I laugh loudly, cutting him off. “That’s none of your concern. Just be ready when I tell you. I’ll initiate her into the family, and she won’t have a choice. All I’m asking is that you use your power to make her stay.”
He scoffs. “I’m not trapping her for you, Kaden.”
My darkness stretches, tugging at my lips. “You will if you expect me to keep killing for you. Let’s not forget how important Saint and I are for your cause. Without us, you wouldn’t be where you are today.”
There’s a tense moment of silence where I know I have him by the throat. “You’re a fucking snake.” Ivan bites. “She won’t forgive you, you know?”
“That’s a cross I’m willing to bear,” I say casually as I pull away from the curb.
I can feel him shaking his head in disbelief from the other side of the phone. “You’re not done working today. Go to the New York branch and establish a foothold with my men.”
“Sure,” I muse. “After a little stop.”
“Kaden—”
I hang up on him before pulling up the address of the bridal shop that Melody is currently at with Mom and Kodi.
Mom is three chutes of champagne deep as she rests back across the luxurious red sofa in the viewing room. Kodi holds her glass high, the white lights twinkling off it as she waits patiently for Melody to finish trying on another dress. I’m hidden in a connected waiting room, biding my time until I can be alone with my girl.
No one knows I’m here as I pace impatiently. A worker passed not long ago, her eyes widening at the sight of me before she rushed off like her heels were on fire.
“Oh, my god!” Mom gasps, causing me to whip around.
Nothing could have ever prepared me for the vision. Melody steps out of the dressing room, a boutique attendant trailing behind her as she smooths out the long, elegant train of the dress. The gown is chiffon and lace—ethereal, and hopelessly romantic.
The bodice is crafted delicately with hand-sewn floral patterns that climb gracefully over her torso and trail into sheer sleeves. The lace blends with her skin, giving the illusion of frosted glass as a soft neckline stops at the base of her throat. The chiffon of the skirt moves with her, making her seem as if she’s gliding through the air rather than walking.
She isn’t just stunning.
She’s fuckingbreathtaking.
My lips part as the wind rushes from me. I can’t move—can’t think—beyond her. How many times have I had this same fantasy? Where she was dressed in white as she held a bouquet in her hands?
In those dreams, she’s looking at me with a soft, fond smile, her eyes glassy with her joy. There is no Dylan there. It’s only us and the future we’ll share.
Dylan.
The fucking obstacle.
His name sits bitter and sour on the tip of my tongue as I stare at what he thinks belongs to him. Little does he know, I have my own fucking agenda that will eradicate him right out of Melody’s life. He’s dug his own grave, and I’m only waiting to strike.
“That’s the one,” Kodi whispers in wonder.
Melody smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes as she smooths a hand down the fabric. Her walls are already splintering under my touch, fracturing the weak bond she has with her fiancé. Our wager flickers through my mind.
She won’t admit that she still wants me. Not yet. She’s confused and probably scared of giving her heart away so freely again. That’s okay. I don’t expect her to run into my arms like she used to.
She’s grown, matured into a woman who can make her own decisions. I just have to convince her that my choices are what’s best for her. She can have her stolen time, but every path leads back to us. I’m not going anywhere, and the sooner she realizes that, the better.
It’s manipulative and conniving, but desperate times…
The boutique attendant whisks Mom and Kodi away to discuss alterations and timing, leaving Melody alone on the small platform as she examines her dress closely. Herhands dance across the chiffon, moving it aside as she feels the smoothness beneath her fingertips.
I creep in, moving so silently that she doesn’t notice as I ease down on the sofa and rest an ankle over my knee. As if drawn to me by that invisible string, her eyes snap up and connect with mine. There’s a beat before she slaps a hand over her chest, and the breath is squeezed from her lungs.
“Seriously?!” She hisses in a whisper as she turns to face me.
I circle a finger lazily, my eyes soaking in every dip and curve of her. “Give me a turn, baby. I want to see what belongs to me.”