The Wedding Day Ambush

Celeste's POV

Outside the hotel entrance, the polished black Bentley waited at the curb as Gabriel pulled the rear passenger door open to take us to the church. Gathering the heavy layers of my bridal skirt in both hands, I eased myself into the backseat, careful not to snag the delicate hem. Gabriel shut the door with a solid thud and rounded the hood, sliding into the front passenger seat beside my bodyguard at the wheel.

As the car pulled into traffic, a nervous flutter stirred low in my belly. In under an hour, I would officially be Damon’s wife. The thought still didn’t feel entirely real. Before long, the dense city blocks fell behind us, replaced by open fields and stretches of trees lining the country road.

Up front, Gabriel suddenly stiffened in his seat and drew his gun from his holster.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice tightening.

Gabriel glanced toward the back of the car, his eyes fixed completely past me through the rear glass. Twisting around in my seat, I spotted a dark sedan tailing us closely with two men visible behind the windshield. Gabriel yanked his phone from his pocket and pressed it to his ear. Before he could utter a single word, a second vehicle roared up alongside us and slammed directly into the side of the Bentley. Metal screeched as our car spun wildly across the asphalt. I let out a sharp scream as the seatbelt locked and cut hard into my collarbone.

“Down!” Gabriel barked over the screeching tires. I tore at the buckle, released the strap, and threw myself onto the floorboard, wrapping my arms tightly over my head. The Bentley smashed violently into something heavy off the road before jolting to a dead stop. What the hell was happening?

Gabriel kicked his door open and stepped out, opening fire immediately. My bodyguard scrambled out right behind him, gun drawn. A barrage of bullets tore into the car, shattering the windows and sending a shower of jagged glass raining down over my back as I screamed. Outside, a man let out a guttural cry of pain. Terror seized my chest, and I yelled, “Gabriel?”

“Run, Celeste!” Gabriel roared back over the gunfire.

I clawed my way forward through the narrow gap between the two front seats. Through the open door, I saw Gabriel slumped against the dented side of the Bentley, pressing a palm hard against his ribs where dark blood leaked between his fingers. Stumbling out onto the dirt, I dropped to my knees beside him. “Gabriel?”

He forced a tight smile through the agony twisting his face. “I’ll be okay. Run, Celeste. They want you. Go.”

“Who wants me?” I asked, utterly bewildered. Instead of answering, he raised his pistol and fired twice more at the oncoming gunmen. “Run!”

Pushing myself up, I bolted away from the road, kicking off my heels mid-stride and hiking the heavy skirts of my gown up in my fists. Crushed white petals from the ruined bridal floral arrangement clung to the bare soles of my feet. Despite the gunfire still echoing behind me, not a single bullet came my way, which meant the attackers wanted me alive—and that realization terrified me worse than the shootout. I veered straight into the dense forest, praying the trees would give me enough cover to lose them. My lungs burned as I sucked in shallow breaths, and though I kept myself in good shape, the massive wedding dress dragged me down like an anchor. The trailing lace snagged on low brambles, pitching me face-first into the dirt, but I shoved myself right back up and kept sprinting.

Heavy boots pounded against the earth right behind me. I didn’t dare waste a second glancing over my shoulder to see who was gaining on me. The footsteps were closing the distance fast. My pulse hammered in my ears as I pushed my legs harder. Had Gabriel managed to get a call through for backup?

Then a far worse thought struck me—what if Gabriel bled out back there? Pure panic flooded my chest. I started to pivot back toward the crash site, only to freeze as the crunch of boots grew louder through the brush. Two men were hunting me now.

Turning back wasn't an option. I forced myself to run faster, fighting the suffocating weight of the fabric. A dark figure lunged from my peripheral vision, and before I could swerve, a thick arm hooked around my waist. The violent yank knocked my feet out from under me, slamming me hard onto the forest floor. A heavy frame dropped squarely on top of me, driving the breath completely out of my lungs. Pinioned beneath his weight, I couldn't budge.

I thrashed wildly, kicking my bare feet and screaming at the top of my lungs, though the restrictive bodice of my gown barely let me twist my torso. The dirt and veil muffled my cries, and I knew no one would hear me out here unless Dad and Marco had already shown up with reinforcements.

A rough palm clamped hard over my mouth, and I sank my teeth into the flesh with everything I had.

“Damn!” the man snarled.

He yanked his hand back, and even through my dazed panic, the voice struck a familiar chord. Someone tore the layer of bridal tulle away from my face, clearing my vision. The man straddling my hips had dark hair, cold black eyes, and a jagged scar cutting across his face. One look into his eyes turned my blood to ice.

I knew that face from somewhere, even if my spinning mind couldn't place it right away. Shifting my gaze to the second man pinning my wrists into the dirt, I took in his blond hair and blue eyes—Vance Di Marco. I went rigid, recognizing him instantly. We used to play together as kids, years before he grew up and threw his lot in with the Ndrangheta.

Everything clicked into place all at once. The man crushing me into the dirt was Lorenzo Grimaldi, a ruthless Capo of the Ndrangheta. Sheer terror fueled a sudden surge of strength, and I bucked hard beneath him, shoving at his chest, but he was like solid stone.

“Calm down,” Vance said, his tone flat and detached. Blood welled from the deep bite mark on his hand. Calm down? They were literally abducting me on my wedding day!

I sucked in a breath to scream again, but Lorenzo slammed his hand back over my mouth before a sound could escape. “Give her the tranquilizer,” he barked.

I thrashed my head from side to side in frantic refusal, but a sharp needle jabbed into my upper arm, and a leaden weight immediately spread through my limbs. Consciousness didn't leave me completely, though the trees above began to smear into a hazy blur. Lorenzo hauled my limp body off the ground, cradling me against his chest as he broke into a run through the woods. My eyelids remained half-open, yet the world around me felt miles away.

“Celeste!” Gabriel’s shout echoed faintly from a distance.

“Celeste?” Dad’s voice followed seconds later.

More men were yelling back toward the road. Our people had finally arrived to rescue me.

“Faster!” Vance urged closely beside us. “To the right!” The cool forest air rushed past my face as they sprinted, their boots thudding heavily against the ground. Branches and patches of sky blurred overhead. Dry twigs snapped beneath their weight, and though Lorenzo’s breathing grew ragged against my ear, his hold on me never slackened. Seconds later, we burst through the treeline onto a paved road.

The screech of rubber against asphalt reached my ears, sparking a brief, desperate flicker of hope in my chest. That flicker died the instant Lorenzo tossed me onto the backseat of an idling car and threw himself in right beside me.

“Drive!” he snapped at the wheelman.

Sprawled helplessly across the seat, I stared blankly up at the interior roof as my breathing grew rapid and shallow.

“Look at you, such a stunning little bride,” Lorenzo murmured above me. I dragged my gaze toward his face, instantly regretting it. The cruel, crooked smile twisting his lips sent a final shiver down my spine. A heartbeat later, blackness swallowed my vision, and I went under.