Page 69 of Explosive Union
Jade smiles sweetly at her and blows the old woman a kiss.
"Babe," I murmur, while holding back my amusement. "Try not to antagonize the old woman. The last thing we need is for her or Nonna to die. We'd never hear the end of it.”
"Rosemary's Baby is indestructible. I'm pretty sure she sold herself to the devil years ago and can't die. However, you are right—don't let it go to your head. Coming from someone whose cousin is known as the bloody bride, I can do without a nickname."
Her cousin Makenna's wedding turned into a bloodbath when she married Dante Bianchi. Both Makenna and Dante's youngest brother were shot. Makenna's wedding dress was drenched in blood.
"You mean, other than convict?" Elio pipes up from behind us.
Jade’s eyes roll skyward. "Please tell me that neither of your brothers live with us?”
I smirk at her calling the house ours. "No, I'd have killed them by now if they did." She moved in two days ago, although doing it begrudgingly. But she’s there and that’s all that matters.
She nods. "Good. I wouldn't want to kill your brothers, but if they piss me off, they'll be six feet under."
"Duly noted," I say, giving Elio a pointed look. "Are you ready for this?" I ask as we begin to walk down the aisle and toward the exit, where loads of guests have already vanished. We're about to be bombarded by hugs, handshakes, and congratulations.
"Don't worry. Hayden and Hayes are on It. No one will annoy us. They're going to make sure of it," she assures me.
And she’s right. The moment we get outside, everyone cheers, but no one approaches. Thank fuck.
“You two should head to the hotel for the reception. The photographer’s on his way,” Edwina instructs us, and I know she’s helping her daughter get the hell away from the crowd.
I wonder if her aversion to this amount of people around her is from prison or just something that she’s never liked.
* * *
"Did you hear?" Adelina says, hurrying over to us, her cell in hand. She glances around the room, seeing if anyone is watching.
The majority of the people have left, leaving just the family behind. Jade and I are standing off to the side of the dancefloor talking with Hayes and his wife Annemarie.
"Hear what?" I say with a raised brow.
This is very unlike her. She despises talking to new people and her coming over here means someone has made her uncomfortable. Glancing around the reception, I see Hayden's primal stare and realize he's the one she's hiding from.
"They've found another body," Adelina tells us, her eyes wide. "This one more brutal than the last."
Hayes and Annemarie both smile widely, their gazes firmly on Jade. "Really?" Hayes drawls.
Ade nods. "The cops have said they believe it's a crime of passion."
"Oh, I don’t know about that,” Annemarie mutters. “l'd have said it was more an act of revenge. What do you think, Jade?"
Jade's smile is sweet—a little too sweet. "It looks to me as though those men got what was coming to them."
Ade frowns. "They've had their penises destroyed. Two of them had theirs burned. What could they have done that warranted that?"
Christ. My sisters are so naive.
"Thinking like that, Adelina," Jade says softly, no reprimand or sarcasm in her voice, although the turmoil in her eyes relays anything but soft, "is a surefire way to get hurt. This life isn't for the faint hearted, and as much as we want those we care about not to have to deal with the evilness that taints us, there's no way we can hide it."
Ade's frown deepens. "What?"
"Men, Adelina, aren't going to be like your brothers and father are. They're going to be assholes. They can and will hurt you. They don't need a reason."
My sister swallows hard, seemingly understanding what my wife is saying to her. "Hayden?" The fear etched in her voice makes me want to kill my brother-in-law.
"Hayden is without a doubt one of the best men I know. He's one of the very few I would trust implicitly with my life. Hayden is also one of the most dangerous men in the world. He would never lay a finger on you," Jade tells her honestly.