When she reached the front, Sal lifted her veil and kissed her on the cheek before handing her over to Leo and returning to his seat. She gripped Leo’s hand as tightly as she’d held Sal’s arm. She felt as if she might pass out and wondered if it was the wedding or the corset or hunger that had put her in this state.

She tried to ignore everything but Leo. Even the priest’s words blended and mixed with the warm summer breeze. It was only because she’d heard the marriage rite many times that she was able to keep up. Her eyes widened when she heard “obey” had been slipped into the bride’s wedding vows. How Leo managed to get the priest to deviate from the traditional Catholic rite to include “obey” she didn’t know, but if the ceremony was merely legal and not a sacrament, perhaps he’d decided they could do what they wanted.

Leo smirked as she repeated the obey part. She glanced out at the attended guests, but no one noticed the addition. As she recited her vows, her fingers strayed to touch the platinum at her throat, and Leo smiled a secret smile meant for her.

When rings were on fingers and vows had been exchanged and the kiss had been shared, they were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Leo Raspallo. They turned as the reprise of the wedding march began. Faith looked out at the guests and something low in her gut twinged in panic. Her eyes were drawn to the left side of the crowd.

A man dressed in a sharp dark suit stood at the back. Faster than seemed possible, a gun was out of his jacket and aimed toward Leo. Faith didn’t think; she just moved in front it.

A spray of gunshots rang loud and hollow in the air, silencing the orchestra and bringing screams from the guests. The roses escaped her grasp and fell to the ground, and then she fell, barely feeling the hands around her waist that cushioned her as she hit the ground. Vaguely she could see color in her wedding now. Drops of red on her roses, on her dress, on the white runner she’d walked upon.

Black, red, and white were very elegant colors for a wedding.

* * *

Leo had been looking at his mother when Faith suddenly jumped in front of him. Then those terrible sounds and the surreal gasps from the guests. He looked up in time to see a man running from the scene, most guests too hysterical to go after him. Except for his brother.

Angelo shot him a brief black look and followed after the gunman with Davide in tow. Leo moved quickly, his hands barely spanning Faith’s waist in time to catch her.

“Sal, call my blood guy! I need a lot. I don’t know her blood type. Have him bring everything.” That panicked, out-of-control shout had come out of his mouth.

“But Leo, on short notice, I don’t know if…”