‘Holy fuck balls. That was the most iconic thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life,’ Halsey declares, practically vibrating with excitement as she shoves a glass of champagne into my hand.
We’re back at the reception, but the energy has shifted.
People keep sneaking glances at me like I’ve grown another head.
Or sprouted diamonds. Or maybe both.
“I mean, are you serious right now?” Halsey continues, grinning so hard I’m afraid her face might crack. “You had Sarah Kensington-Jones publicly shut down by none other than Dante freaking Bellacino. Luca’s dad. In front of everyone. If that’s not a power move, I don’t know what is.”
I clutch the stem of my glass, still feeling the aftershocks of that moment. “It wasn’t me, Halls. I didn’t do anything. He just… stepped in.”
“Exactly!” she cries, slapping the table for emphasis. “He stepped in. For you. Like some mafia daddy straight out of a dark romance novel. Do you know what kind of fantasy that is?”
I laugh under my breath, cheeks burning. “Keep your voice down.”
“Oh please,” she huffs, waving a hand. “Everyone saw it. Sarah’s lip trembled. Luca looked like he was going to throw up. You’re basically the main character now.”
She’s not wrong. The glances haven’t stopped since we walked in.
The music resumes in the background, people attempting to move on with polite small talk and hors d’oeuvres, but the tension still lingers.
Sarah’s huddled with her bridesmaids, glaring daggers at me whenever she thinks I’m not looking. Luca hasn’t come near me.
Good.
“You know she’s pissed, right?” Halsey says, sipping her drink like she’s got front row seats to the downfall of a Disney villain. “Sarah’s burning up with jealousy. You stole her moment.”
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“You didn’t have to.” Halsey grins. “That’s what makes it even better.”
I look around and catch a few guests whispering behind their hands, darting glances in my direction.
Some look curious, others impressed.
No one is laughing anymore.
Luca and Sarah may have thrown a lavish wedding, but tonight, the spotlight has officially shifted.
And it was Dante Bellacino who drew the line.
My pulse stutters just thinking about him.
About the way he looked at me.
The way he touched me. The way he claimed me.
But no one knows about that.
No one can know.
Halsey nudges me with her elbow. “So, when do I get the real tea?”
I pretend to sip my drink. “What tea?”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re glowing like a woman who’s been thoroughly rearranged. I mean it. You’ve got that post-orgasm, silver fox just wrecked me energy.”
I snort into my glass. “We are not talking about this here.”
“You’re no fun,” she pouts. “But fine. I’ll let you enjoy your moment of accidental mafia princess glory.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not glory. It’s just… a lot.”
“A lot of awesome,” she corrects. “You just had a mafia don humiliate your ex’s witch of a wife for you in front of a hundred people. That’s not a lot—that’s a lifetime supply of vengeance.”
My lips twitch, trying not to smile.
Sarah stalks past us just then, arm linked with Luca’s, her eyes flashing with venom.
Luca stiffens, about to say something when a gunshot pierces the air.
A man in a mask fires a second shot and the reception plunges into chaos.
The grand chandelier above shatters, crystal shards raining onto the marble floor.
Screams fill the reception hall as guests scatter, toppling chairs, ducking under tables, and running for their lives.
“Oh my God,” I breathe, heart hammering against my ribs.
Halsey’s fingers clamp onto my wrist. “We have to go. Now.”
More masked men charge into the room, guns raised. One shouts orders while another rips a diamond necklace off a trembling woman.
Panic surges through me. I scan the chaos for an exit, my mind spinning. Then I spot Dante across the room, striding forward with lethal precision as he motions subtly to someone, likely his second-hand.
Another shot splits the air and I duck, dragging Halsey down behind a massive floral arrangement in a huge vase on the floor.
“They’re mugging the guests,” I whisper, my hands trembling. “We need to get out of here.”
Halsey pulls me toward a server’s station. “There’s a door near the bar. If we go now, we can make it.”
I nod, breath hitching. We duck-walk between tables, letting them shield us as we weave through the chaos. A man groans behind me, clutching his head where he was pistol-whipped. Bile rises in my throat.
One gunman steps dangerously close, his back turned, and we freeze as more gunfire erupts. I risk a glance around the room and catch a glimpse of Dante—cold and deadly—he and his bodyguards taking down the thieves one by one. The sight sends a surge of relief through me.
Halsey pulls me into a corridor and we bolt. The gunfire fades as we reach a side exit. We slam into the door and stumble out into the alley, the night air slicing through the sweat on my skin.
She doubles over, panting hard. “Holy shit. Holy. Shit.”
I swallow past the dryness in my throat. “Are you okay?”
She nods, wide-eyed. “That was insane.”
The heavy door bangs open behind us, and I whip around, heart in my throat.
Sarah stumbles out into the alley, her hair a mess, streaks of mascara trailing down her cheeks. Her hands shake, breaths coming in ragged gasps. Luca is right behind her, pale, eyes darting everywhere like he expects one of the gunmen to follow them out.
I take a step forward, scanning them both. “Are you guys alright?”
Sarah doesn’t respond.
Instead, she turns on Luca, her voice shrill with panic. “Shouldn’t you be in there helping? Fighting back? Your dad was.”
Luca freezes, his lips parting like a fish gasping for air.
For a second, I catch a flash of panic mixed with hesitation in his expression.
Then he straightens his shoulders and lifts his chin in entitlement.
“I’m the heir to this family. I can’t put myself at risk like that,” he says to her before quickly adding, “And besides, I needed to make sure my new bride got out safely.”
He says it like it’s strategy, not cowardice. Like he’s convinced himself that staying alive was some tactical genius move. But I can tell.
He ran.
Sarah lets out a shaky breath, pressing herself closer to him, but I don’t miss the flicker of doubt in her teary eyes.
Bullshit. He ran, probably not giving a flying fuck where Sarah was as long as he got out alive. I can see it all over his face.
Fucking coward.
Sarah looks like she wants to believe him, but then her face crumples, and she lets out a hiccupping sob. “My wedding is ruined,” she wails, gripping Luca harder. “This is what people will remember! Not the vows, not my dress—just gunfire and chaos! Oh my God, my pictures. This is a nightmare.”
Halsey, standing next to me, lets out a slow, incredulous breath. “Wow. People were literally getting shot at and pistol-whipped back there, but yeah, let’s all take a moment to grieve your wedding aesthetic.”
Sarah sucks in a sharp breath, scandalized.
Luca glares at Halsey, but he doesn’t say a damn thing, just clenches his jaw.
I cross my arms over my chest, giving Sarah a hard look. “Maybe you should rethink your priorities. Some people might not be walking away from this.”
Her mouth snaps shut, her lower lip trembling. Luca shifts beside her, tense, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
I shove my hand into my purse, fumbling for my phone.
“What are you doing?” Luca snaps.
“Calling 911.”
He grabs my arm. “Don’t. The cops will arrest half of my guests. You think my father wants that?”
“People are hurt in there.”
He doesn’t argue, he knows I’m right.
I know I’m not supposed to.
That there are rules in rooms like these. But blood is blood, and someone inside might be dying. If the Bellacinos want to bury the call later, fine. But I won’t be the woman who walked away and did nothing
I punch in the number and quickly give the dispatcher the address. “Gunshots fired. Multiple armed suspects. People are injured.”
Once she confirms units are on the way, I hang up, shoving my phone back into my purse. The distant wail of sirens seconds later sends a shiver through me.
Halsey grabs my hand. “We can’t be here when the police show up, especially with them.” She jerks her chin at Luca and Sarah. “We’ll be stuck here giving statements for hours.”
Sarah wrings her hands, glancing between us. “Where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here,” Halsey mutters.
Halsey tugs me forward. As we rush down the alley, she flags down a cab and we quickly climb in. She rattles off my address, and the car pulls away.
The tension begins to uncoil in my body, but a sharp, hollow ache remains.
Halsey presses a hand over her mouth. “Jesus Christ. I can’t believe that just happened. That was insane.”
I stare out the window as the city lights zoom by, my thoughts on one person.
Dante.
Is he okay?
A wave of longing swells in my chest, mixing with the lingering adrenaline.
Halsey nudges me. “You alright?”
I exhale slowly. “I don’t know. One minute I was having a good time, proud of myself for sticking it out, the next, I’m running from bullets.”
She gives my hand a squeeze. “That’s their world, Eva. Luca. Dante. The whole damn Bellacino empire.”
I stay silent the rest of the way, watching the blur of Manhattan out the window.
