Chapter 16 - The Cathedral
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The morning of the wedding, the sky over the city was a brilliant, unforgiving blue.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral was locked down tightly. Snipers were positioned on the surrounding rooftops. Hundreds of Leone soldiers formed a human barricade around the entrance.
Nadia stood in the vestibule, taking a deep, shuddering breath.
Marta was gone, so Nadia had fastened the dress herself. The silk hugged her body with terrifying perfection. It felt alive, a heavy, sacred second skin validating her right to stand in this church.
The heavy wooden doors swung open.
The pipe organ roared to life, playing a dark, hauntingly beautiful march.
Nadia stepped into the aisle. The cathedral was packed with the most dangerous men and women in the country. As she walked, a hushed, reverent murmur rippled through the pews. They saw the dress. They saw the flawless fit. And thanks to the whispers Silvio had carefully seeded throughout the underworld, they all knew they were looking at the true blood of Isabella Leone.
At the altar stood Dante. He wore a bespoke white tuxedo jacket over black trousers, looking like a terrifying, beautiful avenging angel.
His eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, the crowded church disappeared. There was only him.
She reached the altar. Dante took her hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles, grounding her against the overwhelming magnitude of the moment.
“You are breathtaking,” he whispered.
May you like
“Let’s finish this,” she whispered back.
From the front row, hidden among the "honored" guests, Don Rizzo sat glaring with pure, unadulterated hatred, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
