Page 26 of Reaper’s Wrath

Regardless, my father will be beside himself with worry. His blood pressure can't take that sort of strain. I can only pray he remembers to take his medicine while I’m gone. However long that might be.

My fingers worry at the hem of my dress when a striking young woman enters the room. She reminds me of my best friend Terina, with her auburn hair and hazel eyes, but she's younger than Rina, in her mid-twenties, and not nearly as tall. She's petite like me. The moment she walks in, her eyes seek out one of the two men still sitting at the table, and an adoring smile splits her face the moment their eyes lock.

My intrigue is instantly piqued.

He’s not a man I would have pictured with her. His jet-black hair complements the black ink covering his body, or as much of him as I can see. The only unadorned skin is his face and the palms of his hands. Even his eyes are so dark they appear almost black. He is the definition of menacing, and she might as well be the live-action version of Strawberry Shortcake.

Very intriguing.

After kissing him, she turns her attention to me and offers a welcoming smile. “Hey, I’m Evie—Michael’s wife.”

Wife? Sure enough, he’s wearing a ring.

I shake her hand and return her smile tentatively, my gaze returning briefly to the man she kissed. “I’m Isa.”

Her expression falters. “Did they not introduce you to everyone yet?”

My lips form a grim line. “I'm not sure this is the type of visit that warrants introductions.” But then again, I didn’t think Elio’s crew was the type to have wives onboard. It seems oddly domestic and … normal.

Am I lost in some sort of hyper-realistic dream? Because everything that’s happened this morning seems ridiculous. Being kidnapped from my arranged wedding; Elio returning from the dead; him hiding away on a luxury yacht—these sound like outlandish scenes from a movie, not real life, even for a Mafia princess.

“Well, I haven't had girl time in weeks, so we're going to be friends whether they like it or not,” Evie decrees.

“Eeves.” Her husband speaks the single word in a low warning tone. Not that it seems to have any effect on her.

Evie tosses him a look over her shoulder. “I'm not going to break any rules, baby. I promise.”

He sighs and rolls his eyes.

These two stand on equal footing in their relationship, or so it would appear. It’s reassuring. I’d like to think a decent woman wouldn’t voluntarily associate with the type of men who hurt women.

She sits on the couch cross-legged in flowy pants and a hoodie. “Now you know, that one is Michael. The surly one across from him is Yannis, and Elio is off talking with Drake. If you need anything and Elio isn’t around, he’s probably your best bet. Pavlos is around here somewhere, but he doesn’t talk much.”

I lean in and try to speak under my breath. I'm not sure why I try because the guys can plainly see that I'm saying something, even if they can't hear the exact words.

“Are you a part of Elio’s crew?”

“No—not really. Michael has sort of teamed up with Elio, which is why he’s letting us stay on his boat. We’ve needed to hide out since Michael defected from the Bratva a few months ago. Everyone else on board is crew, though.”

I nod, trying to keep up. “Do you know why I’m here?”

Evie gives a sad shake of her head, then brightens. “All in all, it's not a bad place to be, though it’d be better if it was summer. The open water gets a bit chilly now that winter is setting in.”

My spine bolts upright. “Open water? We won’t leave the marina, will we?”

Her eyes round as she shrugs a shoulder impishly. At the same time, a deep rumbling hum fills the air. It sounds like a large machine surging to life. An engine.

Oh my God.

We’re leaving. He’s taking me God-knows-where, and I don’t know if he’ll ever bring me back.

Panic injects enough adrenaline into my heart to kill a small horse. I leap to my feet and bolt for the door.

CHAPTER 16

ELIO

Whatever I may have expected from the big reveal of my return, that wasn't it. Not by a long shot. Isa was upset but in a vicarious way. Like she was sadder for me and my family than for any loss she ever felt. What about the relationship that was taken from us? It was like none of that ever existed in her eyes.