His smile widens. “How you act and what you say to them is entirely up to you, my pet,” he says silkily. “They can witness a joyous occasion, or you can tell them you were abducted again. It’s your choice, Nora. You can do whatever you wish.”

Chapter 5

Julian

Her dark eyes are wide and unblinking as she stares at me, and I know exactly what her choice will be. As far as her parents are concerned, she’ll be the happiest bride in the world.

She’ll put on the best act of her life.

Anger and something else—something I don’t care to examine closely—churns in my gut at the thought. Rationally I understand her hesitation. I know what I am, what I have done to her. A smart woman would run as fast as she could—and Nora has always been smarter, more perceptive than most.

She’s also young. I forget that sometimes. In the comfortable world of middle-class America, few women get married at her age. It’s possible that marriage is not something she thought about yet; in fact, it’s likely, given that she had been in high school when I met her.

Rationally I understand all that . . . but rationality has nothing to do with the savage emotions seething under my skin. I want to string her up, whip her, and then fuck her until she’s raw and begging for mercy—until she admits that she’s mine, that she can’t fucking live without me.

I don’t do any of that, though. Instead I smile coolly and wait for her decision.

She inclines her head in a small nod. “All right.” Her voice is barely audible. “I’ll do it. I’ll tell them all about our love affair.”

I conceal my satisfaction. “As you wish, my pet. I’ll have Lucas set up a secure connection for you.”

And leaving her standing there, I walk over to Lucas to discuss the logistics of that specific operation.

* * *

I ask Padre Diaz to give us an hour before starting the ceremony and then sit down on one of the benches, giving Nora some privacy to talk to her parents. Of course, I’m monitoring her conversation through a little bluetooth device in my ear, but she doesn’t need to know that.

Leaning back against the wall, I get comfortable and prepare to be entertained.

Her mother picks up on the first ring.

“Hi Mom . . . it’s me.” Nora’s voice is cheerful and upbeat, practically brimming with excitement. I stifle a smile; she’s going to be even better at this than I thought.

“Nora, honey!” Gabriela Leston’s voice is filled with relief. “I’m so glad you called. I tried calling you five times today, but your phone kept going to voicemail. I was about to go over there in person—oh, wait, what number are you calling from?”

“Mom, don’t freak out, but I’m not at home, okay?” Nora’s tone is soothing, but I wince internally. I don’t know much about normal parents, but I’m pretty sure saying the words ‘don’t freak out’ ensures that they do exactly that.

“What do you mean?” Her mother’s voice immediately sharpens. “Where are you?”

Nora clears her throat. “Um, I’m in Colombia, actually.”

“WHAT?” I flinch at the earsplitting shout. “What do you mean, you’re in Colombia?”

“Mom, you don’t understand, it’s great news . . .” And Nora launches into an explanation of how we had fallen in love on the island, how devastated she had been when she’d thought I was dead—and how ecstatic she was to learn that I’m alive.

After she’s done, there is only silence on the phone. “Are you telling me that you’re with him now?” her mother finally asks, her voice hoarse and strained. “That he came back for you?”

“Yes, exactly.” Nora’s tone is jubilant. “Don’t you see, Mom? I couldn’t really talk to you about any of this before because it was too difficult—because I thought I’d lost him. But now we’re together again, and there’s something . . . something amazing that I have to tell you.”

“What is it?” Her mother sounds understandably wary.

“We’re getting married!”

There is another long silence on the other end of the line. Then: “You’re getting married . . . to him?”

I suppress another smile as Nora starts trying to convince her mother that I am not as bad as they think—that it was a combination of unfortunate circumstances that resulted in her kidnapping and that things are very different between us now. I’m not sure if Gabriela Leston is buying this, but she doesn’t really need to. The recording of this conversation will be distributed to key individuals in certain government agencies, helping soothe their ruffled feathers. I’m too valuable for them to fuck with, but it still doesn’t hurt to play along. Perception is everything, and Nora as my wife is much more palatable to them than Nora as my captive.

I could’ve married her earlier, but I was trying to keep her hidden, keep her safe. That’s why I abducted her and took her to my island: so no one would find out about her existence and her importance to me. Now that the secret is out, however, I want the entire world to know that she’s mine—that if they dare touch her, they will pay. News of my vendetta against Al-Quadar is starting to filter through the sewers of the underworld, and I’ve made sure that the rumors are even more brutal than the reality.

It’s those rumors that will keep Nora’s family safe—that and the security detail I put on her parents. It’s unlikely anyone would try to get to me through my in-laws—I’m not exactly known as a family man—but I am not taking any chances. The last thing I want is for Nora to grieve for her parents the way she’s still grieving for Beth.