. “All right, boys. Back to our plan. I’ve secured us a house outside Catania, which puts us on the opposite side of the country from where Caterina currently is. We should be well hidden since anyone looking for us will think we fled back to the states. You’ll be married from there as well.”
“Why can’t we just get married here in Boston?” I asked.
“It’s vital that we do not leave Sicily until you are legally wed both on paper and by a priest.” Seamus shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he dropped his gaze to his lap. “Ideally you would consummate the marriage before we leave Sicily.”
The air around us once again grew thick and tense at Seamus’s suggestion. As agony rippled through my chest, I knew each one of my brothers was seeing the beautiful face of our sister in their mind. But there was one of us that it pained worse than the others. Kellan started to bolt from the room, but I hurried over and grabbed him.
Staring into his haunted eyes, I pronounced, “I will not force my bride. You have my word that she won’t ever suffer what Maeve did.”
Although I knew he hated himself for it, tears streaked down his cheeks. “Thank you, brother,” he whispered, as he swiped his face.
I squeezed his shoulders before turning back to Seamus. “If her family believes in that bloody sheet nonsense, we’ll fake it.”
Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Seamus replied, “I don’t think they’re that hardcore, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to drive the point home to them about the legality of your marriage.”
“That’s fucking barbaric even for me,” Quinn grunted before throwing back a gulp of whiskey.
Dare nodded. “I agree.”
Although I didn’t feel much like celebrating, I held out my whiskey tumbler. “Let’s all pour another and raise a glass to my future bride.”
“I never thought I would see the day,” Quinn chuckled.