Kidnapping His Bride (18 page)

“I do, I do,” their mother said, her voice raspy and still clogged with tears.

Cat followed them in the kitchen and sat at the table in the breakfast nook, talking with her mother while Annalisa bustled around the kitchen. Cat told her mother about her trip to New York, how much time she spent with Rafe and how she met his sister. Her mother nodded and didn’t say much, her expression growing more and more sorrowful with every word Cat said until finally her mother reached out and settled her hand over Cat’s, her expression full of warning.

“I love you, my daughter. And I want you to be happy. I’m not sure if this is the man who will bring you true happiness.”

“But why would you agree with Father to have us involved in an arranged marriage?” All her life she’d believed everyone wanted her to marry Rafe. Now they all said she shouldn’t.

She was so confused.

“Bah. I never agreed to that silly arrangement.” Her mother waved her hand, the light catching the diamonds on her useless wedding band. “That was your father’s idea, and Renaldi’s idea. I always thought it was stupid.”

“So why did you let it happen?”

“I wasn’t sure if anything else would come along for you. Annalisa is the one who’s so strong, so resilient. You were always such a meek little thing. Like me. You still are.”

Anger stiffened Cat’s spine. She wanted so desperately to yell at her mother for thinking so little of her, but she held it in. There wasn’t any use in getting her mother upset.
 

Cat had never seen a more miserable person in all her life.

“You two both need to calm down.” Annalisa came to the table, cups of steaming hot tea in either hand. She set one cup in front of Mama’s place, the other in front of Cat. “Green tea is very soothing. Have a few sips and then we can discuss what’s going to happen next with Rafe.”

Annalisa grabbed her own cup from the kitchen counter and drank from it, smiling at Cat after she swallowed. “Drink up. I promise, you’ll feel much better. The warmth soothes the soul.”

She sounded straight out of a television ad, but Cat was too tired to protest. She sipped from her cup, and reluctantly found Annalisa was right. The warm liquid did soothe as it slid down her throat and settled in her stomach. She’d been in knots ever since they’d encountered the police at the airport. Maybe it would do her some good to finish the tea, clear her head and forge on with a plan to help Rafe.

“I’m going to take my tea to bed,” Mama said, pushing back her chair so she could stand. She reached for her cup of tea and walked out of the kitchen without another word.

“Is she all right?” Cat asked after their mother left.

Annalisa shook her head. “Is she ever really all right? Father called while you were gone and they argued over the phone. She hasn’t stopped crying since.”

Cat remained silent. Her mother always cried. That was nothing new. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“She was also upset when you left. She thought you were abandoning us for good.”

Blinking, Cat stared at her cup, her vision all of a sudden hazy. “I wish you wouldn’t say those sorts of things.”

“Why, because they’re true? We all know what’s going to happen if you marry Rafe. That’s why I’m going to put a stop to it.”

Cat blinked again, her vision blurry, her head spinning. She lifted it to look at her sister and it felt so heavy, she thought she might fall over. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you’re a stupid little bitch and I’m not going to let you marry Rafael Renaldi. Ever.” Annalisa smiled and sipped from her tea. “What do you think about that?”

She could hardly think at all, her head was so fuzzy. Her eyelids felt as if one-ton bricks sat on top of them, and she closed her eyes, felt the room spin, and she immediately tried to open them again.

But she could hardly focus.

“Feeling a little tired, sister? I wonder why.”

Oh no. Had Annalisa somehow put something in her tea? Was that why she felt so loopy? She parted her lips, tried to speak, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

“Come on, let’s take you to bed.” Annalisa was suddenly at her side, wrapping her arm around her and hauling her to her feet with a grunt. “For such a little thing, you certainly are solid.”

Cat leaned against Annalisa heavily, her feet dragging since she couldn’t seem to make them work. Fear raced over her skin and she whimpered, her mouth literally unable to form words.

“You’ll be out in no time. You’ll give me enough time to take care of everything. You won’t need to see Rafe ever again. It’s for the best, Catalina. Trust me.”

Ha
, Cat thought. Annalisa was the last person she could trust.

And that was the last thought she had before she slipped into blank, dark, nothingness.

“Miss Campioni is here to see you,” the deputy announced, grabbing Rafe by the arm and leading him to the visitor area, a small, dingy, windowless room that had a battered table and a chair on either side of it. “Stay on your side of the table and you won’t have any trouble.”

“I can’t touch her?” God, he wanted to touch her. Cat was the only thing that was real in his life. The last few hours at the jail felt surreal. As if his life had turned into some sort of strange movie and he was watching it unfold.

He’d called Matteo and had him arrange for a lawyer. Thank God he was still in the country. He and his wife should’ve followed right behind Rafe and Cat when they left, but Paige had come down with something and they’d decided to wait until she felt better before they flew back home to New York.

Matteo had promised him he would come to the police station as soon as possible with the lawyer in tow and whatever else was needed to get him out of there. Rafe was confident he would be out of this hellhole in a matter of hours.

“No touching allowed,” the man said, his voice firm, his gaze hard. He shoved Rafe into the chair. “Wait here.”

Anger simmered in Rafe’s blood, but he kept it in check. Wouldn’t do to have him make an ass of himself and make his situation worse. He was in jail, for God’s sake. He’d love nothing more but to throw a punch at the asshole officer for treating him so poorly, but he couldn’t.

He knew his limits.

The door swung open and Rafe held his breath, anxious for Cat to walk in so he could at least inhale in her scent. See her beautiful face…

But it wasn’t Cat who entered the room. Annalisa strode in, a cunning smile curving her lips as she sat at the table across from him.

“What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Cat?” He glared at her, disgust filling him at seeing her. He hated her. Hated what she did to her sister, what she’d done to them both. He was in jail because of this woman, brought in on false charges that she made because of some crazy grudge she held against him.

“Nice to see you too, Rafael.” The smile never left her face as she flicked her gaze toward the officer who stood in far the corner of the room. Most likely he wouldn’t be able to hear them. “A shame we have to be chaperoned, hmm? But I’m glad he’s there. Not too sure how you’ll react with only me in the room. Better safe than sorry.”

He seethed. What the hell was she implying? That he’d attack her with violence because of what she’d done? Or was she meaning that he’d jump her in a sexual manner?

As if.

“Where is my fiancée?” he asked again, trying his best to keep calm.

“She’s at home. Sleeping.”

Sleeping? How could she sleep at a time like this? The Cat he knew would most likely be pacing and plotting how to get him out of this place. He was surprised she hadn’t come by now. “Why? Is she not feeling well?”

“She’s fine.” Annalisa waved her hand, dismissing his worry. “Stop being such an old man.”

He wanted to choke her. “Tell me you’re here because you dropped the charges.”

Reaching inside his pocket, he fumbled for his cell, pressing the recorder button on. In the police’s sloppy handling of his arrest, they’d somehow forgotten to confiscate his phone.

So he planned on using it to his advantage.

“I have no plans for dropping the charges,” Annalisa said, an odd smile on her face.

Jesus. What was wrong with this woman? “Why not? What have I ever done to you?”

Her brows rose. “Really? You have the nerve to ask that question? What have you done to me? Why don’t I rattle off the list?” She pointed at him, her finger shaking. “First, you ignore me. I’ve had a crush on you for years.
Years.
I was the one who should’ve been your fiancée, not Catalina. We have more in common, we’re closer in age.”

He said nothing in reply, disgusted by how she turned this entire situation into poor, pitiful Annalisa. Such bullshit.

“I tried to tell you multiple times how I felt, but you never cared. Then at that party, I practically throw myself at you, and you did nothing. Nothing at all! That was it. That was the moment that pushed me to convince Cat you were worthless,” she said with a smirk.

“Didn’t work, did it? She’s still with me,” he murmured.

Her smirk faltered, her eyes dimmed. “Not for long.”

His heart fell into his toes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you won’t be able to get out of this hellhole unless you agree to do what I tell you.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to break up with Catalina.”

Rafe remained silent. He refused to agree.

“You’re going to tell her the reason you’re breaking up with her is because you’re in love with me. That you’ve been in love with me for years and you used her to get closer to me.”

He slowly shook his head. Would Cat really believe that? After everything they shared the last few days? “You’re crazy.”

“Crazy for you. And you’d be crazy too if you don’t agree to this. I have plans, Rafe, if you don’t split up with her. Plans to keep you in here for a very, very long time.”

“Your charges won’t hold,” he tossed at her. “No one will believe you. Cat is a grown woman who left with me willingly.”

“She’s a woman who’s mentally unstable and I’m her guardian. At this very moment she’s lying in the fetal position, drooling on her bed. What woman would do this when her beloved fiancé is locked up in jail? I’ll tell you…a woman who has numerous, untreatable problems.” Annalisa leaned back in her chair, looking smug. “She needs help, Rafe. She’s unstable. Incapable of being a proper wife to you. You’ll see. With all of her problems, there’s no way you could marry her.”

She was sick. A fucked-up, twisted mess, and he needed to pretend he was on her side to get the hell out of this place and rescue Cat before something terrible happened to her. “So that’s all you want? Is me?”

Hope lit her eyes, her smile. “A simple request, don’t you think?”

He nodded slowly, his stomach curdling at what he was about to say. “I need to get out of here, Annalisa. If being with you is the solution, then I’ll agree.”

“So you’ll end it with Cat.”

“Absolutely.” He nodded and shrugged. “You’re right. She’s not the one for me. We do have more in common, don’t we?”

“Yes,” she said eagerly. “Yes, we do. I’m so glad you can finally see it. Maybe being in jail for a few hours was good for you. Helped you see things clearer.”

Yeah, sure.

“You must be right. We belong together, you and I.” He choked the last few words out, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Tears sparkled in her eyes. “You don’t know how happy you’ve just made me.”

“Hurry and talk to the detectives. Tell them you want to drop the charges so we can be together.”

“I will. I swear I will.” She pushed her chair back and stood, smiling down at him with tear-filled eyes. “You’ve made me the happiest woman on Earth, I swear.”

He returned the smile, more a baring of teeth than anything else. God, the woman turned his stomach. “Hurry, darling. I need to get out of here so I can go talk to Cat and break it off with her.”

Her smile turned into a frown. “Oh, you might want to wait before you talk to her.”

“Why?” What had she done to Cat?

“She’s so sleepy. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Maybe she’ll be awake by the time we get out of here.”

“Did you…did you do something to her, Annalisa?”

“Oh, stop worrying. You act like I tried to kill her.” She waved her hand, her words like little daggers to his heart. Was she capable of such a thing? He hadn’t a clue. “I just gave her a little something to help her sleep. I had to. She was like a dog with a bone, determined to find justice for you once and for all.”

Just hearing those words confirmed his feelings. He was in love with Cat. He might’ve been all along, but it was hard to admit when he barely knew her. A few days with her showed him how perfect they were for each other. How much they belonged together.

Why was Annalisa so hell bent on keeping them apart? Was she that delusional to believe they really belonged together? Was she the one who was mentally unstable?

He’d bet yes.

Chapter Thirteen

Rafe left the jail less than an hour after Annalisa came to visit him. The process had been remarkably easy. She’d gone to the detectives she’d first contacted when he and Cat had been in New York and admitted she’d made a mistake. Her sister was fine and Rafe shouldn’t have been arrested.